I guess I had a Flea Collar on...

As I’m still keeping an eye out for a fulltime job…or at least an almost fulltime job…or any job really, I still continue to show up at Art Fairs with my big recyclable grocery bags in hand. They are the perfect size to carry around my jewelry and displays with room for snacks.
Last weekend my new jewelry buddy and I split a booth at the Nashville Flea Market. Boasting thousands of visitors a month, we were stoked and also a bit nervous we wouldn’t have enough inventory. We spit the $110 fee which included 2, 8ft tables so I left my little 4 footer at home and my fellow crafter refrained from bringing her 6 foot folding table with the lumps in the middle from the Prehistoric Era.

We set up our tables at 6:45 AM on Friday amidst no one else in the building. I was beginning to think that the 7am start time was just a goal not a rule. They had just installed a new ac unit in our building after it went out last month and cooked all the vendors inside. I guess they were trying to freeze out the vendors this month as I could have stored all my refrigerated food under my table. My hot coffee seemed to turn to iced coffee almost instantly.
Here I am…you can’t see my cute outfit as I had to wear my emergency not cute velour jacket to keep the frost bite at bay.



Across from our table was the concession stand…not open of course. The hot dogs and pretzels were a great deal but the beer seemed a tad high.




It became an ungoing joke with me and the other vendors about the $27 beer. Later when the concession stand did open they realized someone had played a little joke and got a ladder to fix the numbers. The .50 cent hot dog became $4.00 and the beer came down to $7 and I became a non customer. =P

The Flea Market boasts 2,000 vendors…what they don’t mention is 1,995 of those vendors are selling the same crap. I saw the same Zebra print bag with a peace sign on it wherever I went. I thought it might be following me…like the ghost of bad fashion. It was a slew of Antique dealers and people with embroidery machines. It was actually a great place for antiques and I may go back when I have a house to furnish…the salt and pepper shaker selection alone….but as a vendor…never again. I counted about 3 booths were people sold hand made jewelry even though the organizer rolled her eyes when we told her our product and said, “oh gawd, everyone has jewelry”. Really? Everyone? The guy selling old mouthwash and Midol didn’t seem to have any.

The booths surrounding us were as follows: guys selling computers….also newbies and in the wrong venue, a man selling baby clothes and toys featuring Winnie the Pooh, and a man refinishing bathtubs. I became friends with all these guys. If it weren’t for these guys and their constant jokes and stories, I would have lost my mind. That and the big ass coffee I drank.

My new “Bee Love” bobby pin sets!! I made new packaging for the weekend that I thought was mighty cute, alas I only sold two. It wasn’t a “hair jewelry’ kind of clientele unless they were of the “scrunchy” variety.



My partner in over supplying the world in jewelry had to work on Friday so I was all by my lonesome. By Saturday, she had gotten really sick and had to come in late. I was fine, I had my constant joke factory around me. It was like hanging out with all my Uncles. I talked the computers guys into stacking their boxes like a Fort…they had nothing else to do. Oh….I didn’t take a picture of that. Rich came up for part of the day but was soon bored out of his mind and had to leave. When my jewelry Comrad arrived I walked around the Market…for research. I ended up buying a desk and matching chair for $25.



The guy was from Kentucky (or as my friend calls it “Kensucky”) and even loaded it up in my car for me, making me rethink my negative prior comments about the Flea Market. The Flea Market ROCKS!! I’ll be back when I’m I need of monogrammed baseball caps and dog clothes. ..which is often.