STATE OF A FAIR!
State fairs are moneymaking venues. One biz made $2 million in just 12 days at the Minnesota State Fair!
Story & Photos By Shelly Buss
|
Small businesses are booming at State Fairs. It is a great venue for startups and established businesses. We sent Shelley Buss to scope out how entrepreneurs are making money at these events. Shelley found a common theme: food on a stick!
The first Minnesota State Fair was held in 1859. Attendance for 2007 was 1,681,678 people. The Minnesota State Fair is the Second largest in the nation (Texas hosts the largest). At the Minnesota Fair, there were 56 different food items sold on a stick this year (see sidebar for list of items that were included).
Sweet Martha’s cookie stand (cookies sold in nice little buckets) cleared over $2 million for the 12 days. Fair boasts Machinery Hill (large farm implements), an education resource fair, a Fine Arts Fair, 4H events, every kind of barnyard animal by the dozens, miracle of birth barn, viewable small animal surgeries, a Midway (amusement park w/ rides), a Kidway, baking competitions, all day musical entertainment (including nightly national grandstand acts), and food, food, food.
Food On A Stick Highlights:
Business name: Granny’s Kitchen
Owner: Pat Johnson
Been at the Fair for 12 yrs
Stick items: Fudge puppies- Belgian waffles dipped in chocolate with fresh whipped cream and sprinkles on a stick
Photo: friend of the owner with a Fudge puppy
Anything behind the name? The business was named for Pat Johnson’s 90 year old mother who likes to come to the Fair to keep an eye on things
Business name: Andre’s Watermelon
Owner: John and Jan Stinchfield
Been at the Fair for 18 yrs
Stick items: pineapple, banana and strawberries dipped in chocolate on a stick
Photo: didn’t tell me his name with pineapple, banana and strawberries dipped in chocolate on a stick
Business name: St. Martin’s Olive Bar
Owner: N/A
Been at the Fair for 10 yrs
Stick items: stuffed olives (jalapenos, garlic, etc)
Photo: didn’t tell me her name with stuffed olives. Busy? She can’t keep track of how many she sells
Business name: Sausage Sisters
Owner: the Peterson sisters
Been at the Fair for 5 yrs
Stick items: puff daddy, “Thai one on” sausage on a stick
Outside the Fair: Cherie sells real estate
Business name: O Gara’s
Owner: the O’Gara’s
Been at the Fair for 6 yrs
Stick items: reuben on a stick
Outside the Fair: runs popular O’Gara’s restaurant in St. Paul
Business name: Oodles of Noodles
Owner: Craig Croonbland
Been at the Fair for 3 yrs
Stick items: spaghetti and meatball on a stick
Photo: employee with spaghetti and meatball on a stick
How do they do it? The spaghetti is inside of the meatball
Business name: The Lamp Shop
Owner: the Connie Karsten family
Been at the Fair for 17 yrs
Stick items: marinated lamb on a stick
Outside the Fair: the family runs a meat store on their farm
Business name: Ole and Lena’s
Owner: didn’t tell me
Been at the Fair for 2 yrs
Stick items: hot dish on a stick
Does it have a seal of approval? Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel was by earlier and gave it the thumbs up.
Business name: Giggles Campfire Grille
Owner: Doug Holter and Tim (Giggles) Gigglesweiss
Been at the Fair for 8 yrs
Stick items: chicken on a stick, smoked salmon on a stick, porcupine meatballs made with elk and wild rice on a stick
Outside the Fair: Doug runs a restaurant in Reno and Giggles sells trash services •
Advertise | Subscribe | Contact Us | Links | Bookshelf
Start a Biz from Home | Pros & Cons of Franchising
The Right Franchise | Investigate a Biz Opportunity
101 Tips | The Perfect Name