Monday, June 24, 2019

Welcome to Summer!

Good morning!   

I don't know about you, but I'm so happy that summer has finally arrived on the southern Oregon coast. I LOVE this time of year! We're so fortunate to have mostly mild weather. In the summer, it gets warmer-- but, rarely too hot-- and the heat is usually accompanied by coastal "breezes" (read: gusts). The result is several months of the year where I can open all of the windows in my house most days to let in the fresh air.

IMG_1391 Mingus Park

Now that the summer weather has arrived, I've been busy lining up lots of markets. Most of them will be outdoors, but I've been trying to include a few indoor ones as well (to give me a break from fighting the coastal winds-- we have a love/hate relationship! I love that the winds keep the temperature regulated, but the same winds also like to try to topple my market canopy and blow my merchandise off my tables!).

Coos Bay Farmers Market

When: every Wednesday from 9 am until 2 pm

Where: Central Avenue in Coos Bay (the market spreads out for a full 3 blocks!)

My booth is on the first block (closest to the Visitor Center). I'm currently sandwiched between "Cindy Yi's Radish Kimchi" and "Top Your Nosh" pepper relish. Both of my neighbors give out free samples!

Green Acres Grange Sale

When: Friday- Saturday, July 12th-13th from 9 am until 4 pm

Where: Green Acres Grange Hall (off Highway 42, roughly halfway between Coos Bay and Coquille)

The Green Acres Grange hosts several sales throughout the year. It's a great mix of handmade items sold by small businesses (like my "Reprieve's Corner) and people selling second hand items. They also have a small kitchen that sells affordable lunch items including burgers, fries, and soup.

I'll definitely have two tables set up there all day on Friday. One table will contain my books and handmade crafts. The other table will have second hand items. I might be able to do a half day on Saturday, but I need to be back in Coos Bay before the market is over in order to work the closing shift at the Coos Bay Public Library.


Port Orford Street Fair

When: Saturday, August 10th from 11 am until 5 pm

Where: Port Orford-- between Highway 101 & 8th Street

This will be my first time setting up a booth at this market. According to their webpage, it's an annual event which will include a variety of entertainment and activities including market booths, food, live music, chalk art, face painting, and belly dancers. Please, come check it out!


Other News

In addition to lining up markets, I've been spending a lot of time making new inventory which I've been slowly listing online. I made too much jewelry, so I've been discounting most of my older work both online in my Etsy shop and in my booth at local markets. I have the jewelry discounted between 25-60% off in my etsy shop, Reprieve's Corner. Most of the discounts are scheduled to end on July 5th, 2019 (although I may extend the deadline).

www.etsy.com/shop/ReprievesCorner

IMG_E2801 

As always, thank you for taking the time to read this blog post and for supporting my little home-based crafting business and my writing career. Your support means a great deal to me. Thank you!

Happy summer!

~ H. S. Contino