Literally. Yowzers!
The temperatures were toasty and the sun was brutal but we still had a great time and got some very positive feedback in the form of sales, smiles, and shared memories for the retail debut of H-Tiques. The very BEST kind of feedback for a vintage, retro, and upcycling business!
So on Saturday, hubby and I set off at 5am with a truck and a baby SUV packed full of goodies for Artichoke Annie's Annual Flea Market in Columbia, MO.
Thank goodness for early Dunkin Donuts openings because I absolutely needed some cold coffee to get through the morning.
When we got to the flea market there were a few vendors already set up (turns out they camped there!). This is what our little slice of market looked like when we arrived - green, LOL:
Ninety crazy minutes later hubby and I had our space all set up and ready to go. Hubby even had me spoiled, as he set up my chair under an umbrella with a personal fan and some cold water while he did some last minute 'pretty-fying.' And then HE tells me how proud he is of ME for all the work I'd done.
Gotta have a great cheerleader on your side!!
What do you think of the setup? We were pretty darn pleased, if we do say so ourselves!
We offered the most amount of shade and even had a portable fan set up for customers to enjoy.
I mean if I get a fan, you should get a fan too, right?!
So for those of you who didn't brave the heat (no judgement there!) there's a visual tour of what you missed.
There were SO many people who came over to inquire about the 1930s console radio or just tell younger ones what it was and how they used to gather around it years ago every night.
There was also a steady stream of smiles and reminiscing as people came to the back of the tent and the 1980s childhood sitting in front of them, thanks to glassware with Care Bears, Smurfs, Star Trek, and Peanuts characters. I loved sharing 1980s stories with those smiles!
Best stories of the day?
1. One woman was THRILLED to find a small $2 art piece of a little girl that matched one she had been given from her mother of a little boy. Neither of us knowing there was a pair!
2. Another woman loved seeing the dainty crocheted apron hanging up, as her mother used to make those. Turns out she had a very faithful customer for them in Germany!
3. Yet another woman was overjoyed to see the X-mas Colorwheel that was in great shape. I had never seen such a thing before I acquired it. Whereas she had always wanted one as a child but never had one and had never seen one since where the colorwheel itself wasn't melted. She went home VERY happy!
As for me and hubby? At the end of the afternoon we went home EXHAUSTED and completely melted but very happy with how the day went overall.
We even found a great BBQ place in Fulton to celebrate the H-Tiques retail debut. MoJo's BBQ & Grill - ever been??