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I've been to some pretty lousy craft shows in my time but yesterday really took the biscuit!!
We have a huge agricultural college nearby and every year they host a day called the town and country day. I went last year and the weather was so hot that people just walked into the marquee and were hit by such heat that they turned and walked out. When we had arrived the tables were just dumped in the middle and you took one and set up yourself. I was in too minds whether to bother going again but I guess I thought it can't be worse..... Well I guess I thought wrong.
It began to get worrying a few weeks ago when we discovered that the college had sold the event to a food company who promote yorkshire food. They then took over all advertising and crafts etc got no mention. A phone call or two later left us feeling confident that matters would be sorted so at 7am we rolled up and were sent miles through the college grounds to a small building at the back. it contained three classroom set up as classrooms! There was no official there, no indication of how many people would be coming, how they wanted to set up the room etc. For three quarters of an hour we sttod around waiting until anger erupted and we took matters into our own hand and cleared the rooms and allocted tables etc among ourselves. To be fair most of the stall holders were really lovely. we all mucked in together. There was one woman who just moved two tables into a place infront of the door. put her stuff on them and sat there watching the rest of us including a very elderly lady with arthritis who did her best to help. My friend who has been doing every craft show going told her that she would have to move and allocated her a table set up in the adjacent corner to me. All the stall were fairly spaced and positioned now but she still had to get a third table!! and covered it up with her cloths as the rest of us were bringing our stuff in. Anyway we went about setting up. other crafters kept arriving and soon it became obvious that there were not enough tables so as usual people who spare pasting tables etc lent them out. Overall it showed just how cooperative and kind people can be.
We had to produce our own signs and stick them outside the venue to show where we were. The weather was freezing and so we had quite a crowd through, but they had not brought money for a craft show and were mainly browsers. about an hour into the show i started to smell a revolting smell. At first I put it down to being an agricultural college, but when people stood next to my stall and I could see them saying to one another whats that smell? I began to worry. I checked all over my stall but could not tell where it was coming from. I went and got my friends who also had stalls and they came over to see what was going on. It was the woman and her son who had now arrived with a dog. They really stank and it just got worse and worse as the day went on and then they started to row. It wasn't discreet!! it was full blown public. He was complaining that they hadn't sold anything. The only thing they did sell were chocolate covered apples on sticks....so goodness knows how the children of east yorkshire are suffering this morning!
At the end of the day they left early and left food and cans and rubbish all over the place.
Anyway if you are thinking this sounds like a disasterous day here is the worst part..... there were 28 stalls.... 8 of them were full jewellery stalls and 5 had jewellery and other products. Two of the jewellery stalls were ready mades. one claimed she made it all herself but I have seen whole sale sites selling the same amber products and she had no idea about techniques etc.
By the time I got home I felt dreadful andhad a migraine. The smell was so overpoowering that everything on my stall has been washed this morning and my clothes are currently in the washer. I am not going next year and would not recomend it as a venue.
And if you are still reading this you deserve a medal.
Well that's my griping over.
(on the good side though, I have had an email this morning from a lady who saw a piece of jewellery yesterday and had no money with her so there is light at the end of the tunnel!)
We have a huge agricultural college nearby and every year they host a day called the town and country day. I went last year and the weather was so hot that people just walked into the marquee and were hit by such heat that they turned and walked out. When we had arrived the tables were just dumped in the middle and you took one and set up yourself. I was in too minds whether to bother going again but I guess I thought it can't be worse..... Well I guess I thought wrong.
It began to get worrying a few weeks ago when we discovered that the college had sold the event to a food company who promote yorkshire food. They then took over all advertising and crafts etc got no mention. A phone call or two later left us feeling confident that matters would be sorted so at 7am we rolled up and were sent miles through the college grounds to a small building at the back. it contained three classroom set up as classrooms! There was no official there, no indication of how many people would be coming, how they wanted to set up the room etc. For three quarters of an hour we sttod around waiting until anger erupted and we took matters into our own hand and cleared the rooms and allocted tables etc among ourselves. To be fair most of the stall holders were really lovely. we all mucked in together. There was one woman who just moved two tables into a place infront of the door. put her stuff on them and sat there watching the rest of us including a very elderly lady with arthritis who did her best to help. My friend who has been doing every craft show going told her that she would have to move and allocated her a table set up in the adjacent corner to me. All the stall were fairly spaced and positioned now but she still had to get a third table!! and covered it up with her cloths as the rest of us were bringing our stuff in. Anyway we went about setting up. other crafters kept arriving and soon it became obvious that there were not enough tables so as usual people who spare pasting tables etc lent them out. Overall it showed just how cooperative and kind people can be.
We had to produce our own signs and stick them outside the venue to show where we were. The weather was freezing and so we had quite a crowd through, but they had not brought money for a craft show and were mainly browsers. about an hour into the show i started to smell a revolting smell. At first I put it down to being an agricultural college, but when people stood next to my stall and I could see them saying to one another whats that smell? I began to worry. I checked all over my stall but could not tell where it was coming from. I went and got my friends who also had stalls and they came over to see what was going on. It was the woman and her son who had now arrived with a dog. They really stank and it just got worse and worse as the day went on and then they started to row. It wasn't discreet!! it was full blown public. He was complaining that they hadn't sold anything. The only thing they did sell were chocolate covered apples on sticks....so goodness knows how the children of east yorkshire are suffering this morning!
At the end of the day they left early and left food and cans and rubbish all over the place.
Anyway if you are thinking this sounds like a disasterous day here is the worst part..... there were 28 stalls.... 8 of them were full jewellery stalls and 5 had jewellery and other products. Two of the jewellery stalls were ready mades. one claimed she made it all herself but I have seen whole sale sites selling the same amber products and she had no idea about techniques etc.
By the time I got home I felt dreadful andhad a migraine. The smell was so overpoowering that everything on my stall has been washed this morning and my clothes are currently in the washer. I am not going next year and would not recomend it as a venue.
And if you are still reading this you deserve a medal.
Well that's my griping over.
(on the good side though, I have had an email this morning from a lady who saw a piece of jewellery yesterday and had no money with her so there is light at the end of the tunnel!)
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