BlogHer Swap Meet?

I'll look into it, but perhaps I can bring up copies of the WriteGirl anthology for sale... WriteGirl ( http://www.writegirl.org/ ) is an L.A.-based writing mentoring program that pairs professional women writers with teenage girls for weekly one-on-one mentoring. At the end of each season, WriteGirl produces an anthology. So this'd be a way to spread the word, to get writing of girls and women, and to raise a little money for WriteGirl. Of course, I need to check in with WriteGirl central about getting some books to bring to the swap meet. If so, it'd be perfect.

2020 Hindsight ( http://www.2020hindsight.org/ ) | Family Oral History Using Digital Tools ( http://familyoralhistory.us/ )

Go here ( http://www.blogher.com/node/7751 ) to stake your swap meet claim.

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer and Worker Bees
elisa@blogher.org/elisa@workerbees.biz

Shopping and martinis - sounds good to me. I'd like to bring copies of my book, "Come Back," to sell.

Claire Fontaine

I used to make 2" by 2" envelopes ( http://www.tinyenvelope.com ) out of found materials. That whole business is sleeping right now but I've been thinking about jumpstarting it again some time soon. I'll bring lots of tiny envelopes ( http://www.tinyenvelope.com ) with me to BlogHer for trade and giveaway.

Hey, Very Mom..

Definately bring the samples and the order forms and maybe a couple patterns. A lot of my friends are on that "about to be grandma" track, and they sew! I'll gladly take some info for them.

Debra
A Stitch In Time ( http://astitchintime.blogspot.com )
Deb's Daily Distractions ( http://debsdistractions.blogspot.com )

I have schwag but I don't know if anyone at BlogHer necessarily fits my demographic. I have cloth diaper sewing patterns (www.verybaby.com ( http://www.verybaby.com )) and the diapers themselves (www.tallulahbaby.com ( http://www.tallulahbaby.com ))

I don't know if I'd want to haul in a bunch of stuff that might not sell - but maybe samples? And an order form?

I believe the hotel could leave us access to one of the meeting rooms around the area, each of which will have rows of tables set up. In other words, anybody who wanted to come sell their wares would have room to do it, without requiring a time schedule.

People could mill in and out.

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. What should I not forget to take into consideration if we go with the cocktail party/meeting room plan?

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer and Worker Bees
elisa@blogher.org/elisa@workerbees.biz

Love the idea. I have a published novel that many bloggers have already read and enjoyed. I'd love to bring copies to the conference (PARVENUE THROWS A PARTY, by Wendy Boucher, ISBN 0-9766766-0-5). Let us know what to do.

I sell my photography in matted prints, so I'm definitely in, although it's going to be difficult for me to anticipate what someone would want to buy. Regardless, maybe this will inspire me to get a portable portfolio ready for perusal and ordering. This is really cool!

at the cocktail party sounds good. i would mant he table for a while any time tho as well.

Sign me up for one that says "blog". Me likey that one!

Tracey Clark
Mother May I ( http://maypapers.blogspot.com )
Picture This ( http://picturethis.clubmom.com )

I would love to bring some of my books (www.maypapers.com ( http://www.maypapers.com ))to sell. Great idea. I'm willing to do my part at the table if you pull something like this together. And I'd love to peruse other gal's goods. Want to get my hands on some SuperHero stuff!! Too cool.
I think the cocktail party sales set-up sounds good. I can't imagine I'd be so tipsy I'd loose track of the moolah, but then again....more cash means more drinks. Hmm.

Tracey Clark
Mother May I ( http://maypapers.blogspot.com )
Picture This ( http://picturethis.clubmom.com )

What about setting up the swag at the cocktail party? Then we could take care of our own stuff and be more informal....

Hmm... and stay sober??

Debra
A Stitch In Time ( http://astitchintime.blogspot.com )
Deb's Daily Distractions ( http://debsdistractions.blogspot.com )

I plan to haul along the fresh off the press 2007 calendars that I publish. http://www.breastofcanada.com

What about setting up the swag at the cocktail party? Then we could take care of our own stuff and be more informal....

Sue Richards
My Menopause Blog ( http://www.mymenopauseblog.com )

I'll be there Friday, but not attending any sessions. That is, until the cocktail party. ;) If we decided to do as suggested above and have the table with tags, I'd be willing to work it a while. Say, a couple of hours or what have you.

I really like the idea of the flyers, but I think it'd be a lot of work to go to everyone's room, and if you went to a room, you'd kind of feel obligated to purchse, kwim? If there is a table of stuff to look at, there isnt' quite so much pressure.

gifts to bring back for my kids ...

Although I totally love the concept of a group yard sale, with a limit of one 6' table, yeah.. I think we need to limit things to small time slots.

But one additional suggestion:

How about each "table tender" make up an 8.5 x 11 (A4) info sheet with what they have to offer? A photo or 2 and prices. And a contact number or three (cell, room number, email). Organize all of these sheets into a folder that stays on the table?

Then if I miss "fussy"s time on the table, I can still get in touch with her about a t-shirt (or a trade). Heck, I'd even volunteer to organize that (I've completely blown my "just say no" resolution this year anyway). I imagine tabs for t-shirts, books, patterns, artwork... etc.

Even on a 6 foot table, this shouldn't take up that much space...

Sound reasonable?

Debra
A Stitch In Time ( http://astitchintime.blogspot.com )
Deb's Daily Distractions ( http://debsdistractions.blogspot.com )

I don't have anything to sell, but I'd totally take a couple slots at the table on Day 2.

I think keeping everyone's purchases together would be the least difficult thing to do, especially if the vendors did a little bit of work ahead of time AND it was a cash-only kind of deal. In that case, just run it like a group yard sale:

* everyone tag their stuff with a removeable (sticker, tag on a string, whatever) tag w/ price and vendor info on it

* hordes of people pay with cash

* person manning the booth takes removeable tag for sale and puts it in the pile

* at the end of the day, count up the amount on tags per person and divide up the cash in the bucket

* drink

ok, that last one is optional.

I realize this is terribly low-tech but hey, it works.

- Julie
No Fancy Name ( http://nofancyname.blogspot.com/ )
Blogger in a Snap ( http://bloggerinasnap.blogspot.com/ )

Stupid not going to BlogHer me. Book swap? That's right up my alley! Enjoy, all!

Family Living; Hatfield Style ( http://www.thejhatfields.org/blog )
Jenna

Raines: first of all, "Hi!"

Second: I kinda love the lidea of having a fully stocked table with everyone's stuff all day, but have two questions:

1. Won't we have way more stuff than will fit on one 6 foot table? (Which is what we have room for.) Sounds like it from the responses above. Of course that's probably true even if we go with the timeslot approach...more people than time slots.

2. Who *would* want to man the table all day? ..and try to keep everyone's purchases (and $$$) straight etc. Sounds pretty burdensome for a volunteer to do, even in one-hour shifts. No?

More thoughts?

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer and Worker Bees
elisa@blogher.org/elisa@workerbees.biz

i'll have stickers ( http://minnie.typepad.com/birdlog/2006/06/stickers... ) to sell and t-shirts probably

I have a bunch of t-shirts ( http://www.fussy.org/t-shirts.html ) that I sell on my blog and I'd been wondering where I was going to pitch my tent and sell them (at their special BlogHer discount price), so I'd be psyched if there was a special place where we could all put out our stuff.

I'll bring some tiny poetry leaflets, zines, and stuff like that to give away and if you like them, feel free to shower me with dollar bills... or not.

-----------------
Liz Henry
lizzard@bookmaniac.net
Badgermama ( http://badgermama.blogspot.com ) - personal & mommyblog
http://liz-henry.blogspot.com

I'll only be there for day two, but I've got some great books and magazines on cohousing and senior cohousing that may be of interest to many BlogHers.

If we've got just little slots (and who wants to miss any sessions!) then it'll be a lot of advance work for us to promote what we've got so people will come for that -- perhaps we can find someone willing to take on running the store for the day so that shoppers only need to go to the table(s) once and vendors can leave stuff there.

Raines

consider Goodstorm ( http://www.goodstorm.com ) to print on-demand (no minimums) t-shirts! we're progressive, run our site on Drupal ( http://www.drupal.org ) software (same as Blogher), and would love to help anyone with schwaggage.

also, my guess is that other organizations like Mom's Rising ( http://www.momsrising.org ) will be in attendance at blogher with their great raglan tees to sell.

best,
andrew

This sounds fabulous.

We have these cool shirts that I'd love to bring!

http://www.crossleft.org/?q=store

If I can get my butt in gear (Hey, I almost a month..) I'll man the table for an hour...

Debra
A Stitch In Time ( http://astitchintime.blogspot.com )
Deb's Daily Distractions ( http://debsdistractions.blogspot.com )

I don't have anything to sell, but I'd be up for some shopping.

I'm not proud. I'll be happy to bring a bunch of my Photoshop books and cds for the schwag table.

Jan Kabili
Blogher Contributing Editor Technology & Web ( http://www.blogher.com/topic/technology-web )
Also blogging at Weblogs Inc's The Unofficia ( http://photoshop.weblogsinc.com )

Sounds good to me! I can bring business cards and flyers, but probably will not have time to bring anything pretty...

As soon as I saw the title I thought of you guys. ;)

Monkey Trouble ( http://sassymonkey.wordpress.com/ ), Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.wordpress.com/ ), and Sassymonkey Eats ( http://sassymonkeyeats.wordpress.com/ )

If Starbucks does it, blogher.org should do it? Who does not love coffee?

BlogHer.org arm bands? You know similar to ones that are around for schools, the cancer associations, and other special causes?

What about things like business cards for people who offer services? :)

I think this is a great idea all around. I just KNOW I'll be wanting a tshirt!!

CallistaWolf
a.k.a. Marilyn Porter
Inconceivable ( http://inconceivable.lilacpixels.com )
Lilac Pixels Blog Design ( http://lilacpixels.com )

I do tie dye and I'd be really interested. I mostly have kids stuff, but if anyone wanted to buy a gift for their kids, they might be interested in some of my stuff.

That's a really good idea, and I appreciate the mention. Personally, I don't have any copies of my books and don't ever do the whole sales thing myself (I hate sales. I'm more apt to give someone a book if they express a desire for one, which of course isn't good for the bottom line. Back in the day, I was a terrible barista, too, because all the pretty girls would get free coffee. But that's another story.)

I'd love to see tables and tables filled with things by BlogHers whose stuff _isn't_ readily available on bookstore endcaps and who don't write for publishers who have sales & marketing folks doing all the work.

I dare say the creations from _those_ types of BlogHers are the ones I'd like to see space reserved for. For instance, certain Baltimore-area bloggers who happen to be great photographers and could bring some prints. Or the knitters -- good lord, can you imagine how quickly those knitted uterus thingies would sell? :) And yes, the t-shirts. Boy howdy, the t-shirts.

- Julie
No Fancy Name ( http://nofancyname.blogspot.com/ )
Blogger in a Snap ( http://bloggerinasnap.blogspot.com/ )

Definitely interested in unavoidable shopping opportunities! I hate shopping but uh we seem to do that on trips. And of course, it would be rather like shopping online, which I do enjoy, sort of, so well...table away!
~TW ( http://ramblewoman.blogspot.com )