Feedback!

We've been forced, somewhat like a bird leaving the nest for the first time, back into attending markets and supporting ourselves this way. We had given up, two years previous, on the market life as we had grown tired, and health and heat were not complementary to each other. It was the week after we had just spent a few days camping down at our favourite beach side campsite that we received the news that our lives maybe altered due to jealousy and denial of ones abilities and the others lack there of.

We drove around for so long, north to unseen places we'd both spoken of yet hadn't time to visited; south, to places we felt we're home. We didn't know it at the time but our driving was us searching for clarity, some answers as to why it was happening to us, not really asking if it was happening to others. We talked a lot during these long drives. We verbally explored all our options, we released our anger on numerous occasions and we also looked forward to more time together.

The first market we attended was a successful on a few levels, monetary was not one of them. By the time costs were added up, fees paid etc, we were only in front about $100 we had spent close to $200 in fees, accommodation, petrol, stock etc. however, there was a valuable lesson we were learning. Evolve.

This was not just in the spiritual sense, the physical sense. It was with what we were creating. Stagnation in any form, in any circumstance was not an effective tool for growth.

We had returned to the market scene with some new stock, but mostly old. We were carefully listening to what customers had to say, the praise and the negative. We knew what direction to head and why.

With each event we attended our understanding expanded, our need to create grew. We were evolving.

After a few weeks we thought we were cruising by at a steady pace, boy were we wrong. One weekends worth of markets had wiped out all our reserves of cash. The running costs for that weekend had surpassed the costs of what we had taken in. Not just the finances but energetically we were at a low, mentally we were spent.

The last market for that weekend was the worst experience in market life we had had up until then. It was wet and miserable, we hadn't rested much from the market the night before and we had only intended on saying hello to the attendees. We had made just our site fees and anything else. Which normally would have been OK, however we were told that we were only welcome to attend the next market with less than 1/3 of our stock. Rick was not happy, I was too tired to comment.

Needless to say we haven't and are not intending on going to that market again.

There have been only a couple of negative comments that have crossed the lips of those people who have viewed our stall. I don't believe they were being malicious, more trying to keep to their own structured views of how their market should run, as well as their own experiences with similar but not the same products.

I find hilarity in some of these customers, or passer by-ers comments. One lady told Rick his wire work were made in sweat shops in Mexico and that it wasn't silver or gold or brass. She insisted she had seen his work at other markets, sold by other stall holders. At this point Rick was getting a little hot under the collar by this time. He replied, as calmly as he does. He politely as possible, told her that those jewellery pieces that she had assumed were mass produced were hand made, and he would know as he made those pieces. The lady had no reply and walked off in a huff.

At another market one lady came over, quiet, moving slowly, almost motionless, carefully perusing our crystals. And then she ranted about her experience, reprimanding us about our display, the various pieces we used or didn't use or didn't have proper explanations for it. Suffice to say she carried on, did purchase anything and totally changed the vibe at our stall. We didn't sell anything else after she left.

We've learnt that the vibe within our small space makes a lot of difference when it comes to people being attracted to our stock and wanting to purchase things for us. Our energy, the smiles on our faces, the mood we exudes, all helps. Most of all, don't let one narrow mind taint the whole day.