“It’s like spending two days inside a shopping mall,” I explained to those who got to stay at home as we undertook the annual 700-mile journey to visit the world’s biggest gift market in America’s sixth largest city via the world’s busiest airport.
As Jen and I made our way to Atlanta for AmericasMart last week, I imagined our coworkers and customers from Good’s Store silently cheering us on through all the hassles of airports and hotels, two small-town Pennsylvanians in the Big Peach.
“I can’t believe Good’s trusts those two young girls to go to Georgia and buy things for the store,” my grandmother says.
AmericasMart, just like Good’s Store, has been around since 1957— older than me and Jen, but younger than Grandma. The wholesale gift show is held at the Peachtree Center in downtown: a labyrinth of fifty-one floors of gleaming showrooms spread out over three buildings, connected by a confusing maze of elevators, escalators, and bridges between buildings.
More than half a million people go to AmericasMart every year, with thousands arriving every January for the Gift Market.
This was the third year Jen and I attended, yet it felt almost as stressful as if it were the first trip. First, our hotel switched reservations on us two days before the trip. Instead of staying a quarter-mile away from the Peachtree Center (close enough to walk) we suddenly were booked at a hotel over a mile away (too far to walk).
After some phone calls, we learned a lot of market people had been moved to the new hotel, and there would be a shuttle running back and forth to the show. So that part wasn’t a problem.
But the new location was harder to reach by using the MARTA (Atlanta’s metro), so when we arrived on Wednesday, Jen suggested we take the easy, if costlier route: taxi. It was the first time I’ve ever ridden in a taxi, and I felt like a woman of luxury sliding into the back seat as the driver loaded our luggage in the trunk. Next time, we’ll have to try Uber.
Our taxi driver told us the hotel we were staying in opened just six months ago, and when we got there, we realized that it was a nicer hotel than the one we had originally booked (and to make up for the hassle of switching reservations, the hotel company actually charged us less). The spacious room overlooked the Mercedes-Benz stadium, the bathroom was well-stocked (even a comfy bathrobe), and best of all, a new building meant none of the musty hotel smell.
Thursday and Friday was showtime for us. The shuttle dropped us off at Building 2, and we were off. On the first day, I had appointments with six different reps, and five the next day, plus I placed orders with several new vendors. This is my fourth year of buying for Good’s (Jen has been buying for twelve).
Most of the reps expressed optimism about the economy and the new administration (coming tomorrow), despite the specter of tariffs. But no one is clairvoyant. Both salesmen and politicians will use optimism to get what they want.
Aside from the usual smooth chitchat with the sales reps, Jen and I enjoyed talking with other buyers from all over the country. I sat next to a woman on the shuttle who owns a pick-your-own produce farm in Missouri that has been in her family for eight generations. An Orthodox Jewish women came up to us and asked questions about Mennonites. At all of these trade shows, there are always a few of us Mennonites, Amish, and Jews sprinkled in the crowd like pepper in soup. I made eye contact and smiled at the other Mennonite women I saw, but we didn’t stop to play the Mennonite game, we had work to do.
We flew home yesterday. The driver who picked us up at the hotel (we had asked the concierge to book the taxi) told us Atlanta is the busiest airport in the world and wished us God’s blessings. We were glad to get back to Pennsylvania before the big snowstorm today. The plans I had for this evening were canceled because of the snow, but after a trip to the Big Peach, a quiet snowy evening is just what this Lancaster County girl needs.
Very interesting article, as usual!