Adventures in Craft Fairs... the Motel

We recently were vendors at a large, rather high-end craft fair at a small indoor mall... we were late entries and had yet to receive our vendor packet in the mail, which was to include hotel rates (among other information) giving "crafter rates" in the area. The fair promoter had promised to send it to us as quickly as possible, but Thursday arrived and the mailman still had not left a vendor packet in our mailbox... we were heading to the event on Friday afternoon...so...

We got on the phone to the promoter to see if she could give us some recommendations on accommodations, which she was nice enough to provide. We called the place she said would give us good rates and made reservations... saying to ourselves, and to each other that it didn't much matter what kind of room it was, we were only going to be there to sleep and shower... OK... maybe we should have been a little more specific... Oh it was clean enough and it had a bed... and a shower.

We arrived around 9:30 p.m., tired and ready to relax for a little while and to get a good night's sleep before our early Saturday morning start at the mall...

The motel (it was NOT a hotel!) was a little old and a little rundown and a little outdated.

DH went on into the office to check in... as he entered the office, the older lady working in the office rose from her La-Z-Boy recliner where she had been watching television, she had no teeth in her mouth, apparently they were in a glass nearby... DH checked in, then asked if we could get a wake-up call the next morning since we had to be at the show by 7 a.m. to begin setting up.

"Sure," gummed the clerk, "what time you want to get up?"

"5:30 a.m." said DH.

Blinking, the clerk responded, "Lord, Honey, we don't even come in till 7!"

Then she handed him an alarm clock!

We have laughed about this episode for a week now and probably will for years! It was just TOO funny!

We made our way to our room... it was large... with a walk-in closet...

And a king-size bed...with RED sheets... made from a brick I think! That pinkish-tan colored sink and toilet in the bathroom from the 50s, or maybe the 40s (the tub, I must say, was white, though obviously a 60s model at least)

Well, the room is BIG anyway... and pretty clean... note the turquoise paint!

I think I had this recliner in the early 70s... and that good ol' 70s wood paneling!

And you typical ocean scene from the dated motel days... this "inn" was in the mountains! There were RED sheets on the king-sized bed!

Remember the pinkish-tan fixtures... from the 50s? 60s? 40s? and the old 9-in "asbestos" tiles in the bathroom... Oh dear!

Well, we did have cable!

Fortunately we didn't spend much time here in our "home away from home!"

I'm thinking maybe next time we'll stay at the Holiday Inn!

Festivalizing

Wow, I realized I haven't written a word in almost a month here... it's been a little busy around the soap kitchen this fall!

Our weekday afternoons and evenings have been filled with soapmaking and creating new, improved ideas for our festival booth... weekends have been dedicated to festivals.

After the Latta Plantation the first Saturday in October, we moved on to HILLarity Festival on the Hill in Chester, SC... It was more of a "street festival" than we had anticipated so our sales were not as great as we had hoped, but we met some great folks, made some great contacts, and learned some things. One thing we learned was if we are going to go to a variety of types of festivals we need to take products that will appeal to the various customers.

HILLarity Festival on the Hill, Chester, SC

The following week, October 23, we headed to the Upstate of SC, to Honea Path's Sugarfoot Festival... knowing it was most likely a street type festival, we had added some kid-friendly items and some "impulse" items to our list... I had made lots of food shaped earrings from polymer clay (a BIG hit with little girls and teens!) and my DH had come up with a marshmallow shooter that went over nicely with boys of all ages... we sold out of those! Of course, we are dedicated to soap and we did very well with that too! Honea Path is a great little "small town" place. The festival was fantastic, we will definitely go back next year! Felt like you were in the middle of Mayberry there... they started out the events of the day long festival with a singing of the National Anthem... hats were off all over town and everyone was quiet and respectful... afterwards a local pastor said a prayer, the mayor welcomed everyone and the fun began in earnest... What a great day in a great little town!

My DH spent the day kicked back in his chair, holding a marshmallow war with the fellow vendor across the street... they both shot marshmallows at many of the children as they passed by... I think it was their way of recapturing their own youth even though they both claimed it was a sales pitch to move those marshmallow shooters... Whatever.

An amusing tidbit from the day... a lady called over to my DH... "Hello, Bill!" then she walked closer and realized he wasn't Bill... "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were somebody I know, I was gonna ask you a question." says she... "Well, go ahead and ask me, let's see if I know what Bill knows" says DH... "Where are they selling those tall, tropical drinks?" she asks... DH points to a vendor booth nearby... the lady thanks him and starts to walk away... DH says, "Tell Bill I said Hello." Without missing a beat, the lady replies, "I sure will... that Bill's a nice fella."

Polymer Clay "Food" Earrings

Setting up shop for the day at Honea Path's Sugarfoot Festival

First weekend in November we're off to Western NC for the Foothills Highland Games in Hendersonville... super excited about it! And then in a couple weeks, Christmas Festival in Boone, NC. Busy fall season but we love it!