Be Still and Know

The flea market was a success, but also a little bit of a disappointment.  We made profit, which for me means we were successful.  Many people also took our business cards, and we received great feedback.  It was a disappointment because we thought we would sell more than we did.  There were 800 vendors, and with such a large event, we naturally thought we would sell more items.  However, we failed to realize that when there are so many vendors, consumers have a more difficult time committing to one single vendor before they have a chance to view other booths.  I can't even tell you how many people browsed through our stuff and were one step away from handing us cash, but then changed their minds at the last minute because they wanted to look around a little more before buying.  The demographic was also part of the downside.  This is going to sound a little mean, but we assumed we would see a lot of rednecks.  That is just expected for this event because it is out in the country.  What we didn't know was that we were actually walking into redneckville and that our merchandise would be a minority.  Can you guess what was a top seller?  Guns.  Yep, that is right.  People all over the place were selling guns, bows, knives and swords.  I knew there would be some, but I was shocked by how many guys I saw walking around with their guns over their shoulders.  It was surreal, and of course scary.  I didn't even know it was so easy to sell guns.  And, to top it all off, our location at the event was pretty bad.  Instead of placing us near vendors that sold similar items, the majority of our row were gun vendors.  It was guns, guns, guns, guns, gracefully inspired, guns, guns.  We started to make jokes that we should have made trigger charms, bullet earrings and jewelry that can be used as fishing lures.  Again, it was surreal.  And, just in case you don't believe me, I got lots of pictures of men walking around with their guns.  I will upload them soon.  Finally, on Monday it rained, and it rained a lot.  So, we probably would have made more sales if the weather was better.  Was it a learning experience?  Yes.  Did we make money?  Yes.  Will we do it next year?  Possibly.  Was it crazy.  Absolutely.