What a start to the market season! Riley from Tamworth Distillery kindly pointed out that it can only go up from here…here’s hoping she’s right!
I prepared all the usual goodies, packed my shocking pink tent, printed labels, and drove oh so carefully down the road to attend my first-ever market. Butterflies in my stomach and a lump in my throat were my passengers—also, there wasn’t room for anyone else.
We had a few sprinkles of rain while we were setting up, and I ignored the clouds rolling in and thunder in the distance. It was easy to ignore with so many friendly faces at other booths and customers quickly rolling in with the signal of the start of the market at 3 pm!
Our menu this week was a big one, as I wanted to make a splash (pun now intended) for the first go!
As you may remember, I wrote two weeks ago about my anxiety about this small business and the decisions I’ve been making and all the thoughts swirling around my brain and the analogy of the buffalo running directly into the storm. (You can read that post here) Okay, well, I didn’t need an actual storm! I quite literally ran into the storm. Rather, the storm ran into me.
There I was, throwing hands up to heaven and imagining God winking down at me after reading my previous post (He subscribes, big fan of the Salted Caramel Cupcake) with about 10 people crowded under my tent trying to purchase a cookie or two. It was only one hour into the market, and what was a gentle rain turned into a deluge. Followed by hail, cracking thunder, and a closed market. I was completely drenched, puddles in my shoes, and water dripping from my ponytail. My friend Sarah was faithfully holding down my weighted tent while I crammed everything into the back of my van—a lot less organized than it was 2 hours earlier. I was crushed.
The rain (briefly) stopped, and we slowed down our progress of cramming but continued to clean-up and make sense of how everything was going to make it back home. Once again, my brain was whirring on how I was going to make up for the loss of product and effort of my first market. Dollar signs were flashing across my mind, and I knew I was missing the point, but still, the weight of it was feeling heavy on my shoulders. I stayed at the market a little longer to take some deep breaths and remember that I still did it even under the strangest of circumstances. Friendly faces, new faces, and overwhelming support amidst the chaos were still present in my first market, and more was waiting for me at home.
I carried my wet hide into the van and summoned a lighthearted message over social media to let people know that the market was cancelled and got a chance to let myself laugh at the situation—even if I did cry a little into my husband’s shoulder upon pulling into the driveway.
The story isn’t over, and the absolute best part is that even under the strangest of circumstances, I nearly SOLD OUT. Texts and messages over social media from bummed-out customers yielded immediate purchases that continued through 7 pm. There are three lowly chocolate cupcakes sitting in my fridge. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to my first (rained-out) market, and with my next menu in hand for June 12th, I’m excited to start again and ready (this time with rain boots packed in the car) to bring you more goodies and market regulars!
Stay sweet, Alice
This week’s Highlight:
Glenn from Dog Rose Farm! He shared lettuce from his stand and it was quite literally the best lettuce we have ever tasted. I cannot wait to be at a market with him again and buy all the lettuce. Truly the best flavor I’ve ever had in a leaf.
Sneak Peak Info:
One of next week’s cupcake flavors: Salted Caramel
Geekamuffins 