It's not just organizing my inventory lists, pricing items, and finishing up new pieces. Well, it is all that, but that and a lot more, especially for this upcoming market. Let's start a little simply and talk about the inventory lists. I create a spreadsheet for market that includes tabs for Porch Productions (furniture and accessories that I have completed), FAT Paint, Heavenly Sugar (body and lip scrubs this time), and one for other items. The "Other Items" sheet consists of what we in the bidness like to call "smalls". "Smalls" are items that we didn't create and usually haven't worked on in any way. For example, here are some smalls from my last market:
"Smalls" can be found almost anywhere--yard sales, estate sales, thrift stores, consignment stores, and sometimes from my own personal items.
"Smalls" add character and more pops of color to what could be rather bland if all you have to show are large pieces of furniture. I never have a problem with "not enough color", which is obvious if you have seen my work. I tend to buy "Smalls" that I would want in my own home. I kept a few of these items myself, so I suppose I was right! Buying "Smalls" isn't just a one-day event--it can take months to amass just the right amount of them, so it's an ongoing process (even when I am taking a month off from market, which I am doing for the month of July).
Doing the inventory on my FAT Paint and Heavenly Sugar is pretty much a breeze, since my orders come with invoices and I check off items as I sell them either through the porch or at our new location in Brown's Crossing Antique Mall. I'm really excited about all of the samples of FAT Paint I will have at this month's market--both the quarts and samples go fast, and I am just thrilled with the response we have received from customers who have purchased and tried it. It's a little overwhelming. I'm also excited to be offering Heavenly Sugar lip scrubs as well. As soon as my order for this market arrives, I am picking one out for myself and putting it to the test!
The Porch Productions inventory is a little more time-consuming. As I finish a piece, I try to go back over my purchasing spreadsheet and total up what it should sell for (purchase price, materials used, labor). Most of the time, I do not do that as I should. So, for market, I go back over everything and enter a sale price in the Porch Productions spreadsheet. I also enter the lowest possible price I can take, because people will ask me, "What is the lowest price you will take?" Just like the desk cost blog, I usually lose on my labor. Thankfully this is a labor of love!
This next task is not only time-consuming, it's a workout. For this upcoming market, I am delving into my immense stash of fabric. It would be nice if I had thought to measure it and mark it with those measurements when I closed my children's boutique in 2009, but nope--didn't do that, either. I have been spending hours folding, measuring (both yardage amounts and widths), and then making a master list of them all. Before we load up, I will tie them all up with four-cross ribbon and add price tags. I tend to have between 4 and 10 yards of a fabric, so I am hoping that with it being both "sanding season" and doing all of this fabric, my upper arms are going to be a-mazing by the time the Summer is over...
This is just some of my stash (hoarded) of fabrics. Someone should really have intervened at some point.
I don't generally have a "least price I will take" on fabrics, as most of them were purchased wholesale, and I sell them for just a tiny bit North of wholesale price. Forget trying to figure out what I paid for shipping if they were ordered. Oy vey.
It's a lot of work to get ready for a market and the days can be verrrrry long, but if it goes well, it can be an awesome way to sell a lot of items in a very short period of time. There are so many people that would never have had the chance to see my stuff otherwise. People come from hours away each month to visit Scott Antique Market!
If you are in the area (or even not), come out and see us June 6-9. We will be located in the South Building, Row I-5, Booths 5640 and 5641. Hours are Thursday (12:45-6), Friday & Saturday (9-6) and Sunday (10-4).
Off we go!
