We were at the end of a row near the front entrance that both George and I liked immediately. He started unloading the car and joined two other vendors we knew from local events who were doing the same thing. We were completely set up and ready with about 10-minutes to spare. A couple of people had already made the rounds and we made a quick sale within minutes.
The hall was quite large and held about 20 vendors. We all had ample space and the rows between tables were wide enough to accommodate all. There was also a very interesting mixture of vendors. As is normally the case for George and I, we get ‘chatty’ with the vendors nearby. It wasn’t long before we started sharing information on other upcoming vending events.
I think this is one of the parts I really enjoy about vending out of town. We get to meet more like-minded people who are trying to make a few bucks off of their talent, but in a casual and relaxed way. We visited with several of the vendors and before I knew it, it was almost lunchtime. The Elk’s had a kitchen and we enjoyed something from the in-house menu.
As for sales…well, it was pretty slow. However, I was not disappointed. There were a lot of other activities taking place today all over Oliver. This “Spring Extravaganza” market had extensive advertising in print, radio, online and in posters. It was just one of those things that happens. Not every day is a good day for vending. George and I know this only too well.
But, we did have fun. I got to share samples of my products with a new demographic and passed out a lot of business cards. We made some new vending friends and did some networking. We encouraged a couple of vendors to join us at some of the events we have on our calendar and they did the same to us. We even sold a few items.
I guess that’s why we enjoy vending JamBusters! so much on the road – it’s a conversation starter and today we had a lot of conversations. I also may have found another source for produce to use in my recipes. When you look at the pluses, the slow traffic and low sales figures don’t really mean all that much. We had a good time, regardless.