Whew! Last week was a bit of a nightmare. I thought I was going to get the keys to the Pop-UP on Monday and could start leisurely loading in my wares every evening, since the Village only allows this during “non-working” hours. But after some delays, I didn’t actually get the keys until mid-afternoon on THURSDAY! This basically left Thursday evening and Friday morning to move everything in, set up the shop and be ready to open on Saturday morning. The Friday evening drinks party was scrapped!
My talented friend, Stiles came over to help me zhoosh things up after I’d done the initial unloading and display. And boy did he work miracles! Luckily for me, there was a wall of shelves in the shop, along with several movable counters and I brought in some six-foot tables.
Stiles had the brilliant idea of moving the fixtures to either side of the door and then running two of the tables length-wide down the center. We displayed the silver and china on the shelving and the silverware on the tables. I hung two of the quilts on the wall and plan to change them out every week.
Luckily, the shop is filled with light, so it all looks crisp and cool.
I was actually surprised at what I sold on the first two days – all of my huge pitchers, bowls, tureens, and platters! Luckily, I have enough to replenish and worked on Labour Day to add more pieces.
Thanks to everyone who came to see me and buy some goodies!
PS – A few people asked for directions. Cross Keys is a gated mixed-use development with offices, shops and housing. It’s a but confusing, and not well marked once you enter the property. So here’s a handy little map for you to use. You can enter through the gate-house or the bus & truck entrance and park on either the north or south side of the shops. There’s a beautiful court-yard that you have to walk through to find me.
I will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September!