Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

got my first fair of the silly season tomorrow evening.

It's been a while, so lets hope I haven't forgotten how to do it! :mwaha:

Mine Xmas season starts on Saturday but it's my first Xmas year so I'll be asking for tips  ;) Good luck for tomorrow

Good luck girl. Have fun.

Eire

Good luck Ladies! Hope you find it as busy as I have. I think people are looking for something a bit different from the high street this Christmas. Go for it!

Best of luck, hope you make tons!

Good luck & go for it  ;)

All the best for it Retro, market report required & pics if you can manage it  ;)

Busy, busy, busy.....  Good luck to you and everyone  :buttrf: :buttrf: :buttrf: :buttrf:

Good luck and hope you have lots of sales

 :)

fingers crossed for you - let us know how you get on!

Good Luck

Best of luck...hope you have a lovely day and make lots of sales  :buttrf:

Good luck Retro -

I've got four in three weekends coming up - dunno whether to laugh or cry right now  :mwaha:

I've got 7 in the next 3 weeks, if that makes you feel any better Iulia!  :allfaces: :allfaces:

Yeah a little, thanks

 ;D

So, how'd it go?

not fantastic, it was a school shopping evening, so a bit thin for customers. I did cover my table fee plus a wee bit more, but nothing spectacular. I prefer proper craft markets or christmas fairs where people actually want to open their wallets!  I am cream crackered this morning, didn't want to leave the duvet!

Best you cuddle up to a cosy cushion & snuggle down for a bit.  At least you got some money out of it  ;)

no chance of that, back at my full time job this morning. soaping is strictly after hours!

Sorry to hear that, at least you made your table, but fingers crossed for your next one. I have my 1st school fair next week so I'll let you know how it goes.

Poor you, sure you're pooped today. Glad you covered your table though. When's the next one?

That's a shame. Those school and church one's generally are a farce. Sorry it didn't work out better for you.

Eire

that's OK, these school/church ones are always a bit iffy!  The next one is a proper big x-word market, so fingers crossed!. I might have to cut a few prices too I think. Lots of oohing and ahing, and picking up etc, but then they just bog off!

Do you actively sell Retro? If someone picks up something of mine I always have a line 'that's my most popular product', 'that's my bestseller', 'that's the one I like best'. Something along those lines. The line about 'it's all handmade by me' always works well too. And I stand up ALL the time, tiring but it works. You look interested and approachable without having to leap up and scare people off when they approach  :mwaha: Don't be tempted to cut prices, cheaper can look off putting and if you've priced your things correctly then that's the price you should sell at. Sorry if I'm teaching you to suck eggs! Good luck for the next event.

Some people are they're for a nosy woth no interest in buying anything other than at the home baking stall.

And I second NTB - I say the same things all the time - I'm sure the stall holder next to me could give my sales pitch when they cover for me ;D

no, that's OK! I am a bit shy, but working on it. I try to engage if interest is shown. i do use those lines you mentioned actually!!
But, I try not to harrass people.

The next one is 3 weeks time, then several more in quick succession.

Some people were buying things from other stalls that made me think....'what on earth do you need that for?'  Just nonsense! (no sour grapes here!!)

Now I have to be honest, I have been invited to one or two of these afffairs, but have declined given the same as you have experianced from other peoples findings.

good luck everyone with your  fairs...hope you all do really well.... :buttrf:

 :mwaha: People were making comments about my soap being expensive, yet were more than happy to spend £1.50 on a fairy cake that vanishes in 3 seconds (I should know cos I buy plenty of this seller). And I bought some AW Xmas soaps to pad out my stall - guess which ones are selling? Grrrr, that is making me mad, I thought they would be great for kids, but I was so wrong. So, I'm not taking them to today's fair  :mwaha:

People can be so nuts.

Some are quite happy to spend hundreds on a handmade leather handbag... but not a fiver on a handmade soap which is far better for them and their skin than a handbag is!!

Your skin is the largest organ in your body, it surely deserves a fiver?

yes too true honey, although i have to admit to being someone who probably wouldn't pay over £4 for a 100g bar. but then i also wouldn't spend £1.5 on a fairy cake.

was this your first fair retropants? I hope your next ones are more sucessful and this one can be used as a learning curve.

it's the same people that go to L___ and spend £7 for the same size soap there.....always makes me shake my head in disbelief...

Hi curlywurly, no it  wasn't my first. I have better luck at proper craft and christmas fairs. I don't think I'll do another school one.

It's quite shocking how much I'd spend on cake.  :-[

Alphya, you do make me laugh  :mwaha: 

I think there's a limit I'll spend on certain things but I can always be persuaded to go a tinch higher... nice packaging, good presentation, wonderful fragrances and colours.. something different than that available in regular shops etc.  And I like handmade things .. the older I get, the more I like them. 

Hehe Honey.

I really do appreciate handmade things more than I used to, now that I know the amount of effort that goes into them. I find myself wanting to support people who do make their own stuff, and I'm relying less and less on 'commercial' things. It would be nice to be totally self sufficient [one day..], but I think even then, I'd still buy handmade things from other people. Always nice to use something that's made with a lot of love :)

Good luck everyone doing fairs! And thanks for the tips too.   :buttrf: