Christine and Richard Lenoir own Main Trading Company in Paris, Texas and have grown from a seller of surplus and closeout electronics to being able to stand toe-to-toe in Texas with HRO. Although MTC was within 200 miles of Texas Towers in Plano and then HRO, MTC was able to become a dealer for Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu. Hams drive from Dallas-Ft. Worth to do business with Richard, partially because he accepts trade-ins. For years MTC was a mainstay/go-to commercial vendor for most of the Texas/Oklahoma hamfests. MTC in recent years has actually been a vendor at Hamvention. But read his current email. I have been concerned for some time for the future of many non-Tier 1 hamfests, because they have been unable to attract commercial vendors, resulting in lower attendance. Richard's observations are worth considering. * Happy New Year to all!!!* _______________________________________ John Robert Stratton N5AUS Director West Gulf Division Office:512-445-6262 Cell:512-426-2028 P.O. Box 2232 Austin, Texas 78768-2232 *_______________________________________***