gah, it's been sooo long!

Where has the time gone?  Why have I not posted here in a millenium?  Taxes.  That's it.  I started inventory the beginning of the year and have been plugging away in between orders ever since.  I finally submitted them last Thursday through TurboTax and will wait to be audited. 

So what else have I been up to?  We found out we needed to buy new tires soon and needed to replace damaged brake linings on the Kia Sportage.  Nice car, right?

So instead of buying tires and brake linings we have to save up for, what did we do?  We bought a new car instead!  Hey, isn't that the best solution?  Help the economy, that's #1. 

Well actually, it's a bigger car, more space for when I do shows and especially when I need to take my tent.  The payments are a little bit less, we got a great trade-in, so it's all good.  Not that I'm doing a lot of shows this year, but I do have a couple outdoor shows.  So that settles that. 

What else?  Orders have been coming in at a good clip this year, and it looks like this year is going to be even better than last year.  I've had a little bit of time to experiment and added a few unique fragrances to my line (Play Dough, for one.  I know, wierd, but I had to have it.)

I've developed a new design for larger diameter candles, the Endless Candle.  It involves a special technique so that a tea light can be placed in the center of the candle without burning the main candle.  I developed it because I cannot find a wick large enough for a 4" diameter candle to burn properly, but the process can also be used in a 3" diameter candle.    

I've also begun making 2-tone soy candles for Kim at http://www.weddingfavorsjustonline.com/unitycandles.html  She does stunning designs on some of the candles I make for her. 

I'll be getting ready for the Indie Garage Sale coming up this month in Utica NY  http://indiegaragesale.org/.  And I'll have lots of new fragrances and blends available, including the aforementioned Play Dough and designer fragrances.  Stop by and say hello!  Mention this blog and receive a 10% discount. 

Thanks for stopping by, and now that the holidays and taxes are finally behind me, I'll have more time to talk to you soon.

Happy spring!

marty

Kirkwood Town Fair with My New Pop-Up Tent

Well the shows are done for now, so I'm taking a 2 week break to regroup and start building my schedule for more shows starting in September through the end of the year.   I finished up the 3-day Kirkwood Town Fair late last night and spent today relaxing, napping and unloading the car. 

Last week I finally ordered a new commercial grade EZUP pop-up tent with walls (a must for me to shade the candles) with the money I made at the Broome Co Fair.  It didn't arrive until Friday morning, so I used a borrowed tent on Thursday.  We got the top canopy installed when it arrived, then folded it back up and packed it into the car to use Friday and Saturday. 

I arrived early to allow enough time to set it up at Kirkwood, but it was up in a flash.  I had some help stretching it out, but the rest was easy so I had plenty of time to spare.   I took my time attached the walls (love the Velcro!) and made sure the corner zippers were lined up ready to zip up for the night.  Then I spent the rest of the time setting up my tables and displays just so.  I'm still working on uncluttering my displays, but it's getting there.   

I proudly hung up the banner my daughter Nina designed.  I received a couple very nice comments on it and told customers it was designed by my talented daughter who's a graphic designer.  It feels so professional to have an identity with matching banner, business cards and website.   

So this is the entire display, tent and all.  I kept the side walls up for most of the show except during a sunny time and kept the back wall down because due tos a lot of foot traffic for the rides behind me.   

 

I was able to leave everything packed inside the tent on Friday night, so I didn't have to haul everything home and back like I did Thursday night.

 

So the weekend ended with some amazing fireworks that I watched while breaking down.

And I'm packed up and ready to load the car. 

Packed up

I now feel like a professional vendor! I can pick up and go to any show, rain or shine, indoors or out because I'm ready for anything now. I made lots of new friends and met old ones from Broome County Fair.

Lots of suggestions were given for fairs and craft shows in the area, and it looks like home parties are on the horizon because they're very popular around here. Not to mention fundraisers!  So watch out in the next couple months as I expand into these areas.

It was a good show and now it's time to regroup, rethink, schedule more shows for the holiday season and expand the candle business!  I not only had good sales, but a couple potential wedding orders.   It's always a pleasure educating customers about the benefits of soy candles, encouraging them to try them with samples I often give out and adding coupons with their purchase.  When I tell folks I'm local, I know they'll be back for more.   

The entire set-up