Craft Show Vendor Liability Insurance

I have been compiling a listing of companies that offer insurance for vendors at craft shows, festivals, etc.

Specialty Insurance Agency. I looked at their website and it's hard to find info about policies. The policies run from September to August and it's roughly $350 per year. You really need to wait until September in order to get your money's worth. I have a friend who is insured through them and he says they are excellent. They also have an ad in Craftmaster News (pg 121 Feb/Mar issue) paper issue. You may subscribe to this publication. Best around.

Center West Insurance Agency. Tel 800-455-6974. centerwestinsurance@lanset,com I saw their ad in Craftmaster and looked at their website but didn't see anything about specific policies. Recommend emailing them for info.

RLI Home Business Insurance. This looks like it might be decent. Check it out.

To see more, please visit my website for the complete listing

If you know of any others, please let me know.... thank you

Lockeford Sausages

LOCKEFORD SAUSAGE. Ripon Almond Blossom Festival is coming up and two things I will miss over there (not selling there this year) are my friends and the Bratwurst Sausages. I guess that we run into them maybe 5-6 times during the year at a numbe of events we do. Went out to Food Maxx last week and picked up some Bratwurts along with onions and 'kraut. Also got some French rolls, but they are way too small. Ate one for lunch today but nowhere's near as good as the ones that we get at the shows. Lockeford must have the best sausages at any show. Huge Brat with loads of kraut and onions overflowing. Mmmmm. Delicious.

The first time I ever had a Lockeford Sausage was at a street festival we did over there about a dozen years ago. They also had a 'company' store there on the main street where you could buy sausages.

Lockeford Meat & Sausage Service(209) 727-5584 19775 N Cotton St, Lockeford, CA 95237

For more info on events, vendors, etc. please check out Starving Vendors

Ripon Almond Blossom Festival weather report.

RAINS FORECAST FOR 2009 RIPON ALMOND BLOSSOM FESTIVAL. It looks like this is going to be a weekend of rain again for many vendors. Weather.com shows rain on Fri-Sat-Sun. I think that you had better read AccuWeather's forecast, which sounds better. No rain Friday; cooler and periods of rain on Saturday; and it's Bye-Bye Balboni on Sunday. There's Weather Underground to check also, but their forecasts are only five days ahead. DISCLAIMER: Of course, nobody is crazy enough to actually believe that these long range forecasts are accurate. They are for amusement purposes only!!!

Be sure to read my review from last year's event. You'll love it.

Dates for 2009: Feb 27-28 and March 1.

THE ANNUAL BLOSSOM FESTIVAL & CARNIVAL HOURS ARE:

Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm (Carnival Only)
Friday, February 27, 2009 - 12:00pm - 9:00pm
Saturday February 28, 2009 - 10:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday, March 1, 2009 - 10:00am - 5:00pm

Tough times - the life of a vendor.

Here's something you might enjoy reading. I just wrote it this morning. I really don't think anybody knows how tough it is for 'vendors, etc.' to be doing all these shows day after day, week after week.

It's a crazy lifestyle doing these events. Sometimes you go bananas when there's a lot of people at a show and nobody is buying. But if you are sitting around in your house, you find yourself 'craving for the action.' You feel like you 'have to' do a particular event even if you know that you might do poorly. Just to be out there around people and trying to sell your things. The 'dreams' of making a couple grand on any given day. You're excited when you see the beautiful weather and it energizes you and you think that you are going to make 'the big bucks'. It's like you've got it in your blood. I love the blue skies, the green money, Benjamin Franklin ($100 bills), the huge crowds (that used to be) gathering around our booths. But it's agonizing when you have so many people, but they are just walking around like stinking zombies.

You meet each and every event with new enthusiasm, thinking that this is going to be THE day. Then you get the sprinkles of rain and the cold gusts of wind blowing in your face. Reality. You approach your other vendor friends and see that they are not getting very many sales that day also. You look farther down and you see that people are buying another vendor's products left and right and that drives you up the wall and you begin to wonder what you are doing wrong. 'Stick with my products or go out and find something new' you say to yourself. Even though nothing is really wrong at times, you drive yourself bonkers trying to think of what to do and then begin cussing yourself out for paying so much for that particular event.

There was a day that whenever you paid a higher booth fee, you usually ended up with a nice space and a load of people. Not anymore. Even the best of shows have gone downhill because the people just are not buying like they did several years ago for a variety of reasons and of course, the promoters keep jacking up their fees and finding ways to extract more money from you by adding on extra fees. How about a $2.00 surtax for ass-wipes. It's like a roller-coaster ride. There's more vendors at a lot of these shows because people seem to think that they can make a quick buck selling anything and everything at these events. So they go out and get a bunch of socks, sunglasses, etc. and set up. People like you and me used to get by and not have to do a show every weekend. Now with profit margins so low, we are forced to do more events trying to make the same kind of money as before to make ends meet. It can be a dog-eat-dog kind of life out there in the streets.

Stop by and read my website, Starving Vendors. I have loads of information on here and you can read reviews on shows we have done over the years and see what it's like. I'd recommend that you start with Your Daily Dose

Facebook could raise health problems

Facebook 'could raise cancer risk' Social networking sites such as Facebook could increase the risk of health problems such as cancer, strokes, heart disease, and dementia, a doctor has claimed.

Such popular sites, also including the likes of MySpace and Twitter, are putting users in danger by reducing levels of face-to-face contact, according to psychologist Dr Aric Sigman.
He believes this could have biological effects, altering the way genes work, and upsetting immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries.

Dr Sigman spells out his warning in the latest issue of Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology. He maintains that social networking sites have played a significant role in people becoming more isolated. He said: "Social networking is the internet's biggest growth area, particular among young children. "A quarter of British children have a laptop or computer in their room by the age of five and they have their own social networking sites, like the BBC's myCBBC. It's causing huge changes."

click here to continue article

Clovis Big Hat Days Festival - April 4-5

Big Hat Days in Clovis will be held on April 4-5. For an application, click here

Booth spaces are expensive, running around $435 for commercial and A&C. About two hundred dollars too high for me. Include gas and motel prices...ouch. However, they do get one heck of a lot of vendors for this show and also a huge crowd. Here is my review of last year's event: Too
Weather was great. Big crowds, they came out for this one. Show is over-priced for vendors. A lot of people did Manteca's Street Faire, but I would stay away from that one. They added more booths (again) this year in Clovis. We were located all the way at the end of Section J here in Clovis, but that wasn't too bad.

Click here to read the remainder of this review.

Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival - April 25-26

The city of Cupertino will be hosting it's annual Cherry Blossom Festival on April 25-26 at Memorial Park. This event draws large crowds and is promoted by Festival Productions and you can go to their website for an application (vendors).

We participated in the event last year and here is my review.

Great weather. However, there were noticably fewer attendee's than previous years. Entertainment was okay and the people came to hear and see them play the large drums, which is one of the highlights of this event.

Majority of the food booths was volunteers and served up various Japanese foods, in line with the theme of the festival. However, there was a smoothie booth there and their drinks were sensational. I had a pina colada smoothie and I wish I would have brought a small bottle of rum with me. Very refreshing. I've seen quite a number of refreshment booths and this one is excellent.

click here to read more

Patterson Apricot Fiesta - May 30-31, 2009

The 2009 Patterson Apricot Fiesta will be held on May 30-31, 2009. click here for application

Here is our review of the 2008 event:

Very nice weather this time with temps in the low 80's and a very pleasant breeze. It is usually much hotter this time of year. We have had temps in the 100's most of the year's we did the event. Decent crowds on Saturday; substantially lower on Sunday. Many vendors did pretty decent on Saturday and darn lousy on Sunday. The Chamber of Commerce needs to listen to the vendors. They moved a huge number of vendors to an adjacent street and sales were down for all of them and it was difficult for our returning customers.

to read more, please click here

Ceres Street Fair - Ceres, CA May 3-4, 2009

The Ceres Street Fair is coming up on May 2-3, 2009. Ceres Chamber of Commerce Contact them if you are interested in being a vendor.

Read our review of last year's event:

This is a small-town street fair that draws good-sized crowds from surrounding towns. Perhaps in the 30-40,000 range. I really praise the promoters of this event. This is a very smooth-running event which is always enjoyable to do. It was a little warm over the weekend and somewhat breezy at times. However, over the years, we have had temps up around 100 and super-hot; have had rain and even a Sunday completely rained out a couple years ago.

click here to read more

Up Against Wal-Mart

At the world's largest and most profitable retailer, low wages, unpaid overtime, and union busting are a way of life. Now Wal-Mart workers are fighting back

I ran across this website which tells a lot about life at a Wal-Mart and is several years old. However, I find it very interesting and it gives a lot of insight into the many problems this retailer giant causes. I am sure that very little has changed there over the years. Shoppers just look the other way, knowing very well that the workers are not unionized, payed low wages and have few benefits, if any. Many comments by workers, etc. You know, I cringe whenever I see a new Wal-mart going up because it affects smaller businesses that can not compete and have to close as a result and people lose their jobs. I know that it's very hard not to shop at Wal-Mart because they undercut any competition, but gosh, people actually lose their jobs because of them. I know that this nation has bigger problems with major corporations going under. banks closing, losing investments, etc. and maybe people are just glad to have a job. I guess it's like a double-edged sword?

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2003/03/against-wal-mart

Casinos warned: An iPhone application created to count cards

Casinos warned: An iPhone app created to count cards

LAS VEGAS — Nevada gambling regulators have warned casinos about a card-counting program for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch that can illegally help players beat the house in blackjack

Next time you want to hit the blackjack tables in Vegas you may want to check your iPhone is off and out of site before some burly bouncer throws you out on the Strip, or worse confiscates your trendy $300 Smartphone. Turns out the gig is up for those that used a special program that illegally worked out how to count cards.

Counting-cards, a technique used to predict the value of the card using probabilities, is not illegal in Nevada when using the old gray matter between your ears, however using a program, or any device used to record the cards or predict the value of the next card is. click here to read story

Starving Vendors website

Enjoy reading PAGE ONE stories on Starving Vendors. Popular website has reviews of events we have done the past couple years and you will find some of them hilarillous and all true to the point.

Read such articles as:
James Bond phone-watch to hit UK this year...... Pair arrested for eating iguana on Facebook...
Woman breaks world's longest fingernails in car crash...... Michael Jackson Suffering From Flesh-Eating Disease?.... and a lot more.

Many other interesting features. You'll love it. Check out Your Daily Dose, a daily journal of information and events.

Chabot College Flea Market - Hayward

We (DandL CREATIONS) shall be at the Chabot College Flea Market in Hayward this coming Saturday, Feb 21 and located in Space B367-368. If there is significant rainfall, we will not be there. Come on down and get yourself one of our popular shoulder bags or one of Lucy's new shell creations. How about a hand-made shell necklace?

How about looking at our Ebay Auctions?

Blues Festival listings in Starving Vendors

I am in the process of constructing some new pages to draw more interest to this website and to inform others of a variety of entertainment choices. Debuting now is the 'Blues Festival' section which describes a number of Blues Festivals in California and will add other states as time goes on. I shall be adding shows to this listing frequently. This should increase our website readership by about 10-15 percent. This section is mainly for the public and will probably not include many shows that vendors can participate in, but I will designate this accordingly. The 'Beer Festivals' (US and World-wide) which will come out in a couple weeks will increase readership another 20 percent and my goal is to get readership to reach 10,000 per month by the end of April.

Quality of COSTCO Caravan Canopies.

If you do a google search of COSTCO Canopies, you will see my comments about problems I encountered when I bought another canopy to replace one of my other broken canopies. We can all agree that these are cheaply made, but inexpensive, nonetheless. The old addage holds true: You get what you paid for. Still holding up after 12 days in Tyson Wells. However, the top of the canopy WAS INDEED SAGGING in a couple spots after a heavy rain and I could see tiny droplets of water seeping actually seeping through the top. Sad. Proven: COSTCO CARAVAN (Aluma) CANOPIES SUCK.

I guess that some of the better quality canopies are of 450, 500 or 600 denier. I think that this COSTCO CARAVAN ALUMA model must be 250.

Looking for Consignment deals

Hi store owners, etc. I am looking for locations in the S.F. Bay Area/Central Coast, etc. to selll our shell products on consignment. Contact me at dstefa4621@aol.com if you are interested.

Here are some of the products we wish to sell that are located on our website
DandL CREATIONS and are hand-made by my wife. Picture frames, flower vases, etc. Thank you...dave

Newest Navy Ship - USS BARACK OBAMA

NEWEST NAVY SHIP USS BARACK OBAMA.

This is what the increase in taxes on small business support! These new sailors are filling all the new government jobs promised by the Democrats

This high tech vessel was christened by Rev. Wright The USS Sharpton is currently under construction in Kenya while the USS Pelosi is being built from recycled Corona cans in Mexico

For more things wacky and wild, please visit Starving Vendors Funny Farm.

March Breezes on Main - Yuma, AZ

March Breezes Arts and Crafts Festival, Yuma, AZ March 13-15, 2009. The last of four events on Main Street in downtown Yuma. vendor application

Food and Craft booths $175 (3 days) 10x10; $250 for 10x20. website Yuma Heritage

Plymouth Rock Movie Studios

Plymouth Rock Movie Studios
Heading for Hollywood?
Plymouth to open Plymouth Rock Studios

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (WWLP) - Massachusetts is one step closer to having its own "Hollywood." The state's environmental chief has cleared the way for a proposed movie studio in Plymouth to move to the design and permitting phase. Massachusetts Environmental Affairs Secretary granted Plymouth Rock Studios a final waiver to build an access road and related infrastructure. Plymouth Rock Studios is expected to include 14 sound stages, a 10-acre back lot, and a theater on a 242-acre site. Supporters say the project is expected to generate more than 2-thousand jobs and develop into a unique tourist attraction. WWLP news link

Plymouth Rock Studios has struck a deal to buy Waverly Oaks Golf Club as the site for what it says will be a world-class movie and television production campus. A formal announcement was expected today . “This is a beautiful site and completely different from anything in Los Angeles County,” Plymouth Rock Studios founder David Kirkpatrick said. “That’s what we were looking for, a habitat different from Los Angeles County.” Patriot Ledger news link

Living Green in the Kern River Valley - event

Another Kern River Valley opportunity for VENDORS is LIVING GREEN IN THE KERN RIVER VALLEY (March 27-30, 2009) See www.KRVR.org for details.There is a 'Green Expo" all day Saturday, March 28 in Wofford Heights. 26 vendors already signed up (as of 2-12-09)

VENDOR FORM

download flyer

Weather or not!

CLOVERDALE CITRUS FAIR. This is another 3 day event and they are expecting tons of rain this weekend. Not a good weekend for vendors. Loads of rain for Whiskey Flat Days in Kernville.

We will be at the Chabot College Flea Market next Saturday and it is supposed to rain. Matter of fact, we have at least 9 days of rain coming up and that is why I like doing shows in Arizona. It rained twice during the four weeks we were there. Any time you sign up for a show in Northern California from Jan-Mar, you are putting your dollars at risk. The tough times get tougher! Going to have to head over to COSTCO and pick up those boxes of Cup-O-Noodles.

Craftmaster News new feature

CRAFTMASTER NEWS subscribers. New feature. You are now able to provide reviews of events you have done. Select a time period from last year and scroll down and find events you have done. Select one and then you will see an area at the bottom of the page provided for your reviews. Luckily, you might find other reviews also. Tim just started this and I think it's a great idea. I really love to hear what others have to say about their shows and it provides insight for me. It's a lot better than the reviews on the paper copies of CFG because you just don't see those 'one liners'.

If you want to read more reviews of events, please go to my website, Starving Vendors where I have detailed descriptions of many events we have done over the years along with loads of other information, etc. Go to the menu and choose Guide to Shows>Events and then choose the dates. We have just finished doing shows in Tyson Wells. Sell-a-Rama and the Arts & Crafts Show. I also have reviews from last year of upcoming shows. Whiskey Flat Days Ripon Almond Blossom Festival and the Quartz Hill Almond Blossom Festival

2009 Contemporary Crafts Market.

2009 Contemporary Crafts Market. March 14-15, 2009. Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, CA. View their website for more info and listing of vendors.

10:00 am - 5:00 pm, DailyAdmission $7, Children 12 & Under FREE( San Francisco, Calif.)

The Contemporary Crafts Market will return to San Francisco’s historic Fort Mason Center March 14-15, 2009, and will showcase over 230 of the nation’s finest artists and their distinctive works.As the premiere event for one-of-a-kind functional and decorative crafts, the show will present a broad range of pieces including intricate jewelry, unique glassware and ceramics, hand-painted textiles, custom furniture, mixed-media creations and much more.

All items on display and for sale have been jury-selected for their exceptional quality.All the work in these shows is made by the participating artists. All the artists are residents in the United States. The participants have undergone a rigorous screening process to qualify as participants in this show and we are proud to showcase them.

2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition.

2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition. Thur, Mar 5 - Sun Mar 8. Held at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Landmark Buildings A-E

Thu Mar 5 (6:30 - 10:00 pm) Fri Mar 6 (10 am - 6 pm) Sat Mar 7 (9 am - 6 pm)
Sun Mar 8 (10 am - 5 pm)

Get ready to grow "Green...with Envy" at the 57th annual Pacific Orchid Exposition (POE), March 5-8 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.Known as one of the top three orchid shows in the country, the Pacific Orchid Exposition boasts over 150,000 orchids from around the globe. The theme for the 2009 POE is "Green...with Envy" and will highlight orchid preservation and eco-friendly growing tips. In addition to the plethora of orchid displays, there will also be tours and potting demonstrations. The event will open with the prestigious Gala Benefit Preview Night, March 5th, where guests can enjoy wine from 22 Northern California wineries, delicious hors d'oeuvres, live music, a silent auction and more. The hosts of the Pacific Orchid Exposition, the San Francisco Orchid Society, will be awarding its annual $7,500.00 scholarship award to a Cal Poly horticultural student.

For more information, please visit www.orchidsanfrancisco.org

Rainy February

Looks like we are going to be plagued by rain this month. We're in Tyson Wells, AZ and rain is expected this weekend. Lake Havasu's Winterfest will have rain this weekend also. Whiskey Flat Days in Kernville has snow, rain and cold weather coming up the following weekend. We are not starting the year off very good.

Upcoming Shows for DandL CREATIONS

DandL CREATIONS will be at the Chabot College Flea Market on Saturday, Feb 21. I will post our space number a few days before. Also, we shall be doing the Bok Kai Festival in Marysville on February 28.

March and April

March 7 DeAnza College Flea Market
March 14-15 Possibly Jackson Dandelion Days
March 21 Chabot College Flea Market
April 11-12 Casa de Fruta Arts and Crafts Show
April 25-26 Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival

There will be other shows in March and April, check our schedule

Los Banos - Mother's Day Arts and Crafts Fair

Mother's Day Arts and Crafts Fair. Here's a nice event for that weekend held in Los Banos.

LOS BANOS TIGER SHARKS ANNUAL "It's a Beautiful Day in the Park"
Saturday and Sunday, May 9-10, 2009 9:00AM-5:00PM
Booth fee $75 for 15x15 space (approximate) flyer application

VENDORS: Boycott Auburn Events

From what I understand there were a number of vendors who sent in their payments for the Oakhurst Home and Garden (formerly Mountain Peddler's Fair in May. On the applications, it stated that this event was to be held over Memorial Day Weekend and people made their payments. However, the dates were changed to the week before and some people might be very surprised, especially when they show up on Memorial Weekend and there is no show. This was a very bad move on their part. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. But this show was broken many years ago when they moved it out of the parking lot at the shopping center.

I know a vendor who had sent in payment for a Home and Garden show in Auburn that same weekend, but later he was surprised to find out that he now had two shows scheduled for the same weekend. He called the promoters at the Fairgrounds there and explained to them what had happened. They were bastards about it and refused to refund the money AND they refused to credit him that $300 for a show later in the year there. I myself have had bad experiences with these people and I am calling for a boycott of events at the Fairgrounds in Auburn until they do what is right. This could happen to you. Please do not participate in events there.

Macy's to cut 7,000 jobs

IS MACY'S NEXT TO GO?

NEW YORK – Macy's Inc. announced Monday that it will eliminate 7,000 jobs, almost 4 percent of its work force, and cut capital spending, reduce its contributions to its employees' retirement funds and slash its dividend to preserve cash amid a severe pullback in consumer spending.

To read more, click here.

Oakhurst Mountain Peddler's Fair - May 16-17

CHANGE OF DATES:
I was considering doing the Oakhurst event over Memorial Day, but just found out that the dates for the Oakhurst Mountain Peddler's Fair have been changed to the weekend before, May 16-17. Also, they have changed the name of the event to the Oakhurst Home and Garden Show. The new dates, I am sure, will come as a surprise to a lot of vendors who have done this event for years.

If you really want to change it for the good, move it back to the shopping area where it was located several years ago WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE IT. The current location is not good and nobody can see it from the Highway, which is a MAJOR route into Yosemite. It would be nice if some of these passers-by could see canopies, etc., and mozy on ovah!!!

Your Daily Dose from StarvingVendors.com

An older couple came into the booth each holding a little pooch in their arms. The lady asked me 'are those doggie chairs?' pointing to the small one-foot tall stools I had outside. "Huh?" was my response as I looked over at her. She repeated her question and I said to her "Uhhhh... no I don't think so."

Doggie chairs? I think that some people spend way too much time with their dogs. Hey Joe, ya want to go to the ball game today? Nah, gotta stay home with the dog. They don't let dogs in there. Louise, want to go to the Craft Show? Yah, okay. I can bring our dog and get him some new shoes and a cute little hat.

click here to read the remainder of this story