The Risks of Outdoor Events

Last weekend I set up my canopy in Lapeer for the M-24 garage sale. We (my two fellow authors and I) were in a prime spot right off the road easy to spot! Foot traffic was wonderful! Like any outdoor event, we were monitoring the weather. It was mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain in the early afternoon.

As the early afternoon rolled in, we checked updated weather often. Still only a 15% chance of light rain. On either side of our canopies there were other people who were selling garage sale items. They had stuff all scattered around their canopy and outside of it.

Then came a light drizzle. It was nothing big, a few drops here and there, but enough we shifted our tables closer to the center of the canopy. The weather was enough though to start impacting our neighboring canopy. So, our items secure, we left our canopy to go assist the people next to us in moving their items to safety.

Once we finished, we returned to our canopy. Just as we were returning a huge gust of wind came and yanked our canopies supports out. My fellow author and I grabbed the canopy before it could fly into the road (a rather busy road... which would have likely caused a huge accident). Before we could fix the canopy... the wind picked up as did the rain.

We were stuck for ten minutes, hanging onto the canopy for dear life to assure it didn't cause an accident... and watching all of our exposed items get drenched.

When it was over everything on our tables -- books, bookmarks, art pieces, business cards, signs, stands... were lost. The canopy, my beautiful rainbow canopy, was broken.

In a matter of minutes a 15% chance of light drizzle... turned into a huge loss... over $700 loss between the both of us...

We were not the only ones, a few miles south of us in Armada they were hosting the Lavender Festival and they too... had an unexpected storm hit and multiple vendors lost everything in a matter of minutes.

Today, I have another event (an indoor one) but my supplies are limited, there just isn't enough time to re-purchase what was lost. Next month, I have another event (an outdoor one) and I hope by then to have a replacement canopy and if I'm able too... a better stock.

As an independent seller, outdoor events are a gamble. There is a huge risk in weather. I've been doing this for years, and I have had rain during outdoor events without issue. I've had wind during outdoor events, that is a pain in the ass, but not caused loss. This is a risk that you take... but not something that I, or many of my fellow venders, can just recover from quickly.

It will not deter me from outdoor events. It will just teach me to be better prepared, and to not take as many chances with product,

Would I have done anything differently? ... Likely not... the skies were not dark, there was not any major signs that the rain was going to get heavier. I would have still helped a fellow vender secure their stock. I still would have held the canopy to prevent it from causing an accident over saving the products, even knowing the canopy was broken.

I am deeply saddened by the loss, but... I will overcome.