This show was a good learning experience for me. I think the biggest two things I took away from this weekend were:
1. Always bring extra tape. One brand new roll is not enough. Seriously. You can never have too much tape, especially when you're going to be selling outdoors in unpredictable wind conditions.
2. Be persistent and don't give up. I was ready to pack it in and stay home Sunday after a disastrous Saturday. I barely made back the booth fee Saturday and most people were in attendance for a separate event (Farm Day) where they could have free activities for their children. This was the farthest I'd traveled for a show (1 hour each way) and I spent a ton of time and money getting a new display and getting my items just right. I did so poorly the first day I literally cried half of the way home. I didn't want to go back but did because I made a commitment and didn't want to disappoint the owner. Luckily for me, only three artisans including myself were set to sell on Sunday and I was the only one selling jewelry. I did MUCH better than the first day (when there were more vendors) - still not enough to see a profit all things considered, but I made back my gas and my lunch money (and my self esteem). I learned that my pieces sell much better when there is less competition and that there really is such a thing as an over-saturated market. I'm hopefully going to be able to select small shows in the future that don't have an overwhelming number of jewelry artisans signed up to vend. I also kept my reputation of being a reliable vendor and have been welcomed to come back any time (the owners are really nice people). I'm happy with the way things worked out and I hope it's only up from here.
Enjoy these photos and videos of my display and the Iron Gate Winery:
Hope you enjoyed the picture tour!
Until next time,
Elle
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