Farmers Market Holiday Bazaar 2022

This year I've done a lot of thinking and reflecting. Over the years I've spent so much time....literally countless hours....painting. And I love it, I do. But it's hard on my body. Extremely hard. And that market for hand painted signs just isn't there anymore. At least not here in rural Goldendale. Not when one can buy a cricket machine and make a quick stencil and roll a paint roller over it and charge $5-10 for it. 

I just don't have it in me, physically and mentally, to continue to keep a stock of hand painted signs that no one wants to buy anymore. That saddens me greatly. And it's not even that I lost my joy for painting. I love creating and seeing a piece come to life.  It's more so that the time and effort I put into my pieces just isn't appreciated and valued by most anymore. And that's ok. It's just how it goes. 

I still paint signs for myself. For family. For friends. For gifts. I've given most of my stock away. I also still paint when I have the random custom order come in from someone who does value my time and skill, which I greatly appreciate. But I'm more than ready to call it quits on day in and day out painting and spend that time and energy elsewhere.    

While getting ready for the Farmers Market Holiday Bazaar this year, I was simultaneously working on a large 5 piece custom order for a friend who is opening up her own mental health practice here in town. While nervous about the scope of this one, I was honored she asked me and was excited to bring her ideas to life. 

The unfortunate part to this story was that after I got all 5 pieces done, the last piece...the practice sign pictured above....was sprayed with the wrong type of sealant spray and turned the whole thing yellow. So hours of work wasted. We now have to sand the top sealant off and I have to paint it again. I cant tell you how upset I am about this; but life must go on. So instead of getting all 5 pieces, she gets the 4 I have completed and is being understanding of the last piece and allowing me more time to redo it. I'll hopefully get that one completed for her come mid January.

In any case, it feels good that I still have people who value hand painted and seek me out for pieces. I am proud of these pieces and look forward to getting her the last sign and seeing everything hung up in her practice.  

With painting signs just to have a whole bunch in stock to sell off my plate, this year I focused more on soaping. I expanded my line of soap to include not only my normal all natural line, but a fragrance oil line for those not as concerned about an all natural soap. I had so much fun picking out fragrance oils to try. And I made quadruple the amount of soap I would normally make for the holiday season and had a ton of fun doing so. 

As with any craft, you still never know if you'll hit a home run. I've said it before and I'll say it again....I'm where I'm at because of where I'm at. Rural Goldendale. And I'm not bashing on Goldendale, but there is just something about this town and the people in it that makes life so much harder than it needs to be. 

If I were anywhere else...further down the gorge in The Dalles, Hood River, or out towards Portland, I'd have far more support and sell out at every bazaar. I'd sell my complete stock of signs and soap every season. Every month. My time would be worth it. I'd make better connections. Have better support. I could make it more of an income. But here in Goldendale, it can't be any more than jut a hobby. Just for fun. Just because I like it. 

But how long can "just because I like it" keep me going? It's hard when you find something that brings you so much joy, but it's so incredibly hard to make it worth it. 

We'll see. 

All I know is I made 30+ loaves of soap for Christmas and I enjoyed every second of it. 

It was a lot of work though. Tons. It's not just making the soap. It's making the labels. Wrapping the soap. investing in packaging. In Accessories. It's taking photos. Posting those photos. Marketing. Building anticipation. Planning your display. Buying items for your display. It's a lot of money invested in something you aren't guaranteed to make back. 

Here is my table mock up I did at home when I was planning out how I would display things. I really enjoyed this part of the process...setting things up, and making things look just right. 

Here are a few examples of product photos I took to post online and advertise for the bazaar. 

After months and months of work, the Goldendale Farmers Market Holiday Bazaar was upon us! I'm very thankful for Sam and all of his support. I could never attend something like this by myself. The anxiety I experience in social settings like this would make it so I couldn't function. I tend to need him there as a buffer. He's a talker. A social butterfly. He's great at that. I am not. I get worn out and drained very easily from prolonged social interactions. I clam up. I shut down. So I handle the product, and he, for the most part, handles the people. It works, lol. 

The bazaar yesterday was incredibly successful, and I'm grateful for that. Unfortunately I didn't sell any signs (I saw that coming though), but I did sell 3/4th's of my soap stock which was amazing. And we had a great time there. All in all I felt like my work payed off and that's what my goal was going into the event.    

Now I'm hoping to sell what's left of my Christmas stock over FB to make way for my upcoming Valentine's Day soap. Whatever I can't sell, I'll give to friends and family as gifts and keep for my own family. We need soap too, haha. 

With love,

Mama Hauck