Setting up a Bazaar

Setting up for the bazaar was a real challenge at first, but now we have it down to a science...well, almost! 
 
The first year we piled things on the bed, put a huge old rag rug down on the garage floor to cover the oil stains, draped the garage walls with yards of cloth, and used whatever we could find for displays.  We were going on the idea that the space was perfect for a bazaar.  We even had a phone line and a bathroom. 

 

Bedroom

 

 

Walls draped with cloth

                                                                                                                                                                                                  

I didn't even draw a plan for vendor locations until the 3rd year!  It sure seems like it takes me long time to learn!  But each year has become a bit better and more professional.

In a rather haphazard way I thought about these things, but can now enumerate them as vital:

• Entrance
• Exit
• Traffic flow
• Check out station/wrapping
• Telephone line for credit card machine
• Holding area
• How to incorporate existing furniture
• Where to store personal items removed for the sale
• Bathroom
• Tables or display items
• Table covers
• How to hang items for sale
• Which vendors go where

 

 

+Vicki Perkins at the Checkout Station

Recipe for chili cheese squares

I have mentioned that we have a great party the evening before the bazaar opens to the public.  All vendors must be set up before that, so the party is the impetus to keep people moving!  Each vendor may bring up to 3 guests, and they get to shop while we get to know our cash registers and credit card machine once again.  Most vendors bring an appetizer to share, and house guests provide the staples for the evening.  Here's a great recipe for an appetizer that everyone loves!

 

Green Chili Cheese Squares

Use 9X13 glass baking dish, spray with light layer of PAM

Layer canned whole green chilies (split open with seeds removed) on bottom of baking dish

Alternate with generous layer of shredded cheese (I use Costco Mexican style shredded blend of 5 cheeses)

Repeat

Whisk 4 eggs, 4 tbl. milk and 2 tbl flour.

Pour over top.

Bake at 350 for about 40 min until firm.  Cut into squares small enough to pick up with fingers.

You can prepare dish without egg mixture and leave in refrigerator, adding egg mixture just before cooking.  It does warm well.

 

 

 



6 Faithful Vendors

We have had six faithful vendors who have been with us since 2007, our first year. 

+Nancy Varekamp, a crafter from Portland, OR, has produced different crafts to support our efforts.  The first few years she provided traditional  sugar eggs.  Do you remember them as an Easter novelty?  She made sugar eggs as ornaments with Christmas themes to fit into our holiday bazaar, but there were few takers.  However, she has an active following for them on e-bay. Her name there is sugarkeepsakes.  She has them available between the first day of Lent through Good Friday.  After trying the sugar eggs, she became adept at making candle rings and wreathes from cones.  She continues to be a wonderful asset to our weekend.

+Alan Seidenfeld, a part-time Portlander, provides very reasonably priced jewelry for those who want something different.  He began with unusual hand-made jewelry from other countries, but quickly moved on to creating his own unique pieces.  The colors are electric and the designs flow.  Each cuff, necklace, earring set, or watch is one-of-a-kind, and he still maintains the reasonable prices.  You can find his jewelry at seasidemagicjewelry.blogspot.com. 


+Becky Mizell, from Seaside, has shown her beautiful polymer clay miliflori (a million flowers) every year.   The pieces are one-of-a-kind, representing aspects of nature.  The design is not painted, but is made entirely of clay. In the earlier years she applied this technique to many items - journal covers, eyeglass holders, scissor holders, and more. She has become extremely skilled and artistic in creating all   kinds of jewelry and buttons.  You can find her at Beckysuecreations.com or at etsy.com/shop/beckysuecreations.

Denise White, a friend from Portland, has made everything from handmade paper ornaments to party picks to ocean-themed frames.  I have no idea how she finds the time, since she is a full-time nurse for a well-known oncologist.  She even sent boxes of items the year she broke her leg and was in a wheelchair!  We certainly appreciate her loyalty.



+Carol Allen, as co-chair of this bazaar, felt she needed to put in her two cents worth, so has supported it each year with a variety of items.  Carol has made pillows, table cloths, lavender sachets, catnip toys and dog snacks among other things.  Carol's offerings are one of the reasons we're able to say that there's something for everyone, with many of her items selling for under $5.

 

And then there's myself, who is more of an organizer than a crafter.   However, every year I have tried to offer something to round out the bazaar.  As I have said in a  previous post, people love food!  So that has been my most successful item.  I love the current container, but I bought every one from Michael's within a 50 mile radius of Portland and will have to select something else soon.  I did find this same container online, but have to buy 1000 wholesale!  Help!!


So that makes our original 6 vendors.  Thanks for the loyalty!

Something "Needed" is Something Purchased

As we get closer to the holidays, bazaars in Portland are plentiful, so I had to select a couple that sounded promising.  One was "A Formal Affair" sponsored by Handmade NW, a collection of artists and crafters who are previously selected to be part of the group.  If the artist is part of the group, then s/he can apply to participate in one of their shows.  This show had over 100 vendors, many jewelers, but most of the jewelers were too similar.  When I see that many beautiful pieces, I tend not to buy anything because I really don't need any jewelry. 

I did buy a hand woven kitchen towel.  I love these towels because they wash so beautifully and come out of the dryer looking brand new.  This is something I have needed.  Let's see, we don't have any hand woven items.  Maybe I'll send her an invitation to participate in our bazaar.


I went on to the Laurelhurst Holiday Bazaar held at a school.  Laurelhurst is a lovely established neighborhood with beautiful old homes and mature landscaping, so it sounded promising, but again it wasn't anything that dazzled me.  There were lots of vendors and lots of customers - too many.  I did find these unusual cluster pots that were so reminiscent of shapes in nature.  Lo and behold the potter is a diver who was inspired by undersea coral.  And suddenly I found that I needed a cluster pot, though I certainly didn't know going in that I needed these cute little pots.  Now I just have to decide how to justify it.  Will I give it as a gift?  Use it myself?  In the kitchen?  Bathroom?  Living room?  Fill it with tiny plants?  Paper clips?

Maybe I can get her to be part of the Seaview Manor Bazaar next year.  The pots are unusual - I've never seen anything like them; they would add variety; they're beautifully done; they are colorful; and there are a lot to choose from...just my criteria for making our bazaar something special.

Data, continued

So we analyzed:
     1.  Big jump in # of customers in 2010.  Why?  Guess:  My sister Billi organized a major postcard distribution blitz
     2.  Sun. sales high in 2008, low in 2009.  Why?  Guess:  The vendors bought most of the items in 2008 on Sunday.  Our tally indicated no customers on Sunday.  2009 was a bust.
     3.  Sales have almost doubled in 7 years.  Why?  Guesses:  More customers, people come prepared to spend money, or the economy has improved.
     4.  For several years our greeters also asked customers how they had heard about us and kept a tally of that information.  The answers were varied, but many responded with "postcard."

And we made some decisions:

     1.  Extended hours were not worth the few sales.  Most sales occur between 10 am and 4 pm.  No more Sundays; no more extended hours.
     2.  For our space, the number of vendors should be between 27 and 30.  Otherwise it starts looking messy.
     3.  Postcard delivery just before the bazaar to restaurants, hotels, etc. is vital, so we designate people to do that.  And we continue to distribute during the bazaar.
     4.  Continue all advertising - newspapers, signs, posters, postcards...definitely the postcards, so now we order 5 - 6,000.

Collecting Data

Here's what I know about data:
     1.  Data makes the marketing business go 'round.
     2.  Data is kind of a pain to collect.
     3.  Data can give us a picture of what has happened and what we can expect.
     4.  Data can help direct our resources.

So here's some data on the bazaar:

               Vendors               Customers           Sun. Sales            Total Sales

2007            23                           ?                          ?                          $6,813

2008           29                          175                     $1,570                 $6,354

2009           28                         230                        $206                 $6,976

2010           30                          313                       - - -                      $9,818

2011            33                          304                       - - -                    $11,100

2012           28                          367                      - - -                       $13,081

2013           30                          360                      - - -                      $13,386

So you get the idea.  You can see that we hadn't even considered collecting data the first year other than how many vendors and how much money.  But we wanted to know more.  We had our greeters tally the number of people who came - by the hour!  That info helped us when we extended the hours two different years.  And Carolyn kept a spread sheet of the money each day. 

More about what the data meant to us in my next post.

Bygone arts and crafts - at least gone from the Seaview Manor Bazaar

I miss the wonderful arts and crafts we have offered in the past.  Sometimes vendors move on to larger venues; sometimes they move out of the area; sometimes they just get tired of doing whatever it is they were doing.

Here are some of my favorite items from years past:

Whatever art project +Rikki Fernald focuses on is beautifully done, like this mask.  But her real love is making jewelry. The wire-wrapped bird's nest is done in silver and pearls.  We love to have her join us when she can.  You can find her at  myred2lips.etsy.com. We miss her!

 

+Doris Dunn, a Seaside, OR, artist, manages to transform old window sashes and other woods into works of art.  Her use of shells and ocean themes makes the items perfect beach décor.  She is now devoting her time to other charities and helping her husband establish his business.  We miss her!

 

These sweaters are a perfect example of many items to choose from:  sizes, designs, colors.  +Carrie Hansen felts the sweaters, then adds the whimsical characters - lots of them - ladybugs, flowers, whales, frogs, and many more.  Carrie used to be located in Cannon Beach, OR, but has since moved out of the area.  We miss her!