Potfest in the Pens 2021

The past three days I was at Potfest in the Pens - an annual pottery fair that has been running for over thirty years in the animal market in Penrith. This was the first time I have done a fair and sold my ceramics to customers on a face-to-face basis. Thankfully my husband came along to help, of which I’m very grateful for. Meeting customers is a bit unnerving at first: will they like my pots; will they buy anything? What will happen if I don’t sell anything at all? The first hour on Friday was slow for us as the rain slashed down outside but the stall beside us had a roaring trade by lunchtime. We later found out that they had been selling at the Potfest show for 30 years so they knew how to sell and what sells at the show. By the end of the first day we had managed to sell some items and I was nearly even on what I had paid out for the stall.

Day two was better - I had noticed a lot of stalls had a seconds/sale box or table, so we bought a few of my seconds/test pieces and priced them cheap on the seconds table. The seconds were a hit as were the spoon rests, so much so that at one point I thought next year I should just sell spoon rests. The day was quieter than Friday but I made a bit more money so now everything was a profit. I had reached my goal to break even so I knew that the show was worth it.

Day three, Sunday, was a good day for me but again very quiet on the customer front. Some of the regular Potfest stall holders told us that Sunday is normally a quiet day. Though it was our best day - we only sold one spoon rest but most of the seconds went and I had a good few sales of the bigger vases and of the trio of bud vases. It is physically and mentally tiring doing a three-day show but I’m glad I did it. I have learnt a lot and have so many ideas for future shows.