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Plymouth Gun Show Cancelled

yes old news ....going to be over near Gillette stadium now IIRC.

heard last year that show would be the last....

I dont think it really had a chance. plus there was a bunch of shows in the area just weeks apart ?
 
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The place near Gillette was horrible parking and really dark and small. I think I spent 35-40 minutes out on rte1 and trying to park and maybe 40 minutes inside and left....oh well as bad a s Plymouth was it was really open inside and it cut down on the proverbial gun show B.O.....lol
 
Osofast said:
The place near Gillette was horrible parking and really dark and small. I think I spent 35-40 minutes out on rte1 and trying to park and maybe 40 minutes inside and left....oh well as bad a s Plymouth was it was really open inside and it cut down on the proverbial gun show B.O.....lol
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I never attended the Plymouth shows, so no comment on what was there or not for facilities.

As for Foxboro, it is a small venue, 300-325 tables max. It ran there for many years until Marge Clapprood and her Husband rented the place, they are anti-gun and killed the shows. For those years, Foxboro was always sold out (tables) with waiting lists as vendors claimed it was their most successful ($$) venue in MA. That was told to me by both Carole (promoter) and numerous vendors that I knew.

There is plenty of parking since they dug out the rear of that lot, however the Feb. show was handicapped by massive amounts of ice in the parking lot making it very hazardous. I can't pass judgement on how efficient or not the people guiding the parking were or were not and your complaint makes it sound like they were the problem or people pulling in and waiting for a close in space to become available, blocking others from driving thru to the deep area of the parking lot.

I've attended (and worked) a lot of gun and other trade shows there over many years and can't say that the place is dark. This year I worked both shows for MF&G so I was there for a full day each show.
 
I thought Plymouth was pretty good, probably had something to do with the location being convenient for me. I got some good ammo deals on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Foxboro location was fine and had no issue parking. The issue I had was that there weren't enough good vendors. Many TSA knife tables and junk. $100 brick of crap .22 iirc also. I'll go again, since it's close, and hope more good vendors show up next time.

Looks like it's back in Foxboro in feb and april again in 2017.
 
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Plymouth was convenient for people but as a show, it was mediocre. The only thing that didn't suck about it was the parking was free. (10 years from now I will still be ranting about how having western MA shows at the big E is stupid... **** that place... [laugh] )

-Mike
 
I used to like the Foxboro show at Dimitris, until they barred the beef jerky guy, claiming his products "left an unpleasant odor in their carpets".
 
Let's be honest: Only Marlboro and Wilmington really matter... and I'll include West Springfield for the Western MA folks just because the two major shows are too far east for a lot of those folks to make the drive. Plymouth was never going to be more than an okay show because of its somewhat isolated location. Sturbridge is mostly about antiques while Foxboro has been a disaster so far for a number of reasons (small venue, bad weather, piss poor parking situation, vendors cancelling due to too many shows spaced too close, etc.).

I say keep Marlboro, Wilmington and West Springfield... and let the crappy minor shows die. They aren't worth it. [thinking]
 
Zappa said:
I used to like the Foxboro show at Dimitris, until they barred the beef jerky guy, claiming his products "left an unpleasant odor in their carpets".
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They were there at the Feb & Apr shows! Prior venue management might have been an issue, but apparently not this year at the resurrected show.


EJFudd said:
Let's be honest: Only Marlboro and Wilmington really matter... and I'll include West Springfield for the Western MA folks just because the two major shows are too far east for a lot of those folks to make the drive. Plymouth was never going to be more than an okay show because of its somewhat isolated location. Sturbridge is mostly about antiques while Foxboro has been a disaster so far for a number of reasons (small venue, bad weather, piss poor parking situation, vendors cancelling due to too many shows spaced too close, etc.).

I say keep Marlboro, Wilmington and West Springfield... and let the crappy minor shows die. They aren't worth it. [thinking]
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The shows are always clustered together for reasons that only the promoter can explain.

Those vendors that used to do Foxboro are or will be back. As small as it is, it was a $$ success for them. According to Carole, every table was sold at Foxboro. A few left due to the icy parking lot (one guy fell and ended up at the hospital) being too hazardous to bring goods in and out. I'll confirm that the parking lot was a disaster (safety wise) due to the ice. I was a "vendor" at both shows, as MF&G bought a table for a membership promotion that was a great success.

Winter is Winter, whether it is at the Big E, Marlboro, Wilmington or Foxboro. Weather is something that nobody can control and the only other option is to not hold shows from November thru March each year but that is financial suicide for the promoter and vendors (think hunting season and Christmas shopping).

When I was in the computer biz, the computer shows (flea markets) were also every weekend for a month or so at 4 venues. It was a bit much, but it seems vendors complained all the way to the bank.
 
EJFudd said:
Let's be honest: Only Marlboro and Wilmington really matter... and I'll include West Springfield for the Western MA folks just because the two major shows are too far east for a lot of those folks to make the drive. Plymouth was never going to be more than an okay show because of its somewhat isolated location. Sturbridge is mostly about antiques while Foxboro has been a disaster so far for a number of reasons (small venue, bad weather, piss poor parking situation, vendors cancelling due to too many shows spaced too close, etc.).

I say keep Marlboro, Wilmington and West Springfield... and let the crappy minor shows die. They aren't worth it. [thinking]
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Springfield is a crappy minor show at this point, too. Western MA needs a new venue, because that one SUCKS.

-Mike
 
The first couple of Plymouth shows were great. Every regular vendor from Wilmington and Marlboro would show. The place they held it in was perfect size. Plenty of room and people said they liked the astro turf because it was easy on the feet. Unfortunately many dealers said it was too far for them to travel and there wasn't enough accommodations in the area so they started dropping out. That's what killed it.
 
last time i was at plymouth gun show as 2014. it seemed weak...cannot recall if even the beef jerky guy was there which is a sign of demise. i wasn't surprised to hear it was cancelled.
 
Len-2A Training said:
The shows are always clustered together for reasons that only the promoter can explain.
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The February Foxboro show earlier this year, one week after Marlboro, made no sense at all to me. Anything remotely decent from the top shelf vendors who did both shows was sold off at Marlboro. [thinking]

Len-2A Training said:
Those vendors that used to do Foxboro are or will be back. As small as it is, it was a $$ success for them. According to Carole, every table was sold at Foxboro.
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I guess we'll have to wait until next February and see how many and which ones return. That will be the test.

Len-2A Training said:
Winter is Winter, whether it is at the Big E, Marlboro, Wilmington or Foxboro. Weather is something that nobody can control and the only other option is to not hold shows from November thru March each year but that is financial suicide for the promoter and vendors (think hunting season and Christmas shopping).
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I'm not asking that they stop the shows entirely. I'm mostly asking that they don't try to run them back-to-back. And the truth is that I've never had any "winter-related" problems at Marlboro or Wilmington. Maybe it was just very bad luck for Foxboro this past year. We'll just have to wait and see if it's as bad next year.

Len-2A Training said:
When I was in the computer biz, the computer shows (flea markets) were also every weekend for a month or so at 4 venues. It was a bit much, but it seems vendors complained all the way to the bank.
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Those were the good old days. [laugh] On-line sales have killed them deader than a doornail. I think that gun shows are a whole lot different... but still, there is no way I want to attend a local gun show multiple weekends in a row.

drgrant said:
Springfield is a crappy minor show at this point, too. Western MA needs a new venue, because that one SUCKS.

-Mike
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No argument from me. [laugh] I was just being kind to our Western MA members. [cheers]
 
EJFudd said:
No argument from me. [laugh] I was just being kind to our Western MA members. [cheers]
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I think you could get a big, premium show in Western MA again, but it's never going to happen at that venue, and with the local FD being a bunch of douchebags about having ammo in the building, etc. the parking fees and the ammo ban pretty much murder the piss out of that show.

It is kinda sad when you think about it because many years ago (before ammo ban) Springfield was THE show. It was the biggest.

-Mike
 
drgrant said:
Plymouth was convenient for people but as a show, it was mediocre. The only thing that didn't suck about it was the parking was free. (10 years from now I will still be ranting about how having western MA shows at the big E is stupid... **** that place... [laugh] )

-Mike
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I won't go to that show anymore. Nothing there, no bargains and pay to park!! Cost me $27 just to walk thru the door with my GF to walk around for 30 min at over priced junk and antiques. I don't have anything against antiques but not what I was looking for. Never again!
 
Apologies for (sort of) hijacking this thread, but with the Plymouth one canceled is the West Springfield show worth driving ~90 minutes to? It would be the first Mass state gun show I've been to, so I'm not familiar with the quality of the vendors, gear (especially since 7/20), etc.

I understand this is a bit of a subjective question, but any general thoughts?
 
kderby said:
Apologies for (sort of) hijacking this thread, but with the Plymouth one canceled is the West Springfield show worth driving ~90 minutes to? It would be the first Mass state gun show I've been to, so I'm not familiar with the quality of the vendors, gear (especially since 7/20), etc.

I understand this is a bit of a subjective question, but any general thoughts?
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Unless you have other business out that way, you are far better off waiting until the Wilmington show 2 weekends later. [thinking]
 

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