Oktoberfest Success!

This was the scarecrow that the kids from Prairie Oak school made for Berwyn C.A.R.E.S. She's the old lady who swallowed a fly (I don't know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she'll die)! I had the pleasure of hosting her right in front of the store all weekend. In the background is the Cuckoo Haus (Germanic version of a fun house). I didn't venture in there--I was too busy.

Wow. That's all I can say about Oktoberfest in Berwyn. They really did it up right! I was really proud when a very young girl came into my store and bought a small, but relatively expensive stuffed panda (made of soybeans and kapoc, thus the added cost) with her carnival money from her parents. He was only slightly larger than the smallest carnival game prize animals, but oh so soft and eco-friendly! And way cuter, too. I'm sure all those cheapie prizes will end up in a landfill soon. The panda probably won't, but if he does, at least he's biodegradable.

I'm so glad that I stayed open until 11pm both Friday and Saturday nights--tons of new people came in, and many bought stuff. It was great exposure for the store, since we were right along the carnival midway. I met so many new people and my head is swimming with names and information! I got to see a lot of previous customers, and acquired a lot of new ones as well. The feedback I got was overwhelmingly positive. Now I feel really great about taking this giant step. I can't believe how many people actually bought stuff. . .they had to carry it around with them all night! I think I'll be seeing lots of them again, too.

At Angel-a's urging, I put out the Halloween merchandise early. I'm so glad I did. I didn't sell a lot over the weekend, but I have a feeling people will be back for it soon! And it's just so darn cute! I did sell a lot of the paper decorations that I had--vintage reproduction cutouts, still made by Beistle.

I'll be writing about ways to "green" up your Halloween in upcoming blogs. Thanks to everyone who came to Oktoberfest, and especially those who stopped by to check out the store!