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Here's the The Lowdown
from DN Journal,
updated daily
to
fill you in on the latest buzz going around the domain name industry.
The Lowdown is
compiled by DN Journal Editor & Publisher Ron
Jackson. |
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Domainers
Venture Out in the The Real World and Find Small
Businesses Ready to Hang Their Shingles Online
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I
just got back into
the
office today after an extended weekend trip that
started Friday morning in Mount Dora,
Florida. My wife, Diana, and I went
there for the Renninger's
Antiques & Collector's Extravaganza,
one of three annual outdoor sales Renniger's
stages in the beautiful rolling hills just east
of town. Hundreds of antique, art and
collectibles dealers displayed their wares
there in one of the largest such events in
the Eastern U.S. This weekend
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was
twice as much fun for us since T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Co-Founder Howard
Neu and his wife Barbara
drove up from their home near Fort Lauderdale
to enjoy Mount Dora with us.
While
the domain business was supposed to be on the
back burner during the trip, I couldn't resist
doing some domain name evangelizing by
asking several of the antique dealers if they
had their own domain name and website. Most did
not but I was encouraged to hear several say they
knew they needed one and intended to put
their business online soon. They are coming
to realize that a website is just as
indispensable as a business card (actually considerably
more so). I think that is why aftermarket
domain sales have held up very well in the
current recession and many domain sellers have
told me they are having their best year ever.
Stained
glass dealer Jim
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Barbara
Neu (left) and Diana Jackson in front
of a
spectacular stained glass window at dealer Jim
Blackmon's booth at the Renniger's
Extravaganza. |
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Blackmon
of St. Petersburg, Florida was among the
dealers I chatted with. Jim said the stunning
stained glass panels and windows he has can cost
well into five figures. I explained that for a tiny
fraction of the cost of any one item in his
inventory he could have a website capable of
reaching affluent buyers all over the world.
A single sale to just one website visitor
would cover the cost of a domain name, hosting
account and simple website showcasing his goods
a hundred times over. In today's world it is
literally crazy for guys like Jim not to
have an online presence. He got it and told me
he would get on it.
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The
working artist above was among those displaying
their work at Mount Dora this past weekend.
Most still have no online presence but many told
me they planned to start using the web to market
their goods. The ongoing migration of small
businessmen to the web is good news for domain
sellers.
Below:
Barbara and Diana are picture perfect
behind this frame they found at one of the booths.
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We walked the
Renninger's grounds for seven solid
hours Friday and still did not manage
to visit all of the booths before the day
ended. The show would continue all weekend
but instead of returning Saturday we
decided to try our luck at a flea market
adjacent to the antique fair.
Many of the
flea market dealers used to set up at the
antique show, but moved over to the flea
market because the booth rental was far
cheaper there. That allowed them to charge
less for their goods and prompted us to
pick up a few more interesting
items.
Saturday
afternoon we headed into Mount Dora's
quaint downtown area to do some window
shopping and have lunch at the historic Lakeside
Inn that overlooks Lake Dora.
The Inn has their own website albeit a hyphenated
one: Lakeside-Inn.com
(another Lakeside Inn in Lake Tahoe,
Nevada has the un-hyphenated
version). |
Window
shopping in Mount Dora Saturday |
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A
handful of other businesses displayed URLs
in their window or on commercial vehicles,
but the vast majority have yet to make
their web debut. I have no doubt they will
join millions of others who are
doing so each year though and every one
of them will need a memorable
domain name.
We
closed our visit to Mount Dora by heading to
the city's beautiful lakefront park a couple
of blocks south of the Lakeside Inn.
It was late Saturday afternoon, about an
hour before sunset, and the setting was so
tranquil it was one of the few times over
the weekend that domain names didn't cross
my mind.
Above:
Diana & Ron Jackson at Mount
Dora's lakefront park Saturday afternoon.
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At
left: Howard and Barbara Neu,
also enjoying the Lake Dora view.
Judging from the iPhone in
his hand, Howard did not get the Enjoy
Nature and Leave the Technology
Behind memo! Like all patient
domainer's wives, Barbara let it
slide though :-)
Once
the the sun started to set, Diana
and I headed back to our Tampa
Bay area home while Howard and
Barbara pointed their car toward Orlando
where they would extend their
weekend with a couple of more
days of relaxation before returning
to South Florida.
This
was just a little side trip in our
home state, but I've found such
breaks from the usual routine
do wonders for your psyche. We all
spend so many hours behind our
computer screens that it is easy to
become disconnected from the
real world. I love the virtual world
too but finding a balance
between the two makes me appreciate
my time in each one even more. |
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(Posted
Nov. 22,
2010)
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For
all current Lowdown posts - Go
Here
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