Twenty years ago I was stationed with the British Army in Catterick, North Yorkshire, newly married to Esther. She was at a rather loose end and looking for something to do that would allow her some escape from the Army wives' scene. It so happened that my Commanding Officer's wife, Eve Magee, was seeking similar distraction and the two of them hatched a plan. They would go to auctions, buy whatever took their fancy with a view to selling it on at fairs.
At the auctions the very stylish Esther, who adored antiques, bought rather pricey items whereas Eve, who had much more business sense, bought cheap trinkets, antique bottles and the like. When it came to the fairs Esther's stuff didn't move whereas Eve's junk (or as her husband Paddy termed it "junque") sold like hot cakes. The customers just wanted cheap souvenirs of their visit to wherever the fair was being staged. I still have some of Esther's items, unsold, whereas Eve went on from that to set up and run a very successful second hand book business.
I was reminded of this over the weekend at the sale of mosaics that we held at the Summit Hotel in Kathmandu. Essentially the most attractive, more pricey, mosaics didn't sell quite so well as the low cost alternatives (which represented old stock) that went very quickly. So my conclusion for the future is to have the girls working to two standards with the better ones continuing to make exquisite mosaics to commission while the less able produce smaller items that will have wider public appeal.
So I've learned a lesson from Eve, who by the way will be doing a sponsored walk for the Trust in August. When she sends me a link to her online sponsorship form I'll pass it on to you...
