All this “bizarre” season, I’ve worked hard to keep my sense of humor.
It’s not easy being out there hawking books at a craft bazaar, and I’m grateful the organizers finally conceded that my books were, indeed, handcrafted and let me in.
So the process goes like this: Months ahead, I send in the table/space rental fee. Depending on the venue, this ranges from $35 for one day, to a whopping $185 for two and a half days. Then I make a motel reservation if the bazaar town is too far to commute (three or four weekends out of 10).
I load my “book mobile” with a dozen heavy totes of my books (well, duh!), along with holiday tablecloths, display stands, four easels on which to put advertising posters, and a tall, assembly-required , PVC pipe stand on which to hang my “JanBonoBooks” banner (thank you, Rick!).
I get together my money pouch, my “Square” credit card slider, my iPad (and pray they have strong wifi), and my business cards, although why so many take those is beyond me (it’s another $4.00 a book to mail them, and I’m right there, right now!)
After using a hand truck and making 5 or 6 trips into the bazaar building, I’m pretty exhausted, but I have yet to set up my booth. This takes awhile, and I have it down to a clear step-by-step process now. Once the booth is set up, I do the rounds and visit with other vendors, perusing their wares, and figuring what I’ll come back to purchase if I sell enough books!
And then… THEN comes the hardest part of all. As the shoppers hurry by, working hard to avoid eye contact, I have to engage them in conversation to slow them down. It’s no wonder that with a multi-day event I come home with only a partial voice!
But I meet a lot of people, some nicer than others, and some who even value reading! And at the end of the day, I’m always glad I went—almost as glad as I am the day is over!
And when it’s slow, particularly on Sundays (I don’t think ANY bazaar should be more than one day!), I amuse myself by taking selfies, or asking others to snap photos of me in my booth so I can post them on Facebook.
A couple weeks ago, I posted a photo of me in my Elf Hat. One person who replied with more than a “Like,” was an innocent victim of the damned Auto Correct, and instead of saying I had an “Elfish grin” it came out “Angelfish.”
Hey! I’ve seen lots worse Auto Corrections, so I’ll take it!