Hotter than Hell!

[PrairiePrimitives]

I did a small show yesterday. My enthusiasm for it started to fade mid-week when I learned that it would likely be 100°F the day of the show.

Early in the show, TWO shoppers said they'd heard it was only going to be in the 80s, so that improved my outlook considerably! It was VERY pleasant with a gentle breeze until about noon ... and then it heated up VERY quickly. By 1pm, it was close to unbearable.

My booth neighbors had a huge ice chest full of bottled water and offered me a few bottles throughout the day. I'd brought water, but all I have is an insulated lunch bag and the ice pack melted very quickly, so my soda didn't even stay cold. They also treated me to an ice cream cone mid-afternoon!

I'm sunburnt, but not as bad as I expected. I had sunscreen with me, but all I could get out of the can was propellant (or something!), no real sunscreen. Had a canopy, at least, so that was good!

The booth neighbors said they had paperwork for the show which indicated it ended at 5pm ... and also at 4pm. I told them all I had was an email of the vendor recruitment flyer that gave the hours as 8am to 5pm. They said they'd talked to the promoter (who has a shop in this small Gold Rush ghost town) the previous day, and she had said 4pm was fine. I started gathering my stuff up about 3:30, since I hadn't made a sale in more than 3 hours.

Based on the booth fee, and even the 45 minute drive each way, I did ok. It was just too dang hot ... and the shoppers (what few there were!) retreated indoors when it became unbearably hot.

[MemoriestoYou]

I did one a few years ago that was miserable. On Friday it was 90's before noon and went up from there. Most of the vendors took their chairs to the shady spot across from the booths because it was 10 degrees cooler over there. I had a cooler with ice and cold drinks but drinking meant I had to use the porta potty which was about 120 degrees. To keep cool I put my paper towels and baby wipes in the cooler and then put the towels around my neck. I also dropped ice cubes down my shirt and decided that a wet, white t-shirt was still better than passing out from the heat! My sales were half that year because no one wanted to spend money. The cash that was handed to me was all sweaty and gross. That was the year I bought hand held fans and battery operated fans!

[Pugs2Persians]

We don't do as many shows in the summer for this exact reason. If we're on the water it isn't so bad but otherwise it's miserable!

Bringing an inverter and a box fan really helps.

[whatleyphotography]

I did one yesterday also. It was close to 100. Very few shoppers. I won't be doing any outside shows anymore until fall. Way TOOOOO hot here. I did get my stuff into a little boutique close to the show, so all around a good day. But 100 is too hot. I am packing up the tent until fall.

[GlassCat]

You need to be prepared. Lots of water. Suntan lotion, an umbrella if there is room and lots of ice cubes. I find if I put an ice cube in a hanky and roll if over my wrists. Back of knees and neck--it cools me down.

Problem is, if the temps are in the upper 90's and above-the customers seem to disappear. Can't blame them.

[Former_Member]

I haven't been in this situation (yet!) but I have thought about it and, if electricity is available, there are a couple of things I have thought about:

1. I have a portable air conditioner that would help. The problem with that is that it takes up space and I usually don't have much space in the car after I load my tables, tent, and inventory.

2. There are instructions for making a "redneck air conditioner" making its rounds on Facebook. This basically consists of a styrofoam ice chest filled with ice with a hole cut in the lid. A regular tabletop fan sits in the hole (face down into the ice chest) and blows air over the ice. Finally, there is an outlet inserted into the top side of the styrofoam to release the cool air. You can aim the outlet directly toward your chair.

Granted neither of these would cool your entire tent unless you have tent walls, but I think either would certainly help. Then again, if your tent walls were down on 3 sides, the tent may hold some of the cool air and actually draw shoppers into your booth.

[NaturelMistik]

HA! That 'redneck air conditioner' is close to what my grandfather rigged up back in the late 1930s. He took a deep metal tray and secured it to the window sill. Then he placed ice blocks (that you had to buy to keep your food cold in the 'ice box' - what we now call a refrigerator) and put them in the tray. Then he placed a box fan in the window so that it would blow across the ice - voila, air conditioning! He only ran it at night so he could sleep.

[Former_Member]

Yikes! I have mostly stayed away from summer shows precisely because of this. I've just signed up for my first summer show in August, but I took one of the four smaller inside spots, thank goodness! I think the "redneck air conditioner" would be fantastic for anyone without a proper AC, LOL :)

[Former_Member]

I promised myself a few years ago 'no more summer outdoor shows' after a horrible july show where it was so hot i drank about 2 gallons of water, had no shoppers, and then the afternoon thunderstroms soaked me, my tent and everything not in plastic during breakdown.

[Former_Member]

I made the 'redneck' air conditioner this weekend... I'll let you know how it works after next weekends show... got mighty cold in the test in the house but that's not the same as being outside in 100 plus degree weather...

[weekendjewelry1]

I don't think I've ever done a show that hot (thank goodness). But even in "normal" really hot temps, customers dwindle.... and I always thought it would be a good idea to have those small portable fans, battery-powered. Still haven't got one but it's a good way to get customers over to your booth! Either that, and/or spray (mist) bottles of water for people to mist themselves with!

[PlaynwithScraps]

After I did a show in the 90s my husband bought me a little battery operated fan. It looks like a flower in a pot and the petals spin. It wasn't what I wanted but that was all he could find at the time. It actually works great as a one person fan and it attracts a lot of attention.

[Mulchandmore]

Yesterday's show was supposed to hit 80's so I started out in shorts but changed to long pants when it only got to low 70's with a cool breeze coming off the lake (that was at least a block or two away)...It was downright cold in the shade of my tent! Yes I have fans, but here in Michigan always bring an extra jacket too:)

[PrairiePrimitives]

The view was the best part of yesterday's show!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152472722304106&set=a.10152119775944106.1073741829.7754341...

If you can't see that, I also uploaded the same pic to Instagram, but I don't know how (or if) I can share a link to there. My Instagram ID is Tana1957, if that helps.

Don't look toooo much at the gravel; it's a dried up creekbed. I was admiring the trees and the sky. Sure beat looking at the other booths and the traffic if I'd been facing the other direction!

[Former_Member]

am glade i live in Miami and everyone is used to the heat ..... they still shop lol

[Former_Member]

Shirley, please let us know how your "redneck air conditioner" works out! I haven't made one but I'm seriously considering it.

[GreenMarthaBoutique]

Just came back from a two days show, both days above 35°C . Worst. Show. Ever.
I didn't even see enough people to handle out one. Single. Business card. Not counting other sellers - there was a lot of networking and getting to know each other.

[PoetryUnspoken]

Central Valley...

[Former_Member]

It just hit 90 degrees where I was on Saturday, and i don't think i could have stood it one degree hotter. At the end of the day, by the time I was zipping up my tent sides, I was totally done in. It was in a park setting and I had one of the few spots without any trees. (but I was right by the food vendors which was great for traffic, as it was a huge show). Luckily, sales were good. Next year I will be a repeat vendor and will apply early - if I request a space they will try to accommodate. I think I will rule out any outside shows in July and August - just too miserable. .

[PJCRAFTSWORLD]

That's why for the most part we don't do outside shows after April in Florida.

[MemoriestoYou]

My hottest shows are usually in September. But, I did one a few years ago in May where I started getting sick from the heat. The sun was all around and no breeze so the sides down meant I sat in a hot box and sides up meant I got burned. Sales were so low I started packing up early. I knew I was sick when I walked into the sun to take stuff down and I started shivering. I called my husband to come help me because I couldn't bring my truck in yet. I sat in a friends shady tent while my husband packed everything up for me.

[Former_Member]

I did an unbearably hot fair one year - the entire week before was day after day of scorching heat - there was a parade prior to the beginning of the fair which led to lots of folks retreating back to their air conditioned vehicles rather than come onto the grounds where the crafters were. Despite it all, I made my booth fee back so it was not all bad, but I haven't participated in an outside fair since:)

[Former_Member]

I did a show one time in July and my booth was on asphalt. It was so hot I could barely breath! One of my items actually melted; not what I make now, but something else. It was pretty horrible.

[Former_Member]

Drew, my items were melting in May. Of course, here in Texas we have summer 9 months out of the year. ;-)

[TomboyPrettyJewelry]

I have one more outdoor vendor market - thank goodness, they don't call it H-Town for nothing. ;-)