Vendors report successful 4th annual Sales Along 84
Vendors along U.S. Highway 84 are calling this year’s Sales Along 84 a success, despite an unexpected wave of love bugs and lingering late-summer heat that some are hoping will finally push organizers to consider moving the popular tri-state shopping event to a cooler month.
The three-day, open-air shopping event ran Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 10-12, stretching along U.S. Highway 84 from Mexia, Texas, through Louisiana, and ending in Monticello, Mississippi. Sales Along 84 got its start in LaSalle Parish in 2023, and organizers still consider the parish the hub of the entire route.
Vendors up and down the corridor reported steady traffic and strong sales, with many welcoming shoppers from well outside the state. Donna Benson at Danielle’s Design in Jena, said business stayed consistent throughout the weekend, with customers traveling from as far as Texas.
“We had very steady sales. Met some great people that came from many places. I think Texas was the farthest away, but we had people from Baton Rouge, Minden, Shreveport, Winnsboro and many from the Pineville/Pollock area,” Benson said. “Just wish it could be scheduled later in the month so maybe the heat would not be quite so intense.”
At Whitehall United Pentecostal Church, Rhonda Rutledge Williams said the crowd was one of the largest the location has seen.
“We had a great year as well. Lots of shoppers from Texas, Alabama, all over Louisiana and Mississippi,” Williams said. “Let me just give a big shout out to the Whitehall Pentecost Church, shoppers raved about you all this year… way to go!!”
Jeanie Berry Stevenson, who set up at Finders Keepers Vendor Mall in Trout, said her booth outperformed last year’s turnout despite the conditions.
“You can’t complain about the love bugs… that’s nature and nobody has control of that but the Lord! At least it wasn’t pouring rain like it has in the past,” Stevenson said. “We had more people come through than last year! Thursday and Friday were our busiest days! Had customers from Mexia, TX, AR, MS.”
Danelle Masters, who sells scented products under the name La’Fesse, said her booth at Whitehall United Pentecostal Church drew a warm welcome and strong repeat interest from local shoppers.
“We had an amazing year over at Whitehall United Pentecostal Church. They were so kind and welcoming and the food was amazing,” Masters said. “I did very well this year compared to being in the heat last year. I was shocked how many locals already had our products.”
Not every vendor saw the same results. Sandee Chandler, who has set up at Whitehall Mall for three years, said this year’s crowd felt noticeably smaller than in years past, and pointed to a jump in vendor fees as a possible factor.
“It’s always packed with a lot of vendors, but this year it wasn’t crowded, and there was a lot of space left,” Chandler said. “Everyone was charged $40 each to set up this year, and it was $30 last year… it’s a hit or miss situation, it just wasn’t like last year, busy and packed.”
Several vendors said high temperatures shaped shopping patterns throughout the weekend, with many customers cutting their visits short in the afternoon heat. Ruby Hammond Palmer, who set up in Joyce in Winn Parish, said business slowed significantly during the midday hours before picking back up in the evening.
“We noticed the lunch hour and the 2-5 hours were very slow, but after 5 it tends to pick up,” Palmer said. “We had someone come all the way from Mississippi and they were traveling to Texas, so they were doing the whole 84 strip. I did hear a few people make comments on moving the sale to cooler weather like October.”
At First Pentecostal Church in Jonesville, Cindi White Lofton said being indoors made all the difference for her booth, which relies entirely on donated clothing and household items.
“We did fantastic. The biggest complaints I heard about other places were prices, heat and love bugs. We had A/C, donations only and hardly any love bugs,” Lofton said. “Several people I talked to were cutting their day short because they couldn’t tolerate the heat. This has been the third year of extreme heat. Maybe just consider trying it one year in October.”
Some vendors reported customers traveling remarkable distances to shop the sale. Nancy Lloid, posting on behalf of her husband, a first-time vendor selling under the name Mr. Mud Bug, said their booth at Lavelle’s Place in Whitehall drew steady traffic throughout the event.
“I had a very successful showing… The furthest distance one of my customers traveled was from Conway, AR,” Lloid wrote. “One of the highlights for me was the opportunity to spend time in conversation with a customer, a disabled veteran, who had traveled with his wife from Brookhaven, MS.”
At the Jena Community Center, Denni Coon said her group of 10 vendors has now set up together for three consecutive years, with each year outperforming the last.
“We did outstanding! Each year has been better than the last,” Coon said. “I felt like we had more out of town people than local. I would ask which direction they were going and try to help everybody else out sending that way.”
Terri Coleman, of Terri’s This & That Mom & Me Pickles & Jelly, said her booth at Whitehall Mall had its best showing in four years of participating in the event.
“This was our first time setting up in the back. It was our best year so far! Customers came looking for us,” Coleman said. “Our customer that traveled the farthest came from Corpus Christi, Texas! Despite the heat and the bugs, we had an awesome experience. We heard zero complaints and just sympathy and admiration for us being in the heat and the bugs!”
Not everyone dealt with grumbling over pricing. Teresa Thaxton said staying open later on Thursday paid off, helping her connect with a repeat customer from out of state.
“Sales were good. Thursday was my best day, staying open till 6 paid off. Oklahoma customer came three times this week and finally walked away with her favorite treasure,” Thaxton said, adding a reminder to shoppers about pricing expectations. “This is Sales on 84, not garage sales on 84.”
Malissa Paula Chaudoin, who ran a traditional yard sale along Sandy Hollow Loop just east of Jena, said feedback from travelers suggested the event builds momentum the further shoppers get into Louisiana.
“The farthest shopper for us was from where the route starts in Texas… but said the sales picked up from Trout to where our stop was,” Chaudoin said. “I would say the amount of shoppers is picking up every year.”
Even the LaSalle Parish Library got in on the action, reporting brisk book sales throughout the weekend.
“The library did well. Sold hundreds of books,” the library wrote in a post.
Brandon Cagle, a four-year vendor selling handmade pottery in Whitehall, said the love bugs were an unfamiliar challenge this year, but didn’t overshadow the event’s value.
“It’s a great opportunity to get one’s craft and business out there to multiple states,” Cagle said. “We’ve never had love bugs during Sales Along 84 until now, and let’s hope this year was just the outlier.”
Cindy White, a four-year vendor at TNT, said cooler morning hours saw the heaviest traffic as shoppers looked to beat the afternoon heat.
“We did great… Attendance was down some. They came out early and got out of the heat in the afternoons,” White said. “We had a couple from Alabama as the farthest away. Most people were from Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana.”
Rusty Cooper, who set up with family, said the event offered more than just sales, providing a chance to reconnect with old friends along the route.
“It was a great day for the Cooper family,” Cooper said. “The time spent was worth it, seeing people I have not seen in 10-plus years, and made some good money too.”
With another successful year in the books, vendors across the route say they’re already looking ahead to next year’s event, even as many hope organizers will consider adjusting the September dates to avoid the heat and insect activity that shaped much of this year’s shopping experience.
