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.
I did the Gingerbread Boutique in Westlake Village, which is where I met the President of the Westlake Village Republican Women Federated, who invited me to vend at their holiday luncheon on a Thursday at the local Four Seasons hotel.
I said sure. Why not?
Estimated attendance was 60 … but this is an upscale city; the event was held at the Four Seasons. However, I had no expectations.
Thank goodness.
New Ideas
- This was a 2 table, boutique set up for Mr M as a solo event. Have I ever done that before?
- I am not used to loading the Jeep with containers, and going to an event. I didn’t load a table; they were supplied. Have I ever done that before?
Observations
- This is event # 11 of our 15 events in the 4th quarter. WHAT WAS I THINKING?
- Load in was an adventure: the directions were very clear, actually. Go to the loading dock, take the elevator, walk through the catering area until you hit a stairway, and turn right. The room is ahead of you, on the other side of the food prep area.
- It was.
- You have to love the setting, with my stuff right beside the lectern and the waterfall in the background. Everything is in one room for this holiday luncheon:
- Did I mention the costumed carolers?
- The white rectangle on the tripod was a framed Trump campaign sign, which was a raffle prize.
- The presentation, by the way, was not hyper-partisan. The President of the organization spoke about the concerns about how split we are as a nation, and how it’s important that we come together.
- Absolutely.
- Something you don’t see at every event: the housekeeping staff doing stretching exercises en masse before they go out to do their duties.
- New rule: no events where the promoters take a percentage.
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: Hello, Old Friend.
Saturday Lunch: Mrs M made me a ham sandwich, which I ate in the car while the event attendees ate the meal served by the hotel. For me, that’s meal # 2 for the day that was eaten in the Jeep, if you’re keeping track.
Saturday Snack: nope.
Saturday Dinner: Henry’s MOS from Papa John’s. High living.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 112
- Booth cost: $180
- Food cost: $11
- Travel cost: $58
- Total sales: $423
- Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $174
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 3
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: several
- Saturday alarm: 5:45a
- # transactions: 5
- # soap & lotion vendors: none
- # woodworking vendors: just me
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 8:0
- Returning next year? probably not
Boards sold: 8
Magic Bottle Openers: 4
Word Blocks (all custom orders): 3
Serving Tray: 1
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