A Most Excellent Show Weekend!

I love when the weather is good and I have the space to pull the Sticky Notes stand out in front of the tent a bit. That stand is clearly one of the best investments I've made - it's very eye-catching. If I had a dollar for every person who reads "Sticky Notes" out loud, I'd make a couple hundred extra dollars per show!

It was so freakin' windy at 10:00 Friday morning (my assigned set-up time) when Steve and I went to Canandaigua to put up the tent, we ended up packing it back up (never really got it up) and going out to breakfast/lunch. I wasn't going to leave my product there overnight that night anyway so we went extra early Saturday morning, along with my hired crew of Simon, DJ & Lizz. Mucho better. Went up in a snap. Hiring those guys to help really speeds up the load-in and load-out, even with Simon and I bickering. (Steve said it's nice of us to provide entertainment for the rest of them. I hate it and am going to try harder to not participate in that portion of the program.)

With my new EZ-Up weights strapped to the feet and my larger PVC pipe weights hanging from the top, that tent didn't budge. It's a very different experience being confident in your tent! The weather is very changeable on the lake, of course, but they keep a good eye on the forecast - as do vendors with iPhones and Blackberries. So an hour before close on Saturday, the director came through and said a storm was coming at 5:30, so pack it up. I put all my product in tubs overnight and that takes some time. But I got it done and the tent secured and it started sprinkling by the time I got to my car. By the time I started driving, it was a cats and dogs crazy driving rain. The tent survived the night nicely though!

This is the crummy view I was stuck with all weekend! I'm kidding, I was very happy with my assigned spot.

It was hot (86 degrees) and beastly humid on Saturday. As you saw, I had my tent open front and back but naturally the breeze was blowing side to side. I wasn't sure if I should open my tent more but I was worried about product blowing around plus I felt I should be able to button up quickly should a sudden storm come up.

It was too hot to stitch or eat. Those are words I've never used together in a sentence!

Leslie, I thought of you often with my cold towel around my neck. You saved me!! Thank you so much. Unfortunately, I didn't get organized enough to actually freeze any towels but I took one with me and kept dipping it into my cooler of ice water. That worked! Next time I'll do what you do - take multiple frozen towels. I just read what you wrote about tying one around your head and your neck. Maybe I should get Simon to set up a business as a strolling frozen towel vendor at art fairs!

The weather was much improved on Sunday - threat of rain in the morning that really only generated a tiny sprinkle. Then sunshine, temps in the high 70s with not nearly as much humidity. This time the wind was back to front and kept blowing pins and magnets off the table. That got old after a while but not worth changing the configuration of the tent.

My Sunday sales were better than my Saturday sales, which was strictly weather related, I'm sure.

My stacking cake plates worked like a charm - just like I envisioned. I originally had them closer together earlier in the show when I had more framed art on the table. (Note the close proximity of the Porta-Potties in the background. Plus this show had running water - one of those little foot pump operated stands next to the PPs.  Luxury!)

One of my favorite things about this show was I sold so many pieces of framed art, I lost track of the number. I attribute that to 2 factors. A) I had more of it than I ever have had. I think less of something and the customer glances and moves on. If there's lots to see, they linger and buy. And B) Since getting my Groove on, my designs are very stitchy. They are more impressive - more stitches and less paper shapes.

I even sold 2 pieces without frames - took them right out of the frames for customers. That's another thing I've been wanting to offer. I did have some unframed pieces available at Fairport Canal Days but that aborted show doesn't really count. So I'm pleased to know I'm going in the right direction with that too. I'll have more unframed art available too.

The pieces I sold were 8" x 8" but customers didn't balk at the (semi) non-standard size. Here I was going to try to make my future art my 8 x 10 or 4 x 6, 5 x 7 - to be easier to frame. I still will but I'm not going to focus on that quite as much as I planned. My designs are circular and square, they just are!

These little tins sold like crazy and I could not be happier. I love them! I started with 6 - just finished assembling them on Friday and they were gone by the end of the show. One woman was going to put tea in hers, another thought maybe paper clips.

Slightly out of focus - but these are the tops. You may recall I ended up with these tins when they were shipped to me by a soap and candle online wholesaler. I'd ordered reed diffuser oil and received these by mistake, so I kept them at a reduced price. I've just been a nut for little containers my whole life - ask my family. I knew I could do something cute with them. I'm glad customers agreed so I get to make more!

Here's another trial balloon that floated successfully. I made a smattering (2 dozen-ish) just to see how people responded. Very well! I have another idea I want to try - a giant letter that is stitched, rather than a smaller letter surrounded by stitching. Or both.

It's funny how when I first got my Groove, I was almost ashamed of using it, that somehow using a computerized cutting machine wasn't as crafty as old-school punches. I quickly got over that and embraced the machine & software that changed my life. My customers think it's cool too. I keep the tool I used to use with me in my booth (thumbtack glued to a custom turned wood handle that Dad made for me) to show them how I got started. They seem to love my story of self-improvement. :-)

No one blinked at the new graduated pricing - but they liked my new sign (the lots and lots of stitching part). I only had two of the $8.00 Sticky Notes ready for sale and a woman bought them both, along with other pads, without even noticing the price. No one seemed to consciously notice the outline stitching that Mom "invented". They just like what they like without over analyzing it. (What fun is that??) 

No one really commented on the little labels with the stitch count I put on the newest notepads. At first I thought I would discontinue that but I have bunches of labels ready to go and I know the stitch count for each design. To me, there seems to be no downside to putting these labels on - it only takes seconds. As Dad pointed out, maybe it adds to the perceived value.

I always think I'm going to see more people I know at show, than I usually do. This weekend though I saw lots of friends, old and new, from all areas of my life. I love that part too.

After the disaster that was Canal Days, I'm soooo happy to have successfully cultivated a new attitude. There's no such thing as a perfect show - indoors or outdoors. Rolling with the punches is what we do. Improve and grow, that's what we do.

And so this was my 2nd best show to date! Very successful!!