Rockin

Oh my lord. I had heard a rumor about this and to my surprise it is true. *faint* OK now that I have picked myself up off the floor. I would say to my fan club. Love me tender..Love true...don't ever dump me...then I would be blue.

Thanks u all. I am flattered.

So today the weather broke and turned cloudy. It was kinda chilly but just right. It was slow till the church crowd came out to play. Boy did they ever.

Normally we do quite a bit of biz in the morning but this time it was quite the opposite. WE did over 75% after 1 PM. So that was nice.

The groupies showed up. One showed up and did a nice repeat of biz. Had 4 or 5 others show up and was so happy that I was back again. What is it about this? I know it is not my charm or good looks. Not a clue. Anyway all the repeats bought again and many instances purchase extra additional items. I just hope they tell their friends.

So I am off to Springfield IL this upcoming weekend. Last chance to rest cause after that it is full speed ahead every weekend till the middle of Dec.

*super banana*

Rockin

I could check with Rockin as I think we're needing to replace some and maybe we could go in together.

We are getting to that point of needing risers, however, I have found that when you put up apprx 12 to 15 risers you get overwhelmed. Time to have some permanent one's made.

Will be looking how to get those made. The booth 3 spots down from us over the weekend had a wooden riser and it was cool. The gal said she can pull just a couple of pins and it breakdown for easy carrying. I did get pictures of it but not able to show it on this email. will have to send it to Scented and she can pass it on for look see.

The cardboard risers do work it is that we are beginning to out grow them.

Rockin

If I had my way, I would be there in a heart beat. Some bad days going on around here.

Hang in there girl.

or Rockin Out with Scent! Hey, the Greatful Dead had the Dead Heads so why not have your own groupies.

Nice I love it. got to thinking....why not....we have been talking about such things in getting repeat customers. Thanks for the great idea.

Sounds like you are developing quite a following with the ladies Rockin. I can see the headlines now 'ROCKIN Groupies Mob Craft Show'. The lady who lost her credit card will be a devoted customer for life. And even better she will tell all her friends what a great guy you are. You are following that old adage of take care of the customer and they will take care of you. Good luck on your next show.

That is too funny. Maybe Scented and I should start a groupie club and call it "get scented with Rockin"

Rockin

You are a good man. Sounds like the show was great.

thanks....We need you up here. You would have so much fun with Scented and me.

Did a couple of shows over the weekend by myself since we elected to keep scented home getting additional product ready for upcoming shows. I believe it was a wise decision. Repeat customers / candle groupies have been coming to shows now that we are "part of the establishment". I had one person ask where are shows were gonna be so she can come and buy. Now I call that a groupie fanatic. Had a repeat customer come in our booth and said that she was hoping that we would be back this year. Said she was down to her last bit of product. I asked her what she had bought last year, she told me, I told her she was in luck cause I happened to have it on hand. She bought 5 times the amount that she purchased last year. Now that is a nice repeat customer. Gotta luv those folks.

Had another customer buy several items and wrote a check for it. Unbeknownst at the time when she was writing out the check she accidently pulled out a credit card and dropped it on a shelf. Probably 15 minutes later another customer saw the card and turned it in to me. I had know idea who it was until I saw the name and realized it was the gal that had wrote the check. Good thing too cause we always ask for a phone number and with out the phone number would have not known who it was. Anyway to make a long story short I called her and explained that we found her card and I was not leaving town till she came and got it. She was very appreciative. I told her that it was the right thing to do in making sure she got that back unharmed.

She won't forget next time. It was good customer relations on my part and the "right thing to do"

Anyway candle groupies and repeat customers do make the world go around.

Rockin

LOL - wow, does that say it all or what? Gotta git me some of THAT fo!

You're still playing with that 24k gold flake, aren't you? I can't wait to see it cut, but as it is it wouldn't look out of place framed or on a pedestal. Really striking!

Yea she likes that 24 K gold. Must be a hint...:whistle:

Go for it. You will never know unless you try. Then afterwards your decision will be easy on whether you want to do it again. Let us know how it turns out.

Rockin

Congrats on having a successful show. I agree with Robin on seeing less chandlers as well.

That's wonderful news:yay: . You & Scented make the most fabulous pillars:highfive:

Scented is the creative one. I just do the little things.

Thanks. We have no time for rest. The season is upon us. In 2 weeks the next show begins and from that time on we will be booked every weekend till the middle of December. Then we can rest. wait....inventory after that?

Some day we might be to rest.

Hope everybody has a properous fall.

Rockin

Ok

I have had a couple of days to reflect and some rest to boot.

So here is the recap starting Thursday. My problem did not come back to booth although I saw her circling like a vulture. The hawk in me watched with ever ready wings to swoop down and say NO we take "Cash only"

Thursday night I had a repeat customer from a earlier show stop in and buy 1 of our medium priced candles. She had purchased a particular scent before and just loved it. So she comes in and wants to purchase another. I have it so she buys it. Now get this she comes back on Friday and wants to buy another of the same scent. I sadly told her I was pretty sure that she had bought the last one the night before, however, I wold look in my supplies to see if I had 1 more. So while I am looking she starts looking at the other candles on the shelf and proudly exclaims I want this one. So radically different from what she had been buying. Go Figure.....I then asked her if she would be willing to write a nice blog for our website. She was so excited that I asked and said yes. So she wrote a nice blog and I bought fell out of my chair. God it was nice.

Anyway Thursday we did OK.

So Friday morning I went to work and get this.... started to think that we needed to make a certain amount that day. Couldn't shake the feeling. So I get to our booth around 5 pm and for some reason was thinking OK....Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the days that help set us up for the profit days of Friday and Saturday of this event. Of course it always help that people just got paid that day. Anyway besides having the repeat customer come back I now have other vendors wanting to shop. Strange indeed. 10 PM rolls around and after counting the sales for that evening I am pleasantly surprised. We made $ 4 more of what I had felt we needed to make. Go figure.

Saturday morning I get to the booth around 11 AM. Conventional wisdom says I should be at our booth by 8 AM. Knowing this particular event like the back of my hand I feel 11 AM is just right. I know sooner get our price's set out and here comes the vendor gal next door. She came to shop. Why? Christmas that is why...omg I would have thought my sister was shopping. She decides to start Christmas shopping and the I see the product start to come of the shelves. She damn near bought as much as we made the night before. I was able to get eveything in 3 big thank-you bags. That started the rest of the day out in such a good mood. Saturday night the last customer bought several items and I was so "Happy" to finally begin to tear down.

So we accomplished the following. Many new customers, half a dozen repeat customers, less product to take home :highfive: and exceeding what we had done the 2 previous years put together. All of this and we were just hoping to match what we had done the previous year.

Go Figure

Friday night is shortly ahead. Will post later tonight.

Yes we are indoors. TG for that. It was 100 + and with humidity I swear I must have taken several dozen showers.

Anyway I am off to do it all over again tonight. Will see if we have a repeat performance.

Rockin

Currently doing a show and I had a gal stop in to shop. Last year she bought several items and wrote a check to pay for it. We have taken checks in the past from other customers and never had any problems. Made the deposit and lo and behold the check bounced. Long story short we finally got our money after checking with her bank several times to see if money was in her account. Amazing the things you can do when in business.

Soooooooo the very first day of this year's show here she comes. I had already made the decision that we would no longer accept a check from her. Cash only. She shops thru and decides to purchase. I tell her the amount and WOW she pays in cash. Cool I can live that. Yet the concern is still there.

So tonight she comes thru again and wants to make another purchase. Again I tell her the amount and she places her money on the table and ooops she is short a couple of dollars. She says she doesn't have enough. I begin to think to myself "What... you think I will give you a discount". I don't think so. I tell her that I would be more than glad to hold her purchase till she comes back with the correct amount. NO PROBLEM. We all have had that happen sometime in our lives.

Shortly after that she comes back and ask" Do you take checks". Hello do I look stupid? I politely advised her that we do not take checks. Cash only. So she leaves and I figure that she will not come back and get the product that she wanted. Probably lost a customer but hey you burn me once and the red flags go up.

Long story short she comes back again at the very end of the night and pays cash for her purchase. She had the cash the whole time. Go figure.

So I am wondering what will be the tactic for tomorrow. Steady and firm. Cash only

Rockin

Scented is excited to see that first official batch of soap. We will see..I don't think I ever told her when as a youngster I always substituted ingredients in the kitchen. Hmmm come to think of it now I know why the hounds never ate my cooking either...Just hope they like the soap If not maybe they will smell good..

Jeff thanks for helping us out. I know scented will be excited when she gets that new toy.

Yes siree WE learned how and it was quite fascinating.

I had a great time at all the classes and even picked up a thing or too. Who says you can't teach a old dog new tricks.

Anyway Scented and I just got back to my place. We left the hotel across the street from Nasa, shortly after 2 PM Sunday, in Houston and arrived safely back home 12 hrs and some tired minutes ago. I think Scented found out that I must be a Nascar driver. She heard a few choice words out of me yelling at the drivers tailgating and I was doing over 90 miles a hr. :rolleyes2

We picked up a few new toys and oh this will be fun. I know the suppliers sure liked us...LOL

Thanks Anita for taking us to the fisherman's wharf in Galveston. Now I have that Glen Campbell song in my head...Galvestion oh Galvestion. We had a great time and it would have been nice to have that extra day to visit some more. I did take a couple of pictures of Galvestion bay.. Will send them to Scented and she can pass them along.

OK I off to the matresses to rest. I wonder how many bars of soap I will dream about.

Rockin

OK y'all we be headed to Texas in July. I just got done booking the hotel room and o la la I am excited.

This will sooooo be fun.

Rockin

Am I the only one who thinks they're great exposure?

We do one and have for the past three years or so. Then again it's our way of getting ready for the fall/winter, every weekend run. I think a county fair is a great way to dust off the cobwebs.

Then again, depends on where they set you up I suppose.

Yes I 100% agree Great exposure if you know where to go and what to expect. Sometimes you have take a chance. The first year we had Mia Bella close by and their tactics of selling didn't impress me at all. Yet we did OK despite their BS. Our booth grows every year and the surrounding vendors have taken notice. I have seen several of them in the past month or so and they all ask if we will be back. I tell em we will be there and looking forward to another exciting fair.

We just did a show this past weekend where several repeat customers stopped by and purchased again. I had 1 gal remember what she had bought at the county fair last year and so looooooved her candle. She was ready to purchase the same scent again till I pointed out that we had new fragrances out on the shelf. Lo and below she got excited after enchanting her nose and purchase 2 new scents. Said she would come back at the fair and buy her original scent. Go figure.

As the ole saying says "1 picture is worth a thousand words". You never know "1 timely promotional exposure could be worth more than you will ever know" but not if you don't try.

Good luck

Well it is official. I just changed one of my vacation days for the Monday after the conference. I already had Friday off.

I will be attending. Yes scented it will get to show her eye candy off.

Looking forward to finally putting names with faces.

Rockin

Note To Self: Mailboxes are NOT a hot item!!

Poor guy, that sucks. I'd actually love to have a really cool new mailbox. But I'm guessing they aren't cheap! There's a guy here locally that does bird houses.. he sells the hell out of them, but damn they are expensive.

It was sad. I believe he was selling them in the $30.00 to $50.00 range. A long drive with nothing to show for it. Everybody else I think did Ok including us. Now we are getting ready for the next outdoor show. This will be last outdoor show till Sept. Woo hoo!!! Indoors shows just around the corner with AIR conditioning. I am so gonna love that.

Good luck everbody on your next show.

Rockin

My show sucked for the most part.

I did sell a LOT of soap. All Goat Milk, All uncolored, All Naked, and only 5 scents to chose from. This formula seems to work very well for me. My last two shows cleaned me out of soap.. this one was close. I did completely sell out of Lavender Cucumber Sage soap yesterday.

Many vendors packed up and left this show yesterday rather than staying for more misery today.. I don't blame them, but I am glad I stayed cause I sold a bunch more soap today LOL.

Other than the soap though, I sold a few bottles of lotion, and a dozen plus maybe one or two room sprays. Only took along a few candles and only sold a few too.. I think 14 LOL. Sooooo not a candle show. If it weren't for my Mercantile account I think I'd just give up on those buggers completely now and just make soap. Ahh well. NEXT!

The show we did yesterday was hot. The weatherman had predicted it to be around 85 and it got up to 92 or so. Mighty early for that to happen. There was one vendor from your state that showed up selling mailboxes. From one of the show organizers that I was visiting with at the end of the day they said that he didn't make a sale. Wow! They were some of the most beautiful mailboxes that I had ever seen......

A friend of mine just made a folding shelf for us. I love it. Will see it I can figure out how to get a picture so that you can see it

Rockin

Since I am in logistics @ the day job I see this all the time

This is common practice now since 911 and Nafta. All products coming and going across the border has to have a paper trail...ie export papers, commercial papers, certificate of analyis. Most times when something gets held up at the border it is due to paperwork not being order. Then there are times when a spot check is done on the product it self...ie tested to ensure that it is what it is suppose to be. Normally this is cleared up in a short amount of time and the product is on its merry way..So don't give up on the company.. All in the name of commerce and security.

Rockin