Tuesday 17 September 2013

CHOCOLATE PEANUTS AND THE DODGY WORLD OF CRAFT FAIRS

You might well be wondering what on earth is she talking about today, well....

The sudden drop in temperature has created a craving in me for chocolate and carbohydrates.  I think we may be in for a cold winter folks and a long one at that.  I read an article in one of the national newspapers last week that informed me that we are now in a situation of "global cooling" instead of the usual story of how the ice cap is melting and putting us all in danger, now last year apparently the ice cap didn't melt as much as usual thus keeping temperatures down and explaining why we have had so much cold weather last winter.  Does this mean that all the work we have done in the world to prevent the ozone layer from being damaged any further has helped? or does it just mean that nature is balancing itself out as it usually does when we humans have interfered too much. 

Anyhow I am sat here eating chocolate peanuts as I am writing this because I had a huge craving for them this morning.  I refuse to put the central heating on yet, it doesn't go on until late October or early November at Pure Inspiration towers because Im just too flippin mean to line the pockets of the gas company anymore than I have too.  The children can be seen wandering around in layers of clothes and wrapped in blankets until I give in.  The chickens are fluffed up outside, the guinea pigs are eating more than normal and the dogs are giving me reproachful looks as if its my fault that its getting colder.  For compensation I did tuck the cats up last evening with a blanket over them before I went to bed and judging by the position of the blanket when we got up this morning they hadn't moved much at all in the night.

The other part of the title refers to the world of craft fairs.  Since starting to sell my jewellery and now that my girls are older I have started selling my products at craft fairs locally and a little further afield.  I have found at these fairs that I have got to know some really lovely people and some not so lovely ones as is the way of humanity.  Its always a bit of a risk when you sign up to do a fair because of several reasons

1.  Does the person organising the fair have experience in their field?
2.  Has the venue been chosen with the needs of the sellers in mind? i.e. electricity points, ease of access for loading and unloading, and of course these days, wi fi access?
3.  Has the event been well advertised?

There is nothing worse than sitting all day in a draughty hall only to find that no one turns up because no advertising has been done.   Believe me Ive been there and its no fun.  Its probably worth checking the above points before considering booking a venue and if possible find out from other crafters who have attended previous events at the same location as to whether it was a success or not.

In many cases you are required to pay for your table or pitch up to six months in advance as competition can be pretty fierce for spaces.  What guarantee do you have therefore if the event is cancelled that you will receive a refund for your fees.  The answer is none and really there is nothing that can be done legally to retrieve £30 or £50 that might have been paid out.  No receipts are usually given for such bookings and no signature from the organiser so you are stumped. The legal fees alone would wipe out any monies you would get returned to you and you would end up out of pocket to a large sum so its best to just let it go.

For some large business' this probably isn't too much to lose but for the small, independent crafter it can be a large chunk of money not to mention the loss of the venue which you were hoping would have brought in enough money to cover your pitch costs and more to give you funds for new materials and everyday living. 

Then there is always the question of whether the organiser can be trusted, I have seen too many cases where the money is taken the venue is promised and then nothing materialises and the organiser disappears with everyone's cash.  I have not experienced this first hand I have to say but it happens a lot.  Luckily word does get around and once you get onto the craft fair circuit you do tend to get warned off certain people so know not to fall prey to anything similar.

So points to consider for those of you thinking about getting into craft fairs.  I enjoy my fairs and do so with the help of family who keep an eye on the girls for me whilst I go. 

Coming up to Christmas I have quite a few fairs booked and am hoping they will be profitable, with the majority of them I know the organisers and most of the people who will be attending so am confident that everything will be fine and I shall keep you all posted as to how things go.

Have a good rest of the day everyone, till next time.

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