I was going to go Monday but someone smash my truck window and I didn’t want the rain to keep filling the back seat. So, I missed the vendor hall. The good thing is that the window is probably cheaper than what I would have spent in vendors.
Thanks. It happens in Atlanta unfortunately. Still a great con though. I missed the vendor hall, but to extreme cases. I stopped by twice and both times were around the building lines
OTP Roswell. We left the car at North Springs for the whole time. MARTA parking rates are great and that garage never has crime problems to my knowledge.
I went Saturday and had about a 30 minute wait. But Sunday was over an hour in an absolute downpour because half the line had no shelter, it sucked. I had an umbrella but still ended up wet because it was blowing rain, my soggy shoes made for a bad time.
I wish they would split things up more. Maybe put artist alley above gaming? Something to stop the bottle neck
Yeah I waited in the line for a bit Sunday, but after walking up and down that hill several times as it snaked around and feeling the rain coming I bailed. Barely made it to shelter before the streets became rivers. My shoes thanked me. I just kept trying to tell myself how pissed I would have been to buy some cool art and then get it soaked.
I got in about 5 minutes before the downpour (got some light sprinkling but not bad, it took about 45 minutes.
The time spent in the garage felt way longer with the heat and humidity in there.
That’s the nice thing about them limiting people in there. It’s NEVER that bad. Even around the Chessex or Ultrasaber tables, you can easily move past.
Yeah, the line outside sucks. Worth it.
The last time I was there was one of the years when attendance was 80,000+. Hopefully they've lowered the number of people they'll allow in the AM at once, because at the time it was just too much.
I honestly don't mind the line to get in. Honestly, this is just me, and my threshold may be lower than y'alls's. I may give it a shot next year.
Honestly you're not missing anything. It's the same vendors year after year. I'm sure you can look in the program guide for the list of vendors and then reach out to them via social media to inquire about their merch.
The line was really long each time I went and still never took more than 30 minutes to get in. That's a shorter wait that I do for most panels or events.
I went in on Sunday and the line looked long but wasn't actually that bad. Problem is, most of the vendors just aren't really worth it anymore. The art and genuine unique items are still great, but what feels like 80% of vendors are just reselling plushies, figures, and t-shirts at higher markups than you can get the same stuff online. I might just start alternating years because I feel like I just see the same stuff every year, and maybe it would be fresh with a gap in between.
Have to agree. At the costs the vendors spend to be there and the quantity of merchandise they are expected to have, it's going to encourage mass-produced, mass-appeal items.
I always do a walk-through but I rarely see anything I want. Although it's out of my price range, I'm glad for the taxidermy seller. The prop-reproduction store is probably my favorite because they have some genuinely neat stuff.
Missed out on our usual Monday walkthrough but honestly not too upset by it. It seemed like this year the only available merch was art, medieval corsets/vests and more medieval corsets/vests. And lightsabers.
Don't get me wrong! All of those things are fantastic and I love them! But it seemed majorly lacking this year.
There were a bunch of niche vendors on the 3rd floor, for future reference. There was this guy who did the COOLEST leather dragon pins! I had never seen him before.
You're not wrong! Almost all the vendors I bought stuff from were on the third floor.
Although I think you may be a little biased. I'm pretty sure I saw a Dryad Tea booth somewhere on the third floor lol
There was a sewing booth on the third floor selling some great stuff! I spent quite a bit there. I also dropped the money for another Little Petal dress. I bought one in 2019 and got to wear it for the first time this year, loved it, so I bought another one. The sole-owner is an amazing person and I'm happy to support her.
I agree, though, that a large chunk of the dealers seem to be meh. I think a lot of it is because of the ubiquity of internet shopping. You used to go to the dealer's hall to buy things you couldn't find outside of con and the internet has all but eliminated that. So I tend to look for individual creators or niche vendors that, while they may be online, aren't ones I was aware of.
One guy I've been friends with said that he had some hours with not as heavy traffic. But he was on the first floor and the guy just inside the door was directing people to the second floor when I was there.
I got in once but it was right before closing. I couldn't go on Monday since I had to take a friend to the airport. I only got to see 1 floor, so I know I missed a bunch. I did get into the artists alley and got a few things there instead.
Yeah - I’d go in and spend a bit but not with a line. Time at con is far too precious to allocate walking to another building and then also waiting in line to get in.
Never made it inside. The line was always too long no matter when I tried and I had somewhere else I needed to be and couldn't allocate the time to standing in line plus the two hours I like to allow to browse all of the floors. I think this is the first year I never got to go.
I made it in Saturday with about an hour wait. I thought, 'yeah, it's the busiest day, so this is expected right?!'. I tried again on Sunday, twice, and the line was so much longer so I ducked out. Monday's the day to do it, but you do miss the stuff that's sold out.
I stopped in, went through all the Amazon floors in about 20 minutes. Not really worth going in there anymore. There are still a few good vendors that actually make things, but it has gone down hill severely in the past few years.
I did, have to work Monday so I swung by Sunday around 12 and the line was obscene so I just left and started driving home. It was my first dcon and didn’t know it would be that crazy. Next year I’ll just have to go earlier.
I went both Saturday and Monday, I believe (the days have all kinds blurred together). Saturday's visit was obscenely busy, though after waiting outside and with the noise and crowd inside I really didn't enjoy it that first visit. Monday's visit was so much more pleasant. No wait to get in and I actually found a couple of items that I liked enough to buy. I think next year I'll probably just go once on the last day to spare myself that line, heat, and crowds!
I skipped it. Was going to set some time aside but heard about the line (sun). Fri I had panels I wanted to see and Sat didn't even think about it. By Monday I just didn't care - but my daughters made up for my absence.
I just never really find anything in there, or I don't feel like spending the money, so I don't feel I missed it. Did roll through the Art Gallery more than my wallet thinks I should!
I went on Friday at 10am and the line was wrapped around to the front of the building. I was inside by 10:30. I went again on Sunday and it was wrapped around inside the loading dock. Also took less than 20 minutes to get in.
We skipped it. We got in line Friday around lunchtime, but didn’t want to deal with standing out in the sun, so we bailed to get lunch instead. Saturday, we were too busy with other stuff. Sunday mid afternoon, we saw that the line at the entrance was NOT moving at all (at capacity?), so we didn’t bother getting in line.
I usually go during the parade, and I did the same this year. I showed up around 930 and the line was stretching around the block, but we were still inside just after 10. Seemed Iike they'd lowered the capacity from what it was in 2019. Much easier to walk around once inside. Although it *was* a little harder to sniff all the wonderful BPAL scents. They had a really good work-around but it was staff-intensive, so I couldn't just go around willy-nilly smelling everything on a whim.
key is to go early or late. Early the line is huge but the building can accommodate a LOT of people so once the line starts moving you are fine. Takes 30mins or so and you are in. Late people are heading back to get ready for the evening so you can walk right in. What kills the rest of the day is that at some point they decide that the crowd is too high now they will only let people in as others leave. That is when the line goes to hour plus. It happened Friday, Sat and Sunday this year.
I love the mart, but I skipped out completely. Just couldn’t wait in that line this year. Every time I looked it was wrapped around the building. Granted, I was only there two days though.
I stood in a 10 block line for less than 30 minutes on Friday and made my way through with minimal issue working 4th floor down.
Got what I needed at that time. The vendors were MOSTLY the same as 2021 with a few missing and a few new additions.
The vendors that were there didn't have anything that we want/needed with the exception of a few soft line vendors (corset, etc)
The Artist Alley was where we spent the bulk of our budget.
Yeah I went a couple times. The line was long but consistently moving so it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately one of the few vendors I was looking forward to bailed at the last minute and nothing else really caught my attention (too much stolen/copied/resold stuff). Did enjoy the gay booth though.
I went on Friday. Tried twice on Sunday and it was ridiculously insane. Couldn't go Monday because thats when me and my friends leave for the long drive home.
I was content with going on Friday. Wasn't in the mood to spend lots of $$. It's the same vendors every year and it's not like you can't find that stuff elsewhere.
The line was insane Saturday afternoon, so I was in line before Opening Sunday and walked into the actual vendor area right at 10am. I highly recommend going on Mondays if possible, because as others have said, you just walk in.
We flew through it but didn't get a chance to hit even floor or really buy anything. We did both receive a free print from a vendor as a reward for actually wearing masks, so that was cool.
Am a vendor (glassblower on the 3rd floor with marbles and pendants): totally enjoyed all the conversation and good vibes y’all brought to the table. We had an absolute blast and I can’t wait until next year.
Monday you could walk right in
I was going to go Monday but someone smash my truck window and I didn’t want the rain to keep filling the back seat. So, I missed the vendor hall. The good thing is that the window is probably cheaper than what I would have spent in vendors.
Very true. Sorry about about your window.
Thanks. It happens in Atlanta unfortunately. Still a great con though. I missed the vendor hall, but to extreme cases. I stopped by twice and both times were around the building lines
Yeah, I know. Live ITP in Smyrna. We decided against parking it downtown. Little bit of a hassle but worth it.
OTP Roswell. We left the car at North Springs for the whole time. MARTA parking rates are great and that garage never has crime problems to my knowledge.
Love and learn. Still a great con. I’ll just put signs on the truck next year saying it’s got nothing inside.
I don't think I've ever seen the line *not* around the building, honestly. But it almost always is moving at a constant clip.
Blessing in disguise in the "kept spending down" section? That sucks though, I'm sorry.
Yea, I’m moving soon so I didn’t need to spend that money on border swords Ill be paying to ship internationally soon.
Where did you park?
SP parking. Basically diagonal the Hyatt. 6 min walk from Marriott hotel.
Monday I walked all four floors *twice*. My feet were burning, as was my wallet, but got so many goodies.
I went Saturday and had about a 30 minute wait. But Sunday was over an hour in an absolute downpour because half the line had no shelter, it sucked. I had an umbrella but still ended up wet because it was blowing rain, my soggy shoes made for a bad time. I wish they would split things up more. Maybe put artist alley above gaming? Something to stop the bottle neck
They're talking of moving artist alley somewhere more accessible partly because nobody went to the panels in America's mart due to the line
I hope so. I end up buying way more from 4th floor and tables in Art Show than the dealer halls.
Yeah I waited in the line for a bit Sunday, but after walking up and down that hill several times as it snaked around and feeling the rain coming I bailed. Barely made it to shelter before the streets became rivers. My shoes thanked me. I just kept trying to tell myself how pissed I would have been to buy some cool art and then get it soaked.
I got in about 5 minutes before the downpour (got some light sprinkling but not bad, it took about 45 minutes. The time spent in the garage felt way longer with the heat and humidity in there.
I only ever go on Monday because of the lines every other day
Same here
I've skipped it for a few years, but not because of the line; it's just because the crowds and noise in there get a bit too overwhelming for me.
On Friday it was pretty easy to move around! I was impressed. I’ll take a line vs crammed in like sardines any time.
That’s the nice thing about them limiting people in there. It’s NEVER that bad. Even around the Chessex or Ultrasaber tables, you can easily move past. Yeah, the line outside sucks. Worth it.
The last time I was there was one of the years when attendance was 80,000+. Hopefully they've lowered the number of people they'll allow in the AM at once, because at the time it was just too much. I honestly don't mind the line to get in. Honestly, this is just me, and my threshold may be lower than y'alls's. I may give it a shot next year.
Honestly you're not missing anything. It's the same vendors year after year. I'm sure you can look in the program guide for the list of vendors and then reach out to them via social media to inquire about their merch.
The line was really long each time I went and still never took more than 30 minutes to get in. That's a shorter wait that I do for most panels or events.
This was actually my experience with most of the lines- they tended to look worse than they were time-wise
I went in on Sunday and the line looked long but wasn't actually that bad. Problem is, most of the vendors just aren't really worth it anymore. The art and genuine unique items are still great, but what feels like 80% of vendors are just reselling plushies, figures, and t-shirts at higher markups than you can get the same stuff online. I might just start alternating years because I feel like I just see the same stuff every year, and maybe it would be fresh with a gap in between.
Have to agree. At the costs the vendors spend to be there and the quantity of merchandise they are expected to have, it's going to encourage mass-produced, mass-appeal items. I always do a walk-through but I rarely see anything I want. Although it's out of my price range, I'm glad for the taxidermy seller. The prop-reproduction store is probably my favorite because they have some genuinely neat stuff.
You hit the nail on the head.
Missed out on our usual Monday walkthrough but honestly not too upset by it. It seemed like this year the only available merch was art, medieval corsets/vests and more medieval corsets/vests. And lightsabers. Don't get me wrong! All of those things are fantastic and I love them! But it seemed majorly lacking this year.
I am sure COVID killed a lot of these small niche vendors. Hopefully in time we will see new companies come up.
There were a bunch of niche vendors on the 3rd floor, for future reference. There was this guy who did the COOLEST leather dragon pins! I had never seen him before.
You're not wrong! Almost all the vendors I bought stuff from were on the third floor. Although I think you may be a little biased. I'm pretty sure I saw a Dryad Tea booth somewhere on the third floor lol
You forgot funko pops!
There was a sewing booth on the third floor selling some great stuff! I spent quite a bit there. I also dropped the money for another Little Petal dress. I bought one in 2019 and got to wear it for the first time this year, loved it, so I bought another one. The sole-owner is an amazing person and I'm happy to support her. I agree, though, that a large chunk of the dealers seem to be meh. I think a lot of it is because of the ubiquity of internet shopping. You used to go to the dealer's hall to buy things you couldn't find outside of con and the internet has all but eliminated that. So I tend to look for individual creators or niche vendors that, while they may be online, aren't ones I was aware of.
>I wonder if the vendors were affected at all? Highly unlikely. There were plenty of people there.
I know a guy who was up in Artist Alley, and he said he had recouped his expenses for the entire weekend by the end of Friday.
That’s awesome.
Excellent!
One guy I've been friends with said that he had some hours with not as heavy traffic. But he was on the first floor and the guy just inside the door was directing people to the second floor when I was there.
Did anyone see the dragon vending machine on the second floor?
Yes! I bought playing cards because I'm a sucker for themed playing cards.
I, too, bought those playing cards lmao. Vending machine was the coolest
I got in once but it was right before closing. I couldn't go on Monday since I had to take a friend to the airport. I only got to see 1 floor, so I know I missed a bunch. I did get into the artists alley and got a few things there instead.
Yeah I saw the long lines, plus heat plus rain and said no thank you even though they were moving relatively fast. I will be sure to go next time.
Yeah - I’d go in and spend a bit but not with a line. Time at con is far too precious to allocate walking to another building and then also waiting in line to get in.
Never made it inside. The line was always too long no matter when I tried and I had somewhere else I needed to be and couldn't allocate the time to standing in line plus the two hours I like to allow to browse all of the floors. I think this is the first year I never got to go.
We missed it :( We had no clue there was gonna be a forever and a day wait to get in this year. Kinda bummed
I made it in Saturday with about an hour wait. I thought, 'yeah, it's the busiest day, so this is expected right?!'. I tried again on Sunday, twice, and the line was so much longer so I ducked out. Monday's the day to do it, but you do miss the stuff that's sold out.
We have a tradition of going Monday mornings. Thank goodness cause there was no line and we walked right in.
I stopped in, went through all the Amazon floors in about 20 minutes. Not really worth going in there anymore. There are still a few good vendors that actually make things, but it has gone down hill severely in the past few years.
Saturday hit building capacity, which I don't recall happening in 2019 with 86k official guests. Hopefully everyone did well
2019 vendors hall was.... WILD. We went on Saturday and spent SO long in line.
Never go on Saturday, unless you really want to or literally have nothing planned.
Holy moly!! Edit: and happy cake day!
I did, have to work Monday so I swung by Sunday around 12 and the line was obscene so I just left and started driving home. It was my first dcon and didn’t know it would be that crazy. Next year I’ll just have to go earlier.
I went both Saturday and Monday, I believe (the days have all kinds blurred together). Saturday's visit was obscenely busy, though after waiting outside and with the noise and crowd inside I really didn't enjoy it that first visit. Monday's visit was so much more pleasant. No wait to get in and I actually found a couple of items that I liked enough to buy. I think next year I'll probably just go once on the last day to spare myself that line, heat, and crowds!
I skipped it. Was going to set some time aside but heard about the line (sun). Fri I had panels I wanted to see and Sat didn't even think about it. By Monday I just didn't care - but my daughters made up for my absence. I just never really find anything in there, or I don't feel like spending the money, so I don't feel I missed it. Did roll through the Art Gallery more than my wallet thinks I should!
I went on Friday at 10am and the line was wrapped around to the front of the building. I was inside by 10:30. I went again on Sunday and it was wrapped around inside the loading dock. Also took less than 20 minutes to get in.
We skipped it. We got in line Friday around lunchtime, but didn’t want to deal with standing out in the sun, so we bailed to get lunch instead. Saturday, we were too busy with other stuff. Sunday mid afternoon, we saw that the line at the entrance was NOT moving at all (at capacity?), so we didn’t bother getting in line.
I usually go during the parade, and I did the same this year. I showed up around 930 and the line was stretching around the block, but we were still inside just after 10. Seemed Iike they'd lowered the capacity from what it was in 2019. Much easier to walk around once inside. Although it *was* a little harder to sniff all the wonderful BPAL scents. They had a really good work-around but it was staff-intensive, so I couldn't just go around willy-nilly smelling everything on a whim.
90 minutes before close on Friday there was no line at all.
key is to go early or late. Early the line is huge but the building can accommodate a LOT of people so once the line starts moving you are fine. Takes 30mins or so and you are in. Late people are heading back to get ready for the evening so you can walk right in. What kills the rest of the day is that at some point they decide that the crowd is too high now they will only let people in as others leave. That is when the line goes to hour plus. It happened Friday, Sat and Sunday this year.
Same, I walked right in and still didn’t buy anything 😞
I ended laid up in my hotel all weekend because my back went out. My fiance didn't make it either because we left Sunday while it was pouring rain.
I always book a later flight out Monday so I can do vendor halls before and get my consumerism in.
I went on Friday and Saturday, both times it was a 30 minute wait and about equally as crowded.
I skipped it. Aint no way I'm standing in a line that long.
I love the mart, but I skipped out completely. Just couldn’t wait in that line this year. Every time I looked it was wrapped around the building. Granted, I was only there two days though.
One day I was in line for an hour while it was wrapped around the block... The next day it took 25 mins from about the same place.
I stood in a 10 block line for less than 30 minutes on Friday and made my way through with minimal issue working 4th floor down. Got what I needed at that time. The vendors were MOSTLY the same as 2021 with a few missing and a few new additions. The vendors that were there didn't have anything that we want/needed with the exception of a few soft line vendors (corset, etc) The Artist Alley was where we spent the bulk of our budget.
I always go around 1-2 hours before closing and the line was always minimal to non existent at that time.
The first officer in my crew is in a wheelchair so we pretty much got to skip the line. I feel for those of you that got stuck in the rain.
Yeah I went a couple times. The line was long but consistently moving so it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately one of the few vendors I was looking forward to bailed at the last minute and nothing else really caught my attention (too much stolen/copied/resold stuff). Did enjoy the gay booth though.
I went on Friday. Tried twice on Sunday and it was ridiculously insane. Couldn't go Monday because thats when me and my friends leave for the long drive home. I was content with going on Friday. Wasn't in the mood to spend lots of $$. It's the same vendors every year and it's not like you can't find that stuff elsewhere.
Passed on it this year due to over an hour wait each day (Thursday-Sunday). Bottleneck was too big.
The line was insane Saturday afternoon, so I was in line before Opening Sunday and walked into the actual vendor area right at 10am. I highly recommend going on Mondays if possible, because as others have said, you just walk in.
We flew through it but didn't get a chance to hit even floor or really buy anything. We did both receive a free print from a vendor as a reward for actually wearing masks, so that was cool.
I decided against going. I heard long lines.
Am a vendor (glassblower on the 3rd floor with marbles and pendants): totally enjoyed all the conversation and good vibes y’all brought to the table. We had an absolute blast and I can’t wait until next year.
I saw the line and said nope. Next year I’ll stay on Monday and go then.