The End of An Era

If you have been following this blog for many years, you probably remember that in 2010 we bought a school bus and used it to move from New Hampshire to North Carolina. It took few trips to complete the move. We hung on to the bus and used it for storage. At one time we had dreams of converting it to a mobile studio to teach classes in. We realized over time that our focus needed to be on building our business here in Seagrove. Off and on we have toyed with the idea of selling the bus and when a friend approached us about purchasing it, we decided that the time had come to let it go.

Our school bus has lower mileage than my 2008 SUV! Even after not running for over two years, she turned over after a couple of tries. Today was the day she went to her new home where she will be transformed into a food truck... or should I say, food bus!

Since she isn't registered and inspected, a tow truck came and hauled her away.

Good-bye old friend. You helped us get started on an exciting new adventure and we will always have fond memories of our many road trips.

A League of Our Own...

Our largest show of the year, The League of NH Craftsmen's Fair, is over. We had a slow start on Saturday but we weren't worried, last year started the same way. Sunday was a good day for sales and I was able to catch up with friends and family who came to the show. I even got to wander through the tents and see what other craftsmen were offering this year. It was an awesome day overall. Jeff and I felt rejuvenated after the weeks of prep and the long drive north.

We woke up Monday refreshed and ready to sell pots. The weather was once again perfect. The opening horn blew at 10:00 am and the people trickled in. Yes, you read that right... it was a trickle. Sales were dismal. Each morning we get a newsletter called "tent poles". Included in the newsletter are stats from the day before comparing them to the prior year. Attendance was down by about 400 on Monday alone.

Tuesday was the same. 

Actually, it was worse.

It's water under the bridge now. We have to let it go and move on. We have until October to decide wether or not we will come back next year. If we do return, there will be some changes made in regards to what we will bring for inventory. 

I hope that things turn around for the craftsmen that are there for the full nine days.

Here's a snap shot of our four days at the fair...

We kept a chair just outside the tent for breaks. This fairgoer commandeered my chair for over an hour one afternoon! She was totally oblivious to the fact that the directors chairs belonged to the craftspeople. My very kind booth neighbor had an extra chair for me to use.

The marionette guy was back this year. He puts on a great show set to Tom Waits music. His marionettes and stage are amazing.

From the deck at Spruce Lodge, there is a great over view of the entire fair. I took this photo facing the upper lodge. To the left are more tents. It takes a good two days to really take in this fair.

The League has a new director and operations manager this year. There were many changes and most of them very welcome. Tension from past years was gone. One welcome change is that booth holders with trailers now have a designated lot. It was closer to our tent and made going back and forth to the car and trailer much easier. Sometimes it's the little things that keep the people happy.

Inside tent five.

You know it's slow when there is no line to ladies room in Spruce Lodge!

The fair is behind us and now it's time for family. Wolfeboro, NH for two days, then on to New Haven CT. I can't wait to see my girl again!