Monday, December 15, 2014

It's my party and I'll cry if want too...

This weekend was our annual holiday open house. I cleaned and dusted the gallery, made some fall arrangements in vases with cuttings from around the yard, bought some holiday candy, and baked homemade brownies (no box mix for this girl!).


and nobody came.

Yep, you read that right...NOBODY came. I guess that's not entirely true. Late Saturday afternoon two couples strolled in, said they were just out looking, asked questions about the log cabin... and left. On Sunday we saw NO ONE.
So no one came to my party but I chose not to cry. The older I get I am a little more choosey on what I will shed tears over. In reality that fact that no one came was a probably a good thing. With the breakdown of our electric bisque kiln, we were a couple of days behind with firing orders. The weather was beautiful and we spent the day glazing and loading the gas kiln, and getting another load into the bisque. Jeff replaced the switch on the kiln and the bisque was firing until very early Sunday morning. Yesterday, the gas kiln was loaded by 5 pm and Jeff pulled an all nighter to get it done. We will unload Tuesday night and get everything shipped by Wednesday, just prior to the US Postal deadline for priority mail.
We are tired and looking forward to a couple of days with less pressure, and more sleep... and heck, we have brownies to eat!

12 comments:

  1. omg, so sorry; I probably wound't cry but I'd be mad due to all the preparations I'd done, I'm more likely to cry over broken pieces of pottery or mishaps

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a great attitude. You're too funny "The older I get I am a little more choosy on what I will shed tears over". I like that.
    I didn't have an open studio sale this year. I just didn't have enough inventory built up to make it worth while.
    Enjoy those homemade brownies. Wish I had one ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Well crap. Now you have to go out and get a really big jug of milk to wash down all the brownies.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a bummer. Glad to hear you adapted/coped so well. And brownies sound so good, wish you were closer to where I hang my hat.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara, we really can't complain. This has been a great retail season for us. We didn't put much effort into publicizing our event... to busy completing orders!

      Delete
  5. Sorry the open house was a bust, but you can't beat homemade brownies! Though there are a tiny amount of people who read my blog, I linked to your shops in today's post (before I read yours). Maybe it will send one or more to check out your lovely pots.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Damn.
    I remember a great story Linda Christensen told at a workshop one time about her first open house and how she prepared for it and anticipated the crowds that would come..... And no one came. We can probably all relate to this,some times no one comes. I heard from several artists that attendance for the Chatham County Studio tour was really off this past weekend too. Where was everyone?! Probably at a ballgame in this sports obsessed country! Wish I could have come, I had to work.
    I'm sorry :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, that sports thing can ruin lots of events! When I was selling new construction out of a model home in NH our Sunday open house was a dud if the NE Patriots were playing. My partner was a football fan so he alway took that Sunday off to watch. Sports rules the world...or at least some people's world.

      Delete
  7. Glad you were busy and taking care of business anyway...what bothers me is when customers happily claim they can't wait to come to an event...and then don't. You were waiting for them (but in retail, after awhile, you get used to the people who talk big then blow you off). Then sometimes when you see them, they ask how it went then act like it is OK they didn't come because the event went well even though they didn't show up....they can feel unguilty. Just so dang rude, though, which is how retail can be, and we just smile through and keep working because it is still the best job therei s.

    ReplyDelete
  8. At least you made the best of the situation. I have been at art festivals with little or no sales and have thought about all the other stuff I could have been doing. You were doing that stuff.
    I’m glad you had a good year also.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow! I had a gallery opening last weekend and no one came. I sat reading your post and thought DITTO! I didn't bake brownies but instead spent time weaving. Yesterday I checked the heavens, Jupiter, the planet of expansion and prosperity went retrograde over the weekend and will stay that way until the beginning of April........ Phew, it wasn't us! :)

    ReplyDelete

I welcome and appreciate comments. Lately I have had a lot of spam and therefore have had to turn on word verification as well as comment moderation for posts older than 14 days.