The Board Chronicles: Bishop Mule Days 2018

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 don’t know anything about mules. Some are from Missouri, I think. Shouldn’t I know more about that?

Bishop is a mountain community on the eastern Sierra located on US 395. They have the world’s largest annual celebration of mules each Memorial Day weekend. In addition to the events at the fairgrounds (and the vendors there), a parade is held on Main Street (AKA US 395). The Bishop City Park is there, and the local arts council sponsors their annual craft fair for vendors of handmade goods at that bucolic park with a stream, a duck pond and large shade trees.

Sounds like home.

We’re in. Well, I’m in. Mrs M had to work at her “job,” so my solo act was headed north to see if a celebration of mules was the right place to sell my cutting boards.

New Ideas

This is ~~our~~ my first 4-day event. Fridays are slow and Mondays are awful, I’m told … but it is nice to not put up early Saturday morning and take down late Sunday night. Recovery is a good thing.
Carved signs make their debut on the mesh walls at this event. Booth decor is now complete, for the moment: photographs of my boards in use are mixed with CNC-carved signs with a bit of sass and quotes with a bit of historical interest.

Observations

This is event # 8 of 10 in our 4th Annual Spring Fling.
My goodness, will it never end?
I drove up on Thursday to set up, and met the coordinator, Lynn, who showed me to my booth spaces. By the time I got there in the afternoon, many of the vendors were set up – and gone. I wasn’t late to the party, but I was certainly not early.
By the time I was putting up the Trimline, the late afternoon winds had picked up. Fortunately, a dad that was watching his daughters’ very long swim team meeting at the pool nearby volunteered to help me hold down the dome as I erected the framework.
Yes, his wife got to pick out a cutting board to take home. He was a very big help!
Love our new strategy of staying at AirBnB guest houses whenever we can at out-of-town events. I was in an in-law cottage that was just perfect for a couple’s getaway to the Sierra. Too bad I wasn’t a couple.
The forecast had thunderstorms forecast for Friday and Saturday. Can I not catch a break with the weather this year?
It only took a couple of hours … I was quickly asked how much for the engraved signs on the walls. But I don’t want to sell my booth decor!
Well….
#1 question of the weekend, by a wide margin: “What’s a trivet?”
#1 seller for the last 2 weekends: trivets.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Best visual of the first day was a pair of grandparents facetiming with their daughter and granddaughter. They had bought a stick mule (like a stick pony), and the mule kept dancing in front of the camera during the call. I can appreciate grandparents having fun.
Luckily, the rain stayed away. Ended the first day over $600 in sales. I didn’t really have specific expectations at my first time for this event, but that seemed good to me.
Saturday, I was told to expect light crowds until after the parade, and then expect to be ‘whelmed. It didn’t really happen that way: business was steady all day. I never really got slammed, though there were a few times that transactions happened right on top of each other. I was busy all day.
Best t-shirt of the weekend: a lady wore a shirt that said “Don’t eat watermelon seeds.” It appeared that perhaps she had; something was growing, that’s for sure.
Ended the day Saturday with no rain! I had very good sales, propelled by selling 2x end grain cutting boards with a design I call “Chaos.” They are show stoppers.
And I’m out of them.
Sunday dawned with no rain in the forecast.
It rained on and off through much of the afternoon. I still had OK sales, though. Definitely having a good event, in spite of the rain.
Sold a cheese board that’s going to Essex, and then another that’s going to London. Must be a lot of English tourists here to get a taste of the old west. Or something.
#2 question of the weekend: “Did Benjamin Franklin really say that?”
The day ended with 2x twenty-something couples, and both of the guys really wanted to buy the meat carving boards. Somehow, their delay in making a decision became a discussion about how there was a lack of commitment problem at work here. I backed away. The couples strolled on.
And came back. I sold 2x boards. This was a very good day. Not as good as Saturday, but I got close to a good number. If I can just do a little bit on Monday….
I sputtered along on Monday; we only had 5 hours before we closed up. In the final hour (OF COURSE), I sold one more large cheese & cracker server that put me over $300 for the day. That put me over a very nice number … and yes!

Best. Solo. Event. Ever.

Requests were for a spatula, pepper mills, cribbage boards (multiple requests. I’m trying. Geez.), a backgammon set (NO NO NO), Chinese checkers (NO), a smaller “&” board, a carving board (I am out!) and a lap board for your car to eat lunch on (huh?).
Two more events in the Spring Fling. Four total events in June. Hope I can make it … I’m selling out of things!
And, yes, that’s a wonderful problem to have.

The Food

Best Meal: Mrs M opened the freezer, and I got meals – and a pre-planned menu – for the weekend. Chicken Marsala for the win. Of course.
Worst Meal: I stopped in Mojave for a Big Mac, and I was annoyed by the service. Not the best McDonald’s I’ve been to.

The Facts

Total miles driven: 504
Booth cost: $580
Food cost: $34
Travel cost: $854
Total sales: $3,532
Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $2,064
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: several
Alarm clock: Nope
# transactions: 44
# soap & lotion vendors: there were a couple … but not Mrs M, unfortunately
# woodworking vendors: several. There was a turner & a maker of pine log furniture. Rustic furniture and decor was everywhere, it seemed.
Edge grain vs. end grain: 60:4
Returning next year? Absolutely.

Boards sold: 64

Coasters: 13

Trivets: 8

Cutting Boards: 7

Cheese Boards: 6

Word Blocks: 5

Magic Bottle Openers: 4

Small Boards: 4

Lazy Susans: 3

CNC Plaque: 3

Custom Orders: 2

Cheese & Cracker Server: 2

Wine Bottle Coaster: 1

Heart: 1

Serving Tray: 1

Bear: 1

Pig: 1

Large Cutting Board: 1

Trivet 18 – 711. 8.5″ square.

Wine Bottle Coaster 18 – 501. Cherry. Urethane finish. 9″ diameter.

Cheese Baord 18 – 106. Chaos Board. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Goncalo Alves.

Trivet 17 – 07. Cherry. 8.5″ x 8.5″ x .75″.

Cheese & Cracker Server 16 – 17. Hickory, White Oak, Cherry & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 16 – End 032. Cherry, Padauk, Yellowheart, Bubinga, Bloodwood, Canarywood & Purpleheart. End Grain. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″. $225.

Lazy Susan 18 – 10. Chaos Board. Purpleheart, Bloodwood, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Yellowheart.

Cheese Board 18 – 107. Bloodwood & Honey Locust. 7″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Trivet 18 – 715. 8.5″ square.

Cutting Board 18 – 707. Chaos board, 13 species identified. End grain. 13″ x 17″ x 1-1/4″.

Carving Board – the poultry side. The graduated ribs of the oval are perfect to hold the fowl in place as you carve.

Trivet 17 – 14. Oak.

Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 404. Fridge Mount.

Cheese Board 17 – 325. Chaos board, with a dark blend. 8″ x 11″ x 5/8″.

Serving Tray 17 – 05. Black Walnut, Canarywood, Merbau & Sapele. 12″ x 18″ x 3/4″.

Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 105. Wall mount.

Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 119. Wall mount.

Small Board 17 – 235. Purpleheart, Cherry, Black Walnut & Pau Ferro. 6″ x 11″ x 1-1/4″.

Cutting Board 18 – 710. Chaos board, 13 species identified. End grain. 14″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.

Magic Bottle Opener 18 – 112. Wall mount.

Cheese & Cracker Server 18 – 202. Hard Maple. 13″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″. 2 sided use, with the flip side being a plain surface for cutting or charcuterie or ….