I drove home from work a different way yesterday and found myself passing by the property where my grandparents' house used to be. A flood of fond memories washed into my head. One thing in particular came to mind.
There was a closet in the small hallway next to the bathroom of that old house that my grandmother called 'Fibber McGee's Closet'. I remember that it had all kinds of cool stuff in it. If something wasn't somewhere else, it was in there. As a child, I had no idea why it was called 'Fibber McGee's Closet' and I didn't think to question it.
I have since learned that back in the 1940's and 50's there was a weekly radio show called Fibber McGee and Molly. McGee kept everything, he never threw anything away. Where did he keep all that stuff that was either "too good to throw away" or that he "might need some day"? In his closet, of course!
At some point during each show, McGee would go looking for something in his closet. It was a recurring gag where he or someone else would open the closet and everything would fall out on top of them. He'd eventully find exactly what he was looking for, including some obscure and unusual things.
I have a closet like that in my house. It contains bedding, towels, glassware, fabric, holiday decorations, lightbulbs, matches, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, dolls and who knows what else! Maybe I should start calling it 'Fibber McGee's Closet' too. *smile*
Also in my house, interestingly enough in the hall by the bathroom, stands what my mother called the 'Thing In The Hall'. The 'thing' is actually a tall, narrow chest of drawers. Inside you will find batteries, new toothbrushes, sewing supplies, patterns, tissue paper, extension cords, appliance manuals, yarn, knitting needles, safety pins, hair brushes, old eyeglasses, scotch tape and tons of other stuff too.
If Fibber McGee had had a 'Thing In The Hall', I bet it would have been much like mine.....a junk drawer gone wild! *smile*
Sapphire is the birthstone for the month of September. It is the non-red variety of corundum (the red variety of corundum is ruby). A 9.0 on the Mohs scale of hardness, sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral. It is one of the four most precious gemstones (the other three being, diamond, ruby and emerald).
Blue is by far the most popular color for sapphires, but they can be found in many other colours, including yellow, green, white, colourless, pink, orange, brown, and purple. Sapphire has been mined in Sri Lanka, since the 7th century. It is also found in Australia, China, Thailand, Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria. Sapphires are commonly heated to improve their color and reduce cloudiness that is caused by rutile inclusions. The rutile inclusions are responsible for the "star" or "cat's eye" in star sapphires.
There was a notion in ancient times, that the Earth is set on sapphire, and hence, the sky is blue. It is also believed that the Ten Commandments, were written on sapphire. The ancient Egyptians associated sapphire with the 'eye of Horas' (the eye in the sky). It was also popular amongst the Romans, for its beauty. Sapphire was worn by kings, as it was believed to possess the property of wisdom. Priests wore it because it was also said to symbolize purity.
The sapphire helps bring spiritual enlightenment and inner peace. It is believed to offer healing properties for rheumatism, colic, and mental illness. It is also considered an antidepressant and an aid to psycho-kinesis, telepathy, clairvoyance and astral projection. Long ago, it was used as an antidote for poison and as a cure for a number of illnesses.
Sapphire is associated with physical and emotional balance. Attributes like wisdom, purity and sympathy are linked with sapphire. It also stands for the qualities of loyalty, faithfulness, truth, sincerity, constancy and reliability. Therefore, it signifies long term relationships. Sapphire also said to inspire clarity of thoughts and improve problem solving capacity. It is said to protect the possessor from evil thoughts. It is also believed that sapphire strengthens the power of intuition.
Peridot is the official birthstone for the month of August. Gem quality peridot comes from Arizona, Burma, Norway, islands in the Red Sea, Hawaii and is sometimes found in meteorites. It has been mined as a gemstone for over 3000 years, and is even mentioned in the Bible under the name of Chrysolite.
The earliest known peridot mine was on the island that is now known as St. John’s Island, about fifty miles outside Egypt. Legend says that peridot was one of the favorite gemstones of Cleopatra and that some of the 'emeralds' worn by her were actually peridot.
Pirates really respected the peridot. They wore it as a protection from evil spirits but to be effective against it had to be strung on donkey hair and worn on the left wrist. Peridot was also said to ward off nightmares and evil spirits in the night if one slept with it beneath the pillow.
Peridot is a clear, transparent green stone, ranging in hue from the vibrant green of spring grass to the muddy deep hues of an olive. The more clear and vibrant the green, the more valued the stone is considered. Because of the particular refractive properties of peridot, the stone has a velvety appearance rather than the fiery sparkle of an emerald.
Wearing a peridot is believed to promote peace of mind & calmness and to heal depression & mental illness. Peridot is considered to be a tonic for the entire body rather than being associated with any particular system of the body. In days gone by, medicines were often served in cups of peridot because it was believed that peridot enhanced the healing properties of the medicines.
The stone is said to promote openness in relationships, warmth, friendliness and love making it an ideal stone to be exchanged between friends to promote a long and healthy friendship. It is also the official gemstone of the first wedding anniversary, when love is still young – green and growing like a spring plant.
A very smart man keeps reminding me that I should do that. Stop commiserating about what I can't do (or do anymore) and concentrate on what I'm good at. So, what am I good at? What are the strengths & talents that I should be capitalizing on?
For the purpose of the audio book I'm currently listening to, a strength is any activity where you exhibit consistent, near perfect performance. I could not take the online test associated with the book because I purchased it second-hand at a thrift store. The web access code had already been use, presumably by the original owner.
I did, however, find a free online test very similar to the original. The RichardStep Strengths Finder (RSSF) Test attempts to provide a way of pinpointing your preferred patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. The questions are based on the data from the book I'm listening to. According to the results of this test, here are my top 5 strengths....
1. Belief (95%):
People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
2. Input (90%):
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
3. Positivity (90%):
People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
4. Woo (90%):
People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over. They derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection with another person.
5. Responsibility (90%):
People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty.
Okay, that does sound a lot like me, I think. I was surprised that some of the other identified strengths did not come up higher than they did in the results but this is not an exact science, I'm sure. The ones that stand out most in my mind are....
• Learner (75%): People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites them.
• Focus (75%): People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act.
• Communication (65%): People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.
• Discipline (60%): People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure. Their world is best described by the order they create.
Perhaps I don't know myself as well as I thought I did. So, where do I go from here? I guess that I have to figure out how to capitalize on my top 5 strengths, as identified above, and learn to work around my weaknesses. I must try to maximize those strengths, using them to my best advantage, and stop attempting to fix my weaknesses.
Looks like I have some work to do. *smile*
How do you, as a vendor, know what will sell? The answer, if you are being honest with yourself is, 'I have absolutely no idea'. LOL On the best of days, it's a crap shoot. People are funny. You never know what will appeal to them.
Products that I thought would be wildly popular have been sitting in my inventory for two years with no movement to speak of. Items that I was unsure about, even skeptical, sell like hotcakes. Who knew? Obviously, not me.
So, how does one go about choosing which products to sell at events? My strategy is to stick with a few basic lines, products that are at least consistently turning over, if not big sellers. Then, I keep addings new products & designs as they become available.
By doing that, you keep customers' interest because if they don't expect to see anything new, why would they bother to stop by your booth and look again? They already know what you carry and have either purchased it previously or simply don't want what you have to offer.
There are customers who, for whatever reason, did not purchase the first time but do come back the next time they see you at an event because 'they regretted not getting it before'. Or they bring back their friend to get one too because they like theirs so much. Word of mouth is a wonderful way to advertise.
You end up with three different streams of customers...
1. Those coming back to purchase a product they know you carry.
2. Those who are looking for something new & different knowing that you always have something in that category.
3. Those that are totally new to you and have never seen you or your stuff before.
You need to cater to all three types. Maintain a high level of customer service. Happy customers not only come back time and again, but will tell their friends to check you out too. Be open & inviting as people browse through your booth or even just casually pass by. Smile. Offer information & stories relevant to the products you offer.
But most of all....keep it fresh, new & exciting.
