The Board Chronicles: VHS Choir Holiday Boutique 2017

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.

This is one of 4 events that we have done each of the years that Mrs M has been Mrs M.

It’s 2 miles from home, and it’s a fundraiser for the Valencia High choir. What’s not to like?

Because of this event, the choir raises over $3,000, and uses that money to pay for buses to go to festivals. Yes, we’re fans, and yes, we’re in.

Every time.

New Ideas

Same location, same 2 tables + a bonus 4′ table that I bring. Nothing new here.
I laid out the products on the tables, and Mrs M got shorted a bit. I’m sure I’ll hear about that when she sees the layout on Saturday: I’m working the event on Friday, and she’s handling Saturday … as long as I’m there for the load out. Deal.

Observations

Event # 12 of 15 in the 4th quarter. I’m so done … and yet, we’re not. Miles to go before we sleep.
I love local.
Any event that has a choir perform, I’m in. LOVE that the concert choir performs both days at this event.
This event has an odd shape. Friday hours are 9a – 1p, and are geared towards on-campus students & staff only. Saturday is the public event, 9a -4p.
On Friday, I had seasoned choir members teaching junior choir members what a lotion bar was. This event, after 4 years, is such a legacy event for us.
We totally killed this event on Friday. We know what to expect here: we’ve done this event for each of the 3 previous years. We should do about $300 on Friday … and we more than doubled that.
Mrs M didn’t think much of my lotion display on the table … but all I had to do was point out that on Friday, I had our best ever daily sales at this event. And I pointed it out. At least twice.
One of my boards is going to China; it’s a handmade souvenir from California for a visitor that found us on Saturday. Love it!
One thing that you should not do when talking to an artist is tell them they’re doing it wrong. This seldom ends well.
One person approached Mrs M on Saturday, and asked if she made soap using a cannabis derivative oil that had no THC in it. It’s a thing, apparently. This person must have thought she was the smartest person in the room, and proceeded to tell Mrs M why she should be using the oil.
Apparently, she didn’t know Mrs M … who proceeded to respond with the scientific reasons why she chooses to not use the oil, and further explained why the oil is still not viewed as legitimate by main stream businesses. You know, businesses like Mrs M’s. The lady left in a huff, and Mrs M still has no plans to use the oil.
I do have some experience in this area after a few decades’ practice: don’t tell Mrs M she’s doing it wrong. It seldom ends well … for me. Or non-customers that think they’re the smartest person in the room.
Mrs M fought a good fight (and not just with potential customers), working to deliver great sales on Saturday.
She did not match my magnificence.
Saturday sales were less than Friday sales, by $1. That makes no sense of course … but I was selling on Friday, and not on Saturday. We even had an appointment sale on Saturday that was $195 in board sales … still not enough. My Friday sales were double our expectation, and our Saturday sales were still above our expectations … together, we were way, way over our expectation for this event.
But I won. And since I write this blog, that’s really all that matters. I’m sure Mrs M will make a comment, below, but it doesn’t matter: I outsold her on an inferior day.
Seriously, the sales for this event were way over our expectations this year. Only about 20 vendors are accepted here, and I love this event!

The Food

Friday Breakfast: Bagels & cream cheese at home. Of course.

Friday Lunch: Ham & Muenster sandwich on wheat, at home, after the event was over at 1pm

Saturday Breakfast: Thanksgiving leftover corn casserole with an egg on top. Milk + 2 coffees with cream. Mrs M does it up, yes?

Saturday Lunch: half of a ham & Muenster sandwich on wheat

Saturday Snack: free donut in the morning, delivered by choir members

The Facts

Total miles driven: 8
Booth cost: $180
Food cost: $0
Travel cost: $4
Total sales: $1,555
Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $1,371
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: many
Friday alarm: 5:45a
Saturday alarm: 7a
# transactions: 54
# soap & lotion vendors: there was one other, a young lady doing melt & pour “vegan, all natural” soap
# woodworking vendors: just me
Edge grain vs. end grain: 12:1
Returning next year? I hope so!