I arrived at the market around 2:30 to get my tent set up. Joyce, the vendor who makes fudge, came over to help with my tent. She's so kind. And then when Lila arrived a few minutes later, she brought her over a present—a bottle of bubbles and a large bubble wand. Joyce is always so pleasant; Lila loves to visit her at her table. And Joyce is so good with Lila. It's very sweet.
My mom came down for a little while to help me get set up, and she stuck around for the first 30 minutes or so of sales. It's nice to have company, but this time, it wasn't so bad to man the table alone after she left. Jack didn't arrive until close to 6:00 pm, so I was on my own for a good 2-1/2 hours. During that time frame, I was able to chat with quite a few people that stopped at my table. Some of them bought goodies; others just looked, inquired, and shot the breeze with me.
An older woman asked how long I've been baking. I realized I didn't know the answer (when did this all start?), but I guessed at about 20 years. Then she referred to me as a "kid", and yes, my 41-year old bones were loving that. A few people inquired about placing orders, Christmas cookies, and a peach pie. Several asked where my bakery is located, and I told them that I bake from my kitchen right here in Whitehall. That always seems to intrigue people. Then I had one person ask, "Did you make these pies?" I'm not sure what answer they expected. Where would they have come from if I didn't make them? Then it made me wonder, do some people not realize that I'm spending every spare moment every weekend fresh-baking these items I'm selling? Do they think I'm buying them at the local grocery store and reselling them under a different name? I hope not, but I guess anything is possible.
There is occasionally an Amish truck selling baked goods, but they weren't there today. I asked a few women who came to my table, who usually buy from the Amish, why they like the Amish cookies so much. I wondered, what do they have that I don't have? They told me that they're much cheaper than my cookies are. But in the end, personally to me, it's not just about cost. It's about value for the cost, and the experience you get at my table. I've had several people tell me what they don't like about the Amish's treats. And I've had many, many people stand at my table and talk about how good my products are, and how great they look, etc., etc. So I don't think I'm too worried. I have a nice clientele who come back week after week, and I'm grateful for my customers that have such wonderful things to say about my goodies. (Although I guess I wouldn't be writing about this if I weren't just a little worried that the next time the Amish truck is there, some of my business will be lost to them. Why do people associate the Amish with good baked goods, anyway? Other people in this world can bake, right?)
Again, I was grateful to see some friendly faces in the crowd. My friend, Tara, stopped by with her two daughters. One of Lila's friends and her mom and sisters stopped by. My friend, the wants-to-be-a-baker-when-he-retires one, stopped by with his wife. Some of my closest friends, Mike and Molly, stopped. The woman and her son who love my Cinnasnappers stopped by and bought the few that I had this week. The I-think-they're-two-sisters-and-a-brother group stopped by. Margot and Tony stopped, as did my next-door neighbors. And Deanna gave me more great tips this week. We're going to try to get together later this week to share some strategies. I'm excited. Lastly, one of my good friend's mom and dad stopped by at the end of the night. They live out in Plum, so it was a haul for them to make it over, but I was grateful to see them. It's always nice to get surprise visitors.
The weather was nice today. Warm at times when the sun shone bright, but there was a breeze, and it was a bit cloudy, so it was bearable. Much better than last week. I tried selling a new cookie today that my boss named for me—Love Triangles. It's three cookies in one: chocolate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate. Total yumminess. Sales were pretty decent. I didn't sell out, but came close. About 90% of my product sold. But I'm stumped, yet again, with what to make, and in what quantities, for next week. This week, the oatmeal cookies didn't move very well, but they've sold out in other weeks. It's so unpredictable. Only one pie sold. At least this time, I only made two, so that wasn't quite as big of a loss as it has been.
Anyway, all in all, it was a good day. I was grateful for Jack's company when he arrived, as things really do slow down after 6:00, plus I really needed a bathroom break. Lila made it out a few minutes before we started to close up shop, and it was nice to have her there, too. It's really turned into a family affair. And I'm loving it every step of the way.
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