Salt Spring in the City, A Success!

First off, Thank-you so much to all the folks who worked hard to create this fun show, Salt Spring in the City. You did a fantastic job. If I have any say in the matter... It was a SUCCESS! 

Secondly, Thanks to Aiko for watching over the shop while Zoe and I produced in a last minute fashion and for Emily, my good friend, the show would not have been the same with out you there. Thank-you for your help labelling and tagging items in the wee hours leading to up to the show, and for your spectacular outlook and energy throughout the show process. 

Lastly, let me introduce to all you Thrive fan's, my good friend Emily Myers. Below is an enjoyable write up about our experience together at the show. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Hope to see you all there next year!

Salt Spring in the City - Success, joy, fatigue and insanity all in one weekend!

By Emily Myers

The fact that this post is later than planned, is quite in keeping with the theme of botched timing during our weekend at the very first Salt Spring in the City event.

The first thing to be late was the product. T-shirts slotted to arrive two days ahead of the event for screening of new prints, didn’t appear until Thursday afternoon, the day before the event would start. This made for another very long evening of preparation for Jessica and a delayed departure. The morning ferry traffic was of no assistance either, as Jessica and several other vendors ended up missing the Friday morning 9:00am Swartz Bay connection to Vancouver due to an overload. 

Photos above taken by various Salt Spring in the City Participants. 

I had headed over a day early. So much to Jessica’s envy, I lazily finished my 49^th Parallel coffee, took a sunny stroll on Kitsilano beach, and made my way to the beautiful Heritage Hall on Main and 15^th. I was waiting on a cushiony red chair in Thrive’s designated show spot when Jessica was finally able to unload her wares at 1:30pm. Thanks to her handy construction skills, we were able to set up the booth, organize all the product, and even find a parking spot for Jessica’s truck within a block of the building in a few hours. In true Island fashion, we changed and lunched in the truck, with all the doors open and the sunrays beaming down on us. We were so proud to have finished quickly enough to have an hour to explore our surroundings. 

“It starts at 5pm, right?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“Hmmm, maybe we should check…”

Around 4:11pm we realized that the doors did in fact open at 4:00pm, not 5:00pm, thus beginning our start to getting the times of every day of the event incorrect. We locked up quickly and rushed inside wearing our best smiles.

Having never been at a market or vendor show of any kind before, it was quite the experience for me. The booth politics of lighting and shelving; the mobile payment apps that make your smart phone a cash register; and figuring out where to stand to achieve the delicate balance of not crowding your tiny booth simply by existing and still being available for conversation with show attendees, were all new things to me. 

We were placed in what we endearingly referred to as “the Food Corner”, which was not great for our temptation for snacks. Salt Spring Island cheese, bread with vinegar, and a myriad of spreads kept us fueled, as well as the mini-muffins so deliciously supplied by our friends from Quarrystone House B&B who were displaying their knack for yummy breakfast treats and wedding planning.

Luckily, our accommodations were only about 15 blocks away and had a safe parking spot and lovely friends. Not so luckily, we were part of their new apartment’s first rodent fiasco. After taking advantage of the Biltmore’s dance floor and Lucy’s 24-hour diner, we returned late to our quarters to find an extra roommate in the bathroom. Despite our desire to fall into slumber on our borrowed couches, we spent another hour trying to capture the unwanted furry guest. Ultimately, the man of the house secured him in a garbage can in time for one of his cousins to scurry under the kitchen stove. It was at that point that we simply shut the kitchen door and went to sleep.

It felt like an early morning sitting at Joe’s diner for a hearty breakfast. We visited the Main st. location of 49^th Parallel for much needed Americano’s and started off the day at 10:00am. 

Apparently our little Island has quite the draw. We had a constant stream of attendees walking through our booth, who clearly heard that CBC.ca had voted the event the best thing to do that weekend. Many were interested in discussing the business’ origin, the fabric content of all the items, and of course, the adorable baby versions of the silk-screened tees. I felt like the comments and questions were more curious as the day wore on (although that could have been my exhaustion). 

The inevitable deliriousness that sets in at about 5:00pm on your second show day, manifested mostly in our constant fluffing of the stuffed monster’s from the Monster Lab booth, which we shared with anyone who would take a minute to delight in our child-like fascination. We both went home with three Monsters each and plans to make a monster themed video. We were both somewhat relieved to end the successful day an hour earlier than we expected, and all too eager to devour the remaining goat cheese samples. Sushi and an early bedtime were all our tired bodies would allow for that evening. We did manage to collect together a thank you present for our hosts of flowers, chocolate, a Thrive card, and mouse traps. We are still uncertain which was the best received.

A family coffee date started off Sunday morning at Arbutus coffee in Kitsilano, followed by our last day of the show. We were pleased to be visited by crowds of young Salt Spring Islanders whom had left the rock for the big city and were jonesing for a taste of home. At times, our booth felt like a cozy reunion station of hugs and stories. 

Jessica’s booth construction skills triumphed again as we were the first booth down and packed. (“Seriously?!” exclaimed our neighbours.) This gave us time to visit one more famous Vancouver haunt, the Naam, and indulge in miso gravy and the good company of a close friend. 

Racing to ferries is something that is commonly experienced by all Islanders. Getting stranded due to poor weather conditions is sorely also something we risk from time to time. We waited patiently in the calm ferry terminal for our 9:35pm sailing, the last boat of the evening. The windstorm that rolled in at 9:15pm had a different agenda.  With that sailing delayed and then cancelled, we were lucky to have refuge close by in the comfy beds of Jessica’s Aunt Dani’s house in Delta. The next morning, we arrived back at 8:15am to watch another sailing get delayed and cancelled, and were finally shipped out on an 11:00am boat to Swartz Bay. We made our connecting boat to Salt Spring just fine, although I spent most of the first ride with my head between my knees, attempting to keep my nausea down. 

The commiserating and story sharing of the weekend between show goers in the ferry terminals made me feel like my show experience was complete. The camaraderie of show vendors is something you can’t fake. Out of a group that arrives as individuals, forms a team that stands by each other in moments of frustration, emergency, and in joy. I am honored that I was able to be a part of the process for at least this short time, and hopefully, will someday be again.

Thanks for reading, Emily