Archive for the ‘Los Angeles’ Tag
It’s the most common comment I hear when a new patron walks into our booth: “These are too pretty to use!”
They’re not, in my humble opinion. They’re made to be used. Since these boards are made out of very hard wood, they won’t mark in the same way that cheaper, softer cutting boards will.
So, please, use these boards. It’s what they’re intended to be: used.
Sous Chgef # 15 – 45. Jatoba, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 46. Birdseye Maple, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 47. Purpleheart, Cherry & Jarrah. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 48. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Padauk. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 49. Purpleheart, Birdseye Maple & Honey Locust. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 50. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Jarrah. 10″ x 22″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 51. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Purpleheart. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 52. Hard Maple & Cherry. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 53. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Sous Chef # 15 – 54. Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 55. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart & Honey Locust. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 56. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Jatoba & Hard Maple. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 57. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 58. Yellowheart & Black Walnut. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 33. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Goncalo Alves. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 34. Black Walnut & Yellowheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 35. Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 36. Hard Maple, Padauk & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Surfboard # 15 – 37. Yellowheart, Canarywood, Cherry, Hard Maple & Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfbord # 15 – 38. Red Oak, Black Walnut, Teak & Yellowheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 39. Curly Cherry, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 40. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Cherry & Hard Maple. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 41. Black Walnut & Cherry. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 42. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 43. Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Curly Cherry. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 083. Hard Maple, Cherryt, Yellowheart, Jatoba, Bloodwood & Canarywood. Sold in its first showing. End Grain. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 084. Jatoba, Cherry, Yellowheart, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Canarywood. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/4″.
These 27 boards represent a very broad range of sizes and potential uses. Cheese boards? RV boards? Small cutting boards? Cutting boards?
You bet.
This batch should last us through November … I’m thinking I need to make more for our December events.
It’s good to be needed, yes?
Cutting Board # 15 – 081. Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Purpleheart & Padauk. 12″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 043. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. Edge Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 082. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 045. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Yellowheart. Edge Grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 104. Hard Maple, Paduak, Black Walnut & Goncalo Alves. Edge Grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 046. Hard Maple & Cherry. Edge Grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 105. Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Yellowheart. Edge Grain. 15″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 106. Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Purpleheart & Padauk. Edge Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 047. Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. End Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 082. Black Walnut. End Grain. 12″ x 15″ x 1-1/8″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 044. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Padauk & Yellowheart. Edge Grain. 10″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 050. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Yellowheart. Edge Grain. 8″ x 10″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 081. Cherry, Bloodwood, Canarywood, Yellowheart, Padauk, Hard Maple, Jatoba & Purpleheart. 15″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Small Board # 15 – 059. Black Walnut. End Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Small Board # 15 – 058. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 042. Black Walnut, Cherry & Padauk. Edge grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 048. Cherry, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Honey Locust, Jatoba, Purpleheart, Black Walnut & Yellowheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 050. Yellowheart, Padauk, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Jatoba. 9″ x 11″ x 7/8″.
She must still be lazy, because people keep loving these Lazy Susans!
Lots of innovative wood selections here. I dug to the back of the rolling wood cart and found some Mahogany and some interesting Birdseye Maple. Woodworkers are pack rats, and hold on to interesting pieces of wood until they find just the right use for them.
I hope you’ll agree I used this wood for a good purpose.
Lazy Susan 15 – 026. Birdseye Maple (which is a uniquely figured Hard Maple) & Teak. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 027. Black Walnut, Mahogany, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 17″ diameter x 3/4″. The Mahogany has a hint of turquoise in it!
Lazy Susan # 15 – 028. Cherry and Hard Maple. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 029. Goncalo Alves & Black Walnut. 17″ diameter x 3/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 030. Birdseye Maple (a uniquely figured Hard Maple) and Teak. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 031. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk and Canarywood. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 032. Teak, Yellowheart and Birdseye Maple. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Suan 15 – 033. Cherry, Black Walnut, Jarrah … and the center piece of Black Walnut is quilted. 17″ diameter x 3/4″
Lazy Susan # 15 – 034. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Birdseye Maple and Cherry. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 035. Black Walnut. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 036. Jarrah & Canarywood. 17″ diameter x 3/4″. The colors are just about perfect in this photo: this piece is colorful!
Lazy Susan # 15 – 037. Black Walnut & Padauk. 17″ diameter x 3/4″. Please note that the Padauk will transition from this bright orange to a more warm brown color with UV exposure.
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 boutique was created by an ASB parent at Canyon High School with a noble purpose. Here’s the mission statement, as shown on Facebook:
Please join us and SHOP to help raise money for Justin Covarrubias and his family. He is a senior at Canyon who was paralyzed last year in a motocross accident. His family is trying to raise money to get him an exoskeleton to help him walk again. We have 40 vendors, food trucks, pictures with Santa and lots more.
Two events are planned: the first Sundays in November and December. We could only do the first event, unfortunately. We’re out of town in December … but we were in for the first event!
New Ideas
- This event was exclusive for each vendor’s product line. There was no duplication of products allowed. At first, another vendor was going to bring sugar scrub, so I was told we couldn’t bring that product. That vendor dropped out, though, so we had our full product line.
- We committed to a double booth, but I was the only one available to man it, as the elder Mrs M and Miss M were at Saugus High’s Boutique Fantastique this day. The younger Mrs M is pregnant with grandchild # 2, so she gets a day off. Whenever she wants it.
- The school provided an 8′ table for each booth, so I supplemented those with all we had left, a borrowed 6′ and a 4′ to create the booth space. Oh, and I added a stack of empty containers, covered with a table cloth, as our wrap station.
Observations
- Actual thoughts:
- Common Wisdom, “Don’t do first-time events.”
- I thought, “But it fits on our calendar so well!”
- I hadn’t driven to Canyon High in years. Hadn’t been on campus since I was leading Cub Scout Roundtable adult leader training back in the ’90s. I drove in from the South. Is this the turn? Nope. Crap. Turn around. Got to the school. Is this the right entrance? Where do I go? Nope. Crap. Turn around. Park the car and wander … found it. Really easy once I found it.
- Load in was easy. I used our folding wagon: made for events just like this.
- Now that I’ve moved beyond having 12×16 boards as the largest boards on display … I miss my 16×20 counter top boards when I don’t have them. Funny what you can get used to….
- Entry to the event was by the Girls’ bathroom, I happened to notice. When I needed to find my bathroom, it was on the opposite side of the gym … and it was the Men’s bathroom. Wait a minute. Men? Girls? Really?
- Food trucks were outside, but I didn’t have time to go get real food. I needed a partner. Or a booth sitter.
- Later on a lady asked me how the event was going, and I said it was a good event. She told me she was the Assistant Principal, and I shared with her how the bathrooms have a sexist message, since they were labeled for Men and Girls … not Men and Ladies, or Boys and Girls. She had never noticed, and promised to address the outdated message next week. I’ve struck a victory for womankind!
- Must be why I sold so much lotion today. Lotion outsold boards 3:1.
- I’m a giver. That’s me.
- Another lady visited the booth, and said she looked forward to us being back at her PTSO’s Plum Canyon Elementary Holiday Boutique. Alas, we’re conflicted that weekend and will not be a vendor. “Oh no!” she said. “I’ve had people asking about you!” So many boutiques, so little time….
- This was a very good one day event. Over $2,000 was raised for Jason’s family, with more expected to be raised at the December 6 event that we’ll miss. Vendors, you could do Plum Canyon on December 5 and Canyon on December 6. If we were in town, we would!
- When you combine our 3 events of this weekend (Grace Baptist Church MOPS, Saugus High’s Boutique Fantastique and this one):
Best. Weekend. Ever.
The Food
Sunday Breakfast: McDonald’s # 4
Sunday Lunch: $3 in sugary treats from the Cal. Scholarship Federation, a fundraiser for Jason. I had a Brookie. Or was it a Cownie? Not sure, but it was delish. Then there was the cupkie. Or the coocake. These people have some sort of a combination problem.
Sunday Snack: The macadamia nut cookies lasted through my late lunch into my snack … fuel to get me loaded out.
Sunday Dinner: Weliks, our new favorite, family-owned, local Mexican restaurant
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 12
- Booth cost: $60
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Total sales: $874
- # containers of product taken: 14
- # boards available: 52
- Sunday alarm: 5:30a
- # transactions: 39 (I was a busy, busy lotion vendor.)
Boards sold: 4
Cheese Board # 15 – 042. Black Walnut, Cherry & Padauk. Edge grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Pig # 15 – 10. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Black Walnut. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 043. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. Edge Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
37 Building Blocks. Hard Maple. 1.75″ x 1.75″ x 1.75″.
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.
The Saugus High School Boutique Fantastique is the oldest holiday boutique in Santa Clarita. Now in its 26th year, the Boutique is produced by the PTSO to raise scholarship funds for students. In 2014, over $10,000 was raised.
All 3 of our kids graduated from Saugus, so OF COURSE we want to do this event. Further, this was our most profitable event in 2014. OF COURSE we want to do this event.
I love local. We’re in.
Last year, this was the first ever event that we did 2 booths at instead of just a single. We were so jazzed in 2014 that we were hitting the big time. Sales were $1,439, but we felt we had upsides in 2015, as we had a more complete line of products that were more pleasingly displayed. We thought.
New Ideas
- Four new products from me:
- 37 Building Blocks premiered this weekend (at all 3 events!)
- A clipboard was on display here; my first one
- A magic bottle opener was on display
- The first California Bear cheese board was on sale here, too.
- The 2 Mrs M’s were otherwise engaged on Saturday, so Miss M, AKA Little Girl, took their place. It’s her alma mater, after all, so she agreed to help us out this weekend.
- On Sunday, I went to another event at Canyon High, so the elder Mrs M joined Miss M to cover the 2nd day at Boutique Fantastique.
- Mrs M took her 2-year-old, well-used edge grain cutting board on Sunday to show how well it is holding up. She wanted to combat the idea that these cutting boards are too pretty to use; she demo’d how to put on mineral oil and showed the result of how it revitalized the look of the board.
- Good news: Mrs M actually oiled her cutting board. Win, win.
Observations
- This event is a machine. Follow the rules. Get in line. Lots of students to help you load in and load out. Happy to support the event, but you must follow the rules. Just be patient!
- # 1 request, again: a backgammon board. Sorry, not gonna do it.
- Saugus High has a woodshop program. Part of that program has the kids making “cutting boards and chopping blocks” to sell as a fundraiser at this event. Those funds go back into the program, helping kids buy lumber so they can learn to work with wood. I am 100% in support of this as a local resident, and as a vendor at this event. I mean, if I can’t compete with the boards built by a teenager, then what am I doing?
- This year, they had more “chopping blocks” (end grain cutting boards, approximately 12″ x 15″ x 2″) for sale than last year, and they sold out of all boards on Saturday. They had better products available than last year … but they still are using soft woods, poor cutting board hardwoods that are cheap, and the boards themselves are unfinished. They’re selling wooden platforms for cutting without the finishing touches needed to make them better boards. In my opinion. However, every relative & friend made sure to buy their student’s work, as they should. I directed several people to the booth of the woodshop to do exactly that. I also bought a wooden mallet made by one of the students that I brought into my shop one afternoon to teach him a trick or two.
- He stole my packaging ideas, per his instructor. That’ll teach me.
- Kidding! No worries at all. I am happy that the local school has an all-too-rare woodshop program. Mrs M told me that one of the students spent a long time in the booth on Sunday looking at my work and oohing and ahing over the boards. Perhaps I’ve helped add a little bit of love for the craft.
- One Mom had her 4 year old in a stroller. He was watching his smartphone video screen, plugged into an earphone while Mom went shopping. He was 100% oblivious to his surroundings, and Mom was pushing him around. I am not a fan of plugged in kids.
- Mrs M talked about taking knives and vegetables to demo on her cutting board; I observed that taking sharp knives to an event, much less an event at a high school, was probably a bad idea.
- Load out was as easy as load in, though one vendor was sitting on the curb trying to reserve a loading space for his wife that wasn’t through the line yet. Mrs M was directed to park there, which the man took exception to. Mrs M and Miss M actually took 2 spots, and were gone before the man’s wife was through the line. He was impatient. However, follow the rules and all will be well.
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: Bagel & cream cheese.
Saturday Lunch: Jersey Mike’s 4″ mini sub
Saturday Snack: none. It was a late lunch.
Saturday Dinner: Bella Cucina, because the younger Mrs M is the boss of me and she wanted Bella.
Sunday Breakfast: Pumpkin Latte pumpkin shake (can you tell that this was Mrs M, not Mr M?)
Sunday Lunch: Jersey Mike’s 4″ mini sub
Sunday Snack: none
Sunday Dinner: Welik’s, our new favorite family-owned Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 24
- Booth cost: $265
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Total sales: $1,311
- # containers of product taken: 19
- # boards available: 94
- Saturday alarm: 5a
- Sunday alarm: 7:30a
- # transactions: 43
- # soap & lotion vendors: two others that we saw
- # woodworking vendors: there were a couple of others, plus the high school woodworking class that sold out of their “cutting boards and chopping blocks.”
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 9:1
Boards sold: 10
- 4 Small Sous Chef Boards
- 3 Lazy Susans
- 1 Bread Board
- 1 Cheese Board
- 1 Cutting Board
Lazy Susan # 15 – 029. Goncalo Alves & Black Walnut. 17″ diameter x 3/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Sous Chef # 15 – 44. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Cheese Board 15 – 041. Quilted Walnut. 12″ x 8″ x 1-1/4″. Sold at its first showing.
Bread Board # 11. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk. 5″ x 15″ x 3/4″. Sold at its first showing.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 019. Red Oak, Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Cherry & Hard Maple. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 040. Cherry and Hard Maple End Grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 42. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Hard Maple & Padauk. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 40. Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Teak. 12″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 43. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Lazy Suan 15 – 033. Cherry, Black Walnut, Jarrah … and the center piece of Black Walnut is quilted. 17″ diameter x 3/4″
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.
The ladies worked this event last year, and they LOVED it. They experienced crowd-sourced euphoria during the event: it was that exciting. Great indoor venue, less than 1 mile from our house. Perfect.
We expected the same results this year, with the hopes of doing better. Last year, we had sales of $674 with the ladies admitting that they were so overwhelmed with the positive response to the lotions, they didn’t have much focus on board sales. So, we thought we had an upside.
Set up was Friday afternoon. Less than a mile from our house.
I love local events.
New Ideas
- We had to rethink the display, since our standard display elements were committed to the bigger, simultaneous event at Saugus High, the Boutique Fantastique. With the help of MrsMowry (not a lotion-making Mrs M, but a Mrs M nonetheless), we fashioned new display elements using egg baskets, wicker and burlap for a more rustic look. I made additional board stands to hold some boards vertical on the table the ladies gave me.
- Last year, we had 2 parallel tables. This year, we had two tables shaped in an “L.” Big changes.
- This event was run by the Mrs M’s. I was at the other event at Saugus High … so the ladies did it all on Saturday.
- New products: 37 Building Blocks from Mr M. From Mrs M, we had Boo Boo Balm and Skin Soother. The new scent of the season was Pumpkin Pecan Waffle Lotion Bars.
Observations
- The event lacked the enthusiasm that the ladies loved last year. Not sure why the event was dead, but the planners were perhaps less involved with hyping the room.
- Last year, we had more space. This year, we were scrunched by the table behind us. Table top events without well-defined borders are a challenge.
- Friendly crowd … but word was the event wasn’t even promoted in the church bulletin. No advertising. No promotion. The result: our sales were down significantly.
- One mother had to stop her 4 year old from taking a bite out of a lotion bar tester. Good reaction, Mom.
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: PBJ
Saturday Lunch: from the Grilled Cheese truck, Grilled Mac & Cheese with BBQ Pork
Saturday Snack: none
Saturday Dinner: Bella Cucina, because the pregnant Mrs M wanted to go to the best Italian restaurant in Santa Clarita. She gets what she wants, because she’s the boss of me.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 92
- Booth cost: $170
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 0
- Total sales: $520, down significantly from 2014
- # containers of product taken: 15
- # boards available: 63
- Saturday alarm: 6a
- # transactions: 17
- # soap & lotion vendors: just us
- # woodworking vendors: just us
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 3:1
Boards sold: 4
- 2 Cheese Boards
- 1 Large Surfboard
- 1 Cutting Board
Cheese Board # 15 – 022. Black Walnut, Cherry & Hard Maple edge grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 006. Black Walnut & Hard Maple edge grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/2″.
Cheese Board 15 – 025. Hard Maple, Cherry & Walnut. Edge Grain. 9″ x 11″ x 1-1/4″.
Surfboard # 15 – 27. Cherry, Black Walnut, Padauk, Hard Maple and Jatoba. 12″ x 19″ x 1-1/4″. Sold in its first showing.
All boards are shaped, of course, but some have unusual ones.
Two of these boards are brand new ideas. One is the California bear, which shows a walking bear in the style of the bear on the California state flag. The second is the result of me finding a unique piece of quilted Black Walnut, and the perfect use of that wood was as an oval serving piece with a canted edge. That board sold on the first day it was shown.
Enjoy!
Bear # 15 – 01. Black Walnut. 12″ x 19″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 40. Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Teak. 12″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 41. Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Honey Locust. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 42. Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Hard Maple & Padauk. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 43. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 44. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Jatoba. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″. Sold in its first showing.
Cheese Board 15 – 041. Quilted Walnut. 12″ x 8″ x 1-1/4″. Sold at its first showing.
Bread Board 09. Hard Maple & Canarywood. 6″ x 15″ x 3/4″.
Bread Board # 10. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hard Maple.
Bread Board # 11. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Padauk. 5″ x 15″ x 3/4″. Sold at its first showing.
Here’s the largest litter to date … meaning, yes, I’m back in the pig business!
Pig # 15 – 09. Hard Maple & Goncalo Alves. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Pig # 15 – 10. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Black Walnut. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Pig # 15 – 11. Yellowheart, Hard Maple and Black Walnut. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Pig # 15 – 12. Black Walnut & Teak.
Pig # 15 – 13. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart and Jatoba. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Pig # 15 – 14. Black Walnut, Padauk & Hard Maple. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
Pig # 15 – 15. Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Yellowheart & Hard Maple. 19″ x 12″ x 1-1/8″.
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 event organizer found us at the Taste of Encino, and it fit into our calendar … this annual holiday boutique is staged at the Temple Ahavat Shalom as a fundraiser by the TAS Sisterhood. If fit into the calendar neatly, so I committed … and then I learned what the event cost. Ooops. My fault.
Tables were $50 for the first one, and $45 for the second one. So, $95 for our 2 tables.
And then there was a central cashier: we’re not allowed to accept any payments. They do that for us. And they take 20%.
Oh, and we are to give a $25 raffle prize as well. So the cost of this event is $95 + 20% of sales + a raffle prize.
My fault. I would have never done this event if I had understood that originally.
But it did fit into our calendar.
Would we make our goal of $1,000 in sales this weekend? Given the paucity of success on Saturday, we had a steep hill to climb on Sunday: we need $651 to make our goal of $1,000.
New Ideas
- Our location was way less than ideal. We got two 6′ tables, and I got a chair on one end in the traffic pattern of the hallway. I was bumping legs with everybody when I was sitting. When I was standing, people were taking my chair. Like the kid with the bloody nose. Like the senior citizen looking for a break. I was the only vendor with a setup like this; it was a bad thing.
- Used our folding wagon to load into the temple. Worked like a charm. Perhaps I should reconsider my desire for a better rolling cart.
- Since there was a central cashier, I added tax to most transactions – an effective price increase of 9%. I didn’t do that on my two biggest transactions, though, as I couldn’t do the tax calculation in my head fast enough to satisfy myself.
Observations
- The organizer told me three times how I had a good location, because my hallway location was on the way to the cashier. “Everyone has to walk by your booth.” That was true. And then they sat in my chair.
- Overheard: “You’re shvitzing like I am.”
- Loved the 30 something lady that bought 3x cheese boards for herself and 2 friends. Clearly, I need more boards at $35. That price works.
- On the other hand, the 50 something lady that bought the BDB as a gift to herself worked even better, with revenue of $225 for that large cutting board.
- Not one customer objected to being charged sales tax. Hmmmm.
- Very nice community event. This Temple is 24 miles from our house, and all of the buyers were members of the Temple. I love local events.
- I hate central cashier events. I’m set up to take cash, so why wouldn’t I? As far as I’m concerned, central cashier events mean that the organizers both a) don’t have the confidence to charge appropriately for their space and b) don’t trust me to pay them the right percentage. Since they don’t trust me, I don’t believe I should trust them either. Therefore, I hate central cashier events. Like this one.
- We did make our goal for the weekend, by the skin of our teeth. This event was *very* expensive, however, with an actual cost of $262 for 2x 6′ tables. Given total sales (including sales tax), our revenues were just above 3x our booth cost. That’s a minimal standard of success according to some crafters. Minimal. Given that, there’s probably no reason to come back to this event next year. But we did make our goal!
- Final note: these numbers assume that the central cashier will pay us the same revenues that I’m showing on the collected receipts for the event. The promise from the TAS Sisterhood is that I’ll have a check within 30 days. That’s another reason I don’t like central cashier events: they keep your money, and what they pay you is a mystery until they actually pay you.
The Food
Sunday Breakfast: “Free” bagel & coffee from the TAS men. But I hate coffee. And with the cost of the booth, there was nothing free here, believe me.
Sunday Lunch: Booth service was offered by some teenage girls. I got a 4″ submarine sandwich, turkey with my selected toppings, with a cookie and a soda for $4. Nice price, but not enough food for this vendor.
Sunday Snack: nope
Sunday Dinner: We went out to our new favorite local Mexican restaurant: Weliks. I had a chicken burrito, but it wasn’t as good as the Chicken Mole I had last time. Nice crepes, though.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 48
- Booth cost: $95 + 20% of $837 = $262
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Total sales: $877.68 (which includes the collected sales tax)
- # containers of product taken: 16
- # boards available: 62
- Sunday alarm: 6a
- # transactions: 11
- # soap & lotion vendors: just us
- # woodworking vendors: one other, a turner
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 6:3
Boards sold: 9
Small boards: 4
Cheese boards: 2
Large cutting board: 1
Large surfboard: 1
Custom order: 1
Small Board # 15 – 012. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Cherry end grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Large Surfboard # 15 – 22. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry & Red Oak.
Cutting Board 15 – 072. Cherry, Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Padauk & Purpleheart. Edge Grain, Juice Groove. 15″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Small Board # 15 – 051. Black Walnut & Hard Maple. Edge Grain. 10″ x 11-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 011. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Padauk and Yellowheart. 8″ x 9″ x 1″.
Small Board # 15 – 054. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. Edge Grain. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cheese Board # 15 – 030. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. Edge Grain. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 056. Cherry, Jatoba, Purplehear and Hard Maple end grain. 14″ x 12″ x 1-1/2″.
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.
One way you find new events is to meet their event coordinators at your current events. At the Agua Dulce Country Fair, we met the coordinator for a self-described Holiday Boutique at nearby Vasquez High School in Acton. The event was to run 2 – 8pm last Saturday, so it allowed me to to help set up the Saturday morning event for the elder Mrs M before I went to Acton to run this event.
Very bright & bubbly event coordinator greeted me, and she pointed me to the booth space. Now we just had to find out … would we meet our modest goal of $350 in sales?
New Ideas
- We’ve been here before. Well, not really. Never been to the Home of the Mustangs before. But then, neither have they. The event was in the courtyard of the new gym, which is currently under construction and will be the site of the event next year. Allegedly.
- Single booth set-up with lights. This is exactly like the set-up we did for the Farmer’s Markets last March. Not a new idea, but we haven’t done it in a while. What’s new? After too many large one day events, we’re not traveling so heavy. I loved this cut down set-up for a 6 hour event.
Observations
- Actual thoughts:
- Common Wisdom, “Don’t do first-time events.”
- I thought, “But it fits on our calendar so well!”
- When we set up, other vendors envy our DIY weights. We get weight envy.
- Weights are essential in Acton, where wind. Blows. We had 20 MPH gusts throughout set-up. When the event organizers are making the rounds with free sandbags, you know they’re concerned – and prepared!
- Overheard:
- She said: “Juniors & Freshman are like a thing this year, huh?”
- He said: “Yeah, it sure seems like it.”
- When it gets dark, other vendors envy our spectacular lights. We get light envy.
- This wasn’t a vendor event, really. It was a high school Halloween carnival/fund raiser. Booths run by cheerleaders, sports teams & other groups of students trying to raise funds to pay for their program. Did we make our goal? No way.
- During the load out, I broke our folding 2-wheel cart. Ooops. I guess it wasn’t made to transport 100 pounds of DIY weights. We don’t get cart envy, that’s for sure.
- If you’ll forgive the sports analogy, this event was strike 2. We’re nowhere near our goal of $1,000 in sales this weekend. Will our Sunday event get it done? Tune in tomorrow!
The Food
Saturday Lunch: a protein bar I got from Mrs M … and a bag of Chex mix. High living.
Saturday Snack: nope
Saturday Dinner: Izzy’s Tacos was there, just as they were at the Agua Dulce Country Fair. One taco & and half of a Chicken Quesadilla on a homemade tortilla. Again, high living. But tasty.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 86
- Booth cost: 10% of sales
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Total sales: $183
- # containers of product taken: 11
- # boards available: 52
- Saturday alarm: 6a
- # transactions: 9
- # soap & lotion vendors: just us
- # woodworking vendors: just us
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 2:0
Boards sold: 2
Cutting Board: 1
Cheese Board: 1
Cutting Board 15 – 034. Hard Maple, edge grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1″.
Small Board # 15 – 045. Black Walnut & Hard Maple. 11-1/2″ x 12″ x 1-1/2″.
