August was the month starting a business caught up to us. We decided to ease up on markets and take a vacation at the end of the month (we went to Bend - it was lovely). As always August was filled with lots of learning, wonderful vendor friends, and delightful customers!
Head West [free but usually $200] - Aug 6th
Head West at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, CA is a lovely venue and always a great time. There’s music, free Topo Chico (the crew running the stand is always AMAZING), and killer food in the Ferry Building.
This was the first event that Allison (@fdgery), a queer watercolor artist and friend, tabled with us and offered portraits. We did some sales - $500 between portraits and merch; we were thankful that this event was free (applied for a community booth) normally the fee is $200. We likely won’t be back for this market due to the high fee and low sales we experienced in July and August.
Queer Magic [free] - Aug 12th
Queer Magic at Temescal Brewing in Oakland, CA is a Queer Joy Party. There’s speed friending, wonderful drinks (solid NA options) , a dance party, a food cart, and queer vendors! This market was free for vendors and patrons paid an entry fee. It was a super laid back environment.
I set-up on a large picnic table that belonged to the brewery; I kicked myself for not bringing a clothing rack because I definitely could’ve fit one next to the table. Iron-on patches and stickers were our best sellers. We did $200 in sales and considering I left early (because I forgot a jacket and I still haven’t figured out the weather in the Bay) I think that’s pretty good for a free event. The vibes were immaculate, everyone was dressed to kill! I had such a blast at Queer Magic and I hope we get to go again soon!
Drag Party PDX [$40] - 18th
This was such a fun event put on by amazing people! There were awesome drag performances, drinks, and again everyone was dressed to kill - queer people are the best! Button-ups and stickers were our best sellers and we ended up doing $400 in sales. We’ll definitely be doing this event again if we can!
Welcome Market [$130] - Aug 19th & 20th
The Welcome Market at Urbanite in Portland, OR had 40+ vendors, a flash tattoo bus, a coffee stand, and a food truck ~ PLUS Urbanite is a super cool store. However, the foot traffic is almost nonexistent so the people that do come buy a couple of things which doesn’t equate to much business for the vendors.
Saturday was fairly quiet and we did $120 in sales. Sunday was smoky as hell and I wished they’d just canceled the market (I know landing on that decision is hard when we live in capitalism but still). We did better on Sunday doing $235 in sales ($100 of the sales were to friends) and one trade with @etherealhotpot (thanks again for the dope necklace). We also had the pleasure of meeting @frailmagility. It was overall a good time but the smoke and low sales really put us off of this market.
We took a week off to relax in Bend at the end of the month. The time to unwind was much needed!