VivoCity Xmas Craft Market Post-Mortem 18th to 23rd December 2013

My Christmas market is over and I can pretty much sum it up as - the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good

- Catching up with craft market friends I've collected over the years. You know how with some friends, you don't meet outside the common place of interest?

- Getting visitors.

This is my Elven friend, Su. We met at Red Dot Design Museum years ago. Yes, my head is twice hers. So please don't adjust your monitor.

They came too but I didn't get any pics!
Angeline (also from Red Dot alumni)
Momshoo (another Red Dot alumni)
Mandy (another Red Dot alumni) - but I missed her visit because I was in the toilet a very long time (long story)
My sister Elaine

Hubs surprised me one day spending almost the whole day at the market with me on his day-off.

And both my kids came faithfully for 5 days to take over so mom could go have a nice meal at a coffeeshop.

- Getting food from friends

My hand model is Fa of Frozenfa.

This was wicked delicious. (I ate most of it)

There were a few more which I ate before I remembered to take pics.

The Bad

- Sales
This is my 3rd year doing the VivoCity craft market and my sales was not as good. I put it down to poor fengshui and a smaller stock/variety of bags. I did make money overall so no worries.

- Location, location, location

My table was at a no-man's land. There was not enough walk-in traffic. Still, I got enough sales each day that I didn't feel depressed. Walking space was tight and there was a small altercation between vendors over space. In a craft market, physical space is tightly guarded and tempers often flare when one feels another encroaches on her paid space. I dislike tension and confrontation and was really glad to have the opportunity to move to another location on the last two days. On Monday - the last day of the market  - I had fantastic sales. It made such a difference to be in a different location.

The Ugly

I think it was last Thursday. A group of gaudily dressed aunties came sashaying up to my table. I knew they were trouble right away. They laughed and joked and touched everything on my table. Of course they bought nothing. Before they left, one of them saw my ladybird hair clip. I have a small mirror on my table so customers could see how they look with my accessories. Almost like in slow motion, I watched in horror as the auntie pinned MY hairclip, the one she hasn't yet paid for on her hair. She looked at her image, laughed loudly and then pulled MY hairclip off her curly, curly permed hair and PUT IT BACK on my table. Then she sashayed off with her loud friends.

I was shell-shocked into silence and couldn't even utter an indignant "HELLO!". I was more consumed by another horrifying thought. I wondered if she had left any hair behind. On the hair clip. At that moment, hubs came and I told him my fears. He bravely went to look at the hairclip and lo and behold, there was a strand of hair.

Ladies and gent, I present to you - Exhibit A.

I've been selling hair accessories for a while now and not a single person has ever dared to clip their hair with my hair clips before paying for them. Isn't it common courtesy not to leave your DNA behind? What kind of world do we live in ...(alright, I'm done ranting)

Hope you guys enjoy the last few days of this year. If you celebrate Christmas, Merry Christmas to you. Peace to you. (anyone miss my peace sign?)

p.s. On Sunday I showed up at the market to discover someone (I'm guessing a kid) had left a small cow figurine on my table. I think it's my good luck charm because my sales that day was so much better than the other days. So thank you, little kid, whoever you are.