(Early morning dew on the grapes and fog in the hills as we arrived at the vineyard for the fair.)
The fair was definitely a mix for me, uncomfortable moments coupled with gratifying experiences connecting with neighbors from our association that I’ve never met, as well as people from as far away as Davis.
I attended the fair with my dear friend Lynette who sells gorgeous jewelry at a modest price. You can find her @Mjewelryus on Instagram, or Facebook and visit her shop here. We were fortunate enough to land booths next to each other.
I have written about Lynette before, a yoga instructor living in Cool, who I became friends with a few years ago; I subbed a few yoga classes for her. She also was one of the proofreaders for my book. Many thanks, Lynette. But if anyone finds errors, we’ll have to blame her. I’m moving on.
Luckily she was in the booth next to me, which made the weekend delightful. Lynette attracted just about every woman at the fair, along with a few men and a young girl buying something for her mom. The young girl spied a somewhat expensive piece that her mother would love. Of course, she had a fraction of the cost in her wallet. And as I would expect, Lynette sold the piece for what the girl could afford. Lynette crushed it this weekend, both in sales and human kindness.
Rick attended most of the fair with me, thank goodness. I love people and definitely have the gift of gab if I’m in the right mood, but selling, in general, is not my strong suit and especially selling me.
The first morning was a little challenging. No sparkling dangles to attract attention, a poster talking about “a yogini?” And me, not willing to push through my discomfort to sell that little yogini. I found a little humor in watching some of the passersby quizzically look at the poster and the book’s name. I could see them mouthing the word yogini? and then gently veer away. I took no offense.
Late morning my sweet friends/neighbors Janet and Laurin arrived with their mother Kathryn, 94 years young. I knew they would be coming to support me and enjoy the fair, and I was so happy to see their smiling faces heading for my booth. Finally, people I could talk to and not feel nervous. It was the turning point of the day. Janet and Laurin, of course, purchased my book and Kathryn, it turned out, loved Lynette’s booth, taking home a few lovely pieces of jewelry.
And just a few minutes later, Rick arrived. He’s got such a calming nature. Plus, he’s been in the hardware business his whole life, so he’s used to selling and talking to people. He eased in next to me, and for the rest of the weekend, he greeted people like it was his book. Once he snagged them in, I could take over and talk about the book. I learned a lot this weekend about selling and also about myself. Always something new to learn.
Sunday was much more comfortable from the get-go, and I enjoyed many conversations with people throughout the day. I had a young couple talk to me early on and then leave without buying a book. About an hour later, the husband (if they were married) came walking back to my booth. I looked at him in wonder, why are you back? He wanted to buy the book! I was so blown away that I couldn’t make my new little square work right. I finally had to ask him to Venmo me. Hilarious, my client had to help me figure out how he was going to pay me. Thankfully he was very kind. We laughed about home yoga since Covid and our cats making yoga a bit interesting. We had much in common.
I connected with a lovely woman, Dee Conway, two booths down selling her photography, www.deeconway.com. Remember from my post a few weeks back, I love Halloween and Alfred Hitchcock and The Birds, and my book published on Halloween?!
Dee was selling a beautiful photograph of a blackbird with one claw on the branch of a winter’s tree and one claw already in midair as it readied to take flight. There were a bit too many correlations for me to leave this fantastic photograph behind. And Rick being Rick, suggested Sunday morning as we were getting ready to go that we look into buying the picture. As I admire it now on our living room wall, I can’t help but think my angels (Rick being one of them) were sending a message that it’s my time to take flight.
Two patrons in particular made my weekend. One woman who bought the book on Saturday for a friend came back on Sunday to buy another copy for herself. She had started to peak through the pages and decided she wanted a copy also. I felt such gratitude.
And toward the end of the day on Sunday, Rick and I could hear the conversation between a patron and Lynette in her booth next door. The phrase we heard the woman say was “high-end hippy.” I leaned over to Rick and joked, “honey, do I qualify as a high-end hippy?” He thought probably I did. We both laughed. I thought this woman would breeze on by my booth as many people over the weekend had.
Instead, she stopped to ask about my book.
As we talked, she began to share her story. She had lost many of her loved ones, her son was critically ill, and she was now facing a life-threatening illness herself. I needed to take a yogini breath to formulate my response.
Before she left, we shared a moment, that connection that I believe is what life is all about. It lasted maybe two to three seconds, but it left me beyond grateful that I had written my little book and attended a local fair. Whether or not she likes my book or hates it once she has read it, is beside the point; my book is what brought us together.
Gosh, one weekend in, so many blessings, taking flight…
2 Comments
You’ve got this. It will get easier in time. Your book has a lot to offer on so many levels.
You’re a PUBLISHED author SELLING your book♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️