Experiences from my first show...

This weekend, I packed my husband (Amar) , the dog (Bruce) and my jewelry in our car and we headed off to Whidbey Island for the Greenbank Farm's "Sweetheart Wine and Chocolate Tasting and Art Show". This was my first show and I was nervous as I could be. Getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before my show probably didn't help matter much. Why was I nervous? I was afraid I wouldn't sell anything or, worse yet, I'd sell out of everything on the first day and not have anything for the following day. Well, both fears were unfounded. I did sell some jewelry but not enough to run out of inventory. In the end, I was a little disappointed with the turn out and with my sales. I probably lost money on this show. In the beginning, I was sure that I was in the sweet spot. My booth was located right across the way from the wine tasting area and I was hoping that after imbibing in several rounds of wine tasting that people would more willing to part with their money. I soon discovered that they were - but they were buying all the wine they were drinking. Later on that day, one of the vendors from downstairs came up and asked me how I was doing (meaning are you making any money - or - are you doing better than I am). She told me that she usually got "stuck upstairs" and was happy to be downstairs this time.

By the second day, Amar and I were joining the others in the wine tasting area (if you can't beat them join them). When we weren't imbibing in wine, both of us were drinking coffee to keep warm. The show was in an old barn - we were upstairs in the loft on the north side of the building. It was cold - very cold. Who would have thought that a barn in the middle of winter would be so cold. The vendor's downstairs had heat. The wine tasting area was nice and toasty warm because they had sunlight streaming in the southern facing windows.

So, what have I learned from my first show? First thing, take time to get to know your neighbors. If you're lucky, you'll meet some very nice people - I did. If it weren't for the the guys in the tasting area, the gentleman selling photos on my left and the woman selling bead wrapped spoons to my right I don't think it would have been as much fun. They were good company and they didn't mind letting me benefit from their knowledge of selling at arts and crafts shows. Another important thing I have learned, bring extra clothing in the winter - even if you are indoors it can still be uncomfortably cold. However, I think the most importantly thing I learned is: you can never have too much inventory. Even though I had enough inventory for the weekend, when I looked at the photos I took of my booth it didn't look very well stocked. Matter of fact, it look sort of barren.

The best part of the weekend was when our friends, Lisa and Alex showed up at the show on Saturday just to say "Hi". It was nice to see a couple of friendly faces in the crowd. Lisa returned on Sunday, bearing diet Cherry Cokes and peppermints for me, an invitation for dinn for me and my husband. She even bought a pair of earrings and started selling my jewelry to other people! Now that's a friend!

All in all, it was good experience. I sold jewelry to absolute strangers. Which made me feel great. I love Whidbey Island, it's such a beautiful place - lots of farms, small charming towns and it's only two hours from my home.

I have photos from the weekend which I'll post at a later date.

Upcoming Shows and Events!!!

I'm happy to announce that I have a few arts and crafts shows lined up where I will be proudly selling my jewelry. Here are the details:

My first show will be at The Greenbank Farm on Whidbey Island - The Sweetheart Wine and Chocolate Tasting and Art Market. This event is event is scheduled from 10:00am - 5:00pm on February 16 - 18th. I will be there on the 16th and 17th only.

My second show will be in conjunction with I Heart Rummage in Seattle, WA. This will be my first time as a vendor with the show and it will be held at it's new venue Chop Suey on March 2nd from 12:00pm - 4:00pm. I'm hoping the new venue will draw in a large crowd, a large crowd with money burning a hole in their pocket.

My third show will at the Fox Island Easter Egg Hunt, Bake Sale, Unique Gift Boutique and Food Drive for FISH on Fox Island, on March 22nd, starting at 10:00am. This was the first show that I applied to and it was the first that accepted me as a vendor. So, I'm really looking forward to it.

And last but not least, the fourth show I have lined up is with The Annual Fox Island FICRA Fair on August 9th, from 11:00am - 4:00pm. Yep, it's true, I'm heading back to Fox Island.

I hope that the readers of this blog who live in the north, central and/or south Puget Sound region will be able to come check out these shows and maybe stop by my booth to say "Hi". I will post the links for each of these shows in my "Upcoming Shows and Events" column (look to your right - top of the column). That way you can get more detailed information and directions to the shows. I have a few more shows lined up and when I have received my confirmation I will provide you with all the information on the shows.