Christmas Bazaar 2007! December 7, 2007

:: posted by Ferdinand ::

I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy, happily searching for the silver lining on any cloud.

But if that cloud happens to be crammed full of snow, and if that snow happens to fall and fall and fall on the very same day you’ve planned a great big Christmas sale event, then finding that silver lining in all that white stuff can get to be a challenge.

On Dec. 1, the day of Archipelago’s Christmas Bazaar at Seattle’s Filipino Community Center, our first ever attempt at organizing a large event, Seattle experienced one of its rare snow days, never a good thing in a city notoriously incapable of dealing with any amount of frozen precipitation.

Needless to say, despite months of planning and marketing for the Bazaar, most people heeded the weathermen’s warnings and stayed home.

But, now that the snow has melted, so has the disappointment over the lower-than-hoped-for turnout. And it’s easier to find the blessings in a bad situation.

First, despite the snow-covered roads and the dangerous driving conditions, we all safely weathered the storm.

Also we were lucky that there were some brave souls who did venture out despite the forecasts of snow. Until the snow got really bad later in the afternoon, there was a steady stream of people who came to support the event.

Then there were our co-vendors. We were fortunate in being able to line up a wide array of participants to our first-time event. All but one showed up, and despite the bad weather, they mostly managed to keep in good spirits. We want to thank all of our participants: Dorothy and Fred Cordova, of the Filipino American National Historical Society; Vance and Violet Noriega of Philippine Cultural and Educational Services; The Ghongpa family, of Tibetan Handicraft Emporium; Seattle Anakbayan; artist Robin Jordan; painter and graphic designer Olivia Zapata; photographer Carina del Rosario; Himanee and Jim Gupta Carlson, of Carlson Photography; bag designer Nelly Mosqueda and her budding entrepreneur granddaughter, Monica; Ruben del Valle, of Markitech Properties; financial counselor and author Art Ceniza; jewelry crafter Anita Lui; Giggles Entertainment; Jan Hata, of International Bling Girls; Alicia Sanchez, of Beauticontrol; Sefie Cabiao, of the International Community Health Services; and Bert Caoili and Dado Saturay, of the Filipino Community Center.

Special thanks to two couples: Carlos and Divina Tablit of Carlos Catering, who kept us all happily fed with delicious Filipino food (a must at any large-scale gathering), and Annette and Angelo Pizarro, who kept us enveloped in amazing music through a long day.

Despite the bad weather, many of our co-participants told us they had a great time: the food, the music, the raffle prizes, the craft activities, the chance to meet and talk to fellow entrepreneurs, and the ability to spend more time with the customers who did show up, made it all worthwhile.

Finally, as with any experience you weather through, there are lessons to be learned. Lesson Number One: Never ever schedule a Christmas event on a snow day in Seattle. And if you find you’ve done just that, surround yourself with people who, despite setbacks, can still have fun.

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