More Market Reflections - Second Market

Okay, so we've got two markets now under our belt, and boy have we learned a lot. First off, the question of what exactly have we gotten ourselves into continually echoes in our heads. The work is hard, we have no free time (not that we had any of it in the first place), and the profit margin is slim, at best. So what exactly are we doing here? I can't answer that question right now, but needless to say, we're searching for that answer.

In the meantime, there is the constant adjustment process. The student crowds are thinning out with graduation nearly here, but that doesn't mean people aren't coming. In fact, there are more family-types stopping by, and they tend to want to eat around the dinner hour. What this means is that it is really slow at the beginning of the market, filling our hearts with despair, and then, at some point, the steady flow begins to trickle in. Before you know it, things are a little crazy, and suddenly we've sold out. This is both good and bad.

Good in the sense that people are buying our dumplings, but bad in the sense that we may have to step up production. Like we have the time or the wherewithal? I can see why companies become so ruthless in maximizing their profits, the margins are so thin in the first place. It really makes you question why they do it in the first place, though I guess we can ask that of ourselves.

Our neighbors have changed, and the woman next to us moved to the other side of the market, though I wonder if she didn't want to be next to a dumpling stand, which of course kind of hurts my feelings. Our other neighbor sells alpaca yarn and she remained by our side. She is super nice and lets the kids help out and check out her stuff.

Meanwhile, our new neighbor sells honey products and is also nice, though she has many challenges. She comes by herself, and has to set up and break down her stand alone. The kids helped her set up, and I lingered afterward to help her break down. How could I not?

One thing I've noticed is that there are an inordinate number of older women on their own, and being the real-man in training that I am, I felt obligated to at least help in some way. They didn't ask for it, I offered, and in some instances they accepted, others they declined. Life sure is challenging, and it makes you kind of question the free-market mentality. Everyone struggles so hard just to make ends meet, but there must be an easier way just to survive.

Anyway, enough of my pontification, at least for the next few minutes. As I mentioned, we sold out, and have decided to bring even more dumplings the next time. The beauty of the market is that we can bring frozen product and cook it on site, so we can simply bring home the unused goods. Our own community market won't let us cook on site, so we have to predict our sales, which is pretty much impossible. Either way, whatever we don't sell will go to waste, and as any good capitalist knows, this makes no business sense.

We've adapted our system in certain ways, and that is saving us some money. Previously we had problems with the wind and the stove. Even the slightest breeze compromises the heating quality of the flame on both the propane and the Sterno. I was going to build a wood barrier, but R voiced valid concerns over fire safety. I realized that I had all this flashing sitting around, and used that, instead, and voila. Suddenly we were protected from the wind, and as a consequence of improving our efficiency, saving money on propane. Who cares if the stuff is sharp as a knife and cuts our hands up? What's a little pain and blood in pursuit of the American Dream?

We've also found some new sources for raw materials, though our true goal will be to eventually either make/grow our ingredients, or at least find the most local suppliers as possible. We will continue to strive towards those core goals, but it ain't easy. Certain things are easier to find than others, but we have to keep in mind that we've only been doing this for a few weeks. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all.

We saw more of our friends, some of whom I'm sure are scratching their heads and wondering what exactly we're doing there. I have to confess, I'm not sure myself. What started out as a curious endeavor is starting to get bigger than we'd envisioned, and now we're not completely sure where it's going. In the beginning, we had this idea of selling dumplings to make some money so that we could take some trips. We figured a thousand dollars or two (or three!) made during the summer would help fund a late summer/fall trip. But you begin to realize that making money at a farmer's market is not that simple. The work is hard, and the profits are slim.

In fact, one thing I find fascinating is the struggle of everyone involved just to make money. This is particularly evident when you contrast the struggle of everyday people with the local population in town, which has a large number of Ivy League students and faculty, as well as highly educated and well-to-do professionals from the college and the hospital. It's a great population to target to buy your wares, but it becomes painfully evident that they operate in another world and many of whom have no concept of the continual struggles that so many people encounter in their daily lives just trying to make ends meet.

Nothing is easy. If money is made, which is not always the case, it's the result of blood, sweat and tears, and is offset by the costs of production. I've experienced this firsthand. Having a booth is really a labor of love (who do you love?), and I can't imagine that anyone makes a living doing this, which is a shame, because at the heart of the matter, farmer's markets are a great thing. They really strengthen communities and local markets, it's just that it's a struggle just to generate income. At least, that's my impression.

I do enjoy meeting the other vendors and learning about their stories and inspirations. You really get to the heart of the American Dream here. These are people who are pursuing something and are trying their best just get by. I don't think anybody there has the illusion that they are going to make a lot of money, but that doesn't stop them from trying. You have to admire that level of courage and determination. It really forces you to think about things and operate outside of the comfort zone.

For now, we'll keep plugging along, forsaking sleep and recreation for feeding the Upper Valley. Not sure how long we can sustain this, but as our social obligations begin to pare down as summer approaches, we're hoping we can streamline this process and have more free time. One thing you learn in doing business is that you either adapt or perish, not unlike life in general.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to justas cekas for the pic.