This in-between time after the holidays and before the show season kicks off has me feeling many emotions. It's a time to reflect on last year's happenings both in my business and personal life, and plan/goal set/say prayers for the year ahead. New Year's resolutions exist because so many others feel this way too. Sure, I kinda-sorta have a resolution to eat better and get in shape, but the resolutions I'm more focused on--and perhaps have a better chance of achieving!--are business related.
Overall 2017 was a good year for Terry and I, especially in the personal-life category as our families are all healthy and doing well and we still enjoy being in the same room or (more importantly, as we are on the road so often) the same vehicle together. And business-wise it wasn't bad either when we look at the big picture. We spent time in new places, met new people, bought and sold lots of cool vintage goods, ate great food and kept the bills paid while working entirely for ourselves. And there's no way I'm going to complain about that.
However, it wasn't as easy as it has been in previous years. Weather was certainly our biggest foe. We had rain on Rural Route Rust market day which cut down on shoppers. We've been blessed with great weather for all previous markets so it was bound to happen sometime and thankfully most of our vendors seemed to still do okay. Pumpkin season was also rainy which limited attendance and sales. But we are farmers after all, and weather is part of it. We can only try --or resolve-- to put measures in place to deal with future bad weather days and hope for better conditions next time around.
We can see the antique/vintage market evolving and changing and we resolve to adjust with it. RRR started at the beginning of the "junking" craze, when markets were scarce and shoppers were hungry for anything and everything old and interesting. Crowds at shows were huge and selling was easy. Many more markets exist now and, subsequently, many more vendors. Shoppers have almost-endless choices, including reproductions which can be found in every home decor store. We have to always be thinking about how we can bring customers what they want while remaining true to our vision and authentic in our vintage offerings. Good vintage pieces never go out of style; sometimes they just need to be presented in a different fashion. Similarly, vendors have endless choices when it comes to shows and we want RRR to be one of their favorite events to participate in. We are full of ideas, plans and inspiration as we work toward these goals and our our ultimate resolution; continuing to make a living doing what we love. <3
#resolutions #newyearsresolutions #workforit #vintagevendor #smallbusinessgoals #smallbusinesschallenges #entrepreneuer #nebraskafarm #nebraskapumpkinpatch #farming #antiqueshow #antiquemarket #vintagemarket
