We have just completed our first full weekend of vending for 2017. We have been at sites in the past that were two day events, but any of the ones we have participated in have been locally based in our hometown. This weekend was a bit of a twist.
Our first event was yesterday (April 8) where we participated in the third monthly Entrepreneurs/Vendors Market that we (George and I) have played a part in organizing. It has been an interesting experience to see a vending opportunity from the perspective of an organizer rather than as just a vendor.
Yesterday’s event was a bit slower than we expected but there were several spurts of traffic that kept it interesting. The last half of the five hour event was much better for us than the first half and our sales for the day were not all that bad by the time we started to tear down.
What made loading the car a little bit different for George this time around was that it has continued to cool off overnight. That meant he got to pack up from the local Chamber of Commerce Vendors Market without having to unload as soon as we got home. That’s because the following day (today, April 9) we were off early to vend in the Lower Nicola Community Hall in Lower Nicola, BC, near Merritt – just over an hour from our home.
We had been to this location last December and although it was a heavy snow day, sales were encouraging enough to warrant another visit. As it turns out, we were not disappointed. Several vendors and customers remembered us from our last time there and sales were brisk. Our first hour was incredible. It was strong for most of the four hour event with the last hour slowing down a great deal. We still made a few sales during that time.
What probably excited me most about today’s vending was that I picked up more orders from customers requesting certain products. This happened yesterday as well in Princeton. Plus, today we committed to an outdoor vending event in late May back in Lower Nicola. Both George and I discussed how much we enjoyed being there today on our way home.
It was an interesting combination of events back-to-back to fill the weekend. I’m not sure how many of these kinds of weekends we will put into our schedule, but at least we now know we can handle it. The downside – if there is one – is that for the next three weeks before our next vending event I need to get back into the kitchen and fill some holes.
This weekend saw us sell out of a few products between the Princeton and Lower Nicola events. Each of them were popular enough that I will replenish the stock with those first and then see what other items are running low and add to them next. This coming week I will have to really plan this out in order to stay ahead as I suspect this is going to be a busy year for us.
Our first event was yesterday (April 8) where we participated in the third monthly Entrepreneurs/Vendors Market that we (George and I) have played a part in organizing. It has been an interesting experience to see a vending opportunity from the perspective of an organizer rather than as just a vendor.
Yesterday’s event was a bit slower than we expected but there were several spurts of traffic that kept it interesting. The last half of the five hour event was much better for us than the first half and our sales for the day were not all that bad by the time we started to tear down.
What made loading the car a little bit different for George this time around was that it has continued to cool off overnight. That meant he got to pack up from the local Chamber of Commerce Vendors Market without having to unload as soon as we got home. That’s because the following day (today, April 9) we were off early to vend in the Lower Nicola Community Hall in Lower Nicola, BC, near Merritt – just over an hour from our home.
We had been to this location last December and although it was a heavy snow day, sales were encouraging enough to warrant another visit. As it turns out, we were not disappointed. Several vendors and customers remembered us from our last time there and sales were brisk. Our first hour was incredible. It was strong for most of the four hour event with the last hour slowing down a great deal. We still made a few sales during that time.
What probably excited me most about today’s vending was that I picked up more orders from customers requesting certain products. This happened yesterday as well in Princeton. Plus, today we committed to an outdoor vending event in late May back in Lower Nicola. Both George and I discussed how much we enjoyed being there today on our way home.
It was an interesting combination of events back-to-back to fill the weekend. I’m not sure how many of these kinds of weekends we will put into our schedule, but at least we now know we can handle it. The downside – if there is one – is that for the next three weeks before our next vending event I need to get back into the kitchen and fill some holes.
This weekend saw us sell out of a few products between the Princeton and Lower Nicola events. Each of them were popular enough that I will replenish the stock with those first and then see what other items are running low and add to them next. This coming week I will have to really plan this out in order to stay ahead as I suspect this is going to be a busy year for us.
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