Slaley Show

About four weeks ago, my better half spotted signs for the village fair at Slaley. After making enquires about exhibiting there, I was informed it was full. However, last weekend while at the market I had mentioned in previous posts, a message had been left that some folks had dropped out and space was available. While it was short notice, I decided that it was worth taking the opportunity and attending.

While the village is in a much more affluent location than my village, as I don’t believe it is ever wise to stereotype, there was a good chance that I could do reasonably well there. The main reason for my thinking was simply that there were likely to be more people than at the markets I had attend thus far. This assumption proved to be correct.

However, before going there, I had several days of preparation to make, blending and bagging up the herbs and spices. All this went well, and while it can be slow at times, as I have to be very careful about hygiene, I actually got all the preparation done and still have time to relax the night before. Now relax does not mean going out and getting drunk, but a relaxing bath and nice cooked meal knowing that everything is prepared.

Come the morning, I am up just before the alarm goes off, and the bus was on time, making the connection all in good time. So what could go wrong. Well overnight there had been heavy rain, but even that was not a real problem, as the ground was still firm and I was undercover. My only problem was that my better half had offered to print off my price lists. This she did, but had failed to actually bring them.

This is where some quick thinking and being flexible pays off. As while folks will buy on the day especially if they see something they know they want to try or just need, most people are overwhelmed by the array of spices and need time to think about what they want to buy. So I offered to email them a copy of the list. Now while I can not know until or if people order, I seemed to be getting a very positive reaction from most of the people I spoke to. While there are some people who will not give out their email address, and I can fully understand why, as so many of the items I sell are not easy to obtain, I actually found some folks that were saying please don’t forget to mail them the copy.

Therefore while it was something that went a little bit array, engaging with people made for something that was more positive. In terms of cash taken on the day, I failed to sell as much as I would have liked, it is possible that I will have won some loyal customers. While I was beginning to loose my voice by the end, it was a lot of fun too. After all, apart from eating it, talking with other people who are passionate about food too is always good fun.

Also by the end of the day, the sun had come out too. I had intended to take my camera, but my better half said she would be bringing hers. Well that was with the price lists. I still love her.