|
One Small Voice
by Laura McGaffey Articles originally published in "The Voice in the Desert" Chili Pepper Outpost at Oasis Gift Show
I recently joined the ladies of Chili Pepper Outpost at the semi-annual Oasis Gift Show in Phoenix where exhibitors show their sample wares to buyers for gift shops of all sizes located all over the United States. Some of the buyers were the owners themselves of smaller gift shops in strip malls or associated with truck and rest stops. Other buyers represented shops in large hotels or in retirement communities or hospitals. It was a fascinating and fun experience. The best news to report is that the Chili Pepper Outpost did tremendously. Carol Goodman, Donna Bridgwater and Brenda Whittaker were amazing to watch as they spoke with the buyers who approached the booth. I had not made it to the August 2005 show which was the first time they had been to the show themselves. Watching them converse with the buyers I got the impression that old friendships were being rekindled. I was floored when I discovered that of the scores of orders they took only three were from buyers they already knew. At the end of the first of the three day event the ladies had taken in more than in all three days of the entire show in August 2005. Most amazing of all is that these ladies had the added pressures of a seriously ill relative in the hospital during the entire show, one of the vehicles used to transport the show’s equipment and supplies broke down about 100 miles from Phoenix and one of the ladies was still getting over a bad cold. Congratulations, Carol, Donna and Brenda, for your success at the Oasis Gift Show! |
