This NOTES FROM THE ROAD blog is penned by long-time SSA friend and industry road warrior Chris Taheny
Some will recognize the name Tommy James & the Shondells instantly. Some won’t. Yet almost everyone recognizes their music the moment it hits their radio, shuffle playlist, or TV commercial.
Legendary tunes like these:
• Crimson & Clover — #1
• Crystal Blue Persuasion — #2
• Mony Mony — Top 5
• I Think We’re Alone Now — Top 10
• Sweet Cherry Wine — Top 10
Tommy James and the Shondells were one of the biggest acts of the 1960s. By early 1969, they were at their peak. Woodstock, the once-in-a-lifetime event that captured the spirit of the entire generation, was approaching. Playing it may have immortalized them as counterculture icons in the same way it immortalized Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and The Who.
But, Tommy James and the Shondells never showed up.
Tommy James was on vacation the week before Woodstock. He called in to check messages. Their secretary casually relayed one of them:
“Yeah, there’s this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field.”
That was the pitch, so they passed.
Only a week later they realized what they had missed. Tommy James later said, “That’s how it was put to us. Now if she told us, ‘There are going to be half a million people,’ we would’ve been on the next plane.”
How can we relate this legendary pop music blunder to Las Vegas Market?
Market is like our industry’s Woodstock.
It’s where defining moments happen.
Las Vegas Market is where product lines appear in their full, intended form: Merchandised by the people who built them, with sales professionals telling the stories the end-customer is supposed to hear. It’s where you get to judge what fits your shoppers, your market, and your strategy. This is where your business is at your mercy rather than relying on secondhand opinions, inadequate assumptions, or simply not being aware that a game-changer for your business is even there.
It’s also where chance conversations, networking events, and unplanned introductions spark ideas that change the trajectory of one’s business. The idea that your business has been longing for can come to you in an elevator conversation, a hallway bump-in, or over a casual drink.
Just like Tommy James received one of the most ill-advised, inadequate assessments in music history, many decision makers in our industry have missed out on opportunities because they were given incomplete, inaccurate, or advice that was simply the opposite-of-good.
Manufacturers hear versions of this all the time:
• “I didn’t know you had this much support behind the line. Nobody told me that.”
• “My team has been asking for something like this and I didn’t really think it was important. I guess I finally understand why.”
• “I didn’t think you guys had that much brand recognition. Clearly I was wrong.”
• “I didn’t know your social media reach was this huge. That’s a big deal because we want popular brands.”
• “We could’ve used these ROIs last busy season. I made a mistake not asking for a presentation sooner.”
• “I’d been buying (category) from (vendor) and it didn’t sell. It’s clear that it’s because they didn’t have the story. But this? We can sell this!”
• “Everyone kept saying you were ‘just another (category) vendor.’ I’m now seeing now that’s way off.”
• “These fabrics feel way better than what we have now. Until now I assumed bamboo was all the same.”
• “This mattress sales process solves so many problems for my RSAs. If I only had this years ago.”
• “I was told this wasn’t the right fit for us… but now that I see it for myself, I disagree.”
• “I didn’t realize you invested so heavily in digital assets. My marketing team has been begging our existing vendors for support like this but they’re letting us down.”
• “I heard mixed things, so I didn’t prioritize seeing you. I’m glad I finally did.”
• “We assumed you only did low-tier products still. Clearly you’ve moved far beyond that.”
• “I shouldn’t have waited until my contract was up. I should’ve looked at this a year ago, before signing another deal, and now I’m stuck.”
If Tommy James had understood what Woodstock truly was, history might’ve remembered his band differently than it does today. Likewise, buyers and decision makers owe it to themselves and their RSAs to make sure they’re seeing everything for what it is, and what it does for a mattress retail business. Only seeing something through the lens of what someone else says it is or what it’s perceived to be can be too costly to bear, especially during the challenging times our industry tends to endure.
That’s the difference between showing up at Woodstock…. and hearing about its greatness after it came and went!
