Friday, January 14, 2011

Grand Lake Farmers' Market - Oakland CA

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The photo is the side part of my booth, and potteries are Scott Wilson's (I can't find his web site). My paintings look great with his potteries. @ Grand Lake Market


This year I am a new member of an organization which name is impossible to remember for me. It is called "Agricultural Institute of Marin" and even in its abbreviate, AIM, it is still hard as the word "aim" has little to do with farming or anything they do. So I tend to call it "Marin Something" or "People Who Does Farmers' Markets." This 'Marine Something' operates high quality farmers' markets in the Bay Area. 


As a new member I didn't know how things operate and I was a bit busy, and on top of it, something went wrong with my email program one day and didn't get emails I was supposed to get. And I failed to cancel my scheduled markets on time on both Saturday and Sunday. I had booked myself as many markets as possible, I just didn't cancel those two markets because emails didn't come to me. 


They would still collect booth fees because I didn't cancel them on time. There I was off to a damage control mission. I HAD to go. I spent the whole weekend long refrigerating myself from early morning when it was still dark. In the afternoon, it didn't get warm. It just got less cold. This was a very hard way to learn how cancellation process works. 


I am glad I went to both markets even though it was a damage control mission. I am proud that I sold 5 pieces of prints in Grand Lake Market in Oakland on Saturday and at Marin Civic Center's Market 6 sales, also all print sales. It was COLD, it was OFF season, and I still made sales. That tells me something.  


People in the Bay Area rock! They are arty people who buy art in a refrigerator-cold weather and bad economy. And 'Marin Something' people rock too. They are helpful and organized. Yes, their fees are higher than other farmers' markets, but I would rather pay that fee and be well taken care of.