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⬅️ Previous capture (2021-11-30)
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So that went really well!
Worked like crazy and only completed 15 pieces for the farmer's swap. My thumb is still numb. I have about 4-5 solid hours of engraving work in me per day before it goes from fun to miserable, and I have to stagger more frequent breaks for my wrist as the day goes on. The tool is heavy and vibration takes its toll, just like a tattoo machine. So I can complete 2 pieces per day comfortably, if I spend a focused 6-8 hours.
Much of my elaborate planned setup didn't get finished, but I could substitute other things and it was fine. Like I didn't sew up the custom table covering, but a table covering is no biggie and I just used a large piece of material. For just starting it was fine.
We had the option of camping at the farmer's swap site the night before, but it was going to dip down in the 30s and that seemed a bit chilly for comfort. So instead we got up at 4:30am to be on the road at 5:30 to get there at 6:30 for setup. Farmer's swap ran 8am-2pm. Fine by me, I had spare time to finish last minute stuff.
The swap was well organized with the one exception - they didn't have spaces pre-planned out or marked. It was pretty much, show up and claim a spot where there's room, free for all style, which is fine if you've done the event before, but crazypants for new folks like us. After wandering in confusion we snagged a spot by a fence and it turned out to be well placed. Setup was quick and I didn't forget anything important. A neighbor vendor ribbed spouse about the size of our little tent and spouse joked back, "It's just as big as it needs to be."
It was a large, well attended event. Probably 100-150 vendors with chickens, ducks, other fowl, rabbits, sheep, goats - I saw people carrying babies of almost every common farm animal except horses and cows. Even kittens and puppies. Butter, cheese, honey, jams, soaps, baked goods, mushroom growing, jerky, crafts, crochet, pottery, jewelry, plants - like a farmer's market on steroids. All kinds of stuff like you'd see at a typical county fair. I didn't have a chance to wander until the end of the event and the variety was amazing.
I figured my goal to hit $100 in sales. That would cover the booth cost ($60) plus pay for the flea market fee coming up next weekend. I priced my stuff between $25-$50, based on how elaborate the art was, with a mix of the single walled cups and the wine tumblers. Sadly I didn't complete any of the water bottles because I chose to focus on smaller pieces. 1) I'm still learning the process so working on the cheap product feels safer and 2) I doubted this would be a good market for expensive show pieces anyway. Anyway, I sold 4 pieces for a total of $115, which I think is really quite good especially for the venue and the limited selection I had. Someone bought the $40 honeybee cup that turned out really really nice and was my personal favorite, and it's good to have that validation. The peacock feather cup I thought was a turd sold, go figure. Got many compliments on the work and people seemed to understand the pieces were hand carved and not just a sticker or whatever. There were a couple other vendors selling tumblers - one with glitter epoxy cups and another with sticker decals. I didn't look at what their price points were.
So it was a good event. Really interesting people watching, just like at the fair. Probably 55-60% unmasked, which figures considering the demographics and it is outdoors. Personally not worried about outdoor transmission but I wore my mask anyway, just so people with health issues who do need to wear a mask could feel more comfortable doing so. (I really wish masks had not been turned into a political shorthand. It's such a simple thing, it should be beyond politics.) People came from neighboring states a couple hours drive away. Lots of rah-rah-guns sorts of shirts and overheard talk, which spouse found amusing. Found out spouse judges people by their belt buckles. I looked at their tattoos. He spotted a guy in a shirt that said the first rule of gun safety is to carry one, which he thought was hilarious because we're in the land of crab - that guy was definitely not carrying. Spouse owns weapons he had to leave with his brother in Alaska because he couldn't even bring them in this state. People talk a big game regarding gun ownership and defending their property but it's a lot of tactical poser talk. We were comparing it to the bravado people had around the start of the civil war back in the 1860s. They are invested in the belief that their opposition is gutless and will run from any sort of threat display. They think god is on their side. If anything, homes these days are more vulnerable to infrastructure disruptions and communication loss. It's nice to think that because you have a farm and a gun you are self-sustaining and have security. I doubt that's how it would play out in reality. Some of the hardcore prepping stuff just doesn't make sense to me because it's based on the premise that your home location will still be a good, safe place despite whatever catastrophe. Just seems to make you a sitting duck as far as I can tell. There's a level of prepping that is practical for minor temporary issues, and a SHTF permanent level that is basically "here be dragons" and you're better off investing in your skills and knowledge to make yourself useful to others than socking away a half ton of food, burying gold on your property and hyping yourself up to defend against all comers. That's what I think, anyway, but I also don't own a farm, so what do I know.
I have 6 days until the next event and quite a lot to do. I took some quick product photo/video before the event so I can update the website with, like, actual real pictures. Potentially I could set up a goimagine account now too. Still waffly on selling online.
Today I clean up from the aftermath of event madness. Am pleased, though. People liked the stuff, people bought it. Good.