Bashabaloo + Queen Bee Market

There is no amount of words that can describe the artistry that is devoted to the businesses that I witnessed at the Queen Bee Market. As a “newbie” (how I referred to myself the entire weekend), I was in awe that some of these small businesses were, to put simply, are BIGGER than life. If you’re looking for inspiration, make your way to this show.

Bashabaloo & QBM

For me, prepping for this show was fast and furious. It was all hands on deck at my house. I was cutting, wrapping, glue gunning and packing things well into the night. So much so, my husband the night before said, “Katie, never again”. There was a lot of glitter, confetti and loud curse words coming from my office space, but ultimately it was worth it and when the hubs popped by the show and saw the swarm of love surround my booth, he conceded and said, “Okay, lets do this again… but just give me a month to recover.” I smiled in agreement because yes, it’s so fulfilling to watch the happiness your handmade gifts give to others, but then again your achey back, dry eyes, and glue gun-burnt finger tips need time to recuperate (**insert spa day here #treatyoself).

So, I am happy to report that Bashabaloo sold out of almost everything, and what we didn’t sell, we had for our etsy shop, a total win win. Some of my friends who have been debating if they want to do the show in December were looking for some Pro’s and Con’s of the show, so here’s a quick list.

Pros:

• Incredible Marketing: there is no shortage of people in attendance, and I can only attribute this to the fact that Queen Bee has a excellent following and high level of respect in terms of reputation.
• Vender Balance: you won’t find a bunch of people with banners, or tissue tassels. They carefully curate a well balanced show for the shoppers, so there’s a little bit of everything!
• Two Words, Swag Bags! As an incentive to being one of the first people to arrive, you as a customer receive a seriously awesome bag-o-goodies.
• Networking: I met some incredible Girl (and Boy) Bosses. I’m totally new to the crafting community, but I quickly learned to ask for help and I was warmly received with open arms. There’s no ugly competitiveness at this Market and I really felt that we were all working together to bring happiness to the shoppers.

Cons:

• No Initial Cards: Last year the Market had a really fun incentive to shop, for every $10 you spent you’d receive an initial from the vender and if you filled up the bingo-like card, you get an entry to a raffle. Fun right? And it’s a really good reason to shell out some cash! I’m hoping they bring this system back at the next show.
• Food: The food that was there was so yummy! But I would have loved if there was more beverages and maybe some food trucks there.
• Friday Vs. Sunday: I’ve always wondered why they have a Friday night market vs. Saturday and Sunday. I think Sunday may bring more people? Obviously I don’t have hard evidence of this but I had many people tell me that they had to work late on Friday or that they were disappointed that they couldn’t line up to get a Swag Bag because of the afternoon start time.
• Location: I’ve been to a couple events at the QLN Conference center and I am always annoyed with the parking situation. It’s super tight and competitive to even get a space sometimes you have to hike to get a descent spot. On our Saturday market morning there was no employee to let us in, when they finally showed up we had only a few minutes to get in an set up before customers arrived. All was okay for us, but I know that some people were really set back with the mix up.

Here’s a peek at some of my favorite booths! Above flowers from Layered Vintage.

I could, and wish I had bought every piece from Seamaid Market.

The Junk Art Gypsyz are the BEST, and in my opinion, very reasonably priced.

Some other incredible shops are Fresh Baked Paper Goods, Peabody & Sassafras, Hey Hello Sugar Cookie, Bownuts Cafe, Salty Bison,  THE PRINTED PALETTE, Dolly and Frances Make Teepees, 2nd Nature Succulents,  and misfit menagerie.

See you in December QBM!