Merchandise for sale at the Inn

[JBloggs]

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?.

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?

Sorry, not in my opinion, not for me, we are not Coca Cola.
We do not market to locals.
A sticker in a book is not my idea of marketing. A sticker in a book is a "Susie owns this book." Plenty of people put their stickers in books for ownership purposes.
I think our marketing needs to be a bit bigger and more honed in than that.
Or as the saying goes "Howz that working' for ya?" I think marketing needs to be more than someone seeing your name.
.

We actually stayed at a place where there was a "book exchange". If you finished a book there, you could leave it and take another with you when you left. All of the books were stamped inside with a "From the Book Exchange at --followed by their name, address & phone".
As avid readers, we are always picking up books everywhere, and if I saw that stamp and address at a place I knew or travelled to, I would look them up. If I was unfamiliar with the town, I might google them to find out.
This would cost next to nothing, and is something I plan on doing too. As for marketing to locals, we visited an inn for lunch back in Feb. a couple hours from here, in the middle of NOWHERE. Their 3rd year. They have a small restaurant and an old historic inn, and thought they would be dead. Dead area, Dead season, Dead economy.
He had nine rooms booked who had just finished up breakfast, and was expecting a bunch of snowmobilers in that evening. Where were they coming from I asked? Oh, I get mostly bored locals who want a change! He is working it! He has a local snowmobile "Poker Run", an Inn Hockey Team, Ice Fishing tournament, and said the "WII Bowling Tournament" took off really well for Thursday nights-- everyone from the Realtors to the Loggers--some stay over! Food was very good too. We left in awe.
.

A restaurant is not the same as a B&B. Of course you market to locals for that. But plenty of those are going under as well.
Locals do not stay in B&B's in their own town, it would make little sense to do that, sure one or two here or there with extenuating circumstances. Sounds like they are boozing it up and then staying the night. Not the kind of guests most B&B's are geared toward.
B&B's typically have books, a library, a lending library or exchange or take one if you wish. I am of the mindset that when I walk into a B&B and most the things are for sale it puts me off. We have heard about this plenty of times - as innkeepers DO NEED the extra income when they can get it.
I think you are talking small potatoes if you think a sticker in a book is a big marketing effort. Go online and hit every social media site you can and put your "sticker" there with URL and slogan or something to perk their interest.

 

[Pollyanna]

With the books what we do as a marketing Idea is put in the sticker on the inside of the cover with our details on so where ever the book goes it is a free advert for us. We just buy cheep volumes in good condition from the local charity shops (my dad then reads them) and then they do out on the shelf for guests to take. (My dad would buy them anyway so its doesn't cost us anyway)..

sorry - duplicate post

 

[white pine]

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?.

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?

Sorry, not in my opinion, not for me, we are not Coca Cola.
We do not market to locals.
A sticker in a book is not my idea of marketing. A sticker in a book is a "Susie owns this book." Plenty of people put their stickers in books for ownership purposes.
I think our marketing needs to be a bit bigger and more honed in than that.
Or as the saying goes "Howz that working' for ya?" I think marketing needs to be more than someone seeing your name.
.

We actually stayed at a place where there was a "book exchange". If you finished a book there, you could leave it and take another with you when you left. All of the books were stamped inside with a "From the Book Exchange at --followed by their name, address & phone".
As avid readers, we are always picking up books everywhere, and if I saw that stamp and address at a place I knew or travelled to, I would look them up. If I was unfamiliar with the town, I might google them to find out.
This would cost next to nothing, and is something I plan on doing too. As for marketing to locals, we visited an inn for lunch back in Feb. a couple hours from here, in the middle of NOWHERE. Their 3rd year. They have a small restaurant and an old historic inn, and thought they would be dead. Dead area, Dead season, Dead economy.
He had nine rooms booked who had just finished up breakfast, and was expecting a bunch of snowmobilers in that evening. Where were they coming from I asked? Oh, I get mostly bored locals who want a change! He is working it! He has a local snowmobile "Poker Run", an Inn Hockey Team, Ice Fishing tournament, and said the "WII Bowling Tournament" took off really well for Thursday nights-- everyone from the Realtors to the Loggers--some stay over! Food was very good too. We left in awe.
.

A restaurant is not the same as a B&B. Of course you market to locals for that. But plenty of those are going under as well.
Locals do not stay in B&B's in their own town, it would make little sense to do that, sure one or two here or there with extenuating circumstances. Sounds like they are boozing it up and then staying the night. Not the kind of guests most B&B's are geared toward.
B&B's typically have books, a library, a lending library or exchange or take one if you wish. I am of the mindset that when I walk into a B&B and most the things are for sale it puts me off. We have heard about this plenty of times - as innkeepers DO NEED the extra income when they can get it.
I think you are talking small potatoes if you think a sticker in a book is a big marketing effort. Go online and hit every social media site you can and put your "sticker" there with URL and slogan or something to perk their interest.
.

This fellow has a nice historic inn, with a small restaurant in a tiny town. Never said that a restaurant crowd was the same as a B&B-- only that this man found a marketing strategy which did tap into the locals. In the dead of winter he had rooms booked and cash coming in. He also was making a point of involving his local businesses with his--the teams were all local businesses. No one there seemed drunk or hung over, it was a nice place.
In the village where I had my shops, there were two B&B's in town. Locals did stay at them, repeatedly, and I heard of positive things about them. They took part in our business promotions. Might well have been the exception to the rule, but we tried to work together as a business community.
Personally, I do not think the average B&B can bring in enough sales from retail to make it worth the bother. I don't plan on it. I would not be put off if a place had a gift shop, but would not like to see tickets on everything in the place either.
Might be small potatoes, but if a book exchange can bring me one booking for the cost of a rubber stamp, I am for it.

 

[egoodell]

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?.

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?

Sorry, not in my opinion, not for me, we are not Coca Cola.
We do not market to locals.
A sticker in a book is not my idea of marketing. A sticker in a book is a "Susie owns this book." Plenty of people put their stickers in books for ownership purposes.
I think our marketing needs to be a bit bigger and more honed in than that.
Or as the saying goes "Howz that working' for ya?" I think marketing needs to be more than someone seeing your name.
.

We actually stayed at a place where there was a "book exchange". If you finished a book there, you could leave it and take another with you when you left. All of the books were stamped inside with a "From the Book Exchange at --followed by their name, address & phone".
As avid readers, we are always picking up books everywhere, and if I saw that stamp and address at a place I knew or travelled to, I would look them up. If I was unfamiliar with the town, I might google them to find out.
This would cost next to nothing, and is something I plan on doing too. As for marketing to locals, we visited an inn for lunch back in Feb. a couple hours from here, in the middle of NOWHERE. Their 3rd year. They have a small restaurant and an old historic inn, and thought they would be dead. Dead area, Dead season, Dead economy.
He had nine rooms booked who had just finished up breakfast, and was expecting a bunch of snowmobilers in that evening. Where were they coming from I asked? Oh, I get mostly bored locals who want a change! He is working it! He has a local snowmobile "Poker Run", an Inn Hockey Team, Ice Fishing tournament, and said the "WII Bowling Tournament" took off really well for Thursday nights-- everyone from the Realtors to the Loggers--some stay over! Food was very good too. We left in awe.
.

A restaurant is not the same as a B&B. Of course you market to locals for that. But plenty of those are going under as well.
Locals do not stay in B&B's in their own town, it would make little sense to do that, sure one or two here or there with extenuating circumstances. Sounds like they are boozing it up and then staying the night. Not the kind of guests most B&B's are geared toward.
B&B's typically have books, a library, a lending library or exchange or take one if you wish. I am of the mindset that when I walk into a B&B and most the things are for sale it puts me off. We have heard about this plenty of times - as innkeepers DO NEED the extra income when they can get it.
I think you are talking small potatoes if you think a sticker in a book is a big marketing effort. Go online and hit every social media site you can and put your "sticker" there with URL and slogan or something to perk their interest.
.

This fellow has a nice historic inn, with a small restaurant in a tiny town. Never said that a restaurant crowd was the same as a B&B-- only that this man found a marketing strategy which did tap into the locals. In the dead of winter he had rooms booked and cash coming in. He also was making a point of involving his local businesses with his--the teams were all local businesses. No one there seemed drunk or hung over, it was a nice place.
In the village where I had my shops, there were two B&B's in town. Locals did stay at them, repeatedly, and I heard of positive things about them. They took part in our business promotions. Might well have been the exception to the rule, but we tried to work together as a business community.
Personally, I do not think the average B&B can bring in enough sales from retail to make it worth the bother. I don't plan on it. I would not be put off if a place had a gift shop, but would not like to see tickets on everything in the place either.
Might be small potatoes, but if a book exchange can bring me one booking for the cost of a rubber stamp, I am for it.
.

I don't know...there are B&Bs in our part of the country that make enough money on their gift shops to finance their vacations so that would make it worth the while. I sell jewelry made by a local artist and it is doing well.
Riki

 

[gillumhouse]

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?.

Found the idea in a book I was reading so can't take credit for it but its all about putting your name in people's minds isn't it?

Sorry, not in my opinion, not for me, we are not Coca Cola.
We do not market to locals.
A sticker in a book is not my idea of marketing. A sticker in a book is a "Susie owns this book." Plenty of people put their stickers in books for ownership purposes.
I think our marketing needs to be a bit bigger and more honed in than that.
Or as the saying goes "Howz that working' for ya?" I think marketing needs to be more than someone seeing your name.
.

We actually stayed at a place where there was a "book exchange". If you finished a book there, you could leave it and take another with you when you left. All of the books were stamped inside with a "From the Book Exchange at --followed by their name, address & phone".
As avid readers, we are always picking up books everywhere, and if I saw that stamp and address at a place I knew or travelled to, I would look them up. If I was unfamiliar with the town, I might google them to find out.
This would cost next to nothing, and is something I plan on doing too. As for marketing to locals, we visited an inn for lunch back in Feb. a couple hours from here, in the middle of NOWHERE. Their 3rd year. They have a small restaurant and an old historic inn, and thought they would be dead. Dead area, Dead season, Dead economy.
He had nine rooms booked who had just finished up breakfast, and was expecting a bunch of snowmobilers in that evening. Where were they coming from I asked? Oh, I get mostly bored locals who want a change! He is working it! He has a local snowmobile "Poker Run", an Inn Hockey Team, Ice Fishing tournament, and said the "WII Bowling Tournament" took off really well for Thursday nights-- everyone from the Realtors to the Loggers--some stay over! Food was very good too. We left in awe.
.

A restaurant is not the same as a B&B. Of course you market to locals for that. But plenty of those are going under as well.
Locals do not stay in B&B's in their own town, it would make little sense to do that, sure one or two here or there with extenuating circumstances. Sounds like they are boozing it up and then staying the night. Not the kind of guests most B&B's are geared toward.
B&B's typically have books, a library, a lending library or exchange or take one if you wish. I am of the mindset that when I walk into a B&B and most the things are for sale it puts me off. We have heard about this plenty of times - as innkeepers DO NEED the extra income when they can get it.
I think you are talking small potatoes if you think a sticker in a book is a big marketing effort. Go online and hit every social media site you can and put your "sticker" there with URL and slogan or something to perk their interest.
.

This fellow has a nice historic inn, with a small restaurant in a tiny town. Never said that a restaurant crowd was the same as a B&B-- only that this man found a marketing strategy which did tap into the locals. In the dead of winter he had rooms booked and cash coming in. He also was making a point of involving his local businesses with his--the teams were all local businesses. No one there seemed drunk or hung over, it was a nice place.
In the village where I had my shops, there were two B&B's in town. Locals did stay at them, repeatedly, and I heard of positive things about them. They took part in our business promotions. Might well have been the exception to the rule, but we tried to work together as a business community.
Personally, I do not think the average B&B can bring in enough sales from retail to make it worth the bother. I don't plan on it. I would not be put off if a place had a gift shop, but would not like to see tickets on everything in the place either.
Might be small potatoes, but if a book exchange can bring me one booking for the cost of a rubber stamp, I am for it.
.

My "gift shop" is discreetly in a Hoosier in the dining room. If I did a better job of keeping it stocked, it would do better. The only things that have small price tags are the paintings around the house.

 

[user 26]

as a guest, i don't mind things being for sale. as long as no one PUSHES things.
if you can offer a few things for sale without a lot of hassle and without crushing startup costs, why not? you need a little place to offer the things and a way to maintain control.
like i've said ... i KNOW i could have sold sweatshirts where i was because about 75% of my guests took the ferry to a nearby island or a boat cruise. out on the ocean can be cold and breezy - even on hot days - and i sent all that business (daily) over to the general store. i missed that opp. (sigh)
this to me was the biggest indicator. if your guests consistently ask where they can buy a particular item, THAT'S something you should offer if you can.
as for the books, i told guests (who asked) if they could borrow the book, to just take the book home with them. and i did rubber stamp the b&b name in the inside cover. couldn't hurt ... as long as you have the time!

 

[white pine]

as a guest, i don't mind things being for sale. as long as no one PUSHES things.
if you can offer a few things for sale without a lot of hassle and without crushing startup costs, why not? you need a little place to offer the things and a way to maintain control.
like i've said ... i KNOW i could have sold sweatshirts where i was because about 75% of my guests took the ferry to a nearby island or a boat cruise. out on the ocean can be cold and breezy - even on hot days - and i sent all that business (daily) over to the general store. i missed that opp. (sigh)
this to me was the biggest indicator. if your guests consistently ask where they can buy a particular item, THAT'S something you should offer if you can.
as for the books, i told guests (who asked) if they could borrow the book, to just take the book home with them. and i did rubber stamp the b&b name in the inside cover. couldn't hurt ... as long as you have the time!.

I agree. SS I am not sure where to post this as a general reply so I put it here-. Sorry to get so off on this, and I know some of you are savvy retailers too, but my inner retailer speaks for newbies:
I have seen many get burned in retail. My main fear is that many assume things will be easy to sell. The cash outlay can be fairly high depending on the supplier and the goods. It adds up quickly.
I have sold clothing, and it can do very well indeed. However there is usually a minimum order per size per style; and total number of pieces can add up quickly. If you don't monitor closely, you will be out of your most popular sizes quickly. Before you place the first order check to see what the minimum re-order terms are. I know some styles/sizes will not sell at full mark-up.
I like the idea of selling foodstuffs/ and or amenities because you are able to buy specialty products at cost (plus use tax in most states) for your own use at the inn. You can buy ready made with your private label. Be aware of shelf life, and that the shipping costs can be high. If you are making things to sell yourself, you may need a commercial kitchen. I think this can be a wonderful way for guests to share their experience with you at home with friends. People like treats!
Be careful to factor in the cost of shipping/handling, and the cost of your time to pick out product, place orders, mark it, display it and inventory it. Also there is time involved for dealing with incorrect/broken orders, and correcting the paperwork/invoices regarding them.
Just cautioning some to be careful, they may not realize the amount of effort it takes. FYI standard mark-up for most products is price x 2; foodstuffs less, jewelry price x 3 (which is why they can have so many sales).
For those who know their customer base, and have the storage space, display space & special products which mix nicely with their business. Great! I love when people have selected things they know about and display them well; it tells me something about the personality of the owner too.
If I can help anyone please contact me otherwise I will go quietly now...

 

[gillumhouse]

as a guest, i don't mind things being for sale. as long as no one PUSHES things.
if you can offer a few things for sale without a lot of hassle and without crushing startup costs, why not? you need a little place to offer the things and a way to maintain control.
like i've said ... i KNOW i could have sold sweatshirts where i was because about 75% of my guests took the ferry to a nearby island or a boat cruise. out on the ocean can be cold and breezy - even on hot days - and i sent all that business (daily) over to the general store. i missed that opp. (sigh)
this to me was the biggest indicator. if your guests consistently ask where they can buy a particular item, THAT'S something you should offer if you can.
as for the books, i told guests (who asked) if they could borrow the book, to just take the book home with them. and i did rubber stamp the b&b name in the inside cover. couldn't hurt ... as long as you have the time!.

I agree. SS I am not sure where to post this as a general reply so I put it here-. Sorry to get so off on this, and I know some of you are savvy retailers too, but my inner retailer speaks for newbies:
I have seen many get burned in retail. My main fear is that many assume things will be easy to sell. The cash outlay can be fairly high depending on the supplier and the goods. It adds up quickly.
I have sold clothing, and it can do very well indeed. However there is usually a minimum order per size per style; and total number of pieces can add up quickly. If you don't monitor closely, you will be out of your most popular sizes quickly. Before you place the first order check to see what the minimum re-order terms are. I know some styles/sizes will not sell at full mark-up.
I like the idea of selling foodstuffs/ and or amenities because you are able to buy specialty products at cost (plus use tax in most states) for your own use at the inn. You can buy ready made with your private label. Be aware of shelf life, and that the shipping costs can be high. If you are making things to sell yourself, you may need a commercial kitchen. I think this can be a wonderful way for guests to share their experience with you at home with friends. People like treats!
Be careful to factor in the cost of shipping/handling, and the cost of your time to pick out product, place orders, mark it, display it and inventory it. Also there is time involved for dealing with incorrect/broken orders, and correcting the paperwork/invoices regarding them.
Just cautioning some to be careful, they may not realize the amount of effort it takes. FYI standard mark-up for most products is price x 2; foodstuffs less, jewelry price x 3 (which is why they can have so many sales).
For those who know their customer base, and have the storage space, display space & special products which mix nicely with their business. Great! I love when people have selected things they know about and display them well; it tells me something about the personality of the owner too.
If I can help anyone please contact me otherwise I will go quietly now...
.

You are correct that it is easy to have so much invested in inventory that by the time you make your money back you forgot how much you spent.
I did sell shirts and the size issue was daunting - I still have a couple smalls in hope someone with kids comes through. XL is to me, the preferred size. I did and do sell jams & jellies. I live near the vendor so I do not have to pay shipping. I just look at what they have for retail price (I get wholesale) and add 50 cents per jar. I was very apprehensive about trying to sell mugs so I ordered 12 - 6 to use and 6 to sell. THAT was a huge mistake - they flew off the shelves. I should have ordered 6 dozen! (In-state potter who then proceded to get pneumonia, his Mom got sick, Mom died, settling estate, floor fell in at the house they were living in while building their house so they had to move into the Pottery, sister died, and then they had to settle that estate) I am hoping he will make more this year - he was worth waiting for but it has been 2 years. LOCAL items will sell better than other things. IMO.

 

[white pine]

as a guest, i don't mind things being for sale. as long as no one PUSHES things.
if you can offer a few things for sale without a lot of hassle and without crushing startup costs, why not? you need a little place to offer the things and a way to maintain control.
like i've said ... i KNOW i could have sold sweatshirts where i was because about 75% of my guests took the ferry to a nearby island or a boat cruise. out on the ocean can be cold and breezy - even on hot days - and i sent all that business (daily) over to the general store. i missed that opp. (sigh)
this to me was the biggest indicator. if your guests consistently ask where they can buy a particular item, THAT'S something you should offer if you can.
as for the books, i told guests (who asked) if they could borrow the book, to just take the book home with them. and i did rubber stamp the b&b name in the inside cover. couldn't hurt ... as long as you have the time!.

I agree. SS I am not sure where to post this as a general reply so I put it here-. Sorry to get so off on this, and I know some of you are savvy retailers too, but my inner retailer speaks for newbies:
I have seen many get burned in retail. My main fear is that many assume things will be easy to sell. The cash outlay can be fairly high depending on the supplier and the goods. It adds up quickly.
I have sold clothing, and it can do very well indeed. However there is usually a minimum order per size per style; and total number of pieces can add up quickly. If you don't monitor closely, you will be out of your most popular sizes quickly. Before you place the first order check to see what the minimum re-order terms are. I know some styles/sizes will not sell at full mark-up.
I like the idea of selling foodstuffs/ and or amenities because you are able to buy specialty products at cost (plus use tax in most states) for your own use at the inn. You can buy ready made with your private label. Be aware of shelf life, and that the shipping costs can be high. If you are making things to sell yourself, you may need a commercial kitchen. I think this can be a wonderful way for guests to share their experience with you at home with friends. People like treats!
Be careful to factor in the cost of shipping/handling, and the cost of your time to pick out product, place orders, mark it, display it and inventory it. Also there is time involved for dealing with incorrect/broken orders, and correcting the paperwork/invoices regarding them.
Just cautioning some to be careful, they may not realize the amount of effort it takes. FYI standard mark-up for most products is price x 2; foodstuffs less, jewelry price x 3 (which is why they can have so many sales).
For those who know their customer base, and have the storage space, display space & special products which mix nicely with their business. Great! I love when people have selected things they know about and display them well; it tells me something about the personality of the owner too.
If I can help anyone please contact me otherwise I will go quietly now...
.

You are correct that it is easy to have so much invested in inventory that by the time you make your money back you forgot how much you spent.
I did sell shirts and the size issue was daunting - I still have a couple smalls in hope someone with kids comes through. XL is to me, the preferred size. I did and do sell jams & jellies. I live near the vendor so I do not have to pay shipping. I just look at what they have for retail price (I get wholesale) and add 50 cents per jar. I was very apprehensive about trying to sell mugs so I ordered 12 - 6 to use and 6 to sell. THAT was a huge mistake - they flew off the shelves. I should have ordered 6 dozen! (In-state potter who then proceded to get pneumonia, his Mom got sick, Mom died, settling estate, floor fell in at the house they were living in while building their house so they had to move into the Pottery, sister died, and then they had to settle that estate) I am hoping he will make more this year - he was worth waiting for but it has been 2 years. LOCAL items will sell better than other things. IMO.
.

Agree--local wares are best for specialty market.. It always amazed me that some things I could re-order til the cows came in and they always sold well; others sold through quickly and when the re-order came in they sat. Hope your potters life settles out well--good golly!

 

[Joey Camb]

My point would be if you are selling anything make it part of your marketing ie put your details on it ie a mug with your name on it. I think what you sell depends on the area you are in and what kind of trade your customers are. For example if they are tourists they are more likely to buy a postcard or a mug. Our main trade is conference people on business trips and they stay with us to attend that event so don't really buy momentos. We tried postcards but they didn't sell so we give them away free now to get them cleared. (we just got 100 as the printing company did them free except for postage). However we have a friend who has a farm stay (ie B&B on a Farm) and she sells her fresh free range eggs and they are very popular. It depends on your market. Plus one of our biggest problems here is storage you have to have a place to put the stuff!

 

[JBloggs]

I always consider "What would I buy?" If I stayed at a B&B in Memphis you bet I would buy bottles of BBQ sauce to take home and give as gifts from my journey. Knowhatimean? Of course, women who love to shop will never stray from something unique like handmade jewelry. Having two teenage daughters I would be one to shop handmade jewerly.
If I were on a seacoast I would be buying a tshirt, but don't sell tshirts with the INN name ONLY, it has to have the place and a slogan or something catchy or unique (or I could buy one anywhere). Nothing flowery and girlish, nothing with plastic across it that bubbles up and looks fowl after one wash or makes you sweat underneath it. Plenty of stipulations.
There is this road near us that has PINS and other memorabilia if you drive the whole road. Well we are in the middle of this road in our state, so to sell them here would be futile.
I did however just make up a tshirt for myself on Cafepress last night "NO POP TARTS ALLOWED!" and the inn name and city/state below it. Just because I have fun with that sort of thing. If ANYONE ever comments and asks about buying one I would be surprised! Just for fun.
What would YOU consider buying on a trip? A book I would buy only because I didn't have one with me or I finished another one. But I like going to old book shops and such, that is part of my trip usually, I would be more prone to ask where I could find that then buy one.
When in Rome...that would be my theory. Of course there are some who could sell ice to eskimos, so it doesn't matter what it is, they SELL and they sell hard.

 

[Samster]

I always consider "What would I buy?" If I stayed at a B&B in Memphis you bet I would buy bottles of BBQ sauce to take home and give as gifts from my journey. Knowhatimean? Of course, women who love to shop will never stray from something unique like handmade jewelry. Having two teenage daughters I would be one to shop handmade jewerly.
If I were on a seacoast I would be buying a tshirt, but don't sell tshirts with the INN name ONLY, it has to have the place and a slogan or something catchy or unique (or I could buy one anywhere). Nothing flowery and girlish, nothing with plastic across it that bubbles up and looks fowl after one wash or makes you sweat underneath it. Plenty of stipulations.
There is this road near us that has PINS and other memorabilia if you drive the whole road. Well we are in the middle of this road in our state, so to sell them here would be futile.
I did however just make up a tshirt for myself on Cafepress last night "NO POP TARTS ALLOWED!" and the inn name and city/state below it. Just because I have fun with that sort of thing. If ANYONE ever comments and asks about buying one I would be surprised! Just for fun.
What would YOU consider buying on a trip? A book I would buy only because I didn't have one with me or I finished another one. But I like going to old book shops and such, that is part of my trip usually, I would be more prone to ask where I could find that then buy one.
When in Rome...that would be my theory. Of course there are some who could sell ice to eskimos, so it doesn't matter what it is, they SELL and they sell hard..

I just bought the most fantastic larger pump bottles of the lavender liquid soap and shea butter lotion that a B&B gets from a local company and puts in their rooms. Stop the madness! This from someone who has bottles of that kind of stuff for our own B&B. Their product was so fantastic that I just had to have it!