5:45am:
I was woken by my alarm. I didn't want to get up, but I did. The morning was nice and cool. It had been raining only about a half hour before, and it looked like it was going to be a rainy day.
6:40am:
I had eaten breakfast, put on make-up, loaded up the car with my goodies, packed my lunch, bought a litre of milk (yeah, I drink that much in a day) and then bought a paper and was off to the Springwood State School.
The roads were clear. It was such an easy drive... and I forgot to buy some tissues, so I went to the 7/11 down the road from the school and bought a travel pack. Ironically, I didn't need them.
By the time I arrived at the school, it was just on 7am.
7:30am:
I was set up, put all my boxes, excess stock to the back of my stall and opened my green chair. I had an hour to kill before the Creative Markets actually opened. So, I took some business cards and walked around to some of the other people's stalls to see what they were selling. There's some very talented people out there...
8:45am:
People started coming in dribs and drabs. By 9am, the place was filled with stall owners and customers. I had a few people walking and looking at my stuff, but not buying yet... then they'd come back with their kids and they'd buy something. When the kids didn't like the prices of the pencils, I made them a deal and made a quick sale... they walked away happy. So did their folks.
10am:
Kellie Smith came to my stall and had a quick look-see. She loves my work! She picked out some pegs and sprung pegs too and was my first sale of the day! She was amazed at the detail work that went into the designs!
11:30am:
My feet were killing me. I was on my second home-made ice coffee (and boy did I need it!) and Vivienne Treagus showed up with Little Miss Zoe in tow... they were wonderful to see! Vivienne bought some pencils and a couple of magnets and then went away to give Zoe some lunch. But they returned to sit with me for the rest of the time until 1pm.
12:20pm:
The crowds came in waves - I found. So there were rest times of around 5 - 10 minutes at a time... this is good. But I was told by some of the stall owners that sometimes, it's more hectic... while other times, there's no sales at all.
Then, my folks come through the crowd that was there. Dad first, then Mum. They had driven up from Brunswick Heads to collect the boat and take it back down there. They were so proud of me and Dad said I looked tired; but it must be fun doing this kinda thing.
12:56pm: I pack up in 3 minutes... seriously! So did everyone else. Mum had walked away 6 minutes ago, came back and I was packed up! She was stunned! Dad was a great help with carrying a few things out to the car for me, so I didn't have to carry them out in two trips.
Summary of the Creative Markets:
I had a great time. It was under cover, so we didn't have to worry about getting sunburnt or the weather. But it was very humid as the multi-purpose shelter we were using wasn't designed to let in much air.
I made enough money to cover my $55 rent on my spot. Otherwise, I made $3.00 profit after that... which isn't bad seeing it's my first time.
I've decided to have another go there at Springwood in February when the Creative Markets come back next year... I'll have more stock, more variety and more designs to choose from.
I was woken by my alarm. I didn't want to get up, but I did. The morning was nice and cool. It had been raining only about a half hour before, and it looked like it was going to be a rainy day.
6:40am:
I had eaten breakfast, put on make-up, loaded up the car with my goodies, packed my lunch, bought a litre of milk (yeah, I drink that much in a day) and then bought a paper and was off to the Springwood State School.
The roads were clear. It was such an easy drive... and I forgot to buy some tissues, so I went to the 7/11 down the road from the school and bought a travel pack. Ironically, I didn't need them.
By the time I arrived at the school, it was just on 7am.
7:30am:
I was set up, put all my boxes, excess stock to the back of my stall and opened my green chair. I had an hour to kill before the Creative Markets actually opened. So, I took some business cards and walked around to some of the other people's stalls to see what they were selling. There's some very talented people out there...
8:45am:
People started coming in dribs and drabs. By 9am, the place was filled with stall owners and customers. I had a few people walking and looking at my stuff, but not buying yet... then they'd come back with their kids and they'd buy something. When the kids didn't like the prices of the pencils, I made them a deal and made a quick sale... they walked away happy. So did their folks.
10am:
Kellie Smith came to my stall and had a quick look-see. She loves my work! She picked out some pegs and sprung pegs too and was my first sale of the day! She was amazed at the detail work that went into the designs!
11:30am:
My feet were killing me. I was on my second home-made ice coffee (and boy did I need it!) and Vivienne Treagus showed up with Little Miss Zoe in tow... they were wonderful to see! Vivienne bought some pencils and a couple of magnets and then went away to give Zoe some lunch. But they returned to sit with me for the rest of the time until 1pm.
12:20pm:
The crowds came in waves - I found. So there were rest times of around 5 - 10 minutes at a time... this is good. But I was told by some of the stall owners that sometimes, it's more hectic... while other times, there's no sales at all.
Then, my folks come through the crowd that was there. Dad first, then Mum. They had driven up from Brunswick Heads to collect the boat and take it back down there. They were so proud of me and Dad said I looked tired; but it must be fun doing this kinda thing.
12:56pm: I pack up in 3 minutes... seriously! So did everyone else. Mum had walked away 6 minutes ago, came back and I was packed up! She was stunned! Dad was a great help with carrying a few things out to the car for me, so I didn't have to carry them out in two trips.
Summary of the Creative Markets:
I had a great time. It was under cover, so we didn't have to worry about getting sunburnt or the weather. But it was very humid as the multi-purpose shelter we were using wasn't designed to let in much air.
I made enough money to cover my $55 rent on my spot. Otherwise, I made $3.00 profit after that... which isn't bad seeing it's my first time.
I've decided to have another go there at Springwood in February when the Creative Markets come back next year... I'll have more stock, more variety and more designs to choose from.
