A leap of faith into the WI Centennial Fair, Harrogate
08/09/15
I feel recently that I have been taking quite a few plunges in the JEMS world. I am gearing up the business ready to cease the road in early October, in an attempt to switch on the mum-to-be mode. The stress levels have rose up on a few occasions, and I find myself getting a bit teary over Assay Office conundrums, not how I usually react! But this past week has been especially trying.
The WI Centennial Fair in Harrogate was last weekend, and I was very afraid. Mostly because I had paid a rather high amount to be there, and as the closer the event got…the more I realised perhaps this was not where I would find the JEMS fans. Set up was on the Wednesday, and I had had a busy start to the week consisting of; hating Bank Holiday Monday for preventing me from posing work off to the Assay Office, early blood tests in the maze that is the LGI and helping a friend move house. I set up early doors as I had errands to run in the afternoon, but was pleasantly surprised to see I was in the front hall to the right of the Harrogate International Center. Here’s a photo
Thursday Morning and I am up and out to be at the HIC for 9am. The hall I was in was sold as a ‘Finished Crafts’ hall. But it was in fact a ‘Gift and Fashion’ hall and this, JEMS fans…is BAD! I had learned to avoid any event with the title ‘gift’ as is usually referred to business importing from overseas and selling cheaply in the UK. There were only a handful of micro business like JEMS selling their ‘handmade by their very own hands in this country’ products, along side’s massive business such as the Edinburgh Woolen Mill. The two aspects just don’t mix.
The WI Centenary was a crazy busy event with flocks of ladies and a few men visiting and browsing the stalls from Thursday till Saturday, and surprisingly Sunday was very quiet. I had great neighbouring stalls that shared their tea and laughs with me throughout the weekend which always makes a wrong event more enjoyable. I can report, I just about brook even, thanks to the lovely JEMS fans supporting me on the Saturday. It was by far the best day a million times over the other days, and thankfully meant I didn’t not come out in the negative.
I hear the event is to become a yearly one, but I respectfully declined the invite to come back next year. I was sad to see not much effort was put into the WI ethos of making and fixing, history and celebrations of all the WI collectives around Yorkshire. It would have been nice to have a bit of support from the event for the stall holders who are WI members like myself. But it all seemed to have an air of money grabbing around it…Which is a shame. However I am sure they will learn from this first event, and possibly make more of an effort to support the micro self-employed designer makers, and I am sure it will be another well-advertised and attended event. I will go back as a visitor. On a rather cool note, I saw the original WI Calendar Girls pose with tea and cake! Here is a sneaky photo I took!
Ems