wouldn't you know it, there was a blizzard! so, as i got up at 4:00 to prepare my sushi (cali rolls, roasted yam rolls & asparagus cream cheese rolls), i knew i shouldn't make too many, or we'd be eating sushi for the week!
for the 1st couple hours, people would glance at my booth, sometimes stop, but not buy. i was assured by the senior vendors that 'it takes a while to get going when you're new' and that with the weather, usually they only get the regulars first thing in the morning who beeline for their routine vendors.
so, by 10:00, i'm thinking, 'what the hell have i done?! i quit my job as en engineer, working on the 14th floor of a downtown bldg with a view of the river.............what a colossal error i've made in thinking i knew what people wanted to buy!'
then, they began to buy. i sold out of my sushi, sold out of my oat fudge bars (a vancouver staple that i replicated), sold a few of my guinness brownies (lots tried samples, but i think they suffered from sticker shock, even though my markup wasn't much on them, they were still $$), sold a FEW curries (i wasn't able to get it together to provide hot samples, which i think would have made a huge difference) and sold approx. 15 jars of cranberry mustard.
the most surprising thing is how natural it felt to be doing it - chatting with the people, telling stories about the recipes, etc. i really loved it.
yesterday i looked at a small (300 ft2) commercial space & put a deposit on it. pending financing, i plan on using it as a hub to do all my cooking for both the farmer's market & a lunch delivery service i intend on implementing, plus a have a storefront with a display case selling the same prepared foods. i already have one vendor from teh market who would like to rent the kitchen space part-time to make her products.
so, all is right in my world & seems to be falling into place smileys/smile.gif
for the 1st couple hours, people would glance at my booth, sometimes stop, but not buy. i was assured by the senior vendors that 'it takes a while to get going when you're new' and that with the weather, usually they only get the regulars first thing in the morning who beeline for their routine vendors.
so, by 10:00, i'm thinking, 'what the hell have i done?! i quit my job as en engineer, working on the 14th floor of a downtown bldg with a view of the river.............what a colossal error i've made in thinking i knew what people wanted to buy!'
then, they began to buy. i sold out of my sushi, sold out of my oat fudge bars (a vancouver staple that i replicated), sold a few of my guinness brownies (lots tried samples, but i think they suffered from sticker shock, even though my markup wasn't much on them, they were still $$), sold a FEW curries (i wasn't able to get it together to provide hot samples, which i think would have made a huge difference) and sold approx. 15 jars of cranberry mustard.
the most surprising thing is how natural it felt to be doing it - chatting with the people, telling stories about the recipes, etc. i really loved it.
yesterday i looked at a small (300 ft2) commercial space & put a deposit on it. pending financing, i plan on using it as a hub to do all my cooking for both the farmer's market & a lunch delivery service i intend on implementing, plus a have a storefront with a display case selling the same prepared foods. i already have one vendor from teh market who would like to rent the kitchen space part-time to make her products.
so, all is right in my world & seems to be falling into place smileys/smile.gif