The Pink Shoe Diaries

If there is one thing I learned from my craft fair experience on Saturday, it's old people don't give a f*ck.

First of all, there is something to be said for looking before you leap. When I was researching possible craft fairs to attend for Jenny and I, I focused only on two things: A) the price of renting a table and B)whether the craft fair was located in what I deemed to be a "monied" town. So when the most inexpensive table rental also happened to be located at a fair in one of the richest towns around here, I felt like it was my lucky day. I realized too late that what I thought was a condo complex was really essentially a nursing home.

Word to the wise: If you are unsure whether the condo-looking building you are in is a retirement community/assisted living complex? Check the bathroom. The "Pull this string if you need help" is usually a sign.

In any case, we tried to be positive figured that the older crowd may be more likely to buy fun holiday type things from two young girls trying to make it in the world.

Spending money on our wares? Not so much. Doling out unsolicited business advice? Well, we got that in SPADES.

First there was the woman who touched all of my ornaments, held them up, played with them, and then scoffed that she has way too many ornaments as it is and definitely doesn't need more. Than there was another woman who told me I would have had better luck if I had made my ornaments into earrings, because of course everyone is dying for 6 inch beaded christmas trees to adorn their ears this season. Most infuriating of all was the same few women who would come to our table repeatedly and take handfuls upon handfuls of the mints we had so nicely put out, but pay no attention to our wares. Hello? If you are going to eat $5 worth of our soft mints I expect some purchasing to be going on. Those mints are a contract, grandma.

I'm not really bitter. It was more funny than anything else. And as the old adage goes "At least I got a blog post out of it".

In the end, I made my money back and a $10 profit. Woo Woo! Who wants to go to Foxwoods with me? We are going to try to go to another fair in December with maybe a more diverse crowd. And in the meantime some of my coworkers took pity on me and bought up many of my remaining ornaments. Because isn't that what the holidays are all about - Guilting people you know into spending money on you?

Right.




Charming, right?