Many of us grew up hearing the classic children’s story The Little Red Hen.
In the story, the Little Red Hen wants to make a cake. She asks the other farm animals if they will help her plant the wheat, harvest it, grind it into flour, and bake the cake. At every step, the animals say no — they don’t want to help. But when the cake is finally finished and the Hen asks who wants to help eat it, suddenly everyone raises their hand.
That story teaches a simple but important principle: you don’t get the reward if you’re not willing to do the work.
Lately, we’ve been thinking a lot about that story as it relates to Saturday Swap Meets.
The “Little Red Hen” Mentality
As we grow, we’ve noticed that some people are hesitant to participate or support the swap meet right now. They’re watching from the sidelines, waiting to see if it grows on its own, expecting that once it’s successful they’ll be able to jump in and benefit — without helping build it.
That kind of “little red hen” mentality — waiting to take without contributing — doesn’t help build community and only make you miss out on the awesomeness of helping something grow.
Saturday Swap Meets isn’t something that magically happens by itself. It takes effort, sacrifice, creativity, and people willing to show up early, try something new, and help it succeed.
Our Core Values
Saturday Swap Meets was built on a few core values:
- God
- Honesty
- Ingenuity
- Freedom
- Community
Ingenuity, especially, requires effort. It means trying, experimenting, learning, and then showing up again to make it better.
What It’s Taken to Get Here
We want to be transparent about this part.
My family and I have personally sacrificed quite a bit to get Saturday Swap Meets off the ground. We’ve invested thousands of dollars to reserve the space, pay for insurance, advertise, and purchase all the supplies, signage, and equipment needed to run the event.
Our kids work the swap meet every Saturday — handling security, taking payments, giving out tickets, setting up barrels, cleaning up trash, and helping vendors and buyers throughout the day. We do this with the hope that someday the swap meet will at least cover its expenses, and eventually grow into something sustainable.
We’re not doing this because it’s easy — we’re doing it because we believe this can become a long-standing community tradition.
The Good News
Here’s the encouraging part: the sellers who have jumped in are already seeing the benefits.
Many have told us it’s been financially worth their time — and even more importantly, they’ve found something unexpected: a real sense of community. Sellers helping sellers. Buyers coming back week after week. People finding treasures, meeting neighbors, and supporting local families.
That’s the cake being baked.
An Invitation
We want to invite you — whether you’re a seller, a food vendor, or someone who believes in local events — don’t wait on the sidelines.
Don’t be the farm animal waiting for someone else to build it.
Jump in. Participate. Support it. Help spread the word. Bring your goods, your food truck, your creativity, your hustle.
When a community works together, everyone eats.
If you’ve been thinking about becoming a seller — now is the time.
If you know someone who should be selling — invite them.
If you believe in building something local — help us grow it.
Register as a seller today at: saturdayswapmeets.com
Visit the Seller Registration page or use the Google Form linked there to get started.
We’re excited for what this can become — together.
