Day Three in Tucson

It was drizzling outside but not in our spirit as we trekked off for breakfast. We were at the show at straight up 10:00. The vendors were barely ready for us. We finished our shopping with Cherry Tree Beads and moved onto other vendors at the Double Tree Hotel. I found some wonderful base metal findings that will be perfect for our new wholesale line called Untapped Potential or the UP line as we refer to it. Our plan is to be able to hire 2-4 people part-time to create this wholesale line. This will get us closer to our original mission to be able to create a line that is repeatable so we need help. This will in turn give us a chance to hire those we are serving to give them a hand up not a hand out and steer them closer to self-sufficiency.

I cannot begin to explain the sense of AWE one feels when entering these tents full of table after table of wonderful gemstones, beads, findings, creations and so much more. It is total sensory overload. I hope to catch a picture for you. The fun is in the hunt as we say but I can tell you that it is not an easy process. To remember what you saw, where you saw it, how much it was and if you could ever find it again would require several full-time assistants following us taking extensive notes. So, we have to trust our gut and go with what feels right. It's like grocery shopping; you know when it's a good deal or when it's priced too high.

This is quite a process: searching, touching, asking what it is and how much it is, and then asking again because you can't understand their language. Most of these booths only have one attendant and there is usually quite a line up to check out. While they are checking out your purchase, they are also fielding lots of questions, too. Patience, patience. Yesterday, one gentleman just couldn't talk so I could understand him. He wasn't too patient with me but he didn't dampen my spirit because I found the most awesome garnet.
What is interesting to Karen and I is the naming of the stones. We always ask what a gemstone is from each vendor we buy from to report as accurately as we can to our customers. We figure that this is their specialty. What is amazing is that one stone can have four different names. How in the heck? Turquoise jasper, teal paisley, rainbow jasper, what is it? (It could be all the same stone just different from booth to booth.) So we will report out in good faith.

Wednesday's shopping consisted of mostly purchasing the base metal findings needed for the UP line. We also found some wonderful stones that will be used exclusively for the Beads in a Box one-of-a-kind pieces. Karen absolutely fell in love with Chinese crystals because she's a flash and dazzle kind of gal.


We left the Double Tree Hotel and traveled to our favorite show out at the Kino Complex. We were there three hours and only made it down one row. We will head back there on Thursday morning. It is heart warming to me to be recognized by the vendors and I received many hugs from them as we recalled shopping there for the last three years.

Our goal at 6:00 p.m. when we drug ourselves and our goodies back to the car was to have a nice dinner. Then the plan changed to be Wal-Mart chicken. Strangely enough the Wal-Mart we went to didn't have produce or a deli. McDonalds to go, please; we have to be pretty tired for Karen to agree on McDonalds. *grin*

We hauled in all our treasures, ate our "dinner" and cozied up with our baggies and treasures to start the real work. Step one thru four: we counted each bead on a strand, divided it by the price to find the cost of each bead, took them off the fish line and bagged them up. Step five: see step one thru four again, again, and again until we can't see to do it anymore from sheer exhaustion. Off to bed by 10:00 and up again to start step one again at 5:30 for me and 4:00 for Karen, the early bird. No pictures please!


Tootles for now -- Kyla