Solo Dates For George
George spent the first weekend of the month vending in Oliver on his own. I was at a Women’s Retreat at a local facility and spent two nights there as part of the program. George claims he had a good time and I don’t doubt that he did but I also know that his routine would have been knocked off kilter without me around. He said he enjoyed the driving to and from Oliver both days and by the look of the notes he kept, sales were not all that bad without me around.
Similkameen Sizzle
The one single day of the year that has become our biggest event is the annual pepper festival called Similkameen Sizzle. It was September 15, 2018 in Keremeos and we planned carefully what products we were going to take to the outdoor event. George actually devised a plan that saw us transport only a few different spicy jellies and salsas but had a huge inventory of each product on site. The day started with a small hiccup when the giant tents for vendors were not on site when we arrived. We took the opportunity to have breakfast in the park and by the time we were done, the tents were being put up.
The overcast skies were a good thing for us as it meant we didn’t have to do much to keep our products out of direct sunlight. Vending next to us was a vendor we first met last month at the Anarchist Mountain “Market on the Mountain” and he has since dropped in to see us at the Oliver Indoor Flea Market. I encouraged him to attend Sizzle and he wanted to set up next to us so we all had a good time chatting throughout the day. The actual day itself was fairly busy with a steady flow of traffic from start to finish. George told me sometime during the noon hour that we had already sold 50 jars by then which indicated it had been a very good morning.
By the time the day had ended, we not only matched our sales record from 2017, we surpassed it by 20-percent! The car ride home was noticeably lighter as a result. Then just days later, on September 18, 2018, we attended the final Princeton Chamber of Commerce “Make It, Bake It, Grow It” Market. It was the final outdoor event for us this year and although it wasn’t quite as busy as the previous Saturday was in Keremeos, we still had a good day of sales to finish the Chamber weekly event with. George indicated he was going to be happy to not have to haul our outdoor vending gear anymore until probably next May, depending on the dates we add to our weekly schedule.
Winding Down
September has become the ‘official’ end of the intense vending season for us. When I say that, I also mean that processing of products starts to wind down by the end of the month as well. For the past two years we have used that as a signal for us to go away for a few days to unwind. That is going to be the case again this year. We haven’t really pinned down how long we’ll be gone, nor have we really decided where we will spend each night away, either. All I know is that both of us can use a short break to recharge and energize. It will also give us a way to celebrate another successful season vending JamBusters! products.