Street Fairs And Home Staging Don’t Always Mix, But What Fun!
THE STAGE IS SET
What a great day to be out. The last
weekend in September. The weather was awesome – just right for a fall day
and a street fair in Westfield. I arrived about 12:30 PM to relieve a
member of our business networking group who had covered an earlier shift at our
table. Upon arrival, I couldn’t help but notice the amazing sights,
sounds and smells of everything wonderful about street fairs from the crowds,
to the array of food trucks for all the “foodies” out there, to the more than
300 vendors, to bands cranking out tunes on the makeshift stage and to the
air-filled bouncy tents attracting the little ones. Having had a light
breakfast, my stomach still had that low rumble that we sometimes get when
we’re hungry. I couldn’t help but notice the aroma of the mouth-watering
grilled lamb, chicken gyros, sweet potato fries, shish kabobs, crab cakes,
polish sausage, hots dogs and burgers – you get what I’m saying? When
you’re hungry, they’re all calling your name. Then, there were the sweet
treats from the funnel cakes to the ice cream cones, cupcakes, cookies,
brownies, caramelized popcorn and sugar-coated nuts. Did I paint a
clear enough picture? Really, who could think about business
networking under these conditions?!
STREET FAIRS CAN BE CHALLENGING
Despite the distractions, I was determined
to get out there and network because this crowd needed to know about my
home staging services. I kicked off my shift with a chant that I would
later realize was futile. It went something like this: “Four Square Staging…home
stagers…we get you sell ready….If you are thinking about selling, why not let
us get your property staged right.” Now I ask you, did anyone hear me
amidst the backdrop of fun and excitement? The answer: “Probably not, or
not very many.”
Street fairs can be great depending on
your business. For me, I found it a bit more challenging to grab the fair
goers attention. Why you ask? It’s because I was competing with a
relentless enemy – FOOD. Other than my charm, I didn’t have a lure.
It’s hard to compete with food, especially when it’s that good and so bad
for your cholesterol. Downtown Westfield was packed with a plethora of
food vendors for its annual street festival. These guys had arrived at
9:00 AM and weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, at least not until 5:00
PM. My shift would last only 2 hours, so I didn’t stand a chance this
particular day. My normally savvy target customers were inexplicably
drawn to the sights, sounds and smells of the fair. And, who could blame
them. After all, that’s why we all go to street fairs. It’s an
American past time that we’ve grown up with and love.
So, feeling only slightly dejected, I packed
up my wares. I couldn’t beat ‘em, so I joined them. I figured there
will be another time and place to promote my new home staging business.
This day would be more about eating, shopping and listening to the tunes
while soaking up the sun’s rays, What better way to enjoy the fading
summer-like weather.
PERFECT DAY IN THE END
I will say, although I garnered the attention
of few fair goers, I did make some great connections. For starters, I
established camaraderie with my fellow networkers Tony Bianchino (a personal
trainer and owner of Out Run Your Fork) and Amy Shorter (with PuroClean
Restoration Services). In addition, I met several interesting passersby,
including a woman by the name of Ann (no last name given) who needed redesign
services; another woman who promised a referral to her realtor daughter; and
Ghazi Gaber, a banker, new to the area, who expressed an interest to connect
with me in a few weeks to discuss how we can support each other. I even
met an awesome interior designer by the name of Michele Spadavecchia (owner of
Asta Boutique Interiors) whom I will follow-up with to discuss design and
staging projects. Thanks Ron Tantillo (owner of Innovative Window
Treatments) for inviting me to your table to meet Michele.
So, while the street fair was a fierce
competitor, all was not lost. It was a perfect day, after all.
Here are several photos of us at the street
fair.
TOP PHOTO:
Me and Tony Bianchino (personal trainer at Out Run Your Fork), offering 1/2 off services. What a steal! My advice to Tony is to keep making that offer. They’ll come running to your door soon enough to shed those extra pounds gained at the street fair.
Me and Tony Bianchino (personal trainer at Out Run Your Fork), offering 1/2 off services. What a steal! My advice to Tony is to keep making that offer. They’ll come running to your door soon enough to shed those extra pounds gained at the street fair.
BOTTOM, LEFT PHOTO: Our networking
colleague Amy Shorter of PuroClean Restoration Services talking with a few
prospects. Amy forgot her sunblock, so she is shown here purposely
dodging the sun. By the way, she came with an arsenal of free rubber
duckies, pencils, nail files and flashlights imprinted with her company’s
info. She literally had a giveaway for every member of the family.
This turned out to be the big draw to get traffic to our table. How
genius was that?! It made our networking efforts that much easier toward
the end. “Thanks Amy for the awesome traffic.” Tony and I clearly
benefited. Next time, we’ll follow your lead and bring an infinite supply
of our own free rubber duckies.
Thanks for checking out
our blog. If you liked what you read, the greatest compliment is a
referral. Also, we ask that you please share this post with your network
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Four Square Staging
foursquarestaging@gmail.com
(908) 280-4505
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