Monday, September 05, 2011
Finally, A Real Story ... About Sock Summit, This Time. At Last..
O hai! You still here?
The madness of the summer is almost over (almost ... I still have a couple of hard things to deal with) and now it's time to sit back, enjoy the fall and tell some stories.
And today, my story will be about Sock Summit II.
A word of warning -- this is going to sound like a negative review. It's not; I'm just trying to be honest. I'm really, really glad I went and I had, overall, a delicious time in a city that I love dearly. I just can't do it again.
Ever.
I did Sock Summit the first time, two years ago, when I was just coming out of The Crazy. It was fantastic, and when the call went out again I was all over it.
I mean, is this a brilliant idea or what? Thousands of sock knitters filling up a conference centre and booking every room in town ... what? Who thinks of shit like this? I still think it's one of the most amazing things EVAR.
This year was very different from the last time. You see, work fucked me over -- hard -- in February. I could have fought it, through the union, and as my rights were very clearly violated I would have won. It would have taken memos and hearings and paperwork and bla bla bla but in the end I would have won; because I was in the right. It would also have engendered many hard feelings and I would never have been able to be comfortable at work again.
I decided not to bother -- I didn't need more angst -- and instead I cashed in some of my retirement savings, paid off all of our commercial debts (I still have some debt, but only a small number of personal loans ... basically we're debt-free) and bought a heck of a lot of fibre stock. I then signed up for every show in (and out of) town and started dyeing like a lunatic. THIS was the year, I told myself, that I would make my dyeing into a real business or just give it up and walk away.
So yeah, when SS came up I jumped, even though I'd lost money last time.
I booked a booth and paid the fees for that and all of the costs that go along with a show like this (insurance and so forth). I asked a friend in Portland if I could ship stuff to her so that I could avoid the hideous drayage fees and she agreed.
As we neared the time to go, I started freaking out. I was too little, we couldn't do this, we couldn't afford it, and of course nobody would buy my stuff, because it sucks (I do this before every show, but it was especially bad this time).
I would show up with two skeins of yarn and a stitch marker and all of the big kids would laugh at me ... and this time it would be even worse, because I was taking my daughter with me, and she would get to see me fail.
The friends I was going with kicked me fairly firmly in the taint and informed me that I had booked a fucking booth and I WAS going, no matter what I said, and they fronted me some cash so that I could actually ship my shit there, too.
The day we were to leave, I couldn't find my daughter's birth certificate and there were 90 different flavours of panic going on, seeing we had to leave RIGHT NAO. I finally found a photocopy (which is enough to get through the border, thank the FSM) and we took off, about 12 hours after we'd planned.
We missed setup and the preview but I figured it would be ok, we could just do it quickly the next day. Nobody ever buys anything at the preview anyhow ... it's just a lookie-loo kind of thing.
We arrived in Portland, finally, at 4:07 am (not that I checked the time), booked into the astonishingly scuzzy hotel (Motel 6 ... do not EVER stay there) and crashed like the Hindenberg.
I had wanted to have a bath before bed, but the bathtub plug was broken. Just one of the first of many insults rained upon us by that hideous hotel.
The next day (well actually technically the same day, but I'd had four hours of sleep) we hit the hall and I set up. The first thing that I noticed was that, even though I was a returning vendor, I was placed in Siberia. I was right at the edge of the marketplace -- there was nothing behind us but a big empty floor and then the doors to the loading docks. It would have been hard to find a worse spot. The second thing that I noticed was that right at the end of our row (all of the Canadians were in the same short row near the loading docks) was a double booth rented by a store that was closing down. They started the show with everything at 40% off. How could any of us even begin to compete with their prices?
My sense of impending doom was well-founded. After four days of standing on my feet and vending my silly ass off, I'd made far, far less than the cost of doing the show. Even my hand-paints didn't sell. The only reason I actually had gas money to get home was that I discounted some yarn hugely ... and even at that most of it didn't move.
I got to see a whole lot of people I love more than cheese. Franklin was there, and Jen from Holiday Yarns, Tracy from Crafting for the Peanut Gallery, Big Alice, Sivia Harding, Stitchy McYarnpants ... the list goes on and on, and I was so delighted to be able to spend time with all of them.
But I came home with a $2500 hole in my pocket, and as an indie I can't support that sort of thing. I've had to cancel every other show I had planned for this year, including the smaller ones, and my kid doesn't get to take band this year in school. I need glasses and dental work, and that's not happening. SHE needs glasses and dental work and that's not happening either.
I'm not going to sit here and sing "waah waah waah" for any length of time ... I have work to do, and we're going to come out of this just fine.
But I've gotta say ... if you're a small indie and you're thinking of doing a show of this mangitude; think again. There's a good chance it'll bite you hard in the ass.
# posted by Rabbitch @ 5:34 AM 
Comments:
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I have heard of this happening before. Vendors coming and selling basically at cost. I won't go to any shows unless they have a policy in place to protect vendors. We made one for the Fibrations vendors and it worked well. So sorry you had a terrible experience.
I've hemmed and hawed over this show twice now, but have thankfully refrained from attending as a vendor. I'm sorry you had to cancel your subsequent shows. If I have a good weekend at Southern Adirondack, I hope to purchase some skeins from you in solidarity. I am fortunate to have 3 reasonably priced shows within an hour and a half of home. For Rhinebeck, I stay at a relative's. The others, I commute. I'm feeling guilt about not signing up for a new show in Springfield, MA; however, last year the vendors said the show was lovely, but they sold very little. I refrained. Now they'll probably be booked to perpetuity like Maryland and Rhinebeck, but I'll just have to live with that, I guess.
Well, that purely sucks. Wish I had grand ideas for you to recoup, chica. Alas, brain empty (no laughing here).
May the rest of this year be better. Perhaps a local, near-to-free to exhibit Xmas market?
May the rest of this year be better. Perhaps a local, near-to-free to exhibit Xmas market?
# posted by 
: 11:44 AM
: 11:44 AM
I admire you for going and for trying - not many small companies would do that. It sucks that the circumstances weren't better and that you lost money. I am SURE that your rainbow is just around the corner though.
Stay strong.
Stay strong.
# posted by : 2:10 PM
: 2:10 PM
As my good friend Ciorstan always says: "Like Fiber, This Too Shall Pass".
Gods, I'm so sorry you had such a suck-ass time at SS.
xoxo
Gods, I'm so sorry you had such a suck-ass time at SS.
xoxo
That totally blows. If you're going to be in a crappy location, you should at least get a discount. Even then, they shouldn't put anyone in a bad location.
So sorry about that happening to you. Sock Summit just about killed us last time, only winder sales helped us almost break even. There was no way that we were going to invest in it this year. Not until there's been a year where vendors aren't losing their shirts, pants, and (dare I say it) socks. Was there another grown-ass woman stampede for the bugga?
I'm sure it's a great show to go to for classes, but it was a horrible show for vendors last time, and it doesn't sound like it got any better.
It entirely sucks for a show to force you to cancel other shows. Next time you're in Colorado(!), we'll have to buy you a beer. Or if you end up making it to stitches west, if there's any way you can see to afford it.
I'm sure it's a great show to go to for classes, but it was a horrible show for vendors last time, and it doesn't sound like it got any better.
It entirely sucks for a show to force you to cancel other shows. Next time you're in Colorado(!), we'll have to buy you a beer. Or if you end up making it to stitches west, if there's any way you can see to afford it.
We've talked about it already but I feel that this show really has the deck stacked against the vendors. After Kentucky being a miserable failure for all of us vendors I needed to do better than cover the costs and I didn't. I won't return, either. It's too bad, it's a really fun show and such a nice city but that's not enough if a reason fir the expense.
how sad! i cherish the beautiful skein i bought from you (at full retail, m'dear, and not a bit over-priced). at some point it will become a lacy shawlette -- MUCH too pretty to put on my rusty ol' feet!
i'm sure this has been a sucky year for many vendors, as the economic facts sink in: the middle class has been royally screwed for the last decade or more, and the u.s. congress keeps aiding and abetting.
(and i agree -- motel 6 is not a lovely place. kathy and i had a stopper for our tub, but a toilet tank that left our bathroom floor wet. owners' solution? throw a towel on the floor. well, we reassured ourselves, at least it was leaking h2o, not p-e-e.)
i know nothing of canadian politics, but i hope you aren't cursed with such a high ratio of assholes to competent lawmakers as we are.
my verification word is perfect for the situation, as in "i hope all this misery will quiti -- right effing NOW!"
i'm sure this has been a sucky year for many vendors, as the economic facts sink in: the middle class has been royally screwed for the last decade or more, and the u.s. congress keeps aiding and abetting.
(and i agree -- motel 6 is not a lovely place. kathy and i had a stopper for our tub, but a toilet tank that left our bathroom floor wet. owners' solution? throw a towel on the floor. well, we reassured ourselves, at least it was leaking h2o, not p-e-e.)
i know nothing of canadian politics, but i hope you aren't cursed with such a high ratio of assholes to competent lawmakers as we are.
my verification word is perfect for the situation, as in "i hope all this misery will quiti -- right effing NOW!"
# posted by : 9:28 AM
: 9:28 AM
Holy effing shit. Um, I know, it's pointless now, but is there somewhere that you can give them some feedback? I would think it would benefit them that all of the venders do well and want to return. I'm reeeaalllyy sorry this happened to you.
(sending big warm happy thoughts & well wishes)
(sending big warm happy thoughts & well wishes)
I am SO sorry. I lost my ass at that show two years ago and was still stupid enough to try Convergence (it was 3 hours away from me last year) and then Stitches West (near my parents). Lets just say Convergence was "interesting" just barely broke even) and I had a decent visit with my parents but lost my ass even worse at Stitches than at SS09. I don't know what it is about these big shows but if you are a small indie dyer without name recognition (you know who I am talking about) you might as well stay home and knit your own yarn.
I have had (mostly) good luck at fiber festivals. They are more fun (have never had anyone be bitchy to me at a fiber festival while customers at the conferences are often shitty) and they are cheaper to get in. Good luck and I hope you can catch up from this quickly. It took me several months to catch back up after SS09 and I still haven't gotten over the feeling that certain people rode on the backs of their vendors for that one. Again I am sorry and I enjoy your blog.
I have had (mostly) good luck at fiber festivals. They are more fun (have never had anyone be bitchy to me at a fiber festival while customers at the conferences are often shitty) and they are cheaper to get in. Good luck and I hope you can catch up from this quickly. It took me several months to catch back up after SS09 and I still haven't gotten over the feeling that certain people rode on the backs of their vendors for that one. Again I am sorry and I enjoy your blog.
That's such a drag. I've never been to SS, but hoped to some day. Now, I dunno. I hope you let them know about this, and I'm glad you posted this blog.
December 8, 2011 - still thinking of you and hoping the year ends well and next year is better.
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# posted by : 1:13 AM
: 1:13 AM << Home
