Some ideas just don't pop up unless the circumstances are right. You guessed already? The Jubilee Big Lunch brought about the idea for this event. Better yet, it is the fact that we all know each other a little bit better after the 3rd June that makes it at all possible. Here goes (and I'll promise I'll explain the butterfly oddity in a moment):
If you do a garage sale on your own, you get all the hassle of having to put flyers here and there, and then you get a few people, but it is a lot of work for not such a big result. Now, what happens if not 1, not 2, but 15 households do a garage sale on the same day, at the same time, in the same street? First it's much more fun, second, if you are a bit shy, it's much easier, and third, if you advertise together about all of them as one event, you are bound to get more interest than on your own.
So... Linda and Jasmin and I talked. Then we talked to Paddy, then to Ian, then bumped into Rebecca, then talked to Rachel, then Iris... they are all doing it: almost all houses from 1 to 23 Ashcombe road, and, so far, all those we managed to disturb on n.8 to 20 Fraser Gardens. Everybody we talked to so far is in.
Now... how do we make it even more fun and interesting for no cost at all? We tell everyone within 2 minutes walk (which means, anyone who will be close enough to bring their stuff and set up their stall without having to use a car) about the spare space we have in our various gardens so that people who don't live on that portion of road can join and mind a stall alongside us. Obviously, this time round, accomodating everyone will be possibly challenging, but if it goes well, we may get permission to close the road next time round, in which case, the space increases enormously.
If all of us are on private property, sharing as friends and neighbours, we can do it, you see? All we have to do is be flexible and a little disciplined about sharing the space. But most of us have already met, which will make it easier.
Therefore: click here to read all about this Butterfly Market (it will be a copy paste of the posters until I can write more). We just made the concept up: like a flea market, but not quite. More colourful, more carefree, and all about cross pollination and looking around rather than other nutritional habits (no offence to the fleas). We may accidentally be the first ones to use the concept of Butterfly market, and this is mostly because one of my friends is dyslexic: today I was telling her excitedly about the fact everybody in the street is keen to do the sale, and she said, great, we can all "browse and just butterfly... I mean flutter by." and there is was... the Butterfly market. After all, we all say "flea market" without flinching, so, time for the butterfly to have a go!
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