Another NEW Vendor - Attention Rockhounds the Rock Dude is here

Come meet the Rock Dude

Lee Parker

Lee is just one of our new vendors this season.  I met Lee in a group on Facebook when I put out the word that we were always looking for new products and people for Cross Roads. He was very receptive to renting a booth until he read our rules. Rule 27 which states you must wear shirt and shoes.  This rule wouldn't bother most people but Lee hasn't worn shoes in many years.  I directed him to the market manager and everything was a go!  I didn't even know Lee was coming. On Saturday, October 4, 2014, I was walking through building 1 and there he was.  I have always loved rocks and Lee has a wonderful variety, most of them are in their natural states.

 In the words of Lee "I Like rocks.  I like looking at them, touching them, smashing them with hammers, slicing them with diamond bladed saws, grinding them to dust on diamond studded wheels (and incidentally forming cabochons).  I like buying some and selling some.  I like talking and writing about them.  But, I still don’t know much about them.Each day with them i s a learning experience."

 

Lee features: Brazilian Agates, both natural and dyed, fossils & coral. He can tell you where they come from and how they were formed. The children seem fascinated by the fossils. They also love to dig through the bins of polished stone looking for that perfect addition to their special collection of rocks. You can also find geodes Lee has sliced in half or a selection of break your own geodes. They would make awesome stocking stuffers.

As you can see in some of the above pictures he also has semi-precious gemstones such as raw garnet, lapis & several types of quartz.

He also has a beautiful selection of quartz clusters.  Here you can see some of the amethyst & citrine clusters Lee has on display. They are the perfect gift for your rockhound.

Lee's wife helps him stretch his product line and participates in his addiction to stone by handcrafting sterling silver jewelry with some of Lee's smaller cabochons.  She also uses natural stone and other natural materials to create beautiful jewelry. 

You can also visit Lee's Certified Rockhound page, for more information.

"If you are looking for natural perfection, keep browsing!" - Lee Parker

Putting together my shop

I have taken the leap and signed my contract, picked my booth, paid my fees and I'm officially a vendor at Cross Roads. Wow! Now how do I set up this blank canvas to best showcase my fused glass pendants? Each piece is unique. I don't have much money to purchase "store" type displays. What could I do? 


Let's start with what I know. The space is 10 foot deep and 15 foot wide, purple sponge painted and has 2 sets of flood lights. I have permission to use an extra counter that was floating around Cross Roads. The clothing rack is also available for use. Ok, now to figure out how I want my booth to look. I had thoughts of walls of squares that each could hold one pendant on a bust, a victorian sitting room, a rustic look and a hundred others.





So many ideas and no money to create any of them. I knew I would need lots of lighting. Curio cabinets, china hutches those things have lighting in them. I needed to get the product up where people could see it. Off to Craigslist....Wow, found several pieces but they were way out of my price range. Guess that idea was a bust. I guess I just have to look at what I already have available to me. I found some small tables, an old cast iron sewing machine in a cabinet and part of a hutch. Well, it's a start.  My mom offered a small Barrister bookcase and Grandma's lighted curio style cabinet.  Sweet, I'm on my way.  I found a table with a drawer that would fit under Grandma's cabinet and painted it black to match the cabinet. A beautiful focal point!  I checked with mom to see if I could drill holes and put nails in the bookcase, I was told to go for it.  So I added a couple strands of white Christmas lights.  The bookcase would fit on top of the hutch base. Two displays created.  My mother also offered me a jewelry armoire that would hang on the wall. I accepted her generous offer. Three displays! Things are coming together.

Ok, I'm off to a good start, but I have over 100 pendants to display. At this point I can only show about 25 of them. I need more display ideas. I have a lot of purple wall space. I know! Wearable art! Picture frames! Off to the box in the attic! It is full of old frames. I didn't even take the pictures out of them. I covered the glass with paper and glued cardboard busts to them. I did buy a few of the segmented frames at Walmart and put scrapbooking paper in them and stick on hooks.  Some garland (my mom's great idea) across the back wall to hide outlet boxes. A tree decal, a couple small wall shelves, some decorative elements and we have a boutique not just a shop or booth. 

When creating your booth, use the same creativity you put into your products. Your space doesn't have to look like everyone elses. It should reflect you and your products. Work with what you have. You can always add or remove display items, rearrange them or repurpose them. Make it what you want, what you love, what you feel comfortable with.

Part 4 will be my experience as a full time vendor at Cross Roads.



Part 1- My first visit to Cross Roads
Part 2- Opening a shop at Cross Roads, is it really possible?
Part 3- Putting together my shop
Part 4- I did it! You can too!