Lakewood Holiday Bazaar Was Fun

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I spent yesterday from 7:30 am to 4 PM at my table at the Lakewood Community Center Holiday Bazaar. It was fun so the hours flew by.

 

Lisa joined me for about 90 minutes mid-day. She took some pix of me at the table and I took a few of the display. I’ll share them here:

 

 

 

I made excellent connections for future collaborations and made more than what it cost to rent the table and buy the treats and ornaments.

 

I’ll be editing  a manuscript for a woman who also had a table there. She has a transgender son (he’s good looking young man!), so she was thrilled to see I’d written about the topic. (Womb Man: How I Survived Growing Up in a Booby-Trapped World)

 

She wants to become a motivational speaker and has already written some. She’s a mental health counselor. Terrific lady!

 

She was also intrigued by my two self-help books, Settle For Best: Satisfy the Winner You Were Born to Be and Become Shamelessly, Fearlessly YOU: How to Stop Hiding in Plain Sight

 

At close of day, I gave her a copy of each of the books she fancied and she gave me a piece of man’s jewelry (a bracelet) that she made.

 

I sold three copies of DeForest Kelley Up Close and Personal: A Harvest of Memories from the Fan Who Knew Him Best, one copy Let No Day Dawn that the Animals Cannot Share and one copy of Become Shamelessly, Fearlessly YOU.

 

Several people asked about my copy and content writing and editing services and took cards for themselves or people they knew. Some took several to pass along as they run across people who mention needing a writer or editor.

 

I bought a handmade, fire-cooked pizza from the vendor who was there to feed the hungry hordes who attended. It was great pizza and the people who were making them were super friendly.

 

Lisa said when she went to get the pizza, one of the women in the pizza truck noticed her Dancing Goat Web Design sweatshirt and regaled her with checking off one of the items on her bucket list by helping someone catch a wayward pet wallaby! (Lisa got a couple of leads for websites, too! YAY!)

 

Yeah, I’ll confess: I spent every dime I made yesterday on pizza, colas, ornaments and come hither candy. But the connections I made were  far-reaching and will help me develop additional outreach, so was a successful outing, all things considered.

 

There was another woman at a table across the aisle from me who saw me arrive with my signage and books. She has a Trek-loving husband, so she called to tell him he’d better get come to the bazaar and take a look.

 

He did! Shan (pronounced “Shawn”) and I had a terrific conversation. He bought a copy of the De book (which is when I learned how his name is spelled and learned about his search for the nation that spells it that way: China!). We attended some of the same conventions and met some of the same Trek people. (Alas, he never got to meet De.)

 

Turns out Shan is a volunteer at several middle schools here in Tacoma, so I let him know I’ve visited middle schools to encourage kids who want to be writers to pursue their passion. He’s going to let the schools he volunteers at know I’m available.

 

A doctor stopped by, so I regaled her with some of De’s interactions with doctors and how he signed photos to them (“To the REAL McCoy from the REEL McCoy”). After I told her that, she said, “I married a doctor, too!”

 

She bought a De book and asked me to inscribe it to him, so I wrote “To Craig, the REAL McCoy from the personal assistant to the REEL McCoy.” She said he’ll love it!

 

The people who had tables on both sides of me were terrific, too. During lulls in foot traffic, we visited each other and watched over each others’ goods for potty breaks, food breaks, and roaming breaks.

 

The lady to my left was a photographer and writer who has lived on several continents. She loves it here and says she’ll never relocate again, not even back to her native  land.  Her nature photographs were absolutely stunning.

 

The gentleman to my right was a craftsman in wood. His stuff was exquisite and he sold a lot during the day.

 

We spoke a little bit about his display because when I asked him if he personalizes some things, he said he did and that there are examples on his website. But he had no backboard display or flier or handout showing additional work. All people could see were the half dozen items he had on his six foot table (for lack of display space).

 

I suggested that, because he does a lot of these events, he could set up his laptop to show additional pieces he’s done in a kind of loop, so people can imagine them in their homes, offices or cabins.

 

He thanked me for the ideas and admitted that marketing isn’t his forte. Nevertheless, he did all right with what he had there on display, and as items sold, he put another item on the table, so he never ran out of them, or of the interest that people displayed for his fine craftsmanship.  I just think he could do even better with a little extra display marketing. He was a wonderful guy!

 

It felt a little weird to sit still for an entire day on the very court where I usually work my heart out playing pickle ball three days a week for several hours at a time!  I felt like I was seriously flaking! HA HA HA HA HA

 

 

 

 

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Kris Smith

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