dh and the bubble machine...
WE ARE ALL READY FOR THE garden party .....its our annual spring event....its always been great with 6 to 800 coming ...who knows this crazy year....but we are totally committed and prepared for THEM AND HOPE THEY DO COME .
to put it on we have spent ABOUT $3000
3500 stamps
3500 post cards....we printed
FOOD
20 FLATS OF PLANTS ... each customer gets a little 4 pack...
PAPER AND RADIO ADS
WE HAVE FLUFFED UP THE STORE AS WELL AS POSSIBLE,
... ITS A STOREWIDE SALE, ABOUT 20% OFF,
...WEVE USED OUR MAILING LIST...WHICH WE DO 4 TIMES A YEAR..
...AND OUR EMAIL LIST.....
..AND WE ARE PACKED FULL OF SPRING AND SUMMER INVENTORY....
THE GARDEN IRON REALLY LOOKS GREAT AND ITS SOMETHING THAT ALMOST ANYONE WOULD HAVE A PLACE FOR....
im so convinced on mailing list and events...its sure worked for us.... we have people griping if they dont get their invitation..i blame dh of course.... the thing is, the event has to be worth coming to....and i think this one hits the season just perfect...
i never go for spur of the moment events.... or sales .....and i dont go for coupons,,,somehow our customers never respond to them...and i sure wouldnt personally...
i hate the money and work of the snail mail....but this has worked so well i am very leery of changing anything...
this year has been pretty scary ...people just arent spending right...so i will be so glad if we reach last years sales...
DAY ONE....it was our best friday ever with about 100 sales.... so that felt good.. the biggest days are usually sat and sunday, sometimes monday..so if that follows thru we will be happy campers...several problems.....we dropped a small blookcase on the way to someones car.....we missed some parts to something for our biggest customer of the day....it was for his new store...
my workers feel horrible when this kind of thing happens , or at least act like it...lol.. but we all hate it ... i have a pretty big problem with one of them ....it would be a lot easier if you didnt get to know them...and care about them...and how bad they need the job etc etc...
the free plants were popular.......2 of the big signs 6 ft signs we made this winter went to a big fancy store.
..worst of all , one of jons kids got a broken arm , trampoline accident, and has to have it operated on this morning.....he was in the hospital all night....
fun customers of the day....she told me about chatting in a funeral line with another antiquer about have you been to greenoak? thats kind of sick....but natural junker talk....
my nicest phone call was from an old buddy seeing if i had anything for him..hes called me about once a month for over 2 decades....oh dear.......i get him antique gold and he gets me junk , to him anyway, useless watch parts..... we had a laugh on that one....hes over 80 and into the good stuff....he wouldnt understand my etsy...lol... http//:www.gypsymarket.etsy.com where i sell old enamel watch dials.. ...ive sold to him for 28 yrs, im trained to save all the good victorian jewelry for him....this year i got him a 4500$ pile of antique watch parts... so i have a lot of brownie points with him.....
he drove 2 hrs on the spur of the moment when i called him and said do you want to see a big pile of watches and parts..you have to come right now..? he said yes... ....i was with the owner and didnt want to invest that much..i knew it was good but not that good from my knowledge level on antique watches........ he came and i remember him asking his wife, do you have 4000 $ on you? she said well no...almost tho.....i guaranteed his check so it worked out great....it was about 60 boxes of parts...
im rambeling, but hes what business is about to me....active, successful and still loving it into any age he can get t o.... and the nice part, hes in his 80s and im in my 60s so ive always felt kind of young and perky around him....
Day 2.....great turnout but no big sales....120 sales....nicest comment,...everybody loves greenoak..i know thats not reality...but it was so sweet of her to say it.... .we really do have wonderful customers....
a good day but no oldtimers spending hundreds ....
a couple of things i stocked up on because they sold so well last year havent sold well at all.... go figure..... i do keep a detailed record of these events....
2 old ladies griped becasuse we didnt have the wonderful amish flowers we had last year....
saw our little grandson in the hospital....sickening....hes ok but wont have the summer he thought....no sports or swimming for a long time...
Day THREE...... CROWD UP SALES DOWN..... we had about 120 sales..... at about 50$ each....what hurts is no big wholesale buyers and very few furniture buyers..... thats the big hurdle we are facing.. retail is holding back a bit....and wholesale is about gone ...
we did great on smalls and garden iron...and im needing to reorder quite a bit...the texas trash to treasure, neat junk art flowers, and not cheap!!!! from the springfield show has been a big hit...
last day about 100 sales....and a couple ofver 500$
probably 6 to 700 people thru...
final numbers....down about 5% with hardly any wholesale or big buyers ..
thats a yippie....maybe there is hope for this year yet....
5 comments:
Hope it was a good weekend! We were busy...looking good for the season!
Susan
www.thedutchrose.blogspot.com
Hey Ann -- Glad to hear that it went well! Sandy/rhubarb reign
Sounds as if overall things went well! Everyone I know having events have been doing well! (fingers crossed!)
I know people are looking for something fun to do that's not too far or too expensive. My show is in a couple of weeks. I'm on a much, much smaller scale than you, but hope I have as good as luck as you!
Love to look at all your pictures!
Laurie
wow...what a garden party you threw! What you do and love works, bet your customers loved it, what a great time to spend the holiday at your place. Be glad about the sales, my dh works the big memorial day sales, mandatory, and he is use to selling 30,000 in three days, only sold 18,000...so here in Utah some annual sales were down.
Your on a big roll...hope your grandson is going to be alright, goodness. And...your husband has to have a bad back, does he? Mine could not do that anymore. I kill him off with what we do and our acre yard. I cant believe I havent stopped in here on the business blog since may 10th...its that busy time of year, the one that we love!
well, again, you know I would have been there! brenda
dh does the counter....i try and keep him from carrying....but hes hard to stop sometimes...
ann
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