Well we made it. My niece and I actually made it to the Popanyinning Markets. My niece basically MADE it happen. There are a number of times that I thought it was a really bad idea and that maybe I/we shouldn’t go through with it. But my niece, Kim or Kimm!e, kept telling me that we ARE going. At the very minimum we ARE going to Popanyinning even if I do bail out on being a seller at the markets on the day.

But no. I/we made it all the way. With Kimm!es never fading optimistic support along with some physical assistance (it not easy putting up a market gazebo) we made it to the markets on the Sunday.

We were booked into Chalet 2 at the Laze-a-Way Caravan and Camping in Popanyinning and we packed up the trailer and my car and headed off for Popanyinning on the Friday afternoon. The Friday was somewhat hot so after we got to Chalet 2 we put on the two Ryobi misting fans and sat outside the chalet having a refreshing drink or two.

As the evening went on my ‘agent’ in Popanyinning, being my long-time friend Russell, came around with his son and joined us. I say ‘agent’ because Russell had been spruiking around town to anyone he managed to corner that I was going to be at the markets and that I had produced a Popanyinning themed calendar for sale there.

On the Saturday Kimm!e, Russell, and myself went to the Cuballing Tavern to check out their lunch time menu. As it happens there is a picture of the Cuballing Tavern featured in the Popanyinning calendar that I put together. Kimm!e mentioned this to the owner and after she had only seen Jan, Feb, and March she decided to buy one. My first sale of the calendar and the markets weren’t until the next day.

I would recommend the Cuballing Tavern to anyone who happens to be going through Cuballing. The tavern is on the other side of the line as you come into Cuballing. They have upstairs accommodation and a ground level unit with three bedrooms. The ground level unit has a microwave but no oven as the expectation is that you would have your meals in the tavern. Although a continental breakfast is included in the booking cost.

`The Dining room at the Cuballing Tavern.`

We spend the better part of three hours there having lunch and being shown around. I had the fish burger with chips and it was very good. I would certainly have it again. Kimm!e and Russell had the BLT burger with chips.

After this we went back to Chalet 2 and talked the evening away.

Which brings us to market day.

I feel that I need to point out that doing the Popanyinning Markets was never intended to be a money-making exercise. For me it was always just to see what the experience is like and how much preparation and work was involved. Setting up at a markets somewhere was something I always planned to try after I retired—which happened over four years ago.

We really needed to get up and active at about 5:30 a.m. on market day in order to get packed up and arrive at the venue by 6:00 and start setting up. But we were a tad late getting out of bed and then getting packed up. There is always more to pack and get ready than you think there is. So we did not get to the venue until about 6:30 and probably closer to 7:00.

While the temperature was down compared to the forecast there was a challenging southerly wind that added a significant degree of difficulty in erecting the gazebo. And then all we had to hold the gazebo down were the normal spikes that you bang into the ground. I could tell that those spikes were not going to be sufficient to hold the gazebo in place. In the end, after stressing about the situation for a good 15 minutes and imaging our gazebo being carried off by the wind and ending up about 50 metres to the south on top of the food van, I positioned the trailer and my car on either side of the gazebo and we tethered it to them. That was certainly going to hold it in place.

Then we set up the three tables we had. But the next issue was that the stand we had brought along with us to put my canvases on was not going to stand up in the 20 kph southerly. It was surely going to blow over and all the canvases would end up on the dirt. More stress.

`The view as you walk into the markets.`

`A shot of the markets taken from about midway looking to the south.`

Then the idea came to hang them on the cage of the trailer. But that would require wire and the wire, which I always have in my car, was back at Chalet 2 because I took my ‘emergency’ kit out of the car in order to fit everything else in. This required a quick trip back to Chalet 2, a return trip of about ten minutes, to get my emergency kit. I was then able to hang my canvases on the sides of the trailer. That worked perfectly. No way the wind was going to move them.

`About midway along the markets showing my ‘tent’ on the left with the canvases attached to the trailer.`

In the end we probably had the most stable gazebo and none of my stuff was blowing down or blowing over, with the possible exception of the occasional gust of wind that would force one of the calendars to blow open even though we had metal spikes trying to hold them down.

In the end we managed to get set up my/our bay before the ‘crowds’ were let in at 8:00 and with most of the unexpected issues solved I was become a little more relaxed. Not that I am ever actually relaxed, as anyone who know me will be aware of.

This little adventure was never intended to be a money-making exercise. It was to put my toe in the water in relation to being a seller at a market day. To experience the challenges and see how I felt about doing it. And I picked the Popanyinning Markets because it is a small town country affair. The theory being that this would mean less stress if it got too overwhelming and I pulled out.

`The northern end of the markets showing the coffee and good van.`

However, in the end I/we sold two canvases and I had told the team (Kimm!e and Russell) on more than one occasion that I would be happy if I just sold the one. So that was a success as two were purchased. And I/we sold 17 calendars on the day and I pretty happy with that as well, given that by my estimation I don’t think there were more than about 60 people that came to the markets. That means about one in 3.5 people bought a calendar.

Plus, my agent in Popanyinning has advised me this evening that he has firm interest from three people seeking one of the calendars now that they have heard about them and that there is only 25 that were produced. And is likely he might get more interest over the next few days.

So all in all I think this little test was a success.

However, I have to say that preparing for and setting up a market bay is more work and stress than I anticipated. Almost everything that Kimm!e and I had so carefully planned failed. Setting up the gazebo with the pegs provided failed. Using the stand we had to display the canvases on failed. Pinning my little explanation notes on each of the canvases didn’t get done (=failed). We forgot to hand out the eight page notes that were to go with each of the canvases telling people a little bit about each picture wasn’t done (=failed).

`A 1962 EK Holden ute for sale at the markets`

`A model jet plane on show at the markets.`

This post is part of series relating to the Popanyinning Markets. The previous post in the series is here.

Popanyinning Markets: I/we actually made it

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Featuring Popanyinning: My First Calendar