Rainy afternoon in Cambridge

Most times, I have lots of lovely people to talk to on a Saturday but you know how SOME DAYS are just bad - bad - bad and you shouldn't get out of bed? I knew light rain was forecast for most of the afternoon which usually means showers. Quite often in Cambridge when we get that kind of forecast, we are often lucky and miss them altogether so I decided to go ahead and do my day on the Craft Market. I had a ton of new items I was excited to show off and with the prospect at least of a dry morning, I set off with happy thoughts.

After assembling my stall and displaying my jewellery, my reward is my first cup of tea of the working day. I was called back to my stall from the man in the van with the tea (lovely guy called Julian if you're ever in Cambridge and want a beverage on a Saturday, go see him!) Anyway, there was a lady asking if she could buy a clasp from me (but not the jewellery). I sell JEWELLERY, not clasps, sorry and with that I try to get back to my cup of tea which I like weak; I'm eyeing it from afar as it gets stronger and stronger. She starts to explain about why she needs a clasp (I am NOT interested, I want my tea!) I say I don't bring just clasps with me to the stall, but perhaps (if she will go away SOON) I could make her one separately and bring one on another day but it will cost about £12 for the sterling silver one. She looks aghast at the price and so I have to explain why it costs this much (cost of silver plus the time it take me soldering the links together, filing away any excess solder, hammering, sanding and polishing). Julian, being an absolute sweetheart, and knowing I like weak tea, shouts over shall he take out the teabag? What a hero "Yes please" I smile at the lady and start walking back to the van. She then goes on to tell me that Sally, who sells knitted items in the market, doesn't charge that much for her time considering how long it takes her to make every item. I really want to get away before I lose the will to live, she isn't going to buy anything, and all I want is my tea. I don't want to be rude and so I continue to chat whilst making it perfectly clear that I won't make her a clasp for less than I think it is worth. My tea is cold by the time I get to it.

Two more customers arrive and are sighing over my jewellery, admiring and trying it on so I'm thinking I may get a sale here. When people are being so nice about my work, it's the real fun bit about my job, I love answering questions about how it's made etc. During the week, I only get to talk to DH and the dog so this is a part of my week I really enjoy. At the end of a really lovely twenty minutes, they both walk away saying "I could spend a fortune at your stall" ... without parting with a penny ...

Then I got someone who picks up three pendants as if she wanted them all, she proceeded to get the chains all knotted together as she examined them. Fine chains get tangled at the slightest provocation, it took a long time for me to sort them out which I attempted to do in good humour (in case she really did want them all). In the end she had the good grace to buy one but by then it was raining. She then decided to make it my problem that she didn't have an umbrella and wanted to know where she could get one. I wear hooded raincoats myself when there's rain forecast on my market days, I can't be bothered with fiddling around with brollies! Anyway, I just couldn't think of anywhere that sells them that's very close. If I had had one with me, I would've given it to her to get rid of her! My sister Sharon, whose stall is next to mine, on rainy days gives one away free with every purchase so I sent her there but then she came back to tell me she didn't like anything on Sharon's stall, Sharon wouldn't sell one to her (traitorous child!) and so she still didn't have an umbrella ... (sigh) Maybe she saw Sharon's sign and thought everyone in England gave away free umbrellas with a purchase - I . DON'T . HAVE . ONE!

A bit later, the guy who has a stall opposite, Ian, wasn't about when my VERY bestest spending regular customer was with me. Someone barged over from his stall, interrupted us without apology and in an irritated sounding voice demanded to know where he was. To be helpful to another stallholder (and fellow sufferer of bad weather) I ask my customer to hold a tick whilst I had a glance around to see if he was anywhere nearby. Not a trace of him anywhere "I'm sorry I don't know". A second customer joins her from across the way and also complains to me that there was no-one on his stall. So I politely say, "I'm with one of my customers at the moment, I don't know where he is, sorry". "Well can you take my money, I want to buy something." "NO, I can't I'm with one of my own customers, bog off!" OK, so I didn't say that exactly, I do have SOME manners, but I did have to be very assertive and make it clear that they needed to PLEASE ask someone who wasn't busy.

Then a couple of Italian language students were flicking through photographs on their i-phones in front of my stall, they weren't looking at the jewellery at all. There wasn't anyone else around (by then it was really chucking it down) so I didn't really mind, they weren't blocking any genuine customers from seeing my wares otherwise I might've asked them to have their show and tell session somewhere else. Bored, I listened in to their conversation "This is my cousin, this is my sister, my other cousin, this is my .... um ... cousin's mother .. how do you say that in English?" His companion shrugged and they both looked at me expectantly "Old Bat" ... I was tempted to say but no, I smiled sweetly and said "Auntie".

After they'd moved on a large group of their compatriots pile up at my stall, they picked up a heavy plastic star which I use to weigh down my business cards "Can you write on it?" They ask. I really don't understand why they want me to write on it. I look puzzled and say "Pardon?" "Can you write on it?" they repeat, I heard them right the first time. I just don't know how to answer them when I suddenly realise they think it's for sale and are wondering what it's for. "No, it's just a paperweight to stop my cards blowing away. It's not for sale." ... they wander off to annoy someone else.

It's very odd and unusual to get such an annoying succession of people all in one day! Most days, I get really lovely people coming to my stall and it's the exception to get anyone at all who is in the slightest bit irritating. But maybe it was just the weather affecting my mood and I misinterpreted them, you can see from the state of my trousers how wet everything got! The spattering is the result of poking the puddles of water that gather on my roof tarpaulin which then (if it doesn't go down your arm) runs down the outside onto the gravelled ground and forms a series of small lakes ... the life of an outdoor craft marketeer - what fun! The spotty pattern looks quite cool now it's dried, I'm thinking of selling the design ... they'll all be wearing trousers like mine in Milan next Spring!

All that aside and behind me now, I'm looking forward to watching the tennis this afternoon - come on Andy!

Back to normal

I'm so glad to report that the Craft Market in Cambridge was back to its usual "tranquility" yesterday, lots of shoppers, bank holiday weekenders and day trippers amid the trees and stalls at All Saints on Trinity Street. It was a pleasure to be there on a lovely summers day. There was a jazz musician just outside and some really nice laid back "lazy" numbers were drifting in over the buzz of the shoppers which suited the atmosphere perfectly. I'm not usually much of a jazz fan as I tend to think most of the fast stuff just sounds like someone tipped some instruments down the stairs but the cool, mellow stuff is .... great! ;-)

After complaints and e-mails from various stallholders (including me), the Markets Manager and the Council, the police sent a couple of officers round on patrol a few times and they stopped by to have a word with me saying that they were going to nip this thing in the bud. They are apparently putting the word out amongst the street people that anti-social behaviour would not be tolerated in the Craft Market. If they defy the message and there are further transgressions, there would be arrests. I found it most reassuring.

It has however given me a bit of a kick up the backside that I am too reliant on my income from the Craft Market so I think I'll be upping my on-line presence. Much as I love the craft market and the way of life it affords me, I can't see me sitting out in all weathers when I'm approaching pensionable age!

I already have an account with Etsy as I do buy from there quite often but I haven't sold anything yet. I shall also look into Artfire, Folksey and other places too. I found Ebay far too expensive to sell from when I tried that 3-4 years ago. The on-line sales sites that specialise in hand made items seem far more reasonable in their listing fees. From what I can see, Artfire seems to be free ... they must make their money through advertising perhaps.

I must stop by that shop that Laura mentioned in her comment last week as well, though I'm not sure they would take my items all the time I am also selling in the craft market but perhaps if I developed a new range exclusively for them. In the meantime, here are a couple of new design earrings that went on display this week for the first time. They are both priced at £20, not on the website yet but soon will be. The black ones feature my black/silver bubble beads, different shapes of onyx and some antiqued chain. The other pair have a super new (to my designs) shape of swarovski crystal nuggets and some bumpy beads made in transparent straw yellow glass. The bumpy bits are made from stringer of silvered glass and these have been reduced to very shiny golden dots. Excuse the peculiar photographs, I needed to hang them from something as they're so long!Enjoy the rest of the bank holiday weekend!

Sleepless at 2am

I am really worried about the future of my business. On Saturday, I felt compelled to pack up my stall at three in the afternoon, at least an hour and a half earlier than I would do normally, during the busiest trading time. I am certain I have lost quite a lot of money as I usually do between a third and a half of my business in the last couple of hours of trading. Oftentimes, people who have been round in the morning, come back and purchase after looking around at other options.

The reason I felt I had to leave was a group of intimidating looking people dragged a bench into some open space behind my stall and sat down swigging alcohol. I think they may be homeless but I thought I knew most of the homeless people in Cambridge as I always a buy a Big Issue but I didn't recognise any of them. They had two large dogs with them and they kept barking at my little terrier, Missy. Consequently, she wouldn’t settle down in order for us to sit peaceably behind the stall. I couldn’t talk to customers and deal with Missy.

On the Friday, the craft market is also open during June to August but I only trade on a Saturday. Apparently the same people were there nearly all day; they had a fight amongst themselves and the police had to become involved, statements were taken from the stallholders.

The market manager called in the police on Saturday as soon as the people arrived; two officers saw their dogs menacing at Missy, Missy was very well behaved in response and the police also saw that. The market manager has asked me to write a strong letter of complaint about it - not sure who to at the moment. I am worried if I write a letter about it, all the Council will do will ban dogs from the market which may stop those people appearing in the market but that will spoil it for everyone else – ie other stallholders who also bring their dogs with them and also customers with dogs who usually enjoy a problem-free stroll around the market. I certainly don’t want to leave my dog at home, it would mean her being on her own from 7am until 6.30pm in the evening, which she isn’t used to as I am at home all day during the week making my beads and jewellery.

Anyway, the police started to leave with the people still sat there behind us, I asked the officers why they weren't moving them on and the police just waffled at me. Another stallholder also complained about them being there so the police stayed a bit longer but didn't do anything to get rid of them. Some stallholders have credit card machines, we all have personal belonging and it's really unnerving to have people sat behind you.

If it's happened in the past, ordinarily I have felt able to approach people and point out nicely that we don't feel secure about it and most understand but I didn't feel able to ask these people considering how violent they had been the day before.

It's 2am in the morning and I can't sleep for worrying about what I'm going to do. They left after I had packed up and gone and apparently were heard to say "see you next week" to a couple of stallholders.

I don't get enough business from the internet though I could perhaps open an Etsy shop and do more on Ebay but even then, I feel I would have to get a job. I haven't worked at a "proper" job for 4-5 years - I was in web design/system support before and I haven't kept my skills as up to date as an employer would demand and so the prospect is not a good one.