It’s Monday morning early. I’ve completed 2 days of the SF Gift Show (9am to 6pm). I’ve written one order (Thank-you to Amara from East West Bookshop in Mtn View!) to someone I had contacted prior to the show and passed out fewer catalogs than I did at the LA show. Still receive compliments on my work but I need orders! It’s been interesting to share the booth with Alef Judiaca. Terence is writing orders all day long but, as he reminds me, they’ve been exhibiting at this show for 30 years. People expect him to be there not t o mention he gets on the phone a few weeks prior to the shows and starts calling accounts beginning with ones that have not ordered in 3 years. It works. People stop by the booth. And order. A card company is across the aisle from us. They’ve also been around for 30 years and the Sales person working the show has been with them for 25 years. Yesterday morning she told me that she may not return to this show. The traffic is way down. I ask her if it is the internet? She shakes her head and says the economy. She says attendance is down because the Main Street stores are the ones affected in the economy. That has been her bread and butter. We begin to discuss Whole Foods, Terence joins the discussion. Apparently it is a pain in the ass to sell to Whole Foods. First off because you have to be “approved” and that in itself is a pain and then they require monthly paperwork that has driven both of these companies crazy. It appears that cards sold in grocery stores are all serviced by the rep group that sells the cards. Maybe I won’t be getting Whole Foods after all, I think to myself, or other health food stores. Shoot, that removes a portion of my marketing plan. Pictura Cards (I think that’s the name across the aisle) has a lot more than cards. They’ve got little books for lists, and journal type books and wine stoppers, coasters, wine bags, sparkly stuff on their cards (that’s all the rage) and very humorous cards. I keep telling myself that my god given talents, as shown in my cards, will find their niche and I will be the success I’m envisioning.
Now to get ready for Day 3. I’m open to receiving “magic and miracles” today!