So, how did it go? Setting up and getting to vend at a national quilt show!

Back during Shop Hop, when we were going like 90, working long, long hours, I thought, “How lovely to get away. How wonderful to get to see land I haven’t seen before. How awesome not to worry about online orders, in store help, people being sick, and just rest.”

Well, I should have scheduled a vacation. Instead I scheduled us to go to the AQS Show in Grand Rapids, Michigan, thinking, “A change is as good as a rest.”

Well, truer words have often been spoken, because this change was NOT a rest, nor was it as GOOD as a rest.

Setting up and manning a show that is as well-attended as an AQS show is incredibly busy. It was NOT stressful, but it was exhausting. In many ways it was also exhiliarating, but even that can add to your exhaustion.

Many of you had noticed that all summer, Ken and I had not been producing a lot of new bundles. Instead, we were cutting 3 yard pieces of flat fold. We brought in PALLET loads of fabrics from Jaftex companies and Paintbrush Studios and Fabri-Quilt that we were cutting into beautiful 3 yard backings.

We had been able to make huge buys, so we had lots to tote with us. BUT, we had to get it ready. You can see what pallets and bales of cut fabrics look like below. I’m only showing you the relatively neat and non closed up stacks.

A long time ago we decided “No cutting at shows.” There would be no rotary cutters, cutting mats and sales sheets taken to these shows, like we have in the store. Nope. No way. We had tried that, and it was cumbersome and inefficient.

So, we have learned that you all realize the value of these incredible 3 yard bundles that we have gotten in. I also scoped out for incredible deals, and we tried it first in Daytona, and it worked beautifully, so we continued along that theme in Grand Rapids at that show.

Due to the huge batik blowout that we had the last week before we left, we had no spare time to load up our vehicles. Well, we had time, but ZERO energy, so we ended up waiting until Saturday afternoon, after the store closed, to load up most of our trailer. We had gotten in our shipment of rulers on Friday, so those were in there along with some neatly boxed backings that Ken and I had managed to get in without too much extra energy exerted.

Planning ahead, we had purchased a 16’ dual axle trailer, which Ken could pull behind his truck. What we didn’t realize was just quite HOW heavy rulers, blades and fabric are. Well, we actually knew, but didn’t really want to admit it to ourselves.

So, when we started loading, my one goal in mind was, “Rachael, you don’t want to run out of anything.” (And run out of anything, other than flannel backing, was what we did NOT do.)

So, we loaded in boxes and boxes and more boxes of 2 and 3 yard backings.

Then it started pouring down rain.

We did have two strong guys helping us , but when it started drenching us we decided to stop and take a supper break, and then come back to the job.

Two of our sons, Peter and Steven, were helping. They are incredibly strong guys, and were not to be out-done by each other. They were heaving boxes I could barely PUSH, much less pick up. I had no idea that throwing around 70 to 100 pound boxes was even possible, but they made it happen!

But alas, after supper, the rain started up in earnest again, after a short lull.

Now we were out of time, so we just threw things in until we thought, “Enough.”

I grabbed a quick picture of the inside of the trailer just before we headed out.

Our internet was down here in the store, so my master list, which was on google docs, couldn’t be printed. I finally remember that I could access it on my phone and at least read it before we closed up for the night.

We had to be in Michigan on Tuesday morning to set up, which meant that an 18 hour actual driving time trip would probably take upwards of 20 hours of driving time, barring any incidents, which meant, we needed to get in at least 6 hours of driving on Sunday afternoon!

Our goal was to be on the road by 2 p.m. Incredibly, we were pulling out of our house at 2:04 p.m., which was pretty great, in my book!

The trailer was so full it was actually pushing us, and it took the drivers (Steven and Ken) a small bit of time to figure out how to drive carefully with that impressive weight behind us all the way up.

But, I am thankful to tell you that we made it north of Atlanta on Sunday night, and all the way into Holland, MI, by Monday night with no incidents. That gave us some time to run into a nearby Walmart and pick up a few supplies, before heading in to start our setup.

Tuesday, Aug. 19, was incredibly warm and humid in Michigan by Michigan standards (84), and they did not turn the a/c on in the DeVos Center for those of us setting up. We were tossing around those 70 pound boxes, (I was pushing and shoving), and growing warmer by the minute. I thought Ken and Steven were going to pass out on me. I didn’t care to take pictures of us, since we all looked so awful, but I did get some of the setup as it went.

They brought stuff in and I set it up, until they got enough in, that they were sure we’d fill our tables. (We could have filled tables half the length of the hall, in truth!)

We were blessed to have a booth that was along the far wall, near the bathrooms and with two private closets (at least we took the spare space for our closets) behind it! What an incredible blessing. We stored overflow in the closet and were in and out of it all week long! (In the second picture, you can see the closet nook on the far left behind the curtain. I pulled the curtain up so you could see the life saving room we called our closet!)

By about 4 p.m., we were both done and done in! Not in any condition to take a starting picture, we did that the following morning, shown below.

Now, we were there in Michigan, with our booth set up, ready to roll! I was quite pleased, at this point, with our progress so far!

Check out tomorrow’s blog for the event itself.

Rachael Woodard2 Comments