Reflecting on Vintage Fairs (04-29-12)

After all the vintage fairs I've participated in, I decided that there is no point in wasting my money to participate as a vendor at such events any further.

There is no reason for me to pay steadily increasing fees for spaces steadily decreasing in size, to pack everything, to unpack, to set an entire booth, to work for hours, repack everything, and this for the ultimate financial benefit of organizers who (as in the last event) have the nerve to take out their frustrations on me. As a vendor paying for a service (the event, its location, and the public's presence), I expect to be treated politely.

The only ego trip I am willing to be involved in is my own.

So, this may just be the push I needed to stage my own events at my house, since I have all the space to display whatever I want, a carpool, two driveways, a huge studio, with no fees to pay, and no space limitations...

An interesting prospect...

I was a vendor at the DaVinci Arts Fair (12-04-11)

I was invited to apply at the Da Vinci Arts Fair and was thrilled to be accepted as a vendor.
Here is what my table looked like; I was selling blank cards of my pen and ink drawings and some knitted scarves (too bad I don't make jewelry, because I'd have made a killing...Sigh...)

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest (11-19-11)

I was a vendor at the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest at the McMenamins Grand Lodge in Forest Grove. During a lull in the afternoon, I did this sketch of the area near my booth.

Cool things to buy

The Big Day at Edgefield (08-18-11)

 ...I have Gary to thank for the wise idea to set the entire booth up in the driveway, to see what fits and what doesn't. This saved a lot of time during my booth set up at Edgefield.

We were so busy, I barely had the time to walk the grounds to look at other vendors' booths (consequently, I still don't know what other people sold). My booth was next to Wendy and Ron Brown's Vintage Market. Wendy has beautiful items, and she also has a nice variety of furniture. As for me, haha!, I've been known to get interested in weird stuff, such as the electric fuse box or the headless doll that drew many comments from visitors...

I couldn't have done this without my four children, who all helped in one way or another. On the way there, we took Gary's truck and trailer and my PT Cruiser, and as soon as they were unloaded, Valérie and Christopher turned around to make another trip back to the house and load up again. Julia helped with setting up, she took care of signage, and worked as money changer. Monica helped her brother and sisters take everything down and pack up. Luckily, it took only one trip to get home...

It was an exhausting but fun experience. I must also thank the Plucky Maidens for the great planning, carried out down to the small details, -such as someone walking around passing water bottles to thirsty vendors-, and the lunch provided was perfect.

I'm Gonna Be a Vendor Again! (07-11-11)

Exciting news! I've been selected to be a vendor at the Plucky Maidens Junk Fest at Mc Mennamin's Edgefield in August! Be sure to stop by my booth and say hello!

I've started going through what I can sell, and I got so many great items, it's hard to envision what exactly I have: antique trunks, paintings, framed chalk boards, dressers, chairs, small breakables, clothing... and more.

Post-Show Exhilaration (02-05-11)

What an exhausting fun day!

We got up super-early, and thanks to Gary's prodding, got to the fairgrounds early (if things are left to me, I tend to get distracted and leave too late...). Jennifer Hanson was already there; she had rearranged some things and made some adjustments to our booth. It now looked FANTASTIC!
I wanted to take a photo, so opened my bag to pull out my camera, and with horror and disappointment realized that I had left it at home. All the booths were gorgeous, - mine was absolutely lovely -, and here I was, with nothing to show for it. Not even thinking of using my own phone (and this shows how much I am not a morning person), I ran to Wendy Brown's Vintage Market booth phone to borrow her iPhone to take a couple of photos. Wendy has the most exquisite taste, and her booth, with its hand-painted striped canopy, was regal.

We were very busy all day!
Our booth was full. I was glad I'd decided to upgrade to a 10 x 20' space rather than a 10 x 10. We sold lots of small items, such as dishes, small collectibles, jewelry; the single vintage rubber stamps were a clear crowd-pleaser. In fact, we were so busy, I never got a chance to move the lovely trunks or dressers to the front, or to remove the large rug covering our fashion smart little chaise!

Check out the lovely furniture...

I had a chance to briefly walk around the building, and admired the other vendors' booth, ranging from the elegant to the romantic, and the four small travel trailers that had been brought in as part of the show's displays, all restored and decorated. Gosh, they were just adorable!

The day passed as if in a dream, a blur of people streaming in and out. Jennifer sold a couple of her gorgeous mosaic glass windows, and I could hear Gary, ever the salesman, shamelessly flirting with the customers (I'd laugh to myself, thinking I that really enjoy his sense of humor!).

At some point, a group of very pretty young women came to our booth and did a fashion-like photo shoot of one of them wearing the very elegant orange vintage orange cape on our clothes rack. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to ask them who they were, and where the photos might be posted...

Then it was suddenly all over, and we had to take everything down, and pack up. Our three daughters, Monica-Sophie, Valérie and Julia, showed up unexpectedly and helped load things back on the truck.

All in all, this was a lot of fun, and we can't wait to do it again!

Come Visit at the Junk Salvation Vintage Flea Market! (01-06-11)

A dream come true! I have been selected as a vendor at the Funky Junk Sisters' Junk Salvation Vintage Flea Market in February! I am so excited!

Come visit my booth; I will have nice furniture and other stylish things... The coupon below will get you $1 off the entry fee.