The Board Chronicles is an ongoing series of articles about the adventures of Mrs M’s Handmade as a vendor at community festivals & craft fairs. Mrs M’s subsidiary, Mr M’s Woodshop, has been approved to create this chronicle for the good of vendorkind.
Break’s over. Summer’s over.
Time to start our fall events … which will quickly blend into our holiday events. This event was the first of 11 planned over the next 14 weeks. So, it’s time to get busy.
We did the Spring Boutique at St Charles, which was connected to their annual carnival, so there was a lot going on. This event, though, is simply a vendor event for the congregation to shop at following their Sunday service. With holidays in the wind, this 1-day event was hoped to be stronger than the spring’s 2-day event.
New Ideas
- The booths were not a true 10×20 this time; more of a found space that was about 15′ wide and 30′ deep. We made it work, though the display tables were in a sort of Z pattern. See the pix, below. And, for the record, I’m superstitious about being next to the door (don’t like that!), but other booth space locations don’t bother me.
Observations
- Mrs M claimed she had to work at her “job.” Little Girl pitched in, of course … but, in the end, she was most helpful for load out. Other than that … we had some nice conversations.
- In the spring, sales were $1,926. This fall … nope. Lots of crickets were heard during this event. People? Booth traffic? Not so much.
- Requests were for a cribbage board (wait a week or three, please!) and a round chopping block (where were you last year?).
- I no longer like one day events.
- I no longer like small events.
- Tenth worst event ever. Nothing else needs to be said.
The Food
Sunday Breakfast: McDonald’s # 4. Hello, old friend.
Sunday Lunch: A burrito from Ernie’s, from across the street. Tasty.
Sunday Snack: Nope.
Sunday Dinner: Mrs M made chicken fingers & tater tots. Comfort food.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 120
- Booth cost: $125
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: many
- Total sales: $269
- # containers of product taken: far too many from every perspective
- # boards available: 150+
- Sunday alarm: 5a
- # transactions: 14
- # soap & lotion vendors: Just us
- # woodworking vendors: Just us
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 2:0
- Returning next year? Nope.
Boards sold: 2
1x Small Sous Chef Board
1x Magic Bottle Opener
and to boot you sold my favorite new sous chef board??? not sure if I am happy or sad…
You know I always want you and Mrs. M to do well! Too bad this didn’t work out!
You never know until you try … but there just wasn’t enough traffic here, IMHO. I know some vendors did better … you did OK, right?
Those small shows are tough. You really need to see a lot of eyeballs in order to get good sales. Wish you better the next show you do.
We have a week off, and then 3 events in a row. All 3 are big events with high traffic, but they are all new to us. We shall see!
The covered cheese boards add an elegance to the beauty of the display. Good job.
Thank you! I like the design as well. Now, I just need to make 3 more ideas in my head, and then….