EDISON, N.J. -- Despite attendance being down 15 percent, New Jersey RV dealers are breathing a sigh of relief this week following a highly successful show in Edison.

"Traffic was down, but it was good and steady," said Jeff Haughton, show manager for Affinity Events."All dealers were pleased from a sales and traffic perspective. Everyone sold something, which is the happiest aspect of the event."

Haughton attributed the success to

the fact that many credit worthy buyers are discovering that deals are available. They have been doing their research and know that this is the best time to buy, he said.

"Attendance was better than we expected and sales were incredible," said Tom Tonkovich, general manager of Camping World RV Sales in Lakewood, N.J. "Plus, the follow-up from the show is even better. The excitement is continuing."

Tonkovich said the dealership closed more than 25 units at the show and another four the day after it ended. A lot of enthusiastic families with children were walking the show floor, which he found reassuring. Dealers were selling a mixed bag of units -- everything from towables to motorhomes.

"What really got us excited was that we were seeing first-time buyers for the first-time in a long time," he explained. "That's the part of the industry we have been truly missing over the past year. People are always trading up or down, but first-time buyers were rare last year."

The turnout on Saturday was exceptional, he added, with nearly 200 people waiting to get in the door. "It was just like the good old days," said Tonkovich. "We didn't expect that kind of turnout. Although Sunday's sales were down, that's when the first-time buyers showed up.

"It proved to me that people still have strong interest in our products," he added. "We were ecstatic and now think we are going to have a fairly decent year."

"There were a lot of positive vibes at that show," said James McLaughlin Sr., with Mac Events, which sold the New Jersey show to Affinity Events last year. "The dealers saw a lot of traffic and were able to put hands on people interested in buying. It bodes well for the Atlantic City Show in early March where we are expecting even more dealers to participate."

McLaughlin said he remains "cautiously positive" with regards to the rest of the year, but a good showing last weekend helped boost his confidence and that of New Jersey dealers. "It tells us people still want to vacation. That desire is not going away," he added.

Perhaps the best summary of the show came from Walter Hynes, with Scott Motorcoach, who told Haughton that he had not seen any "delusional buyers" at the show. The decline in attendance has allowed dealers to focus on quality prospects and generate more sales, Haughton added.