Dear Event Organisers

I recently agreed to do an event having been told it was to raise money for a school. The lady complimented me on my stall and told me that other than one other trader selling beads for jewellery making, mine would be the only jewellery & scarf stall. I was happy to hear this because I knew the venue would be small and footfall not likely to be huge.

So after a full day at market, I packed up and loaded my van (which takes a couple of hours), went and had a hot chocolate and a break for an hour then drove 5 miles on top of the 40 minutes it took me to get to market that morning to the event down dark, unfamiliar lanes.

Once there, I unpacked my boxes once again and created the best display I could in the space given. After a while another lady arrived next to me and started to unpack her...jewellery and scarves! As it happened she turned out be lovely and we passed a pleasant enough evening sharing our experiences of trading but the whole point of us being there, to do business, make some money for our efforts, got lost.

There would have been no point in asking to move, I had already spent over an hour setting up, and the venue wasn't big enough to make any difference. The lady next to me also happened to sell handbags (very nice ones too) but when she looked up, another lady selling handbags was setting up opposite!

A friend of mine who sells beautiful chocolates and sweets had a stall in the next room and told me she had also been told she would be the only seller of this kind at this event. Another trader lied to, I wonder how many were.

Now it doesn't feel quite right to ask for pitch money back when the event is for fund raising for a delightful little school and it would even seem meaner to have demanded back the raffle prize. So on the day, we all ended up over a barrel so to speak.

The organiser proudly informed me they'd had around 70 people through the door. Hardly enough to go round really and certainly not enough to validate my efforts (or those of my friend who had worked at her shop all day) at a 15 hour day. I finally arrived home at 10.30pm.

The lady selling scarves and jewellery next to me told me about an event she had attended at the Forum where the organiser had merely placed a small box advertisement in the EDP to promote it. Of course it ended up very poorly attended.

So please organisers, don't lie to traders to get them to an event, be honest! Make sure traders have enough space to do a proper display, and I can't emphasise this enough PROMOTE YOUR EVENT FOR MONTHS IN ADVANCE!!!

Even with a small budget there is so much you can do, Facebook and Twitter are free, get posters created (easy enough on a computer) and put them everywhere you can think of, talk to local radio and get mentioned, ask traders to give out leaflets and promote via their social networking, put up road signs. Be inventive, you'll raise much more money that way! Otherwise, you won't have so many traders at your event next time, I for one don't repeat disasters!

When the going gets tough..

'I wanna tell you a little story' that's what dear old Max Bygraves used to say. My little story is just about how great market traders can be when times get difficult.

On Friday my van broke down, it was no big deal, the RAC soon came out and sorted the problem in their usual efficient and friendly way but it made me late for Diss market. I sent a text to a fellow trader explaining the problem.

When I arrived a trader was waiting to help me put up my stall. He helped with the frame and canopy and another female trader then came over to help me unload the van. I am not allowed to lift heavy stuff because of a spinal problem, other traders know this and woe betide me if I so much as look at a weight! So all was sorted really quickly and I could trade as normal.

Now this might not sound like much but it means the world to me. A lost day is bad enough, we often lose them to the weather but this day the sun shone and I would have hated to miss it. All traders understand how another feels in the same situation.

When I had serious problems with my neck and arms last year, I felt really bad about asking others for help but they would not hear a word of my protestations. For the past year they have all made sure I don't do myself any more damage and always check I am ok. These are true friends indeed.

It's not just me who has been helped in this way. Whenever a trader gets sick, suffers a bereavement or needs help, however much we bicker or moan the rest of the time, people rally to support them. This is always good to see.

Markets have their own little community and visitors help out in their own way too. We have people come and fetch papers or keep an eye on the stall, or while away the time with us. It's a funny little world but I love it!

Sometimes friends/family look at me strangely and say 'don't know why you do that job,' to be honest sometimes I ask myself the same question but it shows all sides to human nature, and humans truly are fascinating.

Don't believe the stereotypes of traders presented on Eastenders and the like, come find out for yourself!

Pretty summer scarves on the stall

Pretty new scarves are arriving on the stall ready for sunnier days. Scarves are a great fashion accessory all year round and are as practical as they are pretty. Use them to add interest to any outfit, finish off formal wear with style, pep up your jeans and t-shirt, use as a cover up on the beach, tie around the waist over your bikini. It's up to you...

The multiple use you will get from a scarf is brilliant! Versatility is key.
Myriad Life Jewellery have lots of beautiful colours, styles & shapes in stock.

See the website scarf collection by clicking on this link Myriad Life Jewellery Scarf collectionVisit the stall at Sheringham Market (Wed & Sat), Fakenham Auction Site Market (Thurs), Diss Market (Friday) or visit the website Myriad Life Jewellery

The Myriad Life Jewellery collection is ever-changing so be sure to keep an eye on what is new.

Summer on Norfolk Markets

Summer approaches and warmer days are beckoning (hopefully). Already we have had a taste of warmer spring climes and market traders (alongside anyone else who works outside, and most people generally) are desperate to have a good summer after such a long arduous winter.

In Norfolk we are lucky enough to have quite a few good weekly markets. Myriad Life Jewellery visits four markets a week in summer season. Sheringham Wednesday market starts again on April 6th, the stall visits Sheringham again every Saturday all year round. Sheringham Market even has its own blog www.sheringhammarket.blogspot.com

As does Fakenham Market and you can find the Myriad Life Jewellery Stall on the Auction Site market every Thursday.

Friday the stall visits Diss Market in South Norfolk. So markets are covered both North and South of the county. There is nothing nicer than shopping in the great outdoors and on the beautiful North Norfolk coast, avoid the crowds and queues and High Street clone stores and seek out a different way of finding what you need!

The Myriad Life Jewellery stall stocks a wide variety of fabulous fashion jewellery in Norfolk in a great collection of contemporary designs and colours. Also you will find beautiful scarves in many colours, materials and designs. The collection of both jewellery and scarves is ever-changing so you can expect to see something different each time you visit.

Of course friendly, helpful service is something you can expect! If you are looking for something in particular, for instance a certain colour necklace or earrings to match an outfit, could be a wedding outfit or some other special occasion, let us know and we'll endeavour to find something suitable. Try items on, colour match, we can always put items aside for a while if you need to go away and think. We are always happy to help with gift ideas too.

So come and see the stall soon at a market near you, or visit www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk and shop online!

Variety - the spice of life!

Myriad Life Jewellery came into being 9 years ago when I decided I'd had enough of working for other people and wanted to do something different. Having visited markets in Europe and seen the lovely displays and buzzing atmosphere there my thoughts turned to how I could create a stall with its own unique style right here in Norfolk. The idea was to create the kind of stall I myself would love to come across. I wanted to see variety, colour, regularly changing designs and to see, well something a little bit different from jewellery pinned to boards that you often see on stalls.

Typically (for me) I didn't take the easy route. My idea was to lay the jewellery out so that browsers could pick it up, not in packets, or on cards or putting ten of the same item up hanging up in a row but on tables colour coded so that potential customers could try it on, feel the quality and easily see the size of each item.

This means that setting up takes a long time to do. Putting up the frame is the easy bit, arranging everything takes hours! This means that if you come to see Myriad Life Jewellery at Fakenham Market on Thursday, you can come again to Diss Market on Friday and Sheringham Market on Saturday and see an altered display every time. The same happens with the scarves. The models get dressed on a daily basis, the colour combinations change every day.

Suppliers are reviewed continuously, I am keen to get the best designs and the best prices possible for my customers. Over the years regular customers have become friends I want to please and keep interested. They rely on the stall not only for their own accessories but for gifts for their friends and loved ones. I am passionate about keeping my customers happy, after all they are the whole point of the existance of the stall!

If you can't make it to a market or show the stall visits, you can still buy the jewellery & scarves via www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk

Growing gills..

Just back from a very wet day at Sheringham Market. It has been a bitterly cold few days out on the markets of Norfolk, starting with Fakenham Market on Thursday. It didn't seem to matter how many layers I put on, the cold rushed straight through to my bones. At Diss market on Friday I developed a strategy of bouncing about the stall, hopping on one foot then the other and drinking copious amounts of tea.
This has two effects, one is odd looks from passers by and the other lots of visits to the loo.

It doesn't matter what flask I buy, it always ends up smashed eventually. The current one is doing well but it's not really big enough. It has been recommended that I buy a steel one from Morrisons, they don't have the inner ultra thin thermos lining that always seems to come a cropper as a booted foot kicks it over or it falls of the stool.

This cold weather means a constant hunger too. At the moment I'm not worrying too much about what I eat as I'm training to run the Race for Life but on Friday it has to be either chocolate cornflake cake for breakfast OR chocolate marshmallow cake. NOT both. (Although that does inadvertently happen on occasion.)

Spring is almost touchable now with evenings lightening a little longer every day. The birds sound very excitable as I leave in the morning which is also a good sign better days are to come. However the temperatures soar to 12 degrees one day and plummet to just a couple another, leaving it impossible for the body to regulate properly one way or the other. I can't wait until customers are complaining 'it's too hot' again, but it will surely come!

Visit the stall at Fakenham Auction Site Thursday, the blog is www.fakenhammarket.blogspot.com
Diss Market Friday (it's in the centre of the town, you can't miss it)
Sheringham Market Saturday (Wed from April - Oct)

Be fab in Feb

At last we are in the second month of the year. I don't mind January but it can drag on. Now Myriad Life Jewellery can begin to look to Spring and we are very much looking forward to the annual visit to ISF at Birmingham to find inspiration for Spring/Summer 2011.

With the launch of www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk last March, it will be even more important to find the right jewellery & scarves to expand the collection. At last Myriad Life Jewellery is expanding across the UK and into Europe while keeping our heart in Norfolk!


2010 was a challenging year but one of the most exciting things to come out of it was the Myriad Life Jewellery retail website. It has been a chance to reach people who can't make it to the stall, and Myriad Life will endeavour to fill the website with as much choice as folk find when they can actually visit the stall, while keeping the service as friendly and personal.


The aim for the Myriad Life Jewellery website was to create a clear concise way to shop, an easy shopping basket with simple yet effective design. The most important thing is to show off the beautiful jewellery & scarves! So far this has been achieved but the coming year is set to be even more interesting so keep visiting...
www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk to see what's new!

I got chills, they're multiplying!

It has been an extremely cold week out on the markets of Norfolk. Numb fingers & toes have been the order of the day, not to mention permanent hat hair!

This time of year is always particularly tough and because I had to miss so many markets in the run up to Christmas because of ice and snow, it seems winter is lasting even longer than usual. So I am glad January is only one day away from being over.

February of course brings with it Valentine's day and I have noticed the odd gentleman browsing the stall with ardent intent. One in particular at Diss made very sure the stall would be in situ every Friday, my guess is he has plans for a certain lady love. Unless he is after my pitch!

While I am talking about Valentine's day a regular lady customer also rather pointedly made a big deal of a bracelet she liked in front of her husband (she obviously has learnt over the years that subtlety never wins the day.) He asked me to put it by for him after she had left the stall and returned to buy it this week. The lady in question asked me outright if he had bothered to get it for her and cursed like a trouper when I lied that someone else had bought it (well it didn't seem right to spoil the surprise, so a small white lie can't hurt, surely?) Am sure she will be delighted (and fish all his dinners out of the bin) when she is finally presented with the bracelet.

I haven't just been working outside, some people seem to think all I do is a three day week but I also have to prepare stock and update the website with new jewellery. If you haven't already checked it out, please do www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk


Come Easter the stall will be out again four times a week, sometimes five when there is a Sunday show. Keep an eye on this site for further details of shows we will be at..

Norracechicks please support us!

A group of ladies from Norwich & Norfolk have got together via Twitter to run The Race for Life at the Norfolk Showground on Sunday 15th May.

We have called ourselves the

At the moment there are around 20 of us willing to walk, run or crawl (depending on our own personal capabilities & disabilities!) the 5 kilometers to help raise vital funds for Cancer Research.

We don't all know each other properly yet but I am sure that each and every one of us has been touched by cancer in some way and are aware of the devastating effects it has on not only the lives of the sufferers but those that love them too.


Times are hard we know, but every little helps. Please click on the link to our Just Giving page to make whatever donation you can. http://bit.ly/dPDFJy

Thank you! If you are in Norfolk on 15th May, please come and cheer us on!

January is nearly over..

January is nearly over and while I am not one to wish away time it will be good to get it out of the way. It's hard not to become a bit obsessive about every slow minute the daylight expands.

The markets are quiet at this time of year, understandably. It can be a bit bleak but traders still endure so that regular customers know they can drop in, and of course business can't stop just because of the time of year.

The new shed at Fakenham Market is slowly taking shape, and I guess that it will be completed within the next month or so. Certainly in time for Spring. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact the new building will have on the market itself with some of the traders moving about and new type stalls coming into place.

Some people don't like the idea of change but I do. We have to change to evolve. It is sad to have to let go of images and habits of yesteryear but memories never die. Markets need to move with the times to make sure that modern customers are still enticed to use them. Whenever I take a picture of one of the markets the Myriad Life Jewellery stall visits, I think 'that's another one that people will pour over in the future'. People will always be fascinated to see how times changed.

It is important that people realise how important markets are. Not just in big cities but in rural towns too. They are such an vital part of communities, providing not just fresh produce and dry goods to buy but a weekly social event where people can meet up, chew the cud (so to speak) and find out what's happening in their locality.

At a time when people are waking up to the need to support local business, don't forget that includes local markets. Market traders are business people too but don't always seem to get taken as seriously. Markets are the most traditional way to shop, a part of our heritage and hopefully they will continue into the future but not without support.

Unless you are happy for rural towns to become clones just as the High Streets in some places have become, encourage diversity and independent businesses by shopping with them!

It's up to you! Use them or lose them.

Another decade, more decadence??

Wouldn't that be nice, more decadence? Times are hard all round but that is no reason to give up enjoying yourself. We've all got to watch the budget but fashion is always an important pick me up and it doesn't have to be expensive.

Whenever I pick up one of the fashion magazines I end up lusting over the latest leather jacket, hot mini dress or gorgeous boots right up until I see the price tag which was clearly meant to entice one of the Hilton sisters, not the likes of me!

However, the mags often suggest looking to a market for great fashion items and that doesn't have to mean Camden or Portobello, check out what's available closer to home. Be inventive and creative, style doesn't necessarily have to come from the High Street or the hotspots of London.

Of course in winter, the last thing you might want to do is traipse around in the cold seeking out a bargain. However, with all the flu bugs around, it might be best to avoid the city crowds and head for the quieter places to get your fashion fix. Open air kills the bugs pretty well so however cold it is, a little pain can go some way to gain a fresher, healthier atmosphere. Not that this is a health blog of course, I am getting a little carried away here!

The Myriad Life Jewellery stall evolved from my desire to find something a little different, presented in a user friendly way, a relaxed shopping environment with a little advice if required but no pressure, bright lights or pesky queues. Over the years I like to think I've achieved my target as more and more regulars return. With so much hustle bustle in everyday life, it's good to step out and have a little 'me' time and market shopping can be a good way to get away from the madding crowds! Customers have become friends who I look forward to having a chat with.

The jewellery & scarves on the stall are mostly available on our new website now www.myriadlifejewellery.co.uk. It's a work in progress but there are over 40 styles of scarf on there already, around 30 necklaces and bracelets and so the online collection grows. So if you really can't face open air shopping at this time of year, you can pick and choose from the comfort and warmth of your home or office.

Despite the rising costs, Myriad Life Jewellery aim to keep jewellery and scarves as affordable as possible. I understand that most people want a good choice and variety to go with their different outfits and try to maintain a sizeable collection.

Also, the stall only visits Norfolk markets, and does venture as far as Suffolk for shows during the year but the new website means you don't have to be in Norfolk to enjoy the collection. If you do visit Norfolk, please do come say hello. We welcome visitors from all over the country as Norfolk is such a popular holiday and weekend destination.

So back to decadence, hmm I think we've all earnt a bit of that!