Victor Show - Day 1

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I did well enough yesterday, mostly thanks to a friend of my massage therapist's. Mary had given her friend (another therapist) one of my framed mandalas with the tiny hands on it - so Sharyl called me, came to the show and bought 3 framed pieces and some other things, including one of the notepad/pen sets! Mary ordered one of the notepad pen sets, specific colors and with the little hands. (Stephanie, I'll contact you shortly regarding your comment on yesterday's entry. I have a good variety of colors.)

Today will be the big day. The show is really nice. Kathy, who is hosting it, is really just that, a great hostess - she's charming and funny and just enough eccentric in a really good way. Parking is a bit of a problem because people can't park in the circular driveway so they have to park in the church parking lot that's a few houses down and across the street. It's a little confusing even though there are signs. And I think the parking location will be a different one today, just to add to the confusion.

I'm in a room with two vendors I know pretty well from other shows so we've had a good time - lots of laughs and talking the biz. And there's a 4th vendor we're all getting to know. I was in a conversation with a customer but I think I overheard the more experienced vendor say she never gives out a list of her future shows because she wants to encourage customers to buy now, not go away and think about it for next time. She makes a good point, but she's well established and does pretty much the same shows each year, and they are the bigger shows. I think I'll stick with my plan for now and continue to give people a card with my future shows listed. For one, it makes me look experienced and serious. My mentor, MJ, does it and has a pretty loyal following. It's probably one of those thing you can make an argument for either way. I just know that one of the things that surprised me the most when I first started doing shows last year, was how many people asked me where else would I be showing.

And I learned this, which doesn't surprise me, I guess I just haven't thought about it before. These other vendors are just as serious and passionate about their craft as I am about mine. They want to retire from their day jobs and do this full-time, just like me. They are happiest in their studios, just like me.

The other thing that surprised me the first time I entered the craft show world, some when I worked for MJ, but mostly when I went out on my own - is how helpful other vendors are. I've never, ever witnessed any back-biting, jealousy, sabotage - never one negative thing. People give each other helpful advice - and stuff, old displays, for instance. I mean if you think about it, even though we sell different products, we're all competing for the same dollars in a customer's pocket. This community feeling is one of the reasons I enjoy these shows so darn much.

PLUS, I had different people tell me about FIVE stores that I should contact about selling my stuff. So I'm definitely going to follow up on those. Most of them came from people associated with the store so I can use that to contact the owner. One was a woman who is opening a Valentown Museum Gift Shop - right there at Valentown. How convenient would that be?? I could easily stop on my lunch hour or way home. And I love getting in on the ground floor of something. It feels slow-going at first, as a start-up, but I like giving new things a shot. And I would think, with a little advertising near Eastview Mall, plus those new buildings that are going up right on the Valentown side of 96, including Starbucks, it has a really good chance of success.

I'll take pictures of my set-up today. This show is in a historic home, as I've mentioned and the room I'm in has little light, but at least there are two big windows. I came home between set-up and the start of the show yesterday to pick up a lamp for the corner, which helped a lot. I have the added bonus of being able to use the top of a dresser/sideboard thing, the only piece of furniture the owners left in the room. But I'm only using a table top rack for my cards and a fellow vendor darn near cleaned me out at the end of the day. I should be able to make a few more this morning. I had other cards to refill with of course, but I really prefer to showcase my embroidered cards. Those, I'm very low on.

All in all, a beautiful sunny day, fairly well-attended. There was not a breath of air moving in our room though, so today I'm wearing shorts. Not exactly the "professional" attire I prefer to wear for shows, but comfort rules. I spent the entire day yesterday feeling way too hot.

The very, very best part? I received a text message from Steve around 4:00, asking if I wanted him to pick up dinner and what time would I be home. I read the message out loud and he damn near received a standing ovation from the other women in the room. And he did - he figured out dinner, stopped to pick it up and arrived home 10 minutes after I did. (Used to be he'd make me decide what and where and blah, blah, blah.) He's a keeper.

I'm off to start my new day!

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