Saturday, August 11, 2012

Ajax-by-the-Lake Marketplace


Well...to say the craft show was a bust is mild.  The rain came down in buckets and no one wants to stick around for an outdoor craft sale--even if it's under a giant tent.

Despite that, I'm not disappointed. After all, the City of Ajax doesn't charge a fee for the table, so it's not like I was out-of-pocket. Sadly, there were many vendors who simply didn't show up. Personally, I think that's unprofessional, not to mention, rude.

The people who organize craft shows put a lot of effort into it. As a vendor, you have committed to attend, have committed to sell your wares at a booth, and have committed to participate in a group event. Your absence is noticeable by virtue of the empty table in the middle of the event. It's like real estate: your home reflects on the rest of the neighbourhood.

Rather than leave empty tables, the organizers opted to take them away. I'm not sure if this was better, as it left empty spaces, but I suppose it's less obvious than an empty table.

As the table next to me was being folded up, the vendor behind me stepped up asked them if they could leave it and allow me to spread out. "You can spread out, can't you?" she said to me.

"Of course!"

They left the table, and I spread out:


This is double my original size. Needless to say, I was a little cramped before.

Despite the poor turn-out and disappointing sales, I'll go back next year, if I'm invited. It's not the City's fault that Mother Nature was cranky today. I still had a good time: I met some lovely people, chatted with old friends and found some new vendors for The DRCC.

All in all, it was a good day!


No comments:

Post a Comment