Website aims to help market Route 66 merchandise

Carolyn Hasenfratz, a website developer in the St. Louis region and a friend to Route 66 for at least a decade, has launched a Sell66Stuff.com site to help businesses market their products along Route 66.

Here’s a video about the service:

According to the news release about the site’s official launch:

Listings in the directory for retailers, wholesalers and event promoters who want to sell products on Route 66 are free of charge, and can include a photo and a link back to the business web site. Paid ad space is also available on Sell66Stuff.com. […]

“I knew there were many calendars available online for events on Route 66, but none that were designed specifically to make it easy for vendors to find suitable exhibition opportunities that attract Route 66 enthusiasts and those who enjoy historic highways, Americana and car culture. On the drive home, I thought about creating such an events directory and adding to it a section for retailers and a section for wholesalers so that anyone trying to sell products on Route 66 can find the right outlets for their merchandise. Many retailers on Route 66 report that one-third to one-half of their customers are from outside the United States. That creates a great opportunity for business people in our country to expose their products to a wider audience.”

Sell66Stuff.com is also designed to help stores find interesting merchandise to help diversify and differentiate their offerings. “I’ve been told that travelers on Route 66 have complained about seeing the same merchandise in the same several stores they initially encounter, and that causes them to stop less frequently as they proceed down the road. That is very unfortunate, because Route 66 is a magnet for creative people. There are entrepreneurs, artists and craftspeople busy creating unique merchandise that could find more buyers if it was available in the right places.”

Because they often contain gift shops, lodging and dining establishments are encouraged to join the directory. The inclusion of restaurants opens up opportunities to those who sell food and drink, not just special Route 66 themed products, but any food and drink that restaurants need for the tourists who stop in. Also, “even though they don’t always sell “Stuff”, I’m allowing performing artists to participate, because so many of the dining and drinking establishments that are good candidates for the directory also hire live entertainment,” says Carolyn.

The site’s menu includes pages for wholesalers, exhibitors, events, advertising, a newsletter, and other website links.

The site also contains an add for Hasenfratz’s rubber art stamps, which are an excellent product.

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