Tucson Day 3: This is Holidome

I was very excited for my third day in Tucson, because that meant going to one of the biggest bead shows in Tucson -- Holidome! I had prepped the night before by marking down on an exhibit floor map the location of the vendors I knew I wanted to visit and reviewing my shopping list that I had prepped for Tucson in advance.

It was very cold again in the morning, so we bundled up. Still, we weren't prepared for the below-freezing winds and the long walk from the parking lot to the Holiday Inn where the Holidome tents are located. See, the hotel has a pretty small parking lot, so we had to park at the Gem Mall location, which was luckily only two or 3 blocks away.

Once in the tents, I was immediately hit by the sheer enormity of it all! Still, I managed to stay on target.

My first booth was a very popular one, and there were masses of people grabbing at anything and everything, it seemed. I always like to talk to the vendors, ask what's new, and what's been good sellers. I try to avoid the "mob shopping" mentality, but it's tough to not try and check out what other people are oohing and ahhing over!

Thinking about my Fall collection, I started pulling trays featuring deep blues, blacks and greys. A good place to start, don't you think?

Eventually I finished my "hit list" and moved on to start systematically walking the floor. I passed by every booth, and anything that looked interesting I took a card and wrote on the back what had caught my eye.

It was so cold that day, the port-a-potties set up outside the tents were non-functional. The poor hotel lobby bathrooms were not enough for the big crowds, so that sort of put a damper on the day! Still, I did the majority of my shopping at Holidome, and with my head swimming, called it a day after about 4.5 hours at the show!

Next, I had one more day left to cover the shows. Stay tuned for Day 4!

Peggy

1 comment

Share: