Mekong Merchants

The big sale day finally arrived last Saturday. And since H is still frolicking at Glen Maggie instead of being here - my sales services were required.

I got to Mekong Merchants at about 0830 and things were already bumping along. (Forgot the camera, so once I helped Jo and Rob get things out of the car and on to the table, I shot back home so that you V4As could have this vicarious experience with the help of fairly average images!)



The pillows looked good and the sales started to roll in - a little slower than Jo had hoped. By 1100, we had sold no more than 6 pillows and things were looking grim. The customers (the majority being German and American women by my reckoning) seemed more intent to buy things that they could wear home. Well, this seems to be the world we live in.



But I have to admit that I had fun regardless of the rate of sales. And despite my partners slightly despairing mid-day feelings, there were lots of people circulating through the bazaar, checking out the jewellery, the pots, clothes, pictures, baby stuff and all manner of other neat stuff.

Meet Birgit, a lovely German who was set up on our left. She has been stringing natural pearls and other cool things together to create classy jewellry for the last few years. A slow but steady stream of female customers came to admire and buy these unique trinkets. I liked the belts - but they weren't long enough. So I had to buy H a surprise - shhhhh!



And these three young ladies were on our right, selling T shirts and a crazy "monopoly" board game that is based on property around HCMC. I wonder if Parker Bros with ever catch up with the crazy entreprenuer, Hilde, who came up with the idea.



Apparently these pots are made from sand dredged up from the bottom of the Saigon River. (I wonder how you separate the sand from everything else down there...) Anyway, they are beautiful, translucent pots and vases that look great with a candle in them. The local manufacturer donates all his 'spare stock' to this regular sale day. All the proceeds go to a worthy cause.



By the end of the day, we had sold about 40 pillows. We decided that this was a top effort for the first time around, and that it was all worthwhile. Hilly's split of the loot will go into our 'MAD' (make a difference!) fund.



And just to finish off - this bit of nature floats in a pot pond just out by the front door of Mekong Merchants. Kinda nice - but wish I had a real camera....