Hello everyone!
Well I made it through my first ever Ohio Soapers Gathering! I have to say, it was great to meet the people who love soaping as much as we do. They are a fantastic group of individuals. I was however a bit nervous being my first gathering, but, upon my arrival the coordinator of the gathering, Jackie Harris greeted me with such warmth how could I not feel welcomed? She was just so thrilled we were able to attend, what a lovely lady she is. I set up my tables and waited for the event to begin. Every one of my booth visitors were just as excited as ever that we had attended the gathering for the day with some of our products. So much so that even those who preordered, bought more stuff while I was there. There was no stopping them!
Our Facebook followers told me how excited they were about the opening of our store and that the pictures were amazing! I told them the pictures don’t do it justice and that they will just have to come down in person. They fully and enthusiastically agreed, saying a road trip is definitely in the near future. Several of my customers that had already been there, raved to the others standing nearby.
Throughout the event there were informative demonstrators. Bobbie Eastman with hair shine, Kim Craig with handmade cream, Kristy Schemrich with laundry soap, and a few others. I am glad they held these demos in the same room, otherwise I would have missed out. Even though I could never get away from the table due to my fabulous customers, I could still hear and gather information from the demos. I even got a few samples!
They had a “garage sale” table which I thought was cute (I should have brought my stuff of odds and ends to sell). These were things the donators couldn’t use anymore but knew someone else could. Then there was a table called the “swap table.” You donate stuff you made, up to 5 things and you received as many in return. How fun is that? I can only imagine what kind of things were made by these amazing crafters. Everyone was so creative, I was in awe!
The door prizes were great too, there was everything from Tickets to Kalahari Water Park, gift certificates, several soaping products, and of course Natures Garden shopping bags and Tshirts! All of the winners were so happy to come away from the gathering with new knowledge, new products, winnings, and a full belly. All in all I believe it was a great success for everyone all around.
I can’t wait for the next one because I will get to meet a whole new realm of awesome people. Their creativity inspires me and it’s good to know there are people out there using their knowledge for things that are good and can offer information that will help others. Whether it is to teach them, save them money, or inspire THEIR creative juices, soaping is a great artistic field to venture into. The avenues are endless…seriously!
So my friends, if you have never been to a gathering, go! If you know someone who makes soap, learn! If you don’t personally know somebody, come out to our website at naturesgardencandles.com and look at our blogs, show and tells, all of our free recipes, or, check out our starter kits. It may seem intimidating but know we are always here to help…always!
Although I had a blast in Sandusky at the Ohio Soapers Gathering, I was past exhausted! It was a good exhaustion and I came away from it with more then I went there with…I am glad I was a part of it.
Well kids until the adventure, have a fabulous day!
Cindy
