Chaos Attraction

Baby's First Craft Fair: WEF, Part 2

2004-05-08, 10:14 p.m.

(I am inexplicably compelled to write this in Bridget Jones style. I can't really explain why.)

1:30 a.m.: Collapse into bed, feeling mysterious sleep hangover despite having not drunk. Shoulder hurts.

All night long: Thrash around in pain, worrying about how to pick up CD holder, which is too big to fit into anything carryable at all. Also keep thinking, "I can't sleep, I have to wake up in 5/4/3/2/1 hour(s) and I can't sleep and the alarm is evil and I can't sleep."

6:45 a.m.: Get up, feeling even more hung over, thinking that I must figure out this CD problem or die. Get brilliant idea! Stagger around apartment in half-coma, trying to figure out if I can fit CD holder into my suitcase.

6:50 a.m.: Realize that no way in hell is CD carrier going to fit into suitcase. Feel like crying. Make vague attempt at hauling out random skateboard I bought yonks ago because it was $8 and the back of it was pretty and seeing if I can balance CD holder on it.

6:55 a.m.: Yeah, right. Going to kill myself if I try to haul skateboard down the street with enormous heavy pokey metal object. Especially since it ain't gonna do corners or curbs. Really want to cry.

7 a.m.: Notice that shoulder really fucking hurts, AND has red line on it from holding CD carrier for 30 seconds last night. This isn't going to work. WTF am I going to do for a display?

7:05 a.m.: Walk down hall, notice Heather's birdcage, which she bought when she was going to get a bird from someone and the bird owner flaked out. Has never been used. Heather won't mind if I give it a purpose... Cage is much easier to pick up, too.

7:10 a.m.: Try to figure out getting dressed without much ability to think. Continue to stagger around house, trying to think of other things I have to do. Try out using new spray-on sunscreen, which isn't nearly as nasty oily as the usual stuff. Whee!

8 a.m.: Start staggering to campus with cage, bag of display items and backpack. Cage surprisingly heavy, or maybe wire just hurts hands. Realize that CD case would have bloody killed me.

8:30 a.m.: Arrive on campus, grab a nice spot, start setting up booth.

9:30 a.m.: Am still setting up booth. Takes a long-ass time to hang necklaces on that cage. Guh. Fortunately, place is pretty dead, so not missing sales or anything.

Three of us are taking the peyote beading class at the CC together, and two of us (Erika, my previous beading teacher) and I are selling today. Previously, Erika told me and our other classmate Ann (see cage pic) to come to WEF and she'd teach us how to make mosaic earrrings. Ann comes by and sets up her stuff, checks out mine and loves the blue bracelet. Thankfully, it fits and she gets it. Hooray, first sale! I get the idea to take a picture of it on her for my future jewelry website. Yay!

Morning: Sit around doing beading and waiting around for something to happen. Realize that nice spot picked out for sales is also completely shadeless. Pull out spray-on sunscreen several times and do some squirting. Find that while hiding behind cage is probably not good for engaging customers, does make me feel somewhat safer hiding behind as people do things to the merchandise. Watch someone try on and put back one necklace and wonder if she rejected it because the clasp is weird. Vow to change clasp later. Watch girl next to me make her first sale, telling the person that now she can afford to buy lunch. Note as day goes on that this girl is making money hand over fist selling sea glass pendants. How does she do it?!

The CC quilting teacher comes over and swoons over the wacky clay necklace. I am flabbergasted that anyone would be interested, as she seems to be. Then she looks at the price ($25) and decides it's too much. I say, "Well, I can give you a deal," figuring "Hey, ANYONE interested in that can get it at whatever price they WANT", but she says no, it should go to someone who can afford to pay full price and that she'll come back. I wait. She never does. Why do people say things like that? Is it like "I'll call you?"

Mid-morning: Decide to get up and check out other people's displays...which prompts someone to actually come over to mine. After a bit of discussion over whether or not the posts make anyone allergic (not me, at least), she decides to buy three! pairs! of earrings! The dangly ones, at that! I didn't think anyone would go for them! Ask lady to pose with earrings in for photos for website later. How cute! After this point, decide not to leave booth at all today just in case someone comes by wanting to buy something and has a question about it. Alas, had no room to pack lunch along with everything else.

Afternoon: Watch as people eye earrings and an occasional necklace. Am surprised nobody is going for my fabulous necklaces- is it because they're at the back? Is it the prices? Suspect I am hearing the word for "too expensive" in several languages. One of the jewelry people starts up a henna painting service for $1-7. Considering all other henna painters here are charging a minimum of $15 for it, this girl is making BANK. I want to get some done, but the lines are too long. Sun very very hot and shade not happening at any rapid speed.

Finally, a large Chinese family of women come by. One of them falls in love with the mint chandelier earrings, and shows them around to everyone. She tries to sell her older daughter on them, but she's not going for it. Mom, however, wants them for herself. Yay! Sale! Almost get another sale when they want to get butterfly bracelet for small daughter. I forgot to price tag it and say $8, they say $5. I say what the hell, until they try it on and realize it's too big. Dammit, I didn't expect any kids to buy my stuff! Decide not to ask for photo due to language barrier.

Seven minutes later: Older daughter comes back with earrings, saying one of them is uneven. I inwardly panic, outwardly say, "Let me get out my wire tools and see what I can do." Manage to fix it. Yay, no refund!

Note that kids are checking out a few of the necklaces. The Fimo jewelry gets a lot of attention. One woman looks at tile bracelet, tries it on, but it doesn't fit. Dammit! I have no idea how to make bracelets fit one and all! Resolve to come up with something to fix that tonight. Also need to make more earrings, since they seem to be the best sellers and most are now gone.

4 p.m.: People start clearing up their stuff. The hell? I resolve to hold out in case anyone else comes. Listen to girl next to me (who is charging a mere $12 for her stuff) say that charging for labor isn't all that important to her. Note that she is selling a TON. Start thinking that what I need to do is start offering everything for $12, with bad economy and all.

5:15 p.m.: Give up on anyone else coming, start to clean up. Someone tells me I can stash my stuff in the CC so I won't have to walk it back and forth. Fine by me.

5:40 p.m.: Stagger over to the CC, where the ceramics people are stunned to see me wander in with a birdcage. Fear the guy by the door got a sight of cleavage as I stumbled in. He follows me into the back to ask about said birdcage.

5:50 p.m.: Go check out WEF booths for a bit.

6 p.m.: Start heading home, call Jess to bitch about how nobody bought any of the necklaces and how I think I'm right that I charge too much. Given the evidence, she has a hard time arguing the point and says "do what you gotta do, but don't stiff yourself too much." I say that this stuff probably isn't getting sold at all if I don't do some drastic price-dropping tomorrow.

6:30 p.m: Go home, collapse on couch. Realize that despite multiple applications of sunscreen, have gotten arms sunburned in funny manner. Hands are sunburned and kinda stiff. Feet have somehow managed to get sandal tan despite being under a table all day long. The fuh? Go to eat, finally.

7:30 p.m.: Start repricing all items while watching the Friends finale on tape. Drop almost all prices to $12, except for really nice/expensive items, most of which go to $20. Hope this helps.

10:30 p.m.: Finish pricing, realize am way too tired to go redo any bracelets/necklaces tonight, collapse.


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