The last day! I am usually tired by now, tired due to lack of sleep, tired of the heat, the dust and grime, the same sandwiches day after day, the contact with people (I am really sort of shy and it takes a lot out of me at shows), the way my life looses balance, but in the years I have done this show I have never been so excited to see it over.
Sales were better than Saturday, but still not as good as my surprising Friday. Overall I did not do as well as I had hoped to (about 20% less than I had hoped), but still better than last year (up just 5%, but still up is good).
K started the day with me and the left to pick up KB. C came and stayed. It was the first time during the show that I wasn’t feeling my best, with my stomach acting up. But that was better than pervious years where It was only a few days into the fest before I stated having problems. I think my moratorium on eating fest food did the trick and allowed me to survive relatively intact. K & K returned in the early evening and we were surprised my B & M as well. It was a regular little party going on in my booth.
I have to apologize to M for not blogging on Friday that he braved the rain to come visit me at my booth during lunch. He made it down dry, stayed during a shower, and left missing the rain. Pretty good for a guy without an umbrella with him. I didn’t forget him or his visit, it is just the days blur together and honestly I just forgot what day he came by!
B & M stayed till the end, watching the fireworks with us, then M got the car and B stayed for a while watching us pack up. K & K both helped us pack as well. It was very orderly because K suggested that rather than unpack the entire car we should make note of what we need for the next show and just leave it all packed, saving us at least a ½ day of work. So we packed slower and more methodically, noting everything that was low on inventory. Once the inventory was packed, we tore down and packed the van. The whole process, only about an hour and a half, making us on our way home about 12:30 am. Even with the idiot factor (the people who load out and just don’t care and block everything, and drive too fast, and generally act like idiots), it was a relatively safe and easy dismantle.
It is usually B who ends her blog entries with a song, but all I can hum is “another one bites the dust”….
Showing posts with label Musikfest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musikfest. Show all posts
8.15.2007
Musikfest Day 9 August 11, 2007
It was surprising to me that Saturday’s sales were not as good as Fridays. Still, the second weekend this year was defiantly the stronger one for me by a long shot, and that isn’t even thinking of Sunday. The weather was just beautiful, the sun was out there was a slight breeze and the humidity was almost bearable.
Like other days I started out catching up on my reading, just a few dozen magazines to go before I have them all finished. I have learned quite a few interesting things, from some new recipes to try, to some new ways of getting funding and loans. I have quite a list of things to research and I really hope that one day I can get to them all. I need to start researching one thing a week and try and get through the pile I have.
I am sorry to say that the show itself was uneventful. I knitted, K knitted, and we sold soap when people came by the booth. C was supposed to be over early in the afternoon, but locked himself out of the house while mowing the lawn. He had to break in and then clean up his mess, and then ponder exactly how to fix what he had broken to gain entry. It is good to know that our home isn’t exactly the easiest to break into. I guess that deters the more honest and more stupid thieves.
I was happy that I got 10 washcloths knitted so far. I had a goal of 150 for the year and now only have 30 more to go. Once I finish these I have 50+ more bath mitts to go before my goal is reached there. But I had expected that it would take me until October to finish and it looks like these may be the one thing that I actually get done on schedule this year. Then I’ll start knitting next year’ stash- I’ll probably need 200 of each I am sure.
So as the show winds down my list of things to do grows, more and more boxes of soap are empty, meaning I need to get on the ball and get soap made, as well as boxes of lotion bars and bath fizzys, all empty. It’s a good thing, it means sales are brisk, but I really didn’t expect to be so far into my inventory so early in the season. It also looks like I have a sure winner on my hands, it looks like my new fragrance Red Clover & Tea is popular and will be carried into my regular line next year. I already need to make more, lots more. I actually won’t have it on hand for a few shows in September at this rate
Like other days I started out catching up on my reading, just a few dozen magazines to go before I have them all finished. I have learned quite a few interesting things, from some new recipes to try, to some new ways of getting funding and loans. I have quite a list of things to research and I really hope that one day I can get to them all. I need to start researching one thing a week and try and get through the pile I have.
I am sorry to say that the show itself was uneventful. I knitted, K knitted, and we sold soap when people came by the booth. C was supposed to be over early in the afternoon, but locked himself out of the house while mowing the lawn. He had to break in and then clean up his mess, and then ponder exactly how to fix what he had broken to gain entry. It is good to know that our home isn’t exactly the easiest to break into. I guess that deters the more honest and more stupid thieves.
I was happy that I got 10 washcloths knitted so far. I had a goal of 150 for the year and now only have 30 more to go. Once I finish these I have 50+ more bath mitts to go before my goal is reached there. But I had expected that it would take me until October to finish and it looks like these may be the one thing that I actually get done on schedule this year. Then I’ll start knitting next year’ stash- I’ll probably need 200 of each I am sure.
So as the show winds down my list of things to do grows, more and more boxes of soap are empty, meaning I need to get on the ball and get soap made, as well as boxes of lotion bars and bath fizzys, all empty. It’s a good thing, it means sales are brisk, but I really didn’t expect to be so far into my inventory so early in the season. It also looks like I have a sure winner on my hands, it looks like my new fragrance Red Clover & Tea is popular and will be carried into my regular line next year. I already need to make more, lots more. I actually won’t have it on hand for a few shows in September at this rate
8.11.2007
Musikfest Day 8 August 10, 2007
Maybe the sales train has finally pulled into the station. They were brisk and so was the weather. The temperature dropped almost 40 degrees and the day that was supposed to be rainy and 75 was cloudy, windy, and I swear close to freezing (ok 60 during the day and approaching 50 when I left for home). K and I froze in our shorts and short sleeved T’s, so I went and bought us some long sleeved T’s from another vendor. It was either that or Musikfest sweatshirts (if they even existed). That helped quite a bit but I was chilled to the core by the time I got home.
K started knitting some fingerless mittens and I got her all messed up on them, what a cruddy teacher I am. But she is doing better than I would have done for my first time knitting on double pointed needles and just learning how to purl too!
K hung out till C came after work. I love having C come but it is much different than when K is there. K works, C hangs out and gives me bathroom breaks, and works when he thinks I am overwhelmed, which isn’t all too often. It is hard for me to adjust when I have them both in one day.
That is about it, I think my teeth are still chattering. Need to check the weather so I dress appropriately today, and maybe I’ll get in the hot tub for a bit before I go.
K started knitting some fingerless mittens and I got her all messed up on them, what a cruddy teacher I am. But she is doing better than I would have done for my first time knitting on double pointed needles and just learning how to purl too!
K hung out till C came after work. I love having C come but it is much different than when K is there. K works, C hangs out and gives me bathroom breaks, and works when he thinks I am overwhelmed, which isn’t all too often. It is hard for me to adjust when I have them both in one day.
That is about it, I think my teeth are still chattering. Need to check the weather so I dress appropriately today, and maybe I’ll get in the hot tub for a bit before I go.
Musikfest Day 7 August 9 2007
Day seven sales wise was much better than I expected it to be. The day was brutally hot and even though I am only writing this blog entry about 48 hours later, the day itself is just a blur. In the morning I came in, got the tent ready and spent some quality hours catching up on my reading. I get many magazines and I wait till this show and bring them in, reading what I find interesting, ripping out pages of stuff that I should look into deeper, and just skimming the rest. I get through about 5 a day this way, totally emptying my magazine basket next to my chair in the living room. Then they just all pile up and I wait until Chriskindlmarkt to do it all again.
The evening was fun because I had team KB there (K and her beau K), so the conversation was excellent, it was fun to work, and they both work so hard I just sort of get to relax, at least until I need to run a credit card. I think that is why my total sales for the day was sort of surprising, because I didn’t really have a hand in many of the sales so my internal calculator was off.
I did have my first credit card of the season be declined and it was one of those sales that your gut instinct thinks may not be the best decision. But the sale was small and I’ll try it again one more time before calling the customer to try and arrange alternate payment. It is tempting to just let it go because the work to get the money is probably not worth the amount of the sale, but it is the principle behind it so I’ll give it a go and see what I get.
Rejected cards are always depressing and I always rethink my processing. See I use an old fashioned knuckle buster manual imprinter to take a card imprint and to get a signature, plus phone and zip. Then when I get home I manually enter this into a terminal to get the charge to go through. I always take the chance of letting product leave the booth that isn’t really paid for yet. But I have so few cards get declined, and typically for such low dollar amounts, I can’t see to pay for the units where I can swipe it at the show and use WiFi or some other technology to send it in immediately. I mean, even if I never get this sale back, the loss is much, much less that I would pay for a spiffy terminal and the service associated with it. So I keep on going on and dealing with these small annoyances of being a small business owner trying to get by on the least amount of overhead possible.
Well, that’s it for the day, hot, hot, hot with lukewarm sales.
The evening was fun because I had team KB there (K and her beau K), so the conversation was excellent, it was fun to work, and they both work so hard I just sort of get to relax, at least until I need to run a credit card. I think that is why my total sales for the day was sort of surprising, because I didn’t really have a hand in many of the sales so my internal calculator was off.
I did have my first credit card of the season be declined and it was one of those sales that your gut instinct thinks may not be the best decision. But the sale was small and I’ll try it again one more time before calling the customer to try and arrange alternate payment. It is tempting to just let it go because the work to get the money is probably not worth the amount of the sale, but it is the principle behind it so I’ll give it a go and see what I get.
Rejected cards are always depressing and I always rethink my processing. See I use an old fashioned knuckle buster manual imprinter to take a card imprint and to get a signature, plus phone and zip. Then when I get home I manually enter this into a terminal to get the charge to go through. I always take the chance of letting product leave the booth that isn’t really paid for yet. But I have so few cards get declined, and typically for such low dollar amounts, I can’t see to pay for the units where I can swipe it at the show and use WiFi or some other technology to send it in immediately. I mean, even if I never get this sale back, the loss is much, much less that I would pay for a spiffy terminal and the service associated with it. So I keep on going on and dealing with these small annoyances of being a small business owner trying to get by on the least amount of overhead possible.
Well, that’s it for the day, hot, hot, hot with lukewarm sales.
8.09.2007
Musikfest Day 6 August 8, 2007
It’s officially more than half way over and I can’t explain how happy I am to know that this year. The day was another hot, humid, heat index warning sort of day and there was little movement by anyone- customers or vendors, until after the sun want down. You could tell, people just looked and didn’t want to move too much or touch anything, and they certainly didn’t get my most energetic sales techniques. It was hot, and moving made it worse.
In the morning I read some magazines and tried to finish knitting a wash cloth but my fingers were too sticky to accomplish it. I got up and walked around a few times to fight off my desire to doze off and nap (the hot always makes me want to nap). All the crafters I spoke to agreed that it was officially stupid question day, it was like the heat sucked out everyone’s brains, because not only were we getting some of the most weird and unusual questions, many of us felt stumped at least once ourselves, I mean the answer was at the tip of our tongues but the heat just snatched it away. I couldn’t think of words and terms that I use all the time, it was crazy.
K came in the afternoon and hung till the end. She brought me dinner- the best hot dogs on the plant from Jimmy’s in Easton. Yum! Once it cooled down we knitted and actually sold some soap. It wasn’t a great day for a Wednesday, but it sure could have been worse.
That’s it, they day in a nutshell, boring…
In the morning I read some magazines and tried to finish knitting a wash cloth but my fingers were too sticky to accomplish it. I got up and walked around a few times to fight off my desire to doze off and nap (the hot always makes me want to nap). All the crafters I spoke to agreed that it was officially stupid question day, it was like the heat sucked out everyone’s brains, because not only were we getting some of the most weird and unusual questions, many of us felt stumped at least once ourselves, I mean the answer was at the tip of our tongues but the heat just snatched it away. I couldn’t think of words and terms that I use all the time, it was crazy.
K came in the afternoon and hung till the end. She brought me dinner- the best hot dogs on the plant from Jimmy’s in Easton. Yum! Once it cooled down we knitted and actually sold some soap. It wasn’t a great day for a Wednesday, but it sure could have been worse.
That’s it, they day in a nutshell, boring…
Musikfest Day 5 August 7, 2007
Horary for K! I say this because she opened the booth for me this morning so I could attend a meeting down at MLAC. It was nice to feel normal in the middle of chaos and go and do something for another show a few months from now. It reminds me this show that is kicking my butt much more than in previous years, has an end, that it is in sight, and that there are better things lurking on the horizon. I have to admit though the meeting brings out the competitor in me. Being on the committee, means we get worksheets that break down items such as sales per artist and percentage of inventory sold per artist. I always have to see where I rank compared to others, and dare I say it, see if I sold more or less than the other soap maker at the event. I mean it isn’t like I really do anything with the info, other than either smile or pout for a few hours, but I do find it motivating sometimes to know where I stand amongst those I believe are elite artisans.
The day itself was hot, very hot, heat index warning kind of hot, but surprisingly not as hot as I expected it to be. When I arrived at the show I was angry, the lot that I am supposed to park in was full, not because it had too many cars, but because the cars that were there have no clue how to park and not leave close to a car length between each other. All that wasted space, but not enough room to parallel park a minivan anywhere. So I had to pay for parking, and I showed my parking pass to the lot attendants, now this lot is not 20 feet away from the lot I am supposed to park in, so I explained my situation and asked for a break on the parking, not free, a break, to which they said no and took my $10 and helped me back in. Now if I wasn’t leaving at night with things to carry I would have gone elsewhere but I needed the proximity factor too much to argue. So here is my suggestion- use a volunteer, and help us park, just for a few hours in the morning…. please…
The girl scouts that run a camp type thing during the festival came and interviewed me. They were good questions, like where do I see the market going and what are some of the pros and cons of running your own business. K was there to listen and she said I did pretty good. It was fun.
Late afternoon they called for rain, but it didn’t come until late, while I was asleep, with scary lightening that woke me up and K said it woke her up too, both of us with thoughts of the tents being blown away… we need to relax..
Quote for the day: (speaking about the Patchouli fragranced soap) “It’s so you can actually be clean, but still retain a dirty hippy smell”. Priceless!
The day itself was hot, very hot, heat index warning kind of hot, but surprisingly not as hot as I expected it to be. When I arrived at the show I was angry, the lot that I am supposed to park in was full, not because it had too many cars, but because the cars that were there have no clue how to park and not leave close to a car length between each other. All that wasted space, but not enough room to parallel park a minivan anywhere. So I had to pay for parking, and I showed my parking pass to the lot attendants, now this lot is not 20 feet away from the lot I am supposed to park in, so I explained my situation and asked for a break on the parking, not free, a break, to which they said no and took my $10 and helped me back in. Now if I wasn’t leaving at night with things to carry I would have gone elsewhere but I needed the proximity factor too much to argue. So here is my suggestion- use a volunteer, and help us park, just for a few hours in the morning…. please…
The girl scouts that run a camp type thing during the festival came and interviewed me. They were good questions, like where do I see the market going and what are some of the pros and cons of running your own business. K was there to listen and she said I did pretty good. It was fun.
Late afternoon they called for rain, but it didn’t come until late, while I was asleep, with scary lightening that woke me up and K said it woke her up too, both of us with thoughts of the tents being blown away… we need to relax..
Quote for the day: (speaking about the Patchouli fragranced soap) “It’s so you can actually be clean, but still retain a dirty hippy smell”. Priceless!
8.07.2007
Musikfest Day 4 August 6 2007
Zzzzzz….Zzzzzzz…..gasp, snort, *look of astonishment on my face*…sorry I dozed off for a bit…the day was a tad bit boring you know….
Sales were exactly where I pegged them to be so there was no surprise there. The morning gave me some time to knit, to read some magazines I needed to catch up on, and to start working on some spreadsheets that I have wanted to do for the business. K came over about 5 and we chilled for the remainder of the evening.
We had a small MacGyver moment because K’s knitting got caught up in the fan. After borrowing some pliers from J next door we got it all apart, then K got the yarn unwound, and everything put back together, and voila! It worked again!
K started knitting a hat and I finished up her last bath mitt she was doing as well as finishing a washcloth or two myself.
That’s the day in a nutshell, nothing too interesting, except wait… I got a big bag of free toothpaste. Guess the toothpaste people brought more than they can hand out this show so they were giving away as much as you wanted. I took a bag and gave it to K, I figured she can use it at college and so can her beau K, and her friends, it saves them a couple of bucks. That was the most fun part of the day.
Sales were exactly where I pegged them to be so there was no surprise there. The morning gave me some time to knit, to read some magazines I needed to catch up on, and to start working on some spreadsheets that I have wanted to do for the business. K came over about 5 and we chilled for the remainder of the evening.
We had a small MacGyver moment because K’s knitting got caught up in the fan. After borrowing some pliers from J next door we got it all apart, then K got the yarn unwound, and everything put back together, and voila! It worked again!
K started knitting a hat and I finished up her last bath mitt she was doing as well as finishing a washcloth or two myself.
That’s the day in a nutshell, nothing too interesting, except wait… I got a big bag of free toothpaste. Guess the toothpaste people brought more than they can hand out this show so they were giving away as much as you wanted. I took a bag and gave it to K, I figured she can use it at college and so can her beau K, and her friends, it saves them a couple of bucks. That was the most fun part of the day.
8.06.2007
Musikfest Day 3 August 5 2007
Up until the time it rained it was a pretty good day. I think sales for Sunday would have surpassed Saturday if the rain hadn’t started about 9. Most of the other crafters were gone by 10 pm and honestly, I was in my car by 10:15 and on my way home. The weather was warm but it seemed much less humid than the day before. The rains weren’t too heavy and at least they weren’t accompanied by thunder, lightening, wind, or hail.
Overall the show is pretty quiet. I have had a lot of repeat customers, who I love dearly. I think I understand how actors and other performers can be so hooked on the love and adoration of their fans, some of the things people say about my products really does just make me blush sometimes. C just laughs and my step dad thinks I put something other than soap in my soap because sometimes he thinks my mom is addicted to it.
K came and hung out with me until C surprised me and showed up and hung with me till the end of the show. It was so nice to have the company and the ability to walk around a little, visit a little and honestly, just be able to pee when I need to. I haven’t seen as many volunteers in the craft area as there has been in year’s past. Today was the first time someone came to see if I needed a break or anything and it has always seemed like that happened much more frequently.
I read a few magazines in the morning and got a washcloth knit in the afternoon. The abbreviated evening went by fast. It didn’t seem too crowded though, still an easy commute to and from the bathroom. I wonder how much that has to do with the fact that the big food vendor from previous years has left, taking their long lines with them, opening up the walkway for people to walk, rather than get stuck in a bottle neck caused by a line for food. I’m sure it is some of the reason it’s easier to get through.
Overall the show is pretty quiet. I have had a lot of repeat customers, who I love dearly. I think I understand how actors and other performers can be so hooked on the love and adoration of their fans, some of the things people say about my products really does just make me blush sometimes. C just laughs and my step dad thinks I put something other than soap in my soap because sometimes he thinks my mom is addicted to it.
K came and hung out with me until C surprised me and showed up and hung with me till the end of the show. It was so nice to have the company and the ability to walk around a little, visit a little and honestly, just be able to pee when I need to. I haven’t seen as many volunteers in the craft area as there has been in year’s past. Today was the first time someone came to see if I needed a break or anything and it has always seemed like that happened much more frequently.
I read a few magazines in the morning and got a washcloth knit in the afternoon. The abbreviated evening went by fast. It didn’t seem too crowded though, still an easy commute to and from the bathroom. I wonder how much that has to do with the fact that the big food vendor from previous years has left, taking their long lines with them, opening up the walkway for people to walk, rather than get stuck in a bottle neck caused by a line for food. I’m sure it is some of the reason it’s easier to get through.
8.05.2007
Musikfest 2007 Day 2 August 4
The day started out pretty much as most days at Musikfest start out, you open your tent, you set things up, and you sit and sweat. It is only around 5 pm when the crowds start to come out, and the people start to spend money. I do think there is a direct correlation between how much you drink and how much you spend. Typically a little alcohol opens the wallet more easily, but too much means that people aren’t making any sort of decision and aren’t spending a thing.
For the afternoon I just caught up on stuff. I read a few magazines and finished assembling a bunch of bath mitts. Tried to relax and rest as much as possible, this show is a long haul and it doesn’t do you any good to get too tired right out of the gate. The temperature soared and I don’t think I had one conversation with a customer that didn’t involve the weather and impending heat wave. The grass was dry and the dust started kicking up, it lays on everything and drives my allergies wild. It has been like this for the past few years because the creek keeps flooding, depositing fine silt where we put our booths and this silt just gets everywhere.
The evening was uneventful but fun. K came and brought her beau, K. they worked the stand while I sat back and watched, they are pretty good at this and I think between the two of them they know everyone in town. It was great to have company and good conversation. They are two very smart young people who have their heads on their shoulders and their whole life ahead of them. I like hanging out with them a lot.
It seems after 5 the night went pretty fast, with it marked every hour by the bell guy playing, it always amazes me how fast the night goes. It is like having a giant, loud, repetitive, grandfather clock tolling away the hours. On the whole the day was fair, I would have been very happy with $100 more in sales, but alas, it did not happen…many others were also complaining of the slow night and I felt that there were less people there, my trips to the WC were easy, I didn’t have to fight the huge crowd like usual. Strange way to determine how busy the place is ehh? Gauging it by how easy your walk to and from the loo is.
For the afternoon I just caught up on stuff. I read a few magazines and finished assembling a bunch of bath mitts. Tried to relax and rest as much as possible, this show is a long haul and it doesn’t do you any good to get too tired right out of the gate. The temperature soared and I don’t think I had one conversation with a customer that didn’t involve the weather and impending heat wave. The grass was dry and the dust started kicking up, it lays on everything and drives my allergies wild. It has been like this for the past few years because the creek keeps flooding, depositing fine silt where we put our booths and this silt just gets everywhere.
The evening was uneventful but fun. K came and brought her beau, K. they worked the stand while I sat back and watched, they are pretty good at this and I think between the two of them they know everyone in town. It was great to have company and good conversation. They are two very smart young people who have their heads on their shoulders and their whole life ahead of them. I like hanging out with them a lot.
It seems after 5 the night went pretty fast, with it marked every hour by the bell guy playing, it always amazes me how fast the night goes. It is like having a giant, loud, repetitive, grandfather clock tolling away the hours. On the whole the day was fair, I would have been very happy with $100 more in sales, but alas, it did not happen…many others were also complaining of the slow night and I felt that there were less people there, my trips to the WC were easy, I didn’t have to fight the huge crowd like usual. Strange way to determine how busy the place is ehh? Gauging it by how easy your walk to and from the loo is.
8.04.2007
Musikfest 2007 Day 1 August 3
Whew, the first day was tiring, but in that sort of way where at the end of the day your are revved up and a little wound on adrenaline, and you just know you’ll have a hard time falling asleep, even though you are beat tired.
I left the house around noon and picked up some water and some ice for the cooler on the way in. I also picked up some flyers for Stone Soup Studio, a store in Bethlehem on Broadway which will start carrying some of my best sellers in just a few weeks. I’m trying to create some buzz by passing out info on them before we even get the product stocked.
I got a pretty good parking space, the first one in line in the CW lot before the break for the curve. I was parked after the sigh, but before the caution tape marking the no parking zone, so just in case I got a wayward parking ticket, I actually took some pictures of where I was parked and the locations of the signs and tape. I mean, who know if that tape would be ripped down, or even moved by some clever Musikfest goer? This way I would at least have a chance of not paying the fine…
It was very hot throughout the set up, but I learned I have great neighbors; F & J make awesome jewelry and are awesome people as well. I am also near A, another jewelry maker I have known for years. S is down at the end, near the entrance and we are good buddies, and G is here too, with his entourage. So the “family” I know and love is here, a little spread out, but here all the same. But like all family reunions, there is always someone who doesn’t make it. Sometimes its is people like B, who you just miss in your core the moment you arrive, some are like another B, that at first you are glad are gone, that you won’t have as much drama, and then after just one day, you realize how much more fun the event was with just a little drama, and then there is I who you really expected to be there and whose absence actually makes you worry about them, their health, and why after all these years they are missing.
The show opened officially at 5 but didn’t really seem to pick up until 8 and then for just a few hours. The day was oppressively hot and that was the time the heat finally began to break and even then most people were still too hot, you could see it on their rosy cheeks, their sweat filled brows. I don’t keep sales records per day, I probably should, but sales felt slow and draggy, I got lots of lookers and got to see many, many old friends, loyal customers that I only see at Musikfest. I know they’ll be back later in the event to do their buying, so no worries, I have 9 more days and 45 more performances of “The Bell Guy” to sit through before this is all over.
I left the house around noon and picked up some water and some ice for the cooler on the way in. I also picked up some flyers for Stone Soup Studio, a store in Bethlehem on Broadway which will start carrying some of my best sellers in just a few weeks. I’m trying to create some buzz by passing out info on them before we even get the product stocked.
I got a pretty good parking space, the first one in line in the CW lot before the break for the curve. I was parked after the sigh, but before the caution tape marking the no parking zone, so just in case I got a wayward parking ticket, I actually took some pictures of where I was parked and the locations of the signs and tape. I mean, who know if that tape would be ripped down, or even moved by some clever Musikfest goer? This way I would at least have a chance of not paying the fine…
It was very hot throughout the set up, but I learned I have great neighbors; F & J make awesome jewelry and are awesome people as well. I am also near A, another jewelry maker I have known for years. S is down at the end, near the entrance and we are good buddies, and G is here too, with his entourage. So the “family” I know and love is here, a little spread out, but here all the same. But like all family reunions, there is always someone who doesn’t make it. Sometimes its is people like B, who you just miss in your core the moment you arrive, some are like another B, that at first you are glad are gone, that you won’t have as much drama, and then after just one day, you realize how much more fun the event was with just a little drama, and then there is I who you really expected to be there and whose absence actually makes you worry about them, their health, and why after all these years they are missing.
The show opened officially at 5 but didn’t really seem to pick up until 8 and then for just a few hours. The day was oppressively hot and that was the time the heat finally began to break and even then most people were still too hot, you could see it on their rosy cheeks, their sweat filled brows. I don’t keep sales records per day, I probably should, but sales felt slow and draggy, I got lots of lookers and got to see many, many old friends, loyal customers that I only see at Musikfest. I know they’ll be back later in the event to do their buying, so no worries, I have 9 more days and 45 more performances of “The Bell Guy” to sit through before this is all over.
8.03.2007
Musikfest- Day 0 Set Up
K got to the house around 9 am, we packed the last few things we needed (so we thought) and headed over to set up. Once we arrived, I realized that the TOP of the tent was still sitting in my shed, so off we went to pick it up and then drive back to try the set up again. I don’t know what I did to make them mad, but my nice cool spot in the shade where none of my product melts is two spaces over, and I am in the hot, hot sun. with crappy, “I can’t be in my booth barefoot” grass, I can say that I am not a happy camper and I really hope that I don’t end up having to put lip balms and lotion bars in a cooler to keep them at an acceptable temperature.
We set up the tent and then took a break, wading ankle deep in the cool creek nearby. Once we finished getting unloaded I decided that was enough for the day, I’ll put out product the next day, no reason to suffer. We swung over to the Banana Factory so K could pick up her volunteer T-shirt and watch the video they show the volunteers, but she squeaked out without the video.
Lunch was at Balasia, a vegetarian restaurant in Emmaus. The food is beyond excellent, and we ate till we were full and still had dessert. The desserts are from a local place that makes some of the best desserts I have ever had, plus they are totally vegan. It was a great way to cap off a hot day of work and a great last supper (ok lunch) before a few weeks of only eating sandwiches for lunch and dinner.
We set up the tent and then took a break, wading ankle deep in the cool creek nearby. Once we finished getting unloaded I decided that was enough for the day, I’ll put out product the next day, no reason to suffer. We swung over to the Banana Factory so K could pick up her volunteer T-shirt and watch the video they show the volunteers, but she squeaked out without the video.
Lunch was at Balasia, a vegetarian restaurant in Emmaus. The food is beyond excellent, and we ate till we were full and still had dessert. The desserts are from a local place that makes some of the best desserts I have ever had, plus they are totally vegan. It was a great way to cap off a hot day of work and a great last supper (ok lunch) before a few weeks of only eating sandwiches for lunch and dinner.
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