Small Business Hazard From the Sky

Farmer's Market Damage

Paint Can Missile

We've done farmer's markets for eighteen years.  It's an outgrowth of being a beekeeper for fifty years.  There's only so much honey you can use or give away.  The money is not really that good, it's often raining, people can be unpleasant and cheap, dragging your stuff around is a pain and a bunch of other reasons.  We were tired of moving all our stuff, loading, unloading, packing, unpacking, etc., and that's why we opened a small cafe.  We wanted a permanent roof.  Good ideas do not always follow bad.

At times we did as much as five markets a week.  Since the recession...thank you savings and loan policies and derivatives...the financial return has diminished.  People have few dollars to spend and there are too many markets and the commercial retail outlets have begun to figure out and feature "local," "organic" and all those other woods.

Today it was very windy and gusty, probably in the 35-45 MPH category.  These are not good days to put up tents so I decided to forego the tent, put out fewer products and broil in the sun.  Shortly after the starting whistle I was standing at the back of my truck digging out a few products.  I took five steps the the table and the sky went dark and I heard a loud crash.  A vendor's two tents had gone airborne, flown over his cargo van and collided with my truck.  Weighting the corners of your tent is important on all days.  His had four paint cans filled with concrete, probably about thirty pounds each.  That's what collided with my truck and landed where I had been moments before.  One was swinging by it's cord from my tailgate as much as saying "almost got you."

Later I had a string of customers who wanted to debate prices.  It passed through my mind that perhaps I should throw a paint can full of concrete over their heads.