Vagabond Bags & Gifts

I closed my beloved booth down in January. With Oliver and Jasmine both starting university this fall, I decided I had to be home more and frankly, work full-time to pay the bills. It was hard selling off my fixtures and saying goodbye to my space that I had loved and nurtured for almost two years.

Especially since I can see the Market getting better and better and I was getting known and building repeat customers.

Thank you Vagabond for giving me so much, though I'm not through y...

Two days into a snowstorm that's paralyzed all of London! Two days of not getting to work though I did try to get to Woodstock yesterday but getting stuck in drifts at two gas stations (while I was trying to get a fill-up) was enough to send me right back home again as soon as I was unstuck and refilled.

Market sales are not too brisk this December. People are holding onto their money even more tightly than last year, if that's possible. The sales at Matthews Hall were ...

Wow, time flies and with my freelance graphic design work going plus the Market, I'm so-o-o busy these days. I downsized from a double booth to a single one again and found I had just enough space to display everything. A good thing, as the Market is increasing our rent from $25 to $30 a week per booth, plus the attendant GST and advertising fee.

I ordered about $1000 worth of new merchandise including weavings from Aida in Guatemala, new bags from Galerie Indra, my first sh...

My favourite season begins! Aside from the cooler temperatures and lovely colours of fall, people are back from summer vacation and ready to spend again! Vendors at the market know Sept. to Dec. is our best selling time.

June has decided to move on. After covering for me during the summer so well, she's devoting her time to painting lessons and playing in her bands. I've asked several vendors to share my space w...

About time I wrote again! It's been busy personally, and I've got my little business set up so I can let go of the reins and let it just run itself for awhile. My one-year anniversary (May 29) came and went and I look back and marvel at how far I've come with Vagabond since I first opened. I'm in a sweet location, have a fantastic-looking store, have shown at fairs and festivals, have expanded what I carry, and made some good trade-offs with my time and t...

Just hold on long enough and eventually the pendulum swings the other way. Last time I posted, I was in deep in the ditch of uncertainty: where is this store going? where is my life going? Since last month, I've gotten a double booth at my dream location at the Market – directly opposite Andy, on the "power corridor" leading from the main stairs to the Fire Roasted Café.

This was possible after a few ...

Just past Valentine's Day and I'm ruminating about love. Love of one's spouse and family for sure. Love of one's business and what I'm doing is another. There's times in both areas when the only thing you've got to keep you going is faith and love. Why am I sitting in a booth every weekend, frequently without enough sales to justify doing this as a business? Why do it when I could get a full-time job that pays more? It's not like I have all the time in the world for this, I've got more than e...

A lot to catch up on! That's what happens when Christmas, shopping, parties, and a trip to Montreal all combine to get me away from the computer for a month. To begin with, I was at the Bell building downtown, with Bruce and Peggy for four days in December. It was not a bad place to sell but as we learned, two days early in the month would have been sufficient. The last few days we were there wasn't worthwhile for sales.

We were open Dec. 23 at the Market for "Christmas...

High schools are my new favourite place to sell! I was at Cawthra Secondary School for two days earlier this week, for their "Responsible Shopper" sale. Brittany found out about me online and invited me to attend their annual Fair Trade sale. Without too high expectations I drove out to Mississauga Monday morning on a crisp, clear day and was the first to arrive and set up in the lobby of this vast high school. There were two lunch periods from 11:15 to 1:45, and a bunch of other vendors from...

This past Saturday at the Western Fair Farmers Market (formerly known here as the London Farmers Market) was awesome! Not that the traffic was any heavier but they were at least buying from me! Michelle and Doris helped a lot by stopping by and buying a few things too.

Spent three days last week at University of Western Ontario (UWO) Bookstore, immersed in one of my key markets (the 20-something university girl into chic accessories). As I thought, they loved my Mexican...