Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Pictures will follow so please do not worry about that!  They will follow  :-\

Got to the event today and it took us 4hrs to set up our 3 x 2m (pre installed shell stand)
Buggar a whole lot of competition that we where not told about - or  maybe those jumping on the band waggon 'just to add - soap - soap- soap, all bought in I did notice!' - still not happy about it though.  One tough  one is The BS Home Shop -  I want to go home now - thats what I was saying earlier - then I said Oh buggar it my stuff is better than theres!

Pickys will follow - I promise  ;)

 ;D

Best of luck, remember your stuff is better than theirs!!! Be proud of it and sell it with confidance!

Good luck!!!

Stick at it!

Sure it will be fine. Good luck.

Best of luck with it Lulu, go get 'em  :D

Tittys crossed"  ;D   Oh Buggar :-\ Will I get A refund on my SA's?  That is if I don't sell??  :mwaha:  ONLY KIDDING

Good luck, Lulu. Forget about who else is there, sell you own fabulous wares.

Eire

Do you know there are only a few 'good folk' that lifts the spirits and I thank them truly  :)

When you are there girl, you won't even think about competitors, you will be so focused on your own biz, and grabbing every oppotunity. It will be hard work but also a lot of fun. And don't forget the pics.

Eire

Good luck!

Best of luck  :buttrf:

Good luck, hope all goes well

Finger crossed for you that you have a really really good event with lots of customers
 :buttrf:

wishing you lots of luck. if it's outside, take a piece of carpet to stand on.......was it Corrie who just suggested that???? :buttrf:

With this level of bravery, I'm sure you'll do well ;) :mwaha:

Lots of good wishes and loads of sales.  :buttrf:

The very best of luck and knock em dead  ;) (not literally of course  :mwaha:)  :buttrf: :buttrf:

Heeheehee, it's good when we can laugh even about the worst of experiences, huh?

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do well.

Of course you will do well, your products are made with TLC, unlike your competitors....best of luck and wiching you mega sales.
 :buttrf:

Well? How id it go? Where was it? Wheres the piccies lol.

You have no idea how much Im dying to know the answers to ala those questions lol

Yeah, c'mon Lulu, give us the pics & lots of 'em  ;D

Really knackered at the mo so will try and post the pickys tomorrow.  A very hectic 3 days, plus my internet keeps crashing out so mega problems  :(

Just found a little bit of energy to post this pic.  This is the stand as we were setting it up not quite finished it at this point.  On the saturday we changed it a bit more (can't find the picky), and on the Sunday I added loads more stuff.

All in all, a brilliant first fair.  My sales were steady on the first & second day, I realised that my prices were a bit too high as everbody else had slashed there prices including The BS so I had to reduce mine. Then on Sunday it went mental, not because I was cheaper infact I wasn't (body butter at £10 was flying off the shelf, soaps on a promo special were selling like crazy) but because of the packaging was grabbing peoples attention - very christmassy.
I have been invited to do some upmarket events which I am thrilled about.
So although a hectic and stressfull 3 days it was a real eye opener and a really good networking event.

I love the look of the stand. It would certainly have attracted me. I hope it went well for you.

Great job Lulu, sounds like you did well. The stand looks very inviting, I understand the hectic and tiring bit!

Good looking stall Lulu.

Thats a very pretty stall Lulu, So encorgaing it went wel and some leads too. You must feel very chipper I would,

Where was it by the way?

Michelle it was at Westpoint in Exeter.  

The biggest problem was that the first two days were only steady not a lot of people due to the weather, and the competition was quite tough due to some really good soapers & skincare stands - 9 of us in total which was quite a lot considering I was told when I booked it that the direct number would be only 3!  The cost of the stand was quite horrific and in due consideration although I did pretty well seeming it was my first I do not think I will need or want to do this one again.

A magazine also wants to write a thingy about me too  :o

I must try to find the other pickys as the stand did change quite a bit as that picky doesn't show all the gift sets.

What was really annoying wa some teenagers opening up sealed lip balms and creams!

At CL there was 19 stands selling B&B products, that was out of 220 stands. Some were not solely B&B but still a lot of competition none the less. I doubt you'd ever be in a position to attend a really big fair and find only 2 or 3 soapmakers, if you do, make the most of it!
Great about the magazine article Lulu, it's funny what can come off the back of something like this.

Gosh Corrie, 19 that is a lot but Scotland is a big place.  I had the big guys like yourself, and I reckon you must be catching them up with them by now, 'The BS', The Natural AV,  3 other big boys, and  a few others all with  a lot bigger and prominent stands than me, I was litterally pooping myself  :o
But like you said  "it's funny what can come off the back of something like this".  

The feedback I received from this fair from some of the customers was that it now resembled a market/car boot fair selling plastic rubbish imports with only a handlful of really nice, unusual stands.  From what I gleaned, this fair although it used to be really unique most of the good money spending customers would not be returning, a real shame that the organisers have let so much rubbish in, you know the thing bouncy plastic balls - dreadfull.

2 things, Scotland is a relatively small place (5m population) and I am most definately small also.
I just had a look at the website for the place you were at, I can see what you mean, there are some very nice looking exhibitors but also a lot of trash. Still you have been and done it and have learned from it and next Xmas you will look for venues better suited to your products, you would have always wondered if you hadn't done it though.
Pitching yourself against the big boys is fine, there are always people who have gotten bored of them and are looking for something new, being confident in your products and competitive in your offer will give customers confidence to buy from you.

Very true in what you have said Corrie!

It would have been better at this one it they had seperated it, trash at one end and lovelies at the other end  :mwaha:

You are joking I went to Westpoint on Saturday spent a bloomin fortune . I didnt see you there I would have come and said Hello. What a missed opportunity. Where were you down in the craftsection at the end or one of the side stalls?

There was some lovely stuf there wasnt there but as you say some icky stuff too. OIm so sorry I missed your stall

THat's a lovely stall, Lulu, and fab news about the mgazine article  :buttrf:

Michelle I was thankfully not in the craft section - too blinking cold!  I was in stand F3 next to Treasure trails - damn shame - could of got you selling and rubbing creams on folks as that what the BS were doing - just wished I had collared people at the main door you know in 'The Apprentice' style of selling :mwaha:

Lovely stall!

And I know what you mean about the teenagers -  I had exactly the same on the one and only fair I've done so far (got traumatised!)...

Yeah, Andy damned annoying isn't it, little so & so's opening up things.  I casually went up and politely said "are you going to buy that seeming you have rubbed it all over yourself - to be greeted by - NO!, but we will come back later and buy any soiled stuff you 'will have'?
That was it any fingering was halted immediately - cheeky buggars!

Aww dont know how I missed your stall I saw Sensual sopas (m&p), herbylicious  and of course the ones in the craft section and another ome in the corner just before the craft bit/ We sopaers always have to look at other peoples stuf dont we/.I would have loved to sniff an teste and ooh ahh to everybody for you.

You will have to let me know next time you are doing a show and wew can meet, themn Il greet lol and bring the punters in.

 :mwaha:  Nice one Michelle! Now see I didn't look like the others, and my soaps didn't either which I am very chuffed about  ;D  Nice to be different and thats why I did soo well  :angl:

Its defiantely good too be different Im just disapointed I didnt get to meet you. I didnt know you were there its only 35 miles from me so maybe we wil meet up sometime.

So good you did well. It was a good show though so many people and the diversity of stal was brilliant.

well done, at least now you have a feel for it...I think a lot of people are getting disalussioned ( opps spellling) with the 'big boys' and are favouring smaller producers, for quality and that 'personal' touch....so don't be dispondent. :buttrf:

Your setup looks wonderful!  Sorry to hear there were so many competitors; I hate that and I'm sure the competitors do to.  So glad it worked out well for you and that you were invited to more events! 

Just received this picky from the organisers  :)

Lovely

Oh that looks wonderful!   :buttrf: