Exactly one week to go! Anyone in the NE area should give the Frag Farmer's Market a shot. If you have never come out, you will not be disappointed. If you have come out in the past, you are already coming out, so I will see you there!
Here are some more questions that I have gotten on forums, PM's, emails, etc...
"I have to drive 3 hours to get to the Frag Farmers, is it really worth it?"
-I always look at a big show this way; I drive an hour to go to some of the shops I like best. What if I could drive 3 to see all of the fish stores in one place. With almost 70 coral vendors this year, this is the single largest grouping of corals you can find anywhere. No conference, no show, no swap focuses on just corals and has this many vendors. The room after room of corals at the FFM is overwhelming, even to me and I have been at them all!
"Will there be high end SPS at the FFM?"
-Yes, there are a TON of high end SPS at the FFM, sold by many of the vendors.
"Can I find easy to keep corals? I have a new tank and am just looking to fill some space."
-Yes, that is there too. Lots of the hobbyists farm easy stuff, GSP, mushrooms, leathers, xenia, etc...
"What are the typical prices at the FFM?"
-The prices here are better than you will find anywhere for three reasons. One, the shops always stock up to sell at shows and give better pricing than you would see in their store, or online. They often do package deals, 5 for $50, etc... Secondly, the buy-in for shops is so low, they don't feel the pressure to make back their set-up fee. Typical shows this size charge $100's just for the space, mine is still well under $100, and only $30 for hobbyists. People always ask why don't I charge more, and the answer is I'm not in this for the money. I just want to be able to run my coral project with the kids at the school. Lastly, with so many vendors, you can find the same coral at multiple stations. That competition causes better prices. Frags range anywhere from free (yes that happens!) all the way up to $1000 (most expensive I saw last year, and YES, it did sell).
"Do vendors accept credit cards?"
-Some do, some don't. Most of the bigger places do but many of the hobbyists do not. I always suggest cash, its the sure thing. How much is a tricky question. Let me give you a word problem to describe it (sorry it's a teacher thing):
When you leave home, you will say I am going to spend $X. When you get here you will spend that. Then you will see two more things that you need, then two more after that... You will visit the ATM across the street and take out more $. You will come having spent $X + $Y, and wishing you had bought that one piece for $Z that you had never seen before. How much trouble are you in with your wife?
"Where does all the money from the FFM go?"
-ALL of the proceeds go to support the E.O. Smith High School Coral Project. I teach my students about corals, aquaculture and conservation by having them help me run the schools coral farm. The FFM has become so successful that I have been able to start helping other schools get going with similar projects in their classrooms. I have also used the proceeds from the FFM to give out $2000 in scholarships over the last two years.
See you all in a week!
Jon
