Thank you, Friends and Fans!

I am deeply gratified by the show of support from local friends and fans who came out in droves to my recent Scarf It Up Artisan Show and Sale!  From 10am - 4pm, there was never an empty house!  Yes, there were a few lulls, but never were we alone with our displays.  It turned out to be the best show ever for both Arlene Weinrich and me!  So a hearty thank you goes out to all who made purchases or ordered something.

I seem to have this down to a science now (after three years!), so everything was ready the day before.  What remained to do on Saturday was set out the food, wine, cider, etc.

Usually I do a two-day show, but this year I decided to consolidate it into one Saturday.  The format seemed to work better this way.   This time I had a whole roomful of bargains.  Since I can't hold a sale at my gallery in town (Port City Pottery & Fine Crafts), this was my opportunity to drastically reduce some items that needed to be moved.  That room had discounts of up to 50%.  It broke my heart to give up some of my work at 50% off, but I really needed to clean out my back inventory.  It worked!

What did I learn this time?

• Limit the show to one day!
• Limit the food and beverage.  NO ONE drank wine the entire day!  Hot cider is always a good choice, and that went well.  Much of the food went back to my freezer or to the others who contributed.  People did eat ginger snaps with pumpkin dip, peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets, zucchini bread and pumpkin bread.  No need to serve anything else.
• Use only the living room, dining room, and guest bedroom (the bargain bin).  Have only the refreshments in the kitchen/family room.  Guests gather where the merchandise is and where the sellers are - they seem to want to interact with us and with other customers, all clustered together.
• Have sufficient mirrors in place.
• Limit the number of vendors.  Two, possibly three are easily accommodated and provide a nice array of products.
• Display every felt-tipped scarf I have.  I had five or six, and they all sold!  There were five or six more at the gallery - not sold!  Too bad!

I think that's it!  There WILL be a Scarf It Up! Artisan Show and Sale next year.  It may be held at Arlene's house but we have a full year to decide.  In the meantime, please feel free to pour through my flickr photos and contact me if there is anything that interests you - for gifts or for that special person:  YOU!