NHS CRAFT FAIR REVIEW

If ever there was a picture worth a thousand words, it's this one!

Thanks to the NHS PTC and the Craft Fair Committee leadership who went out of their way to make a space for us alongside about 100 "real" vendors. Zo Much More got the chance to dip our feet into the world of in-person sales with the best case scenario: a familiar setting for Zoe, great friends on the inside and a bazillion friendly faces. They set us up in a prime spot and we had a steady stream of traffic all day long. When it was all said and done, Zo Much More sold/took orders for exactly 100 bracelets over the course of the day - which by applying the 20% of revenue we commit to donating means we also raised an additional $100 for this quarter’s designated partner organization, ACEing Autism, over the course of the day.

We are beyond appreciative of the multitude of people who came out support us - including several who I suspect, like us, would not have been likely to go to the Craft Fair otherwise. Equally amazing is that many who showed up were Zoe's people in her own right: teachers (past and present), service providers, Best Buddies, Unified Sports teammates, general education peers from NHS and our temple, etc. We are so fortunate that Team Zoe seems to attract members for life - and continues to grow!

For her part, Zoe was a rock star! She lasted the whole day - from before 9 to after 4 - and seemed happy to be there. We had a last minute idea to bring along a bunch of supplies so she could make some bracelets in real time. It was lucky we did because with her inventory selling out so quickly, she needed to backfill some popular styles and resize others. It also really helped our message of leading with Zoe’s strengths. People went from asking politely if Zoe had “helped” with any of the bracelets to being impressed with her ability and applying the same evaluation standards to Zoe’s product as they would to any other. Our friend Kathleen summed it up best in a text she sent the next day saying, "The most amazing part was seeing Zoe in action. She was making bracelets while she sat at the booth and I was blown away at her attention to detail, her amazing fine motor skills and her speed."

Zoe's business partner, however, has plenty of "opportunities for improvement" should we attempt something like a Craft Fair again!