Adelaide: See you at Victoria Square Art Market!
Ever since my son was five years old, he has been asking me to do a market stall. He has always fancied the idea of running a shop. Something I find amusing since I grew up in a family of shop keepers. My maternal grandparents ran a shop. My parents owned two shops. And, I have several families who owned (and still run) shops. So, maybe it's in the blood or something. 🙂
Anyway, I've always wanted to encourage entrepreneurship with my kids so I kept saying that yes, we will run a market stall one day. If and when we have something to sell.
Now, my son is 11.5 years old and I'm finally able to deliver on my promise.
When I told him that I finally signed us up for a market stall, he was beyond excited. He couldn't believe he still had to wait a couple of months for the day to arrive since I got us a stall at the inaugural Victoria Square Art Market (VSAM) here in Adelaide.
He was the one who wanted to make sure we had a marquee, so instead of hiring just a 2x3m artist stall (which was my original plan), I ended up getting a 3x3m market stall and rented a marquee (they're only available for 3x3 stalls). He was also keen on trying to make me sure we have enough stock to sell, so he kept asking how many books do I have available, which of my art would I sell, etc. He (and his little sister, age 8) even started making jewellery items to sell at the market.
It's so wonderful to see how keen both my kids are for our very first family market stall experience. That's why I'm hoping that they would really enjoy the experience. Of course, I have been trying to manage their expectations to let them know that things may not go as well as we all hope it would. But, we would still enjoy the day - especially since there would be live entertainment, food trucks, and a kids zone at the market. So, they're cautiously optimistic, as I am.
The photo below shows some of the things that would be on sale at our stall - Today: Life (guided journal) and Colour Bliss: Kaleidoscopes (colouring journal/book), stickers based on some of my clip art designs, colouring postcards (some based on existing designs from Colour Bliss + some new unpublished designs), lino block art prints, and some of my paintings. I've also added products that I didn't make but would be great companions to my journal and/or colouring books (washi tapes, colour pencils, and markers).
It's also great to see that VSAM has been receiving some great write-ups over at CityMag, Adelaide Review, and Weekend Notes.
So, we're all hoping that the day would be lovely with plenty of inspiring artists' works to see and enjoy, wonderful food to devour, and hopefully, some friends saying hello and making new friends on the day too.
Oh, by the way, the folks at Splashout Art Studios would be there, doing live painting demos and selling some works from the group too.
If you're in Adelaide and you're able to head on over to Victoria Square this Sunday, 11 October, from 11am to 5pm, do say hello. We'd love to see you there! 
About the Author Shai Coggins (MTeach, MSoc Sci App Psych)
Shai has been managing and blogging here at ShaiCoggins.com for 17 years. Here, she writes about creativity, productivity, and how to recharge for a better, happier lifestyle. She is the author of Today: Life Journal, Colour Bliss: Kaleidoscopes, and a little known children's book. A serial entrepreneur, Shai also currently runs Vervely.com, a boutique digital media agency offering online content, community, and conversion marketing services. Her blogging experience and digital work have been featured in various media, including being listed in Fast Company's "Most Influential Women in Technology" list. Originally from Manila, Shai lived in Singapore and the USA before moving to Australia with her British husband. They have two children, a pet bunny, and a rambunctious rescue Labrador.
