A Select Gathering

It was a select gathering of stalls at last nights Christmas Shopping Evening, at The Red Lion, Stiffords Bridge, near Malvern.
It was the first time I had been in The Red Lion, and I was struck by what a welcoming feel the pub had; recently refurbished following the awful floods, it still had the character of a country pub.
Judging by the spread put on by Sally, the landlady, it is definately a pub worth trying out for their food. Sally has a loyal following amongst her regulars, many of whom turned up last night.
Ochre And Ocre were there with Elaine from Glass On Glass, and Jo Verity, of Jo Verity Designs. We were there for a fundraising shopping evening in aid of Breast Cancer Haven. There were some fabulous prizes in the prize draw, as well as a gift wrapping service, with all proceeds going to the charity.
Our Honey Hand Lotion and Beeswax Terracotta pots were the most popular buys - both really good value, and unique gift ideas.

Shows are hard work - aside from lugging boxes of textiles and shelving around, its hard on your feet standing for several hours, and trying to get that balance with customer service.
Despite having training years at Fosters Menswear years ago, for my very first job, straight out of uni and wet behind the ears; when it comes to selling your own product it is quite hard. Selling a man and outfit is relatively simple - you can be fairly certain if he's in the shop he is intending to buy, unlike women who will surf the high street for that elusive item, and are still likely to go home empty handed.
The other advantage selling to men is that they are usually grateful for any help or advice, so you just need to establish the budget, the event, and putting together an outfit was relatively simple.
I find fairs and shows with Ochre And Ocre a completely different matter - spare a thought for the stall holder next time they ask if you want any help...I've had some sneering, curt rebukes, and more often or not been completely ignored. Often you feel invisible stood behind your stall. Yes, the customer is always right, but we can make the shopping experience more interesting if we can explain the provenance of the item. I hate hard sell myself, so would never do it to anybody else, but I do like to hear about the maker of the product, or what it is made from.
So I am currently steeling myself for our next Christmas Fair - and how to sell our products in the best way possible. After every fair thinking how can I improve my display? Get the message across about the provenance of the product without bombarding with signage. And gritting my teeth for the sneerers!
Personally I love shopping at small gift fairs, because you can pick up really unique gifts, often direct from the designer / maker, and support other small businesses.
So next time you are wandering around a show, why not smile at the stall holders? You might even get a discount!