Sturgis Vendor - Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  How many vendors come to Sturgis?
A.  In 2002 approximately 850 12-day vendor licenses were sold. There were probably 800 different vendors in Sturgis but some of them bought two 12-day licenses. In 2001 there were fewer licenses sold, less than 800. That's still a lot of competition in the downtown Sturgis area.

Q. What licenses do I need?
A. If you sell within the Sturgis city limits, you will need a Sturgis Transient Merchants license. Before you can get the Transient Merchants license, you must receive a South Dakota Sales Tax license from the State. The State Sales Tax license may require a deposit (refundable after you pay your tax) and the Transient Merchants license will cost $600. The City license includes a sanitation fee. There may be other small charges for inspections for food vendors and tattoo artists. You may purchase these licenses in advance from Sturgis City Hall. All licenses may also be purchased from City Hall when you arrive in town. They are even open the weekend before the Rally, but this involves standing in line like a herd of cattle waiting to be slaughtered.

Q. Where are the best vending locations in Sturgis?
A. Main Street has the best vending locations (also the most expensive). With the success of the Rally Trade Show & Expo at the Community Center, 4th & Lazelle, vending locations on the way or adjacent to the Community Center are good (that’s us!). Ironically, off-Main locations are better for many vendors. Because of the congestion and noise on Main Street it is difficult for many vendors to visit with their customers and answer questions. Picture it this way: If you sell T-shirts, Main Street can’t be beat. Your customers come walking up the sidewalk, spot your excellent T-shirts, grab one, hand you $15 and off they go! If you sell custom handmade leather saddlebags, each prospective customer is going to have a dozen questions to ask before he forks over $500.  From an outside location on Main Street you will find it somewhat more difficult to carry on a dialogue with your prospective customers. Main Street is excellent for t-shirts, patches, pins, hats, food, etc. Main Street is not so good for things like pin-striping, custom seats, saddlebags, upper scale leather products, motorcycle jacks and trailers, etc. The "conventional wisdom" here is that bikers are "looking" on Main Street, and "buying" on Lazelle Street. Let’s not fool ourselves though, there is an enormous amount of foot traffic on Main Street.

Q. Where can I stay during the Rally?
A. Since most motels are probably already booked you have two choices: 1) Private housing. A list of private homes for rent during the Rally are available at the Sturgis Bike Week website. 2) Campgrounds. There are a number of campgrounds in the Sturgis area which cater to bikers and vendors. The largest (and best in our opinion) is Glencoe CampResort.  Be careful when selecting a campground. Not all campgrounds are created equal! Many Sturgis area campgrounds have a "party all night" atmosphere. Most vendors we know come to the Rally to work and need to sleep at night.

Q. What do we do with our merchandise at night when we are away from our vending spot?
A. There are several answers here. Some vendors load everything up at night and take it with them. Some leave a storage truck parked at the rear of our property and put everything in their truck. Some vendors literally sleep with their merchandise inside their vending location. Some vendors bundle up their merchandise in tarps and tie ropes around the tarps, lower the flaps on their tent or canopy and leave a light on inside. Each vendor will have to decide for himself how best to handle this situation. We don’t endorse or recommend any of the above suggestions. We certainly don’t recommend leaving $50,000 worth of jewelry or leather unattended during the night.  

Q. When should I arrive? Setup? Start selling?
A. Although the Rally officially begins on Monday, August 6, 2007, the big crowd is here by Saturday, August 4.  Many vendors will begin selling sometime on Friday, August 3. Others on Saturday. It’s a mistake to pull into town on Sunday night, expect to set up and then start selling on Monday.  Many vendors will be setting up the week before the Rally.

Q. Do I need a tent? Canopy?
A. You will need some protection from the sun and elements. Many vendors use pop-up canopies. Others bring (or rent) box-type tents. Keep in mind your tent stakes must fall within your rented space. We don’t allow stakes and ropes to protrude into the walkways.  Another important consideration...your tent or canopy fabric must be fire-rated.  Most tents will have a tag attached for fire-rating.  Others will come with a certificate.  You must have either the certificate or the tag.  The city Fire Inspector will check your tent or canopy.

Q. Will I make a lot of money during the Rally?
A. Probably not. Although we have witnessed some incredible success stories over the years, many first-time vendors are lucky to break even. Many first-time vendors are told to treat their first year at Sturgis as a "learning experience". Test your products in this market. Study your competitors and other successful vendors. It’s also a great time to meet distributors or retailers for your products.

Q. I’m a food vendor. Will I make a lot of money selling food?
A. Probably not. There is incredible competition in the food racket with probably 100 plus food vendors in the downtown area during the Rally. My guess is that 25% or less are lucky enough to break even their first year. There is a handful of expert food vendors that do most of the business. They are well established and have built up a steady clientele over the years.

Q. I’m a T-shirt vendor. Will I make a lot of money selling T-shirts?
A. There are millions of t-shirts sold during the Rally.  You can't walk ten feet without seeing a t-shirt vendor.  Be prepared for lots of competition.

Q. I sell little biker dolls which my wife makes. Will I make money?
A. No

Q. I sell smoked salmon and beef jerky? Will I make money?
A. No

We have dealt with Rally vendors for 25 years and have the answers to most of your vending questions.  If we don't have the answer, we know who does. 

Other Sturgis Related Websites