Archive for the ‘Los Angeles’ Tag
I think boards should be used as serving pieces, and these boards are designed to be mobile and decorative as you move from the counter to the stove … or from the pizza box to the table. Enjoy!
Sous Chef 16 – 001. Purpleheart, Cherry, Black Walnut & Honey Locust. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle. Sold in its first showing.
Sous Chef 16 – 005. Teak, Quilted Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Canarywood & Birds Eye Maple. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle.
Sous Chef 16 – 002. Quilted Black Walnut, Canarywood & Hard Maple. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle.
Sous Chef 16 – 004. Black Walnut, Birds Eye Maple & Canarywood. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle.
Sous Chef 16 – 003. Hard Maple, Canarywood & Jatoba. 11″ x 14″ work area w/6″ handle.
Pizza Server 16 – 01. Black Walnut, Cherry, Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 17″ disc w/ 6″ handle, 3/4″ thick.
Some like stripes … and if you’re a fan of edge grain boards (AKA long grain boards by some), then here’s some eye candy for you.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 008. Hard Maple. Bread Board Ends. In-counter replacement board. Commissioned Piece. 16″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 004. Edge Grain. Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 005. Edge Grain. Hickory, Hard Maple & Teak. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 006. Edge Grain. Hard Maple, Jatoba, Yellowheart, Goncalo Alves, Black Walnut & Purpleheart. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 007. Edge Grain. Hard Maple, Cherry, Padauk & Purpleheart. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 008. Edge Grain. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Padauk. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cheese Board 16 – 010. Edge Grain. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Jarrah. 9″ x 13″ x 1″.
Apparently, I’m in a rare and wonderful place. My inventory has bumped up over 200 pieces for only the second time. The last time was in September 2015, as I prepared for the holiday push.
And I’m back … for the spring push?
It is true that we have several events in April, May and even June (see my schedule, here). However, it’s also true that I’ve taken advantage of our time off during the first few months of this year to clean the shop and make stuff. I’ve just finished about 65 new boards, including this new design, and you’ll see the other fruits of my labor over the next few days.
Meanwhile, I’ll glory over having 200+ boards in inventory … for about 9 days. Perhaps I’ll be able to push the number back up in May, but more likely that will be in June when we have several weeks off again.
Thank goodness!
This board is pure hard maple, and is a rare 2-sided design from me. No feet attached, and the finger hold is centered on the edge, so the board is both easy to pick up and flip over to the other side. Some might do veggies on one side and meats on the other; some might display one side and use the other. All good … just so they use it somehow!
Cutting Board 16 – End 029. End Grain. 2-sided. Hard Maple. 13″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 029a. Detail of the finger hold on the edge of the board.
More
The 200th Cutting Board
Every time I do a batch of boards, it’s when the big ones are done that I know that I have everything well in hand. Until the big ones are done, everything seems up in the air.
We’re starting a string of events this weekend, so it’s time to finish the boards in the garage woodshop … and here are the big ones. Well, most of them, anyway!
I continue to be frustrated with my photography, but the buyers of 2 of these boards are coming in the morning, so I had to do the best shots I could do at 9:30p … and here they are.
Cutting Board 16 – End 025. 15″ x 19-1/2″ x 1-1/2″. End grain, Juice groove. Black Walnut, Yellowheart & Hickory.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 006. Edge grain. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Bloodwood, Canarywood & Yellowheart. 13-1/2″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 007. Edge grain, Juice groove. Commissioned piece. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Padauk, Black Walnut & Bloodwood. 14-1/2″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 026. End grain, Juice Groove. Cherry, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Jarrah, Jatoba, Red Oak. 13-1/2″ x 17-1/2″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 027. End Grain, Juice Groove. Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Bloodwood, Padauk & Hard Maple. 14-1/2″ x 18″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 028. End Grain. Padauk & Hard Maple. 12-1/2″ x 16″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 005. Bread Board Ends; in-counter replacement. Commissioned Piece. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Caribbean Rosewood, Canarywood & Teak. 16″ x 20″ x 3/4″.
I am awash in shortcuts, offcuts & endcuts.
The problem is that hardwood (once you stop going to the big box stores) does not come in standard sizes. It generally does come in 8, 9 or 10′ lengths, but sometimes I buy boards that are 40″ long. Or 5′ long. Plus, when I buy lumber, I’ve discovered its most efficient to have the guys at the yard cut the boards into 6′ lengths. My shop isn’t made to handle 10′ boards … and if you’ve ever lifted a piece of Jatoba that’s 8″ wide, 2″ thick and 60 pounds long, then you know what I’m talking about.
In any event, boards are many different lengths, and many different widths when you bring them home from the store. No matter what you’re making from the lumber, you always – always – have small boards left over that don’t fit into your current project. And since I make a lot of projects, those boards pile up over time.
When I entered this weekend, I had 3 large containers of cutoffs under 12″ long. Boards that were somewhere under 2″ wide and 24″ long filled 2 storage racks, 1 storage cabinet, 4 portable containers, 1 trash barrel and many nooks and crannies in the shop that we won’t discuss.
I am awash in shortcuts, offcuts & endcuts.
Therefore, this last weekend was designated for addressing the problem head-on. I would use those small boards to make small pieces, such as sous chef boards and magic bottle openers that can use boards under 16″ in length. And that was just the beginning.
Here’s what I learned this weekend.
1. A job that needs doing is a job that’s worth doing. After all, what choice do you have? The job needs doing.
2. Don’t put an overflowing, open container of shortcuts on a shelf above your head without expecting to come away with a bloody forehead.
3. Safety comes in many forms. Sometimes … sometimes … you must remove the blade guard on the table saw to make a safe cut. Just don’t tell Velda.
4. The shop is so much more pleasant with the upgraded dust collection system & the portable dust extractor that I can use to vacuum the floor. Yes, I do that on a good day, and it’s wonderful. When I cleaned out 2 sections of my biggest shortcut rack this weekend, I could not believe how much dust was in, under and behind the rack. Good thing I have a tool for that.
5. Throwing away bad wood is essential. Discerning which wood is bad is a constant challenge. Anything shorter than 12″ is not usable in my world. I’ve got no time for 8″ x 1-1/4″ x 3/4″ offcuts.
6. I can’t claim my cutting boards are “Made In The USA” according to preliminary research done by the soap maker. Since all of my parts are not made in the USA, then the cutting boards that I make cannot be “Made In The USA.” Maybe. I will keep saying that the boards are made in Valencia, CA, which may not be an international marketing term, but it is true. For that matter, I could probably claim the boards are made in the USA, just not “Made In The USA.”
7. Safety can be destructive to tools. Luckily, the GRR-Ripper that I used this weekend is made to have the saw blade go through the heel of the tool so that you can safely cut boards as small as 1/4″ wide. Which I did this weekend (as you can see with the cut-up yellow heel in the lower right corner of the tool, right). Safely. I don’t need a new heel yet – but I bought a pack of 6 for pocket change. Now that I have them, I can use the tool with a clear conscience. Safely.
8. It does no good to own a tool if you’re not using it properly. See # 7, which has been used sporadically, and not for the reason I bought it, because I didn’t want to “ruin” the tool by sawing through the heel. This weekend, I got braver, then got smarter & then got safer.
9. Patience is a virtue. Sorting through piles (and piles and piles) of shortcuts is time-consuming, and does not seem as efficient as just grabbing more lumber out of the rack to make the next piece. In the end, though, I got quite a bit done this weekend by not going to the lumber rack for every piece. At the end of the weekend, I had only gotten 2 boards out of the rack, and both of those were for a very large cutting board I allowed myself to make as a treat.
10. I have an odd self-reward system.
11. When you embrace using shortcuts, sort them by size and make yourself use them, many great pieces can be created.
12. At the end of the weekend, I had not touched 5 storage locations, and barely touched 2 others. Miles to go before I sleep.
13. 52 pieces are now ready for glue-up, and that’s a good weekend’s work using any size of lumber – which is something I need to remember!
- 1 chess board
- 1 pig (so I’m back in the pig business. Almost.)
- 1 routed cheese board (new design, and I now have 2 to make)
- 3 small boards
- 3 cutting boards
- 3 Lazy Susans
- 3 large cutting boards
- 4 cheese boards
- 5 large sous chef boards
- 8 small sous chef boards
- 9 magic bottle openers (the smallest piece I make, at 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″)
- 11 clipboards (5 legal and 6 letter size)
Species used:
- Hard Maple
- Birds Eye Maple
- Curly Maple
- Cherry
- Black Walnut
- Purpleheart
- Yellowheart
- Bloodwood
- Teak
- Hickory
- White Oak
- Red Oak
- Honey Locust
- Canarywood
- Goncalo Alves
- Padauk
- Jatoba
- Jarrah
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 67th event ever for Mrs M’s Handmade was the 67th Annual Almond Blossom Festival in nearby Quartz Hill. We did the event very successfully last year (we were so young then). It’s a classic community event in a local park. Activities include live music throughout, a carnival, a stage for community groups like dance studios, a beauty contest, a car show … and more.
Last year, we had absolutely perfect weather, and generated sales over $1,300. Of course we were going back! In fact, this was chosen to be 1 of only 2 events that we are doing in the first quarter.
Part of the reason we didn’t want to do first quarter events was the prediction that Godzilla El Nino would swamp Southern California this winter, making outdoor events questionable, at best.
This was our first outdoor event of the year.
It rained.
New Ideas
- With rain forecast for the weekend, we went prepared with tarps, extra spring clamps, garbage bags & plastic sheeting. Oh, and a good attitude. We were ready for the weather, and expected to have good weather on Saturday and showers throughout Saturday night into Sunday morning.
Observations
- I love community events.
- Unfortunately, this event offers zero social media support for vendors – they don’t even have a logo to share.
- Booth fees went up 21% per 10×10 space, plus we went from a single to a double booth. When we go to an event, we only know how to travel big & heavy these days. It’s the motto we followed on the 50+ mile backpack I did with the boys: Go Big Or Go Home.
- We barely fit into Christopher’s truck. Yikes!
- Baseball is truth:
“A good friend of mine used to say, ‘This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.” Think about that for a while.”
– “Nuke” Laloosh as played by Tim Robbins, in Bull Durham, 1988
- Ironically, there was perfect weather for our first indoor event of the year last month. And, last weekend, it was 80* in SoCal. This weekend? No such luck.
- Two canopies were upside down and tumbling in the gusty wind on Saturday afternoon. No one was hurt … but one vendor who had her canopy rolled into lost her canopy, product & opportunity.
- Shade canopies should always have 25 pounds of additional weight on each leg. I am continually amazed at how many people ignore this basic safety rule. One of our neighbors, for example, had a gallon of water on each leg. That’s about 7 pounds/gallon, and won’t save you if the wind hits your canopy with evil intent.
- The stronger winds were on Sunday. Good thing the unweighted canopies were gone by then.
- The sponsoring organization, the Quartz Hill Chamber of Commerce, clearly stated (I thought) that insurance was the responsibility of each vendor, and asked that a copy of your insurance policy be sent prior to the event. They helpfully provided a link to an insurer that would cover you for $39.
- Come to find out, though, the insurance was not required by the Chamber. It was “the responsibility of each vendor to get insurance.” And, apparently, the vendor that had canopies tumbling in the wind did not insure himself, and refused to pay damages to the vendor that had her canopy – and weekend – shredded through his negligence.
- I had a clipboard on display; I would have sold it to 3 different people if it hadn’t been pre-sold.
- I need to make more clipboards. And sous chef boards. And pig boards. And bottle openers. And routed bowls. And….
- The younger & very pregnant Mrs M visited the event with the adorable Miss P (AKA Granddaughter # 1), with the goal of Miss P enjoying some carnival rides. For context, Miss P is not quite 4 years old. Here’s the conversation:
Miss P: I want to ride the roller coaster!
The Very Pregnant Mrs M: OK.
Miss P: I want you to come with me!
The Very Pregnant Mrs M: I can’t because of the Baby. Nonni can go with you this time. Next time, I can go with you and someone else can hold the Baby.
Miss P: Thank God!!!
The Very Pregnant Mrs M: Why, P! Why do you say that?
Miss P: Because you say it.
- Why do people buy cutting boards? One lady bought hers because her teen-aged daughter left her previous wooden board soaking in the sink overnight. She discovered that the next morning, unfortunately, and she was dressing down her daughter when her teen-aged son strolled in. “What’s the deal, Mom?” he said, “It’s a board!” He then whacked it on the kitchen counter … and it splintered into several pieces. The teenagers immediately excused themselves from the room, I’m told. And, 18 months later, I helped Mom find a wooden cutting board she liked.
- When I arrived at the booth Sunday morning, I discovered we had a zipper failure on the leading corner of our booth’s walls overnight. The strong wind had defeated the zipper … and the flapping wall had allowed wind & rain into the booth. The floor-length tablecloths (which we had carefully lifted & folded over the merchandise) were soaked. The tarps over Mrs M’s tables had blown off. Fortunately, we had no product damage! Other than a display piece that needs to be resurfaced, we had no problems that evaporation will not cure. We got lucky.
- Sunday was breezy & cold, to say the least. It didn’t rain on us after 9am, but it was oh so cold sitting in the shade with the wind shaking the canopies & freezing your bones. This vendor thing, it’s glamorous. Sometimes.
- The best weather of the weekend was at 3pm Sunday. Warm. No wind. And, by then, absolutely no customers.
- Lots of help from some very nice, motivated high school students for load-out. Some all-too-typical disorganization had the wrong vendors plugging up the parking instead of loading their vehicles, but we overcame and got on the road at about 6:15p.
- Because of the help in loading, I didn’t quite get everything in its perfect place. Driving home, the lotion container (a Rubbermaid tote) had its lid blow off on the freeway. No one was hurt by the debris I put on the highway, thankfully. Major kudos to the young man in the next pickup over who got my attention to pull over and check my load; I hope he finds me when he needs a cutting board. No further incidents, and no product was lost.
- Every time the elder Mrs M asks if the packing is done right or if the tie downs are secure or if anything will fly off the truck this time, then everyone owes me a dollar. I’m going to be rich!
- With the weather impact on the event, sales were going to be disappointing, of course. Our booth cost went up $145 over last year, and our sales dropped about $500.
- I know 2 canopies died this weekend, and I suspect several others did as well. If your canopy can’t take 40 mph winds, then don’t come to the Antelope Valley for an event!
The Food
Saturday Breakfast: McDonald’s # 4. Hello, old friend.
Saturday Lunch: Fair food – 3 tacos. Not nearly as good as I hoped.
Saturday Snack: Velda got a funnel cake to share. My few bites were all I wanted, thank you.
Saturday Dinner: Wonderful pasta dinner at home with the family of the Very Pregnant Mrs M.
Sunday Breakfast: Same breakfast, different McDonald’s.
Sunday Lunch: Baked potato with all of the fixings, included some added BBQ rib meat. It was warm, and that’s all I wanted on this very wind-chilled day.
Sunday Snack: Too cold to eat.
Sunday Dinner: After unloading everything, we turned & went to Wolf Creek for an 8:30p dinner. I ordered my favorite dish, Chicken Dijon … which they have taken off the menu. (sigh) The end to a very trying weekend.
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 123
- Booth cost: $240
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 0
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 0
- Total sales: $879
- # containers of product taken: 28
- # boards available: 100
- Saturday alarm: 5:45a
- Sunday alarm: didn’t need one
- # transactions: 20
- # soap & lotion vendors: three others. One was exclusively soap, one was a direct competitor to just about everything that Mrs M does, and the other was exclusively lotions.
- # woodworking vendors: just me
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 3:4
- Returning next year? definitely
Boards sold: 7
2 Cutting Boards (1 sold in its first showing)
1 Large Cutting Board
1 Small Board
1 Lazy Susan (sold in its first showing)
1 Bottle Opener
1 Cheese Board
Lazy Susan 16 – 001. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Teak, Yellowheart & Canarywood. 15-3/4″ diameter.
Cheese Board # 15 – 065. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple & Yellowheart. 8″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 006. Hard Maple & Padauk. End grain. 15″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Bottle Opener 15 – 02. Black Walnut, Padauk, Cherry, Jarrah & Jatoba. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″. Magic Bottle Opener.
Cutting Board 16 – End 012. Cherry, Teak, Padauk, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Canarywood & Purpleheart. End Grain. 11″ x 14″ x 1-1/4″.
Small Board 16 – 003. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Cherry, Hickory, Padauk & Jatoba. End grain. 6″ x 10″ x 1″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 009. Cherry, Hard Maple, Padauk, Purpleheart & Honey Locust. End grain. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/4″.
William Cowper, 1731-1800. This portrait by Lemuel Francis Abbott currently resides in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
The most famous poet of his time was the author of this sentiment. William Cowper, a British poet, is credited with the first published instance:
Variety’s the very spice of life
That gives it all its flavour.
From the multi-volume poetic work The Task (1785), Book II, “The Timepiece”
Other famous lines from this influential poet include:
God moves in a mysterious way
Olney Hymns, 1779
I am monarch of all I survey
“Verses Supposed to be Written by Alexander Selkirk”, 1782
It may have taken a celebrated wordsmith to capture the phrase for all time, but there’s no doubt that the glory of variety has been embraced by our society.
So have no doubt, we’re spicy.
And, in my own small way, here’s my current contribution that will help some people celebrate their search for spice.
Cutting Board 16 – End 018. Purpleheart, Hard Maple & Jatoba. End grain. 14″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 019. Black Walnut. End grain. 14″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 023. Chaos Board. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Cherry, Padauk, Jatoba, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. End grain. 14″ x 17″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 017. Hard Maple. End grain. 13″ x 18″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 003. Black Walnut, Jatoba, Honey Locust, Goncalo Alves & Cherry. 15″ x 17″ x 1-3/8″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 012. Cherry, Teak, Padauk, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Yellowheart, Canarywood & Purpleheart. End Grain. 11″ x 14″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 004. Black Walnut, Padauk, Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Purpleheart, Bloodwood, Hard Maple & Cherry. 16″ x 23″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board 16 – end 014. Chaos board. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Jatoba, Purpleheart, Cherry, Yellowheart, Honey Locust, Padauk & Canarywood. End Grain. 14″ x 15″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 016. Hard Maple. End Grain. 11″ x 17″ x 1-1/8″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 015. Chaos Board. Cherry, Black Walnut, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Jatoba, Padauk & Honey Locust. End Grain. 11″ x 14″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 022. Chaos board. Hard Maple, Cherry, Padauk, Jatoba, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Goncalo Alves, Honey Locust & Black Walnut. End grain. 12″ x 14″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 013. Hard Maple, Padauk, Jatoba, Purpleheart & Yellowheart. End Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 024. Chaos Board. Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry, Yellowheart, Jatoba & Padauk. End grain. 14″ x 17″ x 1-3/8″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 002. Purpleheart, Black Walnut, Bloodwood, Padauk, Cherry & Jatoba. 16″ x 16″ x 1-3/8″.
I was recently reminded that any board can be used as a serving piece … cutting boards, Lazy Susans, cheese boards, whatever.
I love it when people teach me how they want to use the board, and it’s not a traditional way!
Here are some serving pieces. Maybe. How would you use them?
Cutting Board 16 – End 021. Chaos board. Goncalo Alves, Cherry, Hard Maple, Hickory, Purpleheart, Yellowheart, Padauk, Jatoba & Black Walnut. End Grain. 10″ x 14″ x 1″.
Lazy Susan 16 – 001. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Teak, Yellowheart & Canarywood. 15-3/4″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 16 – 002. Mahogany & Black Walnut. 17-1/2″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 16 – 003. Mahogany, Black Walnut, Cherry. 17-1/2″ diameter.
Cheese Board 16 – 003. Hard Maple. 10″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan 16 – 004. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Black Walnut & Honey Locust. 17″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 16 – 005. Purpleheart, Cherry & Hard Maple. 17-1/2″ diameter.
Lazy Susan 16 – 006. Bloodwood & Hard Maple. 17-1/2″ diameter.
Cutting Board 16 – End 020. Hard Maple, Jatoba & Yellowheart. End grain. 12″ x 15″ x 1-1/8″.
Cheese Board 16 – 002. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″ oval, 3/4″ thick.
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.
Home & Garden shows have a mixed reputation with makers of handmade goods, I find. They are generally relatively expensive. The main purpose of these shows isn’t to sell handmade goods … it’s to improve where you live, or want to live.
Of course, a good cutting board would go a long way towards doing that. Happy cooks tend to, uh, produce more good meals. And who doesn’t want that?
To date, we’ve only done the Santa Clarita Home & Garden Show, at which we had a good (though not spectacular) hometown response. Other vendors have given me mixed reviews for the Bakersfield show … but it fit into our rather tight calendar. We’re in.
New Ideas
- The show is at the Kern County Fairgrounds in 4 separate buildings, but they will look much like a convention center with pipe & drape backdrops & side rails for every booth.
Observations
- Trailer rental #2 was done for this show, 90 miles north of Santa Clarita. It certainly makes load-in and load-out much easier. A trailer purchase is in Mrs M’s future.
- First show I’ve done where I received a direct solicitation to buy radio advertising, from KUZZ-FM/Bakersfield. It was only one phone call, but it was a sales effort from my favorite medium.
- Check-in was made more difficult because the promoters moved the Show Office Check-in location after they sent the Exhibitor Final Instructions. Actually, it appeared that they moved the office months – perhaps even shows ago – and never noticed that their maps were wrong. Or their instructions. They. Just. Didn’t. Notice.
- Those final instructions also were *very* specific about how booths could be constructed, with no permanent display items over 36″ tall in the front 5′ of your booth: you couldn’t block your neighbor’s booth in any way. The instructions were very clear … and the rules were not enforced. At all.
- I paid an extra $50 for a corner, which in the end meant that I was next to an emergency exit. About half of our booth was accessible from the 2nd open side … the rest was behind a trash can, fire extinguisher & wall. It wasn’t even close to a full corner.
- We were told we must have our parking pass to park, and our exhibitor badge to enter the grounds. Guess what? Nope. We drove in, walked in, and parked where we pleased. No one cared.
- Do you see a pattern here? The guidance from the promoter was 1) wrong or 2)not enforced. Makes one pause before following any other instructions, y’know?
- Set-up was Thursday afternoon (or it could have been early Friday, but pass!). I like leisurely, day before set-ups which are then followed by no alarm to wake up on the day of the event!
- Things I was asked to make at this show:
- Cutting board with paw print inlays
- Cat cutting board (I just don’t get why someone wants to cut on a cat)
- Tic Tac Toe game (I didn’t recommend the lady buy the kids 2 crayons & a piece of paper, but I wanted to)
- Fish fillet board (hmmmmmm)
- Cribbage board (stop!)
- Tortilla maker (double hmmmmmmmmmmm)
- Backgammon board (nope)
- Counter tops (4x times)
- Chess board (6x times)
- I’m still sold out of chess boards. Wonder when I’ll be able to make more (sigh)?
- Overheard:
- Little girl: “I want a cat.”
- Mom: “No, Daddy wants a dog.”
- We were across the aisle from a greyhound adoption group. They place greyhounds that are no longer wanted by their owners that run them in dog races. Greyhound trivia for you:
- They sprint up to 45mph
- Greyhounds are indoor dogs, because they don’t deal well with heat. Or cold. Or sun. And they place them in Bakersfield?
- The greyhound is the only dog breed mentioned in the Bible (it’s in Proverbs 30)
- So, yes, the promoters of the show put us next to a bunch of dogs. Think about it. They weren’t bad neighbors generally … but when the owners started not cleaning up after the dogs’ accidents, I was done. So done.
- Back in the day, I loved DC Comics, and one of the realities that Superman explored occasionally was Bizarro world, AKA htraE, where everything was backwards. That’s how this weekend felt. Velda had very poor sales and a very small number of transactions. I had a larger number of transactions, which just never happens. My traditional best-seller is cheese boards, which are my lowest priced item. This weekend, I sold only 1 cheese board, but I sold 3 large cutting boards priced at $250 & more. There was just no understanding this weekend.
- With an event that was 23 hours long, spread over 3 days, the time passed excrutiatingly slowly with, on average, a transaction every 42 minutes. I did get to read several chapters in my book, though – something I never do at normally-paced shows. This one was s l o w .
- Sales by day: Friday 7%. Saturday 60%. Sunday 33%.
- However, with the sale of the 3 big boards, plus several other nice boards, the sales numbers did just keep growing. Bottom line: of the 66 events we have now completed, this was our 4th best sales event EVER. But, man, did it move slowly.
The Food
Friday Lunch: Jalapeno BBQ pizza. It was a fair food kind of day … and I won’t do that again.
Friday Snack: Fried Mozarella sticks with ranch dressing … and I won’t do that again.
Friday Dinner: We thought we’d be safe & went to a well-reviewed Mexican restaurant. It was OK, but only that. I had a Chimichanga that was soggy. Or undercooked, I’m not sure which. And we didn’t like the salsa. Oh well….
Saturday Breakfast: I was promised biscuits & gravy “in 5 minutes” at the Quality Inn. Twenty minutes later….
Saturday Lunch: Velda’s cheese & crackers. Simple. Good … but I was busy with customers. Wish I had time to enjoy lunch!
Saturday Snack: nope.
Saturday Dinner: Cashew Chicken at a Chinese restaurant that is in a “white castle” concrete block building. Why are they in a white castle? No clue. Truly, no clue. Another OK meal, but only that.
Sunday Breakfast: Carl’s Jr. No way was I waiting for the free breakfast at the hotel again!
Sunday Lunch: Cheese & crackers again. More time to enjoy them today … and then I gut busy talking to people again. There were so very many talkers at this show. Buyers, too, in the end. Traffic was really fine … but so few buyers for all of the talkers. Oh well.
Sunday Snack: a dozen donut holes. Nice & hot. Sugary. Cinnamony. Yum.
Sunday Dinner: Black Bear Restaurant on the way home. Comfort food is always good after an event (chicken fried steak, of course!).
The Facts
- Total miles driven: 193
- Booth cost: $250
- # of people we met during the event from the producer: 1
- Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 0
- Total sales: $1,991. We hoped to hit $2k, and we were oh so close, but ’twas not to be. Surprisingly strong number, though, given the slow pace of the entire show. We were very fortunate; I didn’t hear good things from many vendors who complained of a slowing local economy and poor sales at this event; often a small fraction of last year’s sales.
- # containers of product taken: 26
- # boards available: 95
- Saturday alarm: none needed
- Sunday alarm: none needed
- # transactions: 33
- # soap & lotion vendors: 2. Both had lotions; only one had soap.
- # woodworking vendors: a routed sign maker & a scroll saw artist. And many, many printed sign makers.
- Edge grain vs. end grain: 10:7
- Returning next year? Maybe
Boards sold: 17
Lazy Susan: 4
Large Cutting Board: 3
Cutting Board: 3
Small Board: 3
Small Sous Chef Board: 2
Cheese Board: 1
Magic Bottle Opener: 1
Cutting Board 16 – End 001. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. End Grain. 9-1/2″ x 12-1/2″ x 1″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 57. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 9″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 15 – 046. Hard Maple. Juice Groove. End grain. 12″ x 15″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – End 002. Chaos board. Cherry, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Jatoba, Black Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk, Burmese Teak, Hickory & Bloodwood. End grain. 10″ x 14″ x 1″.
Sous Chef # 15 – 40. Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Teak. 12″ x 16″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 051. Black Walnut, Jarrah, Purpleheart and Honey Locust end grain with juice groove. 12″ x 16″ x 1-1/2″.
Cheese Board 16 – 001. Chaos boards. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Canarywood, Purpleheart, Padauk & Cherry. Edge grain. 10″ x 11″ x 1″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 039. Cherry, Black Walnut, & Hard Maple. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 001. Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Cherry & Black Walnut. Edge grain. 17″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 088. Cherry, Black Walnut, Purpleheart & Jatoba. End Grain with Juice Groove. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 048. Cherry, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Bottle Opener 15 – 02. Black Walnut, Padauk, Cherry, Jarrah & Jatoba. 5″ x 10″ x 3/4″. Magic Bottle Opener.
Small Board 16 – 002. Black Walnut, Cherry, Jatoba, Hard Maple, Bloodwood & Jarrah. 7″ x 12″ x 1-1/4″.
Cutting Board # 15 – 090. Cherry, Yellowheart, Hard Maple, Padauk & Jatoba. End Grain with Juice Groove. 16″ x 20″ x 1-1/2″.
Lazy Susan 15 – 026. Birdseye Maple (which is a uniquely figured Hard Maple) & Teak. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Lazy Susan # 15 – 045. Black Walnut & Cherry. 17″ diameter x 3/4″.
Small Board 16 – 004. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Burmese Teak, Yellowheart, Purpleheart, Padauk & Hickory. End Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1″.
Large boards are spectacular, of course, but small boards can be just as important in a busy kitchen. Most cooks have several cutting boards … and having a pair of small boards to accompany the large counter-top board is most efficient.
Here, there are several small boards which might end up as cutting boards … or might end up as serving pieces. There’s no wrong answer as far as I’m concerned … if the boards make your home a better place, then there’s a smile on both of our faces!
These boards – and about 100 others – will be at the 30th Annual Bakersfield Home & Garden Show this Friday – Sunday, February 19 – 21. For more information, please visit their website, here.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, yes, Mrs M will be there, too! You’ll find us in booths 454/455.
Cutting Board 16 – Edge 001. Goncalo Alves, Jatoba, Cherry & Black Walnut. Edge grain. 17″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Small Board 16 – 004. Black Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Burmese Teak, Yellowheart, Purpleheart, Padauk & Hickory. End Grain. 10″ x 12″ x 1″.
Small Board 16 – 001. Black Walnut. End Grain. 9″ x 14″ x 15/16″.
Small Board 16 – 002. Cherry, Black Walnut & Hard Maple. End Grain. 9″ x 9″ x 1″.
Small Board 16 – 003. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Cherry, Hickory, Padauk & Jatoba. End grain. 6″ x 10″ x 1″.
Small Board 16 – 008. End grain. 10″ x 13″ x 1″.
Small Board 16 – 007. Black Walnut. End Grain. 9″ x 13″ x 15/16″.
Cheese Board 16 – 001. Chaos boards. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Canarywood, Purpleheart, Padauk & Cherry. Edge grain. 10″ x 11″ x 1″.
Small Board 16 – 005. Hard Maple. End grain. 10″ x 12″ x 15/16″.
Small Board 16 – 006. Hard Maple, Black Walnut, Padauk, Yellowheart & Jatoba. End grain. 8″ x 14″ x 1-3/8″.
