For those who read this blog regularly, I suppose you may be wondering how my first market event came off on Saturday.
Hmmm...let's draw out some positives, shall we?
- I met some lovely people. That makes me happy.
- I got to hang out with beautiful friends.
- I was able to support the Hope Foundation, and be a part of a successful event.
- I saw some friends I haven't seen in a LONG time.
- I got a few (three, to be exact) custom orders.
- I made a few (three, to be exact) sales.
- I covered the stallholder fee. (JUST)
Ooooh, I found seven positives. Yay. I did not know if I would be able to find that many.
To be honest, I feel a little disappointed. Not majorly, as my expectations were not massive. Just a little. But it is all part of the journey. I am pleased that I went, but I am not certain I will go again. I need to think about it a little more. It seems that I am currently super busy just filling custom orders for friends and friends of friends. And maybe that is how my little hobby business will grow, and I may not need to go back to markets.
It is really hard to do markets with two young children, one being under five months old. Baby T did not cope well with the whole experience. Actually, he managed really well in between feeds, and he had many people willing to care for him (one in particular - thanks so much, if you are reading this!). However, by the time he was due for each feed, he was just so overwhelmed. Sensory overload!! He screamed a lot and was quite difficult to settle. I must admit, that put a bit of a dampener on my overall experience. (Stressed baby = stressed mummy=stressed baby.
Next time, he will be almost eight months old. I could probably leave him home with hubby by then. But it would still be a lot of effort, and I am just not sure it is worth it for me...
Well there you have it. That's a wrap.
Awww! That's a shame :-( I didn't realise you'd be taking Theo - keep thinking he's the same age as Sammy - that would make it a HUGE event. I'm glad you sold some things though! What did you sell??
ReplyDeleteA cupcake brooch, a 50s dress brooch, and a tea-cup and saucer brooch. I also got orders for a button name plaque for a business name, a dress up doll brooch with 4 outfits, and a half-apron.
DeleteIt's kind of a relief in a way, if markets are not my best way of selling, I am more than happy to not go, as it is such a huge effort. If I just get more orders through friends and friends of friends, that sounds fine to me :)
I really enjoyed your honesty in this post. I am the same - two little ones - and although I'd like to try a market, I'm worried I don't have enough time to put the effort in. The stall needs to look so professional these days, and you need a lot of stock, and then there is no guarantee that you'll sell it. So I'll stick with my fledgling Etsy store for now :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Roslyn. Your fledgling Etsy store is lovely!! I found it via your comment on Pip's JustB post this morning, then saw a link to your blog on something else I was reading this evening, can't remember just this moment what that was.
DeleteAnyway, let's keep our creating as a fun way to unwind from the craziness of life with little ones, and build our businesses in a way that fits in with family life :)
Hi Candy!
ReplyDeleteLove you blog! I cannot believe you didn't sell more at the Markets for Hope! I really loved your products and I've put my gorgeous cupcake broch on my work lanyard and get lots of compliments. Cannot wait to see the artwork I've ordered and hope to see you at the next markets. I'm hoping to get a stall too xoxo
Thanks Isabel - you were a third of my sales and a third of my orders! Thanks for your support and encouragement :) I have your board in progress, I'm hoping the 1.2m length is not going to be too cumbersome for you! Will email you some progress pics. Thanks again. xox
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