A slow day...

Today is a national holiday but even so, its quiet. Its like the end of a party when nobody is going home and the hosts want to tidy up and go to bed.

View to the right...

And empty to the left. We create a bottle neck with our stove and chairs...slows people up.

For some sellers, there have been very few red tags put on trees, for others, there have been plenty. Selling at any event depends on a few things, one is bringing what people want, the other is pricing them correctly and the third is to be active, friendly and actually want to sell. I never really thought of myself as a salesman, nor do I want to be, but thanks to the efforts of the Chief, Akiyama and the pressure of paying rent I have been able to function in the marketplace fairly successfully. Sadly there is little or no profit to be made unless you actually are selling your own trees...and so now I have been a little bit less busy today...in fact I have been twiddling my thumbs, I went shopping...and I'm an absolute fool. Lady Saruyama will not be pleased.

What on earth was I thinking? I got it from Kiyama-san...I always buy something from him because he brings crazy ass stuff like this. It will be a pimp tree in a few years though...if I can figure out what to do with it. Seems someone else likes it...maybe I can hammerfist some thing out of it.

This pot was another morning stroll purchase. A lovely Shuzan pot which had a tiny little crack, not noticeable really. It has great patina and an elegant line so I thought I would bring it back and put a tree in it...but some body bought it. I really should put my stuff underneath the table.

It isn't just me that has been buying stuff. Akiyama bought some scissors but I think he should get his money back. They are as wonky as my eye...

 

He got robbed there...

Maybe it's time for a walk and find another pot...

Addendum: I didnt find a pot. But I did find this.

A tree that has been at every sales area since I can remember...its a super old super mochi-komi'ed up white pine which barely grows. Has barely changed since I met it. Pictures don't do it justice. Its a true pot grown shohin bonsai. Not thick, not powerful, but old and compact, perfect leaf type...plus the guy who owned it has been talking it up since I first picked it up. Finally it has been moved on to me...where to next I wonder?

Addendum two. It's not often that you complain to make sales, but of the 7 things I bought so far, five have already sold...in one day...bought in the morning, sold in the afternoon for little more than I bought them for. I shut one pot away but the customer dug it out...

Here is Akiyama selling my pot. It was a very early Shuho pot, unglazed, rough and ready...still had the original price on so I couldn't raise it any more even though it was. Too slow for my own good. The customer asked for a discount, but there was no way...he was robbing me enough as it was.

The worst was kept for last. Some lanky blond american dude came up to me with some sob story about his father and asked me for the first tree I bought...and like the soft touch I am...

Robbed.

Akiyama told me to look on the bright side, at least I have an eye for saleable items, and the pots would have broken on the way home anyway. I made almost no profit and lost all the items I wanted to take home. How does that work?

Today has not been an onwards and upwards day...rather treading water and going nowhere.

 

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