It’s Tuesday, the SF Gift Show is over and I have to say that though I didn’t write many orders (I wasn’t pushy enough my new friend Laurie told me), I did make lots of good contacts that I plan to convert to orders. I’m learning the nuances of working a gift show. However the summer season of shows are nearly over and I won’t be schlepping my wares at a show again till Winter season (beginning in January). I decided against having a booth at the Seattle show and just showing up instead that week. I hope to call ahead and make some appts with people at stores that I think might be interested in the line. I’m also very excited that I reconnected with Julie Morgan of J Morgan and Assoc. Julie was my rep for my original “Words and Watercolors” line in the mid 90’s. So hopefully with Julie’s help, W&W will find many homes (again) in Seattle!
I had made a deal with Terence, of Alef Judiaca, at the LA Gift Show 2 weeks ago. He had contacted show management wanting to return a booth space and they said no. Serendipity, most likely, bringing us together in the elevator and parking garage of the LA Convention Center at the end of the first day of the LA Show. I asked him how long he’d been doing the show. He replied, looked at my badge that said San Francisco and asked if I was going to be at the SF Show. I responded with the story that I wanted to make a deal with them, as I had in LA, but they weren’t willing to deal. Terence smiled and suggested that we might be able to help each other. Which is exactly what happened. I’ve just spent the past few days with Terence and there isn’t a nicer guy and one more proud of his wife and daughter than Terence. We both discovered we love the name Emily as we both have daughters with that name, though my Em is 20 and his is only 2. Both beautiful girls as we compared pictures! We helped each other out and it was a win/win.
You can see from this picture that we are dressed in our “last day of show” clothes. Also the somewhat strange juxtaposition of Judiaca product coupled with my “elegant, delicate” watercolors (as they’ve been called).
One of the most fun things of the day was Laurie Brock, a rep who was in a booth across from the aisle from us, found out I was from Indiana and told me she had a friend from Indiana. I said I had gone to Purdue. So had her friend. I said my degree was in Interior Design. So was her friend! She got excited and thought I might know her friend! I was thinking that Purdue was an very big school and the chances of me knowing some friend of hers was slim to none. I didn’t recognize the name, Kris Lawson, nor her recent pictures she showed me (it’s only been 30 years since I graduated!). She called her friend and asked her if she knew a Peg Conley. Funny thing, I DID know her friend! Her maiden name was Kris Irwin! We were at Purdue together and in Interiors together! She handed the phone to me and Kris and I caught up a bit. Small world!!!
Somedays I do love how the Universe works….