Fresholi | Melting Pot Café

Hi all,

Well after pulling my hair out and feeling a bit low, I have been invited to do a big fair in Torbay this summer - yippee, yippee  ;D

It' not a craft fair but its going to be a pretty good learning curve and a 3 day eventer with a minimum of 3 metres frontage - umm my knees are knocking now - I going to have to start planning  :buttrf:

Just hope the weather is good - but I'm going to buy a pretty good pop up gazebo - hopefully that should do the trick, as long as it doesn't decide to pop down on me   :mwaha:

Can't stop - got to plan, plan, plan  Yippee  ;D

Great news Lulu ....if using a gazebo I would invest in some weights ...those pesky winds can cause havoc .... :-[

hurrah! well done!

Good news.

If you're going for a pop-up get something like this (http://www.galatent.co.uk/listing.asp?Category=Gazebos&SubCategory=GalaShadeMax) with sides and not a garden one (I've seen them blow over - even with guy-lines).

I anchor mine with webbing straps and the type of spiral pegs you tether animals with - or weighted feet if off grass. Well worth the expense.

Thanks for the advice all, and the link EJ those are very similar to the one I will be buying  I will invest in some of those spiral steaks & webbing straps though ;)  I'm going for a heavy duty steel construction 20kg from 'Eazygazebos' & includes:

2 x Side Panels with Windows
1 x Front Door Panel
1 x Plain Side Panel
4 x Weight Bags,
1 x Storage Bag with Wheels,
4 x Guy Ropes & Pegs + Side-panel toggles.
£145.00 special offer price

Just can't make up my mind which colour to go for???  Green me thinks for aesthetics, possibly white would be better????  Blimey can't make my mind up, anyone with any suggestions on the colour?  A choice of, Yellow, Orange, Gree, Blue, White, Red, Camouflage, Black

If you have the weights and the webbing straps (with ratchets) put X wise from the corners on two sides then you won't need guys - they get in the way and extend your frontage. (the sides have on mine have eyelets along the base so I put tentpegs in those - you'd be amazed at what a bit of wind can do). I had my stand at a show a few years ago when there were exeptionally strong gales and the experienced traders with their tubular slot-together stands were amazed that my little gazebo type stand was unruffled overnight - various stands had suffered considerably.

The majority of trade stands are white - so any other colour shows up; choose to fit your logo, website colours etc. Red is horrible on a hot day, black can help in the heat and would certainly be different from the majority - but might put some people off entering, I have green 'cos it fits with my general colour scheme although it's the second most common colour (because of peeps who use garden gazebos).

Great news! Well done!  :buttrf:

Ooh, how exciting and WELL DONE YOU! That's great news. You'll have a great time I'm sure and the planning is half the fun. Go Girl!

That's great news  :buttrf:

Well done - it's exciting, isn't it ? I have one of those Garden Gazebos, but it is from Makro, so slightly more sturdy. The price you have seen for yours is really good, snap it up, before the weather changes and the prices shoot up !!

I haven't needed it so far, all the fairs I have booked so far have been indoors, but I am looking at the local carnivals now and I am sure I will need it there...

This is a flipping great forum - what would I do without you all... Great advice all round!
Thanks Ej I really do not want to increase the frontage just for the sake of guy lines - your method sounds just the trick.  I will have to try it out in the garden - neighbours will think I'm going mad (I will pick a nice day).

Green seems to be the theme I'm running with - sort of on the natural lines - I dont want it to look too fussy.

I rememer seeing some lovely photos on here somewhere of other peoples stands/stalls for refererence - can I find them now - unfortunately not, never mind.

Oh it is very exciting that hubby thought I had one the lottery when I received the email from the show manager  :mwaha:

Ooh... how exciting!!!   :yipee:

I agree, go with a colour that is your 'theme' and hopefully it will stand out too. 

Well done you!!!!!!   ;D

I'm thinking about getting this gazebo instead - still heavy duty but 3 x 4.5m and only about a £15.00 difference, might be a bit more flexible in the long run.  I'm still contemplating.   :-\

Nice thing about it is that is has uv coating on the inside

Just grabbed a bargain off that auction site & bought the same one as above, but it is white but I think I will be able to jazz it up a bit and saved myself £60.00 - bargain.  I'm a velly happy bunny  ;D

Read this earlier but never got a chance to answer!! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyy for you, I told you to wait and see, it only takes one person to say yes!! And they did... can I do the told you so dance now??  :mwaha:

Loving the new tenty thing too!

Love the Gazebo - white is a lot more flexible and easy to dress up. I have one of those green ones and I don't like the colour much, but I got it in the sale.

Yours looks really good though. Are you looking forward to popping it up in the garden ?

You're going to need a big stock to fill that!

Ha, Ha Honey yes you can do the 'told you so dance now'  :mwaha:

Should be fun popping it up in the garden - need to pick a good day for it as my gardens are pretty exposed and the wind can be a bit norty!  It will be quite funny to see the neighbours reactions - as some can be a bit inquisitive - and I am sure they will hope (insist) that it isn't a permanant thing popping up and down in the front garden as I am sure a few will not like white as is not as aesthetically pleasing to the eye as green.  

I planned the size out in my lounge and 3m x 3m felt a bit tight when considering tables and having some room infront and more room behind.  So after measuring the larger one, it gave me 1.5 metres more space which when you plot it out it can be easily gobbled up as I plan to partition 1m off.  I will still only use the 3m as frontage.  With tables put into a U configuration this gives me table space length of 12ft x 2 ft.  Even so I agree with EJ that a fair amount of stock will be needed although a friend who does glass work is interested in having a small bit of space  :)   I have done quite a few car boots in my time although not selling soaps etc so it should be very interesting.  

Just thought I should do a quick up date on this 'Pop-up (or not so pop-up) damn gazebo.

If you see one like the one pictured on my earlier reply pictures - as bought from that auction site then please BE WARNED - DO NOT BUY IT!

It is a load of CR*P!  I thought I was buying a REALLY good one - far from the truth.  I am now buying although not a pop up one from the link that EJ kindly provided earlier in this topic - see you only get what you pay for!

Thanks EJ once again 

Re the "pop-up" aspect - I can take mine down by myself, but do need help from one other to open it out; once it's at full-stretch I can sort the height adjusters etc. on my own.

Lulu im so chuffed for you that youve got the fair, but so upset for you that the white gazebo is pants for your purpose. I do hope you can still use it in your own garden if you cant return it.

Ive just got a small cheap gazebo which i can choose to put sides on or not. If its windy I dont, so theres less resistance.

Love the idea of you sharing a stall, just make sure you both have an idea of each others products so you can efectively sel for each other. Especial;ly useful if one of you needs a um refreshment break

yep its good to have someone to share the space with especially for lulu breaks as I am sure I will be pooping myself  :mwaha: 

I have decided that I need a good gazebo/tent, as most of the organisers down here require every trade stand to do a Risk Assessment (whatever next  ::) )

On a good note I now have eight bookings  :o  Even the organiser who didn't want to take me on (posted on another topic)  have changed their minds  ;D  Amazing what a few soap samples can do  8) 

Fantastic good for you Lulu :buttrf:

Oh Lulu!!!! You are a clever girly! I told you they'd be mad to pick the other one's over you ... yayyyyy!!!  :buttrf:

Yep very good news..I am a bit overwhelmed  ;D

Hey Honey, you where right (once again) but with your gorgeous soaps I think you should get out & do the odd craft/or other fair - cheap PR  ;)  Go on I dare you...Go for it in style  ;)

Well done!

I would definately find a way of making sure that the gazebo is well anchored.  At the Birmingham Dog Show year before last, the wind was so fierce that some of the marquees took off (with people attached).  Luckily, no serious injuries.

Lulu - no way my love.. no fecking way... just reading that sentence made me quake! The ONLY way I'd consider doing it is doing it with someone else.  I would be as nervous as all hell by myself. 

You can be the go getter, I'll be the sitter at home watching from the sidelines!!! :mwaha:

Hey Honey what a load of knickers your talking!

But I do it so well!!!  :mwaha: