199 In Praise of Craft Fairs & How To Deal With Awkward Vendor/Attendee Relations
This episode is a big ol’ love letter to craft fairs, farmers markets, and other local, community-based gatherings.
And, as a part of those, there can be a little awkwardness between the shop-keepers and the shoppers, so we get real and talk about that, too.
Stuff we mention in this episode:
community = belonging and safety
“online community” is not enough and can’t literally be there for you to help you move or fix your fence or tell you if the electricity is out at their house, too
knowing our neighbors, helping them and being helped by them, learning what kinds of plants and produce flourish in our places and climates are all part of belonging
feeling your community also includes learning what’s going on in it and its history
eating local food not only supports the economy, but is also generally healthier, and causes less pollution
being a vendor at a craft fair is hard work!
you can make conversations be about the person, not only about their products
you can be upfront about not having a budget to buy, but admiring their wares just the same, and making a note about them for later