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.
An event! I have an event!
That’s about all I could think about in August, as I finally, FINALLY prepared to do an event that had been on my schedule for months. This Labor Day weekend event in Prescott, AZ has proven to be a solid one for me; this was my third year there. You can read about my previous efforts in 2019 and 2018.
This time, I had picked the spot I wanted facing Montezuma Avenue, AKA Whiskey Row, across from the legendary Palace Restaurant & Saloon. The Palace, the oldest business operating in Arizona, was once frequented by Doc Holliday and his buddies, Virgil & Wyatt Earp.
But, this is 2020. Nothing will be easy during this pandemic. I’ll get transported back to the wild west for a bit. But, at least the whiskey was good….
New Ideas
Vendors must wear masks. Vendors must certify they are healthy. Vendors must sign a hold harmless with the Chamber of Commerce that means no one gets sued if they get sick.
I left the chess boards, card boxes and other lesser products at home this trip. I have so many cutting boards & serving pieces, I only brought those, plus the cribbage boards & signs. I only had a 10×20 (!), and I had to fill it with the right stuff.
I arrived at the booth shortly after 6am on Saturday with only minimal setup still required. I got the last 2 details done: set up the cribbage boards, and price all of the signs. Once that was done, the walls were rolled up and securely stored, the banner went up … and I took pictures of the booth. This was all done by 8:30am. That was almost unprecedented!
Observations
Mrs M packs the food when I go a-vendoring. Food’s her thing. When I was already at our friend’s home in Prescott, my BnB for the weekend, Mrs M announced that she forgot to pack the Everything Sprinkles for my daily breakfast: bagels & cream cheese.
I had no sprinkles. I was deprived.
I pack my clothing when I go a-vendoring. When I got dressed on Friday … I found that I had forgotten to pack socks. Ooops.
Note: I could not go buy bagel sprinkles in an unfamiliar city. I could go buy socks. My feet were not deprived; only my stomach.
We got advance warning that there was a BLM protest at 3pm on Friday … and our setup was 6pm on Friday. Vendors were told not to park on the Courthouse Square during the protest, as we might get towed. We were directed to meet at the off-site vendor parking lot, and hope that all remained calm.
Prescott is a remote area, and traditional values run deep here. That indicates a conservative viewpoint, of course. The stage was set.
I got to the area early so I could get to the correct parking spot before any craziness could affect traffic patterns. I planned on grabbing lunch at The Palace, visiting an ATM so I could pay my helpers after the 6pm setup, and relaxing a bit before the work started.
The Courthouse Square was packed. Packed. When I arrived at 2:30 or so, the sidewalks were teeming with locals that were openly carrying long guns and pistols. They were there to protect the area businesses from the protesters in case things got wonky.
I talked to one of those business owners … he has 3 large sheets of glass in his front windows, and he was very nervous that those windows would be broken if the protest took a wrong turn.
The protesters arrived at around 3p, and numbered about 100. College kids, perhaps. Out-of-towners, probably. They were there to exercise their first amendment rights.
I’m a fan of those rights. Peaceful protest? Fabulous.
Meanwhile, the locals were there to exercise THEIR constitutional rights, which includes the right to bear arms. Remember, I’m in an Old West town. By an Old West Saloon. I’m going to estimate there were 400 locals carrying guns.
Yes, that’s a lot of guns at a peaceful protest.
There were also lots of police … 50? 100? Not sure. They were pretty mobile, and I saw at least 3 kinds of uniforms. In the end, thank goodness, peace prevailed.
BLM protestors marched. They shouted slogans. They marched. Then, they went home.
The typical protester was 20-something, white, female, and carrying a sign. The typical counter-protestor was 60-something, white, male, and carrying a gun. There were also a bunch of younger guys driving Bro trucks with American flags flying that were circling the area during the event. Lots of activity. Lots of noise. Lots of people. Lots.
The counter protestors, the locals exercising their 2nd amendment rights, basically watched.
One final note on Friday’s prologue to my event: as the protestors were marching near my (future) booth location, one young lady was screaming “Black Lives Matter.” A 65 year old white guy sort of leaned towards her and screamed back, “All Lives Matter.” She, of course, screamed back “Black Lives Matter,” and that circle continued for about 45 seconds. Finally, her friends rescued her, yelled some more, and led her away from the conflict.
The old white guy, meanwhile, had done it all for sport. He laughed. He enjoyed taunting a young girl and her values. That moment of derision from the old white guy was the hardest moment for me to swallow, frankly. And, remember, it was all free speech. Protected free speech.
What does all of this have to do with going a-vendoring? Simple:
I was supposed to set up at 6pm. Would it be safe? I didn’t know until after the protest was over and all of the protestors and counter-protestors went home. In the end, it truly was a peaceful protest. Thankfully.
When conflict erupts in the street, no one wants to walk through the event to do shopping. I had an immigration protest ruin an event in 2018. I support peaceful protests … but when I pay money to be at an event that is ruined by other people protesting, it gets harder to swallow.
That, of course, is especially true now. This is only my third event this year. If a protest had ruined/canceled it, that would have hurt me.
“All’s well that ends well,” Shakespeare said.
And I had not yet begun to set up.
My crew arrived at 5:30, and we waited for the clock to tick for setup to officially begin at 6pm. I parked the trailer on Montezuma, and we got to it. We worked past dark, and got 90% set up before we buttoned up.
I posted my booth pictures on Facebook Saturday morning, and they got a huge number of likes and comments. It’s good to have support! And, finally, I was open for business.
I saw a truck circling the square each day. It was owned by a flat earther; it was painted with something about “NASA IS A HOAX.” It’s a big world out there.
Suggested sign: “CAUTION! Dog cannot hold his liquor.” Nope.
Suggested sign: “Absolutely no working during drinking hours.” Nope.
Saturday was an odd day of transactions. Business was good. Very good. But I had 4 different non-chip cards presented for payment. That’s odd these days. I haven’t had 4 non-chip cards at an event for a couple of years, much less on a single day.
One of the first Presidential wearables I saw on Saturday was a Biden facemask. I thought that was odd, so I decided to do a tally of all of the Presidential wearables I saw throughout the weekend. As I observed above, the locals are largely conservative. The tourist trade is from Phoenix & Las Vegas, though, and is much more progressive. It’ll be interesting to see where that ends up.
One serving piece I didn’t put out this time was an Ampersand board. I only had one (still on my worklist!) … so I thought it should stay under the table. I was wrong. It was requested by name, and sold early.
She said: “My husband isn’t with me this year, so I’m going to buy it. He told me I shouldn’t last year … but he’s not here now.”
The clown show came out Saturday morning. Two 20-something men, somewhat unkempt, walked the Courthouse Square with signs worthy of a homeless person yelling, “We are transexual bi-polar prostitutes for Trump! Let’s send our boys back to Iraq!” No clue what that was about, but they did seem to be having a good time. They definitely confused a lot of people.
One vendor did not comply with the mask mandate – that was announced well in advance of the event. That vendor refused to sign the paperwork, and was asked to leave. Police eventually evicted him from his rental property (the booths are on county property, the Courthouse Square). This blew up on social media in the vendor community. Bottom line for me: idiots are everywhere. The rules were announced in advance. Follow them … or stay home.
I was ‘whelmed at 2pm. People were literally waving money at me to get my attention. That got me to thinking … in how many professions do people literally wave money at you? And do I like it?
Things you don’t hear at most events:
Guy # 1: Are you left-handed?
Guy # 2: Uh … no. But why do you ask?
Guy # 1: Well, your holster is crooked, and I wondered why.
Guy # 2: Yeah, it keeps moving around. I just adjust it when I need to.
Note: yes, of course, Arizona is an open carry state. And this weekend, it was.
Suggested Sign: “Eating’s Cheating.” No, no it’s not. And no thank you.
Favorite t-shirt of the weekend looked like this:
6
4
+ 3
2
Can’t figure it out? I needed a hint. The shirt was worn by a baseball mom … and 6-4-3 is how you would fill out a scorecard for a typical double play: shortstop to 2nd base to 1st base. Had a fun conversation with the family, and they ended up buying a few pieces.
Suggested sign: “We Love Vegetarians. We Have One For Dinner Every Night.” Uh … nope. But I did laugh.
She read my sign, saying I’m from Valencia, CA:
She said: “You’re from California?”
I said: “Yes, Ma’am.”
She said: “I’m sorry!”
The next day, another She read my sign, and said, “You drove in from Cali?” When did “Cali” become a thing?
Another favorite t-shirt: “Surround Yourself With Positivity & Tacos.”
Requests were for an Ulu Board (a style of cutting board used by native Alaskans), a backgammon board (nope) and wooden spoons (hmmmmm).
Final tally on Presidential wearables: 53 for Trump, 2 for Biden. And no, that’s not a scientific survey.
Masks were everywhere at the event. There were many people, certainly, that did not wear a mask. I believe most did, however. For over a simple majority. 75%? Something like that. Mrs M’s Waterless Hand Spray sampler was very well received. And emptied. Sales of the Hand Spray, though were negligible. That’s OK: I’ll take clean hands for the win.
This became a great event for me. This is my 6th event in Arizona, and there will be a 7th and 8th in 2021!
The Food
Best Meal: I stayed with friends in Prescott who graciously opened their home to me … and cooked every night. Velda better mind her Ps & Qs … I found a home away from home that comes with chefs. Grilled Rib Eye for the win. A good day of sales should always be followed by Beef & Bourbon.
Honorable Mention: Pork Loin with yams is yummy after the conclusion of an event. The trailer was packed, I was relaxed. And hungry.
Worst Meal: I blame the pandemic. Honestly. I was headed out of town & wanted to visit my old friend, the Sausage Egg McMuffin. But, McD’s doors were locked & only the drive thru was open. I drove through with the trailer, and didn’t swing wide enough through the drive thru curve. I crunched my trailer fender on a post. My fault … because the pandemic made me do it. After that … breakfast was awful. And, it cost $200.
The Facts
Total miles driven: 1,016
Booth cost: $550
Food cost: $29
Travel cost:
Total sales: $
Net Revenue (does not include product cost):
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 3
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 2
Saturday alarm: 5am
Sunday alarm: 6am
Monday alarm: nope
# transactions:
# woodworking vendors: There were several, including 3 direct competitors. None of the those 3 had the range or depth of inventory that I carry; I have no clue how successful they were. Just goes to show that more competition does not necessarily indicate less success.
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 long darkness lifted a bit.
I went to an event. I sold stuff. It was almost normal. Except, you know, for the masks & health checks & threats & such.
This was my 4th trip to Prescott, AZ, and I was going for their big 4th of July celebration that centers around the World’s Oldest Rodeo. The Rodeo happened … limited to 25% capacity. The Arts & Crafts Fair happened … with all of the booths socially distanced. The very popular parade … canceled.
But I was back in business, if only for a moment. I had to leave California & drive 400+ miles each way, but I had an event!
New Ideas
Geez, it was all new. I hadn’t had an event in 5 months. I hadn’t set up this canopy in 6 months.
New products, made during the pandemic:
2x sizes of Dip Servers
Magic Bottle Openers returned from a 2 year hiatus, both wall & fridge mount
Cutting Board selection was deep, with highlights to include several charcuterie boards like a live edge Black Walnut board (sold), a Dough Board with Hooks, and many traditional boards.
Also returning from being sold out previously: Hearts, Coasters, Ampersand Boards, Cracker Things, California Bears, 5 Section Servers & a wide array of Handled Boards on a new display stand.
The Mowry Cookbook made a rare appearance for sale, as I had the space.
Mrs M stepped up and made “Keep ‘Em Clean,” a Waterless Hand Cleanser. This new alcohol-based product was offered for free so everyone could clean their hands before/after entering the booth, or even just as they wandered by. Everyone appreciated that.
Observations
I have no expectations for this weekend. None. I mean, how can you? Who knows who will show up, or if they will have money in their pocket?
I found this event because my original event for this weekend in Morro Bay, CA was canceled on June 1. I scrambled & followed my friend Delinda back to Prescott because Arizona is open. Delinda had been there for Memorial Day; I stayed home then. But, no more.
I was very fortunate that some good friends had recently moved to Prescott, and invited me into their home for the weekend. Not only was the lodging free, but they cooked for me, too. This was not only incredibly kind, but allowed me to do this event with much less financial risk.
Vendors were required to wear masks. Vendors had to pass a health check at set-up on Thursday, and had temps taken daily. We were warned that if we were non-compliant with the masks, we would be required to close our booth. We were told that if the event was found to be non-compliant, it would be closed by the county. We live in an era of threats.
My local friends connected me to a recent high school graduate to help with set up. He had a buddy … so I had a crew to set up. I love it when that happens.
In spite of the help, we didn’t get set up done on Thursday evening. A quirk of events on the courthouse square in Prescott (which is *lovely*) is that you can’t begin set up until the last judge leaves the courthouse. That was after 6p … we worked until dark, and then buttoned up. I had an early morning on Friday.
Friday, I couldn’t sleep so I got to the booth at 6a. Set up continued, with a brief pause at 7a for a mandatory vendor meeting where the threats were repeated. I continued with set up and was ready for customers at 9a.
Here’s a truth: dog walkers aren’t buyers of my product. They are out to get exercise, see the sights, and share with other dog owners. They never buy cutting boards (Oh, ok, there was this one lady … in six years.). Not my people.
One dog walker met another dog walker in front of my booth. The dogs were the same species. Or something. They chatted. They talked. One of the dogs pissed on my table cloth.
The dog owner, deep in conversation, barely turned her head for a pro forma “sorry” and kept talking. My table cloth now serving as a territorial marker for the rest of the weekend was unimportant to her.
Not. My. People.
It began to sprinkle about midday on Friday, and it eventually worked itself up to raining for 30 minutes. I had to tarp over my exterior displays and wait for the blue skies to return at 2p or so.
My biggest sale of the weekend was during the rain. I feel sorry for the vendors that close up when it gets wet outside. They just don’t get it.
Saturday was the 4th, and Prescott traditionally has a parade that’s a little slice of Americana in this rural town of 40,000+. The parade was canceled this year due to the virus, though, so no one knew how large crowds might be on this holiday weekend. They were good, but perhaps not great. There was a steady flow past my booth all weekend which had both locals and tourists.
The morning of the 4th saw some convoys of vehicles cruising through town with many American flags & much honking. The town leaders might have canceled the parade … but there was still a parade.
People carried flags around the square as well. It was very red, white & blue on the 4th. I appreciated that very much.
Masks are hot when you wear them for hours.
The vast majority of shoppers were masked. Some were not, certainly, but most people were following the directives that the governor of Arizona had given.
Did I mention masks are hot? I took to alternating between my various masks: I brought 5x styles with me. I preferred the gaiters, though the paper masks were good. I did discover that if I was setting up – working – I felt the mask limited my oxygen. I didn’t wear a mask when I was doing the physical labor required to do what I do.
New at this event were the Dip Servers, which were prominently displayed, front & center. I heard the Dad joke twice and was embarrassed I hadn’t thought of it myself. “Dip Servers … oh, this is for me?”
I did see a lot of hats & shirts promoting President Trump. Through the whole weekend, I only saw one Democratic sign. Truly, 99+% were pro-Trump. This is a conservative area, but I was still struck by the absence of visual Biden support.
Two ladies were wearing Q t-shirts, which caused a bit of a stir. People were asking to take pictures with them!
I can’t believe I saw more Q than Biden.
Please note: my selling of cutting boards is 100% non-political. So is this blog. I am reporting on what I saw, nothing more.
My handled cutting boards were again compared to paddles (sigh). I was asked if I had one engraved, “Make Kids Great Again.”
I do not.
I will not.
Definitely saw some price resistance this weekend, but, honestly, no more than I typically do. I wondered if there would be more due to the large unemployment numbers, virus damage to the economy, etc. Things seemed pretty OK for those that were shopping. And, I did sell the most expensive board in the booth, so there is that.
Saturday afternoon, I was processing a credit card transaction when out of NOWHERE, water started running down the roof onto my front table. Did somebody launch a water bottle onto my roof? Squirt gun war. HUH??? My table was soaked.
Come to find out, there was a pool of water trapped on the roof from yesterday’s rain. 24 hours later, the wind must have caught it just right, and I suddenly had an ill-positioned cascade. No boards were damaged, but it was freaky to have water just appear.
My worst day of the weekend was … Saturday, July 4th. That wasn’t typical of most other vendors according to my informal survey. My best day was Sunday. Weird.
But what would you expect from 2020?
Taking everything down was speedy, as I had 2 helpers + my hosts help me. I was more manager than worker, and we got everything back into the trailer well before dark.
On the drive home, I thought I would stop in Barstow at the Black Bear Diner … closed. Back to the reality of living in California.
In the end, I broke even on the weekend. The booth cost was relatively expensive. Event promoters are not giving a Covid-19 discount. The attendance was clearly lighter than prior years, I was told by many. There were fewer vendors, too … but sales didn’t rise as a result. But, I got out of the house, remembered how to set up the Trimline again, and went a-vendoring. I’ll take that as a win.
Request included a larger Cracker Thing, a Cheese Board/Cracker Thing combination, and a Cutting Board display stand (sigh). Maybe someday.
The Food
Best Meal: Pot Roast. Home cooking for the win.
Honorable Mention: Creamy Shrimpy stuff.
Worst Meal: Friday bagels that tried to get eaten after set up. They didn’t age well in my gear bag.
The Facts
Total miles driven: 882
Booth cost: $950
Total sales: $2,695
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 4
Friday alarm: 5:15a
# transactions: 35
# soap & lotion vendors: no clue
# woodworking vendors: no clue, but I know at least 2 others were selling similar things. The guy selling cheap, shaped boards made from Corian was there, too.
Edge grain vs. end grain: 36:3
Returning next year? probably not, if California is open
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 like to do out-of-town events with Mrs M. We call them getaway weekends. The fact that we’re working, up at 6a, sweating … well, sure. That, too.
These work best when Mrs M gets time off from work to go with me. This year, 2nd year in a row, we put the Labor Day event in Prescott AZ on the calendar, and for the 2nd year in a row, Mrs M discovered other priorities.
So, I’ve got a 6, er, 8 hour drive and dinners alone. I’m a lonely, lonely man … but, hopefully, having a great event in my favorite little town in Arizona. After all, when their night life section is named Whiskey Row, I should want to be there, right?
I’m in.
New Ideas
This is my 3rd trip to Prescott in 12 months, so I thought I knew the way. I just followed my GPS to Barstow, then I-40, then … well, then the GPS decided I needed to go the long, long way up the National Forest road on the far side of Prescott. I spent an extra hour in the desert. My GPS sucks.
I need a new GPS. Or a car. That’s it. I need a new car. With a GPS.
Observations
Finally got to my AirBnB after dark, and all was well … but on day 2, after set up, I torched the microwave. It thermaled out – twice – and my dinner was a bagel and a banana.
My hostess had a new microwave in place the next morning. And, I did not starve. Big bonus points to the hostess.
One of the quirks of this event is that you can’t begin set up until after the judges leave the courthouse. On this holiday Friday, there was a trial in session, so no one left early … and then there was a wedding to follow. Set up did not begin until after 6p.
Connected with a person at event check-in to help me with set up. Day labor at it’s finest … and with his help, I got the Trimline up before dark.
Saturday morning, I arrived shortly after 6a and began hanging signs. I was largely set up by 9am, but didn’t finish until 9:15. I left the banner down for the day; I just didn’t have time.
My neighbor to the right was a direct competitor. He had 36x cheese slicers on display (!) along with large charcuterie boards with metal handles (that I would call serving trays). He had a beer flight, a wine flight, some digital clocks, some hairpin leg tables … nice looking stuff. But, a direct competitor was next door. No one really wants that, right?
A couple walked into the booth … and the Lady looked at my 4-player cribbage boards, and said to her significant other, “Your father couldn’t cheat on this board!” (Apparently, they were used to playing on a small board that you had to take laps around the course, and the father always took a short cut somehow.) I nodded knowingly. They left. No sale.
A man walks into the booth. He holds his phone up to this sign:
CNC Sign 19 – 715 The Answer
The man says, “I have something for Daddy.” The phone laughed out loud.
Sometimes, I have no idea what’s going on in the booth.
Hot on Saturday … 95*. The canopy in direct sun is hotter, and I didn’t get any shade and little breeze until after 3p.
Saturday sales were 100% card. No cash.
I got cash on Sunday, but the transactions were very card heavy … because this is a touristy crowd, I believe.
Saw the promoter on Sunday … and she immediately apologized for putting 2 woodworkers side-by-side. I really wasn’t upset, but it was nice that she noticed the error.
I don’t have PTSD. I’m not freaked out about being in public at an event … but I heard 3 loud bangs followed immediately by a siren … and it took the lizard brain a few seconds to figure out that the loud bangs sounded like an empty trailer hitting bumps. Metallic bangs. Not gun fire.
This is something I never used to think about. Ever.
Sunday was kind of slow. My neighbor the blacksmith/potter/fountain maker said it was slow for him as well.
Then, a mother and her adult daughter walked into my booth and each bought 4x pieces. My Sunday was no longer slow.
I had my first ever payment via Samsung Pay today. Easy: he activated the app on his smartphone, waved it at my reader … and it was approved in about 5 seconds. No signature required.
My retail consultant dropped by and told me that she can’t wait for me to get a proper cash/wrap and stop showing my underwear. Apparently, this is how retailers talk to each other.
I was settling down, writing this blog and have a relaxing evening when I heard the wind blow up. I opened the door, and there’s an unexpected storm out. Wind. A bit of rain. So, a picture:
Find your rainbows wherever you can!
I poured some Elijah Craig, and started to write. Then, the phone rang, and it was my buddy Delinda. Trouble at the site: storm. Microburst. Canopies down. Destruction. Time to return to the courthouse … and find this:
It’s not easy when one decides to go a-vendoring.
NOT MY BOOTH. Thank goodness. I counted about 12 canopies down, mainly on the north and east side of the courthouse square. I was on the southwest corner, so I was OK. At least I was at 7:30p, when I folded up my umbrella and headed for my AirBnB.
My alarm for the final day, Labor Day Monday, just got earlier.
I woke at 5:30a to a serene sunrise. Blue skies. The weather forecast says isolated thunderstorms; a 30% chance of rain. We shall see.
The official count was 30 canopies destroyed. 43 vendors packed and left due to loss of product, canopy, etc. This was a major storm event.
Labor Day Monday started slow and never really improved. But, I did better this year than last year, in spite of the wet on Sunday … and continuing rain Monday afternoon.
I did have a guy come back to the booth on Monday, bringing his Marbles board that he wanted me to duplicate … and he brought a friend that would buy it if I did! We had a fun conversation, at least. Not sure I’m going to make this game board, but I’ll think about it … next year.
Final “customer” of the day: “Would you make a deal on a sign at the end of the day?” I asked what she had in mind … she wanted this sign:
CNC Sign 18 – 58. Hard Maple. 9″ x 12″.
She wanted to buy the sign for $30, a 1/3 discount. I said no, and pointed her to the $30 signs that I did have for sale … and she didn’t care. I was good with her leaving the booth with empty hands.
Requests were for a game called Marbles (?), an Aggravation game (I am so slow), a Magic Bottle Opener in a different color (as I only have 1 on display) and a Lazy Susan (I’m still out! I need shop time!!!).
The Food
Best Meal: Mrs M’s spaghetti, naturellement.
Honorable Mention: I went out to dinner after load out with our good (former) vendor friends, Barry & Wendi. Fabulous burger at Bill’s Grill … and better company. That was a treat.
Worst Meal: Dinner with a broken microwave, a bagel and a banana. Was there any doubt?
The Facts
Total miles driven: 960
Booth cost: $550
Food cost: $18
Travel cost: $550
Total sales: $2,656
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 1
Saturday alarm: 5a
Sunday alarm: 6:30a
Monday alarm: 6:00a
# transactions: 27
# soap & lotion vendors: I saw 3; there may have been more on the backside of the courthouse.
# woodworking vendors: My neighbor, of course, and another guy that makes iPhone acoustic wooden amplifiers that are kind of cool.
Edge grain vs. end grain: 34:1
Returning next year? Yes … in a shady spot, I hope.
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.
My first trip to Prescott, AZ was for the Faire on the Square event last Labor Day. Nice community … and when I heard that they had a big event in July, I was interested.
Prescott is at altitude, so it’s cooler than most of Arizona. It’s a getaway destination and a retirement community for many. Events there have the ability to appeal to tourists as well as locals. Add in a big attraction, and there’s a real opportunity. I hope.
The World’s Oldest Rodeo? It started in 1888, and has happened every year since! Sounds like a it could be a good one for me. I was tired of our traditional July 4th one day event in Ventura that was good … but not great. And, I hate one day events with our big set-up and tear down. Frontier Days, on the other hand, is a 7 day event. Time to try something new, I think.
New Ideas
When I go a-vendoring these days, I frequently state that “This is not my first rodeo.” But …
I’ve never had a long-term show before; the longest previously were a couple of long weekend shows. 7 days in one place, with no tear downs in the middle? Sweet.
Dirty & dusty. Everything was dirty and dusty. I cleaned daily, and it was a losing cause. I watered the ground to minimize dust in the booth, and that may have helped … but not much.
Observations
This is a casual community affair. The organizer, Suzy, has been there and done that. Many of the vendors know each other and have done this event before. I’m the tenderfoot.
Suzy greeted me by name as I stepped out of the Jeep … she knew who I had to be. Set up was a breeze. We’re upwind from the livestock, so there is that.
As Dad used to say, “Smells like money.”
Did not love that my neighbor on one side turned his 12×20 booth into something like 18×24 … totally trampling on my aisle, and sticking 5′ forward from my space. 2 vendors were sharing the space, and I was not impressed.
On the other side, it was the Dodge Ram 5th wheel … and a truck was parked in my 5′ aisle on that side … that I paid for. Honestly, I don’t think either incursion affected my sales, but I was not pleased.
Rules mean so little to vendors. And how they treat other vendors … I’m not normal, I know that. I’m too polite at events, I think. But in the end, I have to live with me.
First person in the booth bought a cutting board. This might work.
Second person in the booth really liked my Shakespeare sign. This might work. No sale though.
You wouldn’t hear this in LA. Overheard from a 40-something lady: “I don’t think I’ve been in a truck that small before.”
I found that me saying that I’ll be back in town for the Labor day event, Faire on the Square … works. I love appointment selling.
Live country, bluegrass or even alt country next to my booth every day for 2 hours. This is a good thing.
There’s an open bar throughout the event. I could grow to like events like this.
Great conversation with a 91-year old woodworker, still active and still making. He loved my work, and I loved hearing about what he did.
I think I’m getting truck envy. So, so many pretty Dodge trucks here … Dodge Ram is a big sponsor of rodeo.
I had a guy ask me about using lemon on a chopping block, and I explained it was an old butcher’s trick. Come to find out, he was an old butcher.
He was not the first person at this event that told me I knew what I was talking about. Me, I just wish knowledge paid better.
This is one of my most commented on signs:
One of the observers looked at me and said, “Your sign is broken. The answer is whiskey, not beer.”
Well, OK, then.
An advantage of this long term event is that my wounds are healing. One of my most irritating minor injuries of late was a paper cut (!) from a cardboard edge. The cut happened when I picked up a sheet of plywood to move it into the shop and partially grabbed the protective cardboard … that sliced the pad of my index finger. Very happy that wound has now healed with my time away from the shop.
Requests were for an Arizona-shaped cutting board (multiple requests, actually, and it’s on my list … my long list), a game board for a marble game I’ve never heard of (sounded like a variation of Wahoo, which I WILL MAKE THIS YEAR), a Chinese checkers board (which I WILL MAKE THIS YEAR), a tray with sides (hmmmm), rolling pins (nope) and plates (maybe … someday).
Sunday began with a bus parking behind my booth … with the diesel motor running. It was really harshing my mellow. I called Suzy, and she got it shut down.
Love working with a professional.
I also had a long conversation about how to treat the wood from a treasured marquetry piece (I believe it was actually intarsia) that the artist left untreated. The owners were properly concerned about how to finish the wood now that they had moved to this very, very dry climate, and I helped them as best I could. They loved the information, thanked me … and walked away. It’s always nice when my free information results in a mercy sale, but ’twas not to be this time.
In the end, this event didn’t work for me. Loved the long term set up. Loved the vibe. Didn’t love the lack of sales. At all.
Final sale: family of 5 came into the booth. Young mother had 3 small boys, which I commented on. We shared a smile. She wanted to buy a sign for her mother-in-law, but her husband had the money. She returned … and he had given her $5 less than the price. She commented on how much they spent on lemonade and popcorn, and I bet there was no negotiation on those prices. But on the sign for HIS MOTHER, the young man thought negotiation was in order.
A fitting end to a frustrating event.
The Food
Best Meal: Velda’s spaghetti. Naturally. Leftovers were packaged for me, and I brought them from home in a cooler. Velda stayed at home.
Honorable Mention: Velda’s meatloaf. See above.
Worst Meal: My first night here, I ended up at a conveniently located Mexican restaurant in Cottonwood, AZ. It was next to the motel. Both were mistakes. Big mistakes.
The Facts
Total miles driven: 1,059
Booth cost: $975
Food cost: most meals were from home
Travel cost: I don’t want to think about this.
Total sales: $1,407
Net Revenue (does not include product cost): I lost money on this one. It wasn’t even close.
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 2
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: many
# transactions: bored. bored. bored.
# soap & lotion vendors: none, but there was someone selling natural infusions, I think. Sort of like essential oils … but not. Odd.
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.
Once you embrace the idea of doing big events, you have to get out of town.
So, knowing that I had to do something over the holiday weekend, I decided to go a-vendoring in Arizona for the second time. But, since Mrs M claimed to have to work at her “job,” I was a solo act.
And I went far afield.
Prescott (rhymes with biscuit) was the original territorial capitol of Arizona. It’s the county seat, and the courtyard lawn hosts many vendor-driven events throughout the summer & fall: the city has an elevation over 5,000′, so Phoenix comes here to cool off.
I’m told.
I wonder if they need cutting boards?
Faire on the Square is produced by the Chamber of Commerce, and features 150+ vendors. Many “professional” vendors do this event. At this point, I think I’m in that group. One thing is for sure: I won’t be considered a local at this event.
New Ideas
I’m driving the trailer across the desert with my big Trimline canopy. I’m told it does rain on occasion. I’m ready for anything.
As I drove into Prescott, I heard a loud sound … cicadas, I thought. But, it’s been a while since I have been around them, and it was SO LOUD, I actually rolled down the car window to make sure something wasn’t wrong with the car. Lots of cicadas in the pine trees here!
I’m picking up temp labor at the event to help me put up & take down the canopy. I’m told there are homeless people around to help.
2 new items here: cribbage boards sets (I have 4 prototypes), and I’ve actually made stands for sale. They are here. They are available.
Observations
Wait, what? I’m supposed to hire homeless people?
Come to find out, I did find some helpers, and they were underemployed but not homeless. Nice people. Of the 5 that I talked to about helping me, I actually had 2 show up as promised. I made it work.
This event has a couple of quirks you have to deal with:
Check in is 4pm Friday, and set up can begin after the last judge leaves the courthouse at about 6pm.
No vendor displays, canopies, etc, are allowed to touch the courthouse lawn. Wooden blocks (2x4s suggested) must be between every canopy leg, table & product container so that the grass can be allowed to breathe as much as possible.
I dealt with it.
Set-up was fine, and I ended up having 3 people help. One helper was great, one was good, and one was annoying. Such is life.
Parking is a bit of a challenge for loading/unloading, but the COC reserves the parking around the square for vendors. I was there early for check-in, and parked the trailer in the perfect spot. After load-in began, I was yelled at by a vendor for parking my trailer in 5 parking spots so no one else could use them. Not accurate: I was in 2 spots, not 5. And I was actively unloading, as I was supposed to be doing. Why she was entitled to the parking spots that I had, I’m not sure, but she was ticked at me.
And, vice versa.
First sale on Saturday: one of the new 5-section servers.
Second sale: one of the new cribbage boards.
Third sale: Can I have a stand with that? Why, yes, yes you can.
I know I’m in the west. Cowboys are here. And … one lady saw my 3D carved cribbage board top, and wanted to buy it. Just the top. I eventually got 2 requests (and no sales at my quoted price).
We take shop towels to events to clean with. I dust off my boards. Mrs M cleans her soap (think about it). We use a few towels; I typically stick a few into a cutting board container; there are a few in our bag of bags as well. At the last event, we had towels everywhere. Mrs M was offended, I guess, and she, uh, got us better organized. This time, there were zero towels. None. Good thing Mrs M didn’t need one to clean her soap, since she was at her “job.”
Most common question of the weekend: “Did you write these signs?”
Hmmm. I didn’t write the quotes from Julia Child, Mark Twain, Shakespeare or Miss Piggy, no. I did write some of the others; I researched some and made them my own. One thing I do know: my signs amuse people passing the booth, and I think that’s a good thing. Maybe someday they’ll stop passing by and begin to look around to buy stuff. Maybe.
A woman walks into the booth:
“Are these canvases marked full price?”
“Uh … well, they are marked at the only price. Yes, that’s full price.”
“But there was a booth across the square that said all canvases are half off. So are these half off?”
No. Just no.
A man walks into the booth:
“Do you have any cat signs?”
“No, no cat signs.”
“What, you don’t like cats?”
“Uh, no, all of my signs are food-related. I’m all about food here.”
“Maybe you’ll have cat signs next year.”
No. Just no.
A woman walks into the booth:
“You know what sign you should make?”
(this will end badly, I know) “What?”
“Make ‘I laughed so hard that tears ran down my leg!’ Ladies will love it!”
No. Just no.
A couple walks into the booth:
She said, “What’s a trivet?”
“It’s to protect your table & counter from hot stuff. When you have hot stuff, it needs protecting.”
He said, “I tell her that all of the time.”
I have 2 plaques, “Family” & “In This House,” that I often display on a front table. I had them there on Saturday, and then moved them on Sunday to put a pig-themed display in their place, as Mrs M did last week. Changing things up can be good, right? Monday, a lady walked by with her friend and I overheard her say “It serves me right for not buying it when I saw it!” I asked what, and the Family sign was what she liked. I showed it to her around the corner, hanging on the wall, and she was surprised she hadn’t noticed that WALL OF SIGNS when she walked by them. Eventually, she bought a different sign from that display.
CNC Sign 18 – 46. Cherry. 12″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 18 – 50. Cherry. 13″ x 16″.
Oh, and 2 pig signs did sell. Family & In This House? Nope.
It rained a bit on Sunday evening, but after the event was really over at 5pm. It rained again on Monday after load out was in full swing … I was soaked by the time I was loaded. Soaked. Happily, I was going back to the AirBnB so I could dry off and have a nice dinner. Driving home, soaked to the skin … would not have been fun.
Requests were for wooden crosses, a magnetic chess board, a 2-player cribbage set (coming!), very small cutting boards, a smaller Lazy Susan and a board to cook a fish on (no, I don’t sell raw cedar planks to burn in a fire).
The Food
Best Meal: Frozen meals from the microwave were my dinner each night. I had Velda’s spaghetti, Chicken Marsala, and a travel-ready lasagna she put together.
Worst Meal: Driving across the desert, I couldn’t find suitable nourishment, so I settled for a gas station cheeseburger & chips. High living.
The Facts
Total miles driven: 891
Booth cost: $550
Food cost: $49
Travel cost: $530
Total sales: $2,439
Net Revenue (does not include product cost): $1,310
# of people we met during the event from the producer: 3
Visits in our booth by a promoter’s representative: 1
Saturday alarm: 5:30a
Sunday alarm: nope
Monday alarm: nope
# transactions: 29
# soap & lotion vendors: there were a couple I saw, but I only saw about half of the vendors
# woodworking vendors: there was one guy making wooden acoustic amplifiers for smart phones … very interesting little creations featuring brass horns.
Edge grain vs. end grain: 37:4
Returning next year? Probably
Boards sold: 41
Trivets: 11
CNC Signs: 6
Word Blocks: 5
Cheese Boards: 3
Cutting Board: 2
Coasters: 2
Custom Orders: 2
Hearts: 2
Large Cutting Board: 1
5-section Server: 1
Lazy Susan: 1
Large Serving Piece: 1
Cribbage Board: 1
Serving Tray: 1
Bread Saw: 1
Charcuterie Board: 1
Cheese & Cracker Serv-er 18 – 203. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Jatoba, Mesquite, Bloodwood, Cherry & Black Walnut. 14″ square x 1-1/8″ thick.
Cribbage 18 – 03a detail.
Cutting Board 18 – 724. 18 species are in this board! End Grain. Chaos Board.
Serving Tray 17 – 04. Honey Locust, Yellowheart & Purpleheart. 12″ x 18″ x 3/4″.
Heart 18 – 927. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Purpleheart & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 18 – 720. Black Walnut, Mesquite & Hickory. End grain. 17″ x 21″ x 1-1/2″.
Large Serving Piece 18 – 08. Purpleheart, Cherry & Hard Maple.
Lazy Susan 18 – 14. Woods include Black Walnut, Goncalo Alves and Jarrah 18″ diameter.
Cheese Board 18 – 120. Black Walnut, Hard Maple & Purpleheart. 9″ x 11″ x 5/8″.
Coasters 18 – 18. Purpleheart, Cherry, Hard Maple & Padauk.
CNC Sign 18 – 44. Hard Maple. 11″ x 16″.
CNC Sign 8 – 35. Hard Maple. 6″ x 18″.
Trivet 18 – 735. Purpleheart, Jatoba, Hard Maple & Bloodwood.
Trivet 18 – 724. White Oak & Padauk.
CNC Sign 18 – 51. Hard Maple. 6″ x 22″.
Trivet 18 – 738. Black Walnut, Hard Maple, Goncalo Alves & Purpleheart.
Trivet 18 – 740. Black Walnut & White Oak.
Cheese Board 17 – 323. Purpleheart & Hard Maple. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
CNC Sign 18 – 52. Hard Maple. 10″ x 14″.
Bread Saw 18 – 06. Hard Maple.
Trivet 18 – 734. Black Walnut, White Oak, Padauk & Hard Maple.
Heart 18 – 932. Jatoba, Hard Maple, Purpleheart, Cherry & Bloodwood. 11″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
CNC Sign 18 – 22 Wonderful. Hard Maple. 14″ x 12″
Cheese Board 17 – 309. Chaos Board. 9″ x 11″ x 3/4″.
Cutting Board 18 – 722. Hard Maple, Black Walnut & Cherry. 13″ x 17″ x 1-1/4″. End Grain.
