Market Arch at Sunset
Long, wonderful day yesterday with 2 markets in the same day! Arrived at my regular Saturday market super early to fight for my spot. Last Saturday someone had taken my spot and instead of being cooperative about it, he had been rude! So yesterday, I arrived 1 hour earlier and was all set up by the time he arrived. I was actually shaking as I stood up to him and his “bodyguard” (not-literally a bodyguard, but rather the market supervisor that just puts his cousins and their cousins wherever he likes). No-one usually stands up to them as it is a bit of a family mafia there… but I don’t know what came over me. The market supervisor tried to kick me out of the market when I said I wasn’t moving my stand. I said I wasn’t going anywhere and I moved CLOSER to him when I said it. I still can’t believe it. Anyway, it all worked out. All the neighbouring stands were rooting for me! I stayed. I ended up actually working things out with the guy-who-stole-stand-spot and squeezed over enough so he could get in on one side. Something that if he had done for me the previous week, this whole thing would not have errupted.
After my morning market finished at 2pm, I packed up and headed straight to the afternoon market. This one is a yearly town fair in Sierra Cabrera.
A friend of ours has built a stand for me, all out of wood and it is so beautiful I just can’t believe it is mine! It is easy to put together, light, and fits easily on my little car roof-rack. I already had a table and a bench. Now I have the stand to go around it, to put the shade part over top. It gets seriously hot here and I can’t have the sunlight on my soaps when they are displayed or the Essential Oil scents evaporate. So this week I will get the shade made and take photos!!! Yesterday was the first time I used it. I just threw a blanket over top. I didn't get a good photo of the entire stand set up but here is a close-up photo of the wooden details.
Some more photos of the market for you...
Stilt Jugglers
Sherry Pourer
Ham cutter, sharpening his knife
Cutting the ham
My friend Street's shoes. Yes her name is Street. Cool eh? She and her mother make and sell shoes. Aren't they lovely? Street and I go to various markets together.
Peeking out from under my stand at the Andalusian horses
Andalusian horses at Sierra Cabrera Arch
So started my day at 6:45am and finished at 11:30pm. I did well. Enjoyed it all. My body is aching today from being on my feet all that time. But I am not complaining. It is a good aching...
25 comments:
Quite a day you had there!! You must be so proud for standing up to the supervisor and his cousin. Very well done!! The market looks very beautiful and I love the picture of the arch at sunset. Have a relaxed Sunday :)
Good for you for standing your ground! What a fabulous looking fair. Glad you had a good day and thanks for sharing.
Wow!what a market, so full of interesting stuff. Beautiful photos my friend. Love the last one esp. Such a great atmosphere feel to it. Cool market stand.
Good for you, Jen! I'm so easily intimidated, a situation like that would have freaked me out. So many bullies in this world..yay, I say, for sticking to your guns!
Good Girl, Jen! Too bad you didn't have your big "Sister" there...6ft. women can be helpfuls in such cases...but sounds like you did just fine! I had to smile at the thought of our sweet little Jen toe to toe with what (in my mind, anyway)looked like a thug! LOL! Glad the markets went well -love your wooden stand. :)
What a lovely place...
The shade issue..I fight with this, but now, a bould a tent(;-)
And do not think too much about stupid people...
You did it right
Regards from Germany
Good for you Jen standing up the market supervisor. I've had my share of nightmares over 9 years at our Saturday market. After years of trying to get to the market early for a certain spot my sister and I bought a year membership to the same spot every week a few years ago. It's nice knowing we don't have to fight for spots but we did for many years.
That is amazing you did two markets back to back. I find for us baking Fridays, selling Saturdays and Sundays is tiring. My sister and I came up with a song about the craft market aches and we often sing it.
Glad you did well, the market looks beautiful with horses etc. Are your market fees reasonable?
Michelle
Good for you to stand your ground! I was in Almeria once, it's a beautiful area... the market looks great.
Nitya, Thank you. I had a nice Sunday. Made some Lip Balms and went to a long birthday (friends birthday) roast chicken lunch on a nice patio. That yearly market is really nice. Glad you enjoyed the photos. xoxo Jen
Coco, it wasn't easy. I actually surprised myself but I feel so much better for having done it. Thanks for you nice words. xo Jen
Michele, Tierra Verde, So glad you enjoyed the photos! I really enjoyed the market this year. Yes, there was a great atmosphere. There was some awesome Flamenco on as well, but I didn't get photos. A live guitarist and a dancer. Hope you had a nice weekend! xo Jen
Well done Jen. Body language is everything and you stepping FORWARD made it clear you meant business. I would fight for a good spot in that market too. What a blast ! (I also have found that when a visitor has stayed a little too long if I STAND UP at our dinner table they will often follow suit and declare "well we better get going") Fun to try.
Cocobong, Thank you. It really wasn't easy but I felt SO proud of myself afterward. I still do. Thank you! xo Jen
Becky, Soap Sister, Your image of the thug made me laugh as well. He wasn't exactly bouncer thugish, but short and had a huuuuuuuge stomach coming out toward me. I was more scared about what he and his family might do to me afterward... like scratch my car etc etc. But no, I think I gained respect. Glad you like the stand! I think I will take more photos of it. xoxo Jen
Zwerg, thank you very much! Yes I think shade is extremely important. Do you have photos of your stand? xo Jen
Michelle, Two Blooms, Oh what a great idea, buying the spot permanently. I wish that were an option here. At that market it isn't. Market fees are very reasonable. I have another market, an evening one, that I will be doing in July and August, where I have my spot dedicated to me. Relief. I would love to hear that Market Ache song... I would put it to guitar!!! Will you be near Toronto in June or July? xo Jen
Celine, Thank you for the comments! Standing my ground... somehow I don't think this will be the last time. I was very nervous but I think I did well! The other stall holders like me there because I translate for everyone. So you've been to Almeria!!?? Where? We are in Vera Playa, but actually closer to Garrucha. The other towns closeby are Mojacar, Cuevas de Almanzora, Villaricos.... This was a particularly nice Town Fair. They are not all that nice. Hope you had a nice weekend! xo Jen
Donna, I don't know where I even got the idea to step forward. My face was cms from his!!! Oh yes body language can be so important. I will have to try that dinner trick of yours. I have only ever used it in business. When I was in "that job I didn't enjoy" previously, I used to have clients come into my office who just WOULDN'T LEAVE. Or staff as well. I used to do the old, shuffling of the papers trick. Then I would actually use your stand up trick as a last measure. It WORKS. Thank you!! xo Jen
Good on you Jen, don't know if I would have been so brave, but sometimes we just have to stand our ground, so well done! love your photos, your markets sure do look heaps better than what we have here, ours are BORING compared to that. Would love to see more photos of that wonderful stand next time, lucky you:)
I love the story about you sticking up for yourself. So proud of you. I can imagine how you felt. It is always such a weird mix of adrenaline and nerves when you do something like that. Good on you for stepping forward. Love the new stand. Little jealous, to be truthful. I also love how you have your soaps presented.
Jan, Natural Aroma, Thank you! the afternoon market was pretty awesome. It is a yearly town fair. I think I am going to do a post on my stand because so many people have commented on it. Just need to take some great photos! xo Jen
Tara, Thank you! I felt pretty proud of myself as well, but scared in the moment. Many people have asked for more photos so I am going to do a post on my stand peice by peice. xoxox Jen
Your stall looks lovely Jen, as does your market - what lovely pictures. As everyone has said, well done on standing up to the bullies, not something I would have done but I so admire anyone who does. You deserve to be proud of yourself. Polly xx
Hi Jen!
Beautiful pictures form markets!
What an experience you had! But It is good that everything went well after all. =)
Polly & Ayu, Thank you so much!! xo Jen
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