How were your Show this week?

[LovelyLathers]

This weekend is my biggest festival of the year, I have been doing it for 7 years. It is always very crowded and big money for me. The crowd is about 1/2 of the normal for Saturday. The money is horrible, I am down about $1000.00 from other years. Everyone is complaining, the people next to me every year sell fudge and were down over 1500.00 this year.. The weather was chilly and very windy (in access of 20 MPH) but I have done this show in pouring rain and have done better than what I did yesterday! I hope today is better for sales. Hope you had better sales.

[Candybee]

I feel you pain. Sales this year have been down for me from last year. A craft show I did last weekend I have been doing for 6 years and this year the sales were about half. It really sucks!

I am trying out a new farmers market and this weekend I did better than I expected. But I have done several markets and craft shows this year since March and so far most of the the sales were down from last year. More lookers than buyers.

I am seeing a different customer now. Not the looker, or the feeler, or the touch everything on the table customer. But I see a new type that has that look in their eyes like they really want to buy the product but can't afford it. I am seeing this more and more-- these people aren't the same as the lookers and feelers.

[Kitn]

I hope your show goes much better today OP.

[Whisper Girl]

We did a show two weeks ago. There were tornado watches out everywhere, rain started at 3:30, and lots of wind. We had to close down at 3:30 on Sat due to weather (this was two hours early). Sunday had winds of 30mph with gusts up to 40. With all this ----- we still had a great show. Lots of people buying! We did outstanding with our melts and our candle sales were much better than last years. If the weather had been good, there is no telling how high our increase would have been. Just wanted to put a positive out there for everyone. I'm sure in this economy location has a lot to do with it. Our unemployment is not as bad here in Kansas as it is in some other places.

[LovelyLathers]

Today was day 2 and sales were tough to get but better. For both days I did about $600.00 less than the normal. I was one of the lucky ones there many were down a lot more than that. Weather was warmer and not as much wind but attendence was lower than normal. I was the only soap maker, other years there have been 1 or 2 others. I did see many more 1 bar buyers than the 3 for deal. I know the economy had something to do with it. The festival is free with lots of entertainment, food prices I feel are very reasonable compared to many other festivals. It is very family orientated. It is a Daffodil Festival but the weather forced them to bloom early and they are all gone, people come to see the 100,000 of them and since it has been in the papers alot about them being gone maybe many didn't come. I hope everything turns around soon for all of us!

[Lorelei]

That sounds terrible, daffodil festival without them... I know they came out really early up where you are!

[Candybee]

Sounds just like my Redbud Festival. Everything bloomed too early because of the unusual warm weather we had this winter. The redbuds had already bloomed long before the festival. Sales were slow at this one.

This weekend is the opening day for another farmers market I do in another city. Normally opening day I do triple the sales. Will have to wait and see how I do. Keeping my fingers crossed I get some good sales. This is another market I have been doing going on 7 yrs now.