The Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Society 2020 Show

It was time for our first big show of the year and so we traveled to Robstown, Texas for the Gulf Coast Gem and Mineral Societies’ 2020 gathering. The show was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday and so Friday was the setup day.

Arriving early, I helped to setup the GCGMS display cases while Renita carted our display to our tables. We purchased a pull wagon several years ago and she quickly and efficiently got our tables ready. Meanwhile I and others helped to sort the twenty cases. My main task was to set up the lights and electrical cables for each case.

Everything went quickly and by noon we were back in Rockport. There we washed and cleaned more of our jewelry, replaced some of the price tags, and packed the car. We don’t set out our pieces until the morning of the show, even though security is provided by the club.

Saturday arrived and we left early. It was an hour drive to Robstown and it only took an hour for us to set out jewelry out. The past year has been good to us and we have added lots of new stones, opals, rings and bracelets. We hoped for a large turnout as our success depends on the number of people that walk through the door. Not everyone buys our work, but the numbers tell us how successful we will be.

The gates opened, and there was a lineup of people, but it didn’t seem as busy as last year when we had a record turnout, and for us record sales. It was a slow day, but we had returning customers who stopped and visited us, which is always fun.

That night Renita totaled our day’s receipts and she came up with an extremely disappointing result. We had made a little money, after deducting the entry costs and travel expenses but the total was less than half of last year’s first day.

The second day arrived, and as usual Sunday morning was really slow. Still we made sales and one bright spot was having more returning customers. Another bright side was that our new bracelets made up twenty percent of our sales.Still it was slow and I was able to wander over to the silent auction table, run by Rita and Josie, where I did buy a rock.

At the end of the day, we talked with other vendors who told us that their sales had also tanked. At least we weren’t the only ones. As we left, we talked with the GCGMS president who told us the numbers of ticket sales had dropped from 2200 last year to only 1200. No wonder.

The coronavirus had caused many to stay away and who can blame them. Luckily, we don’t depend on our sales for our daily lives, unlike many of the others. Let’s hope that things will get better for our summer shows in Alpine and Cody, Wyoming.

Clear skies, and don’t forget to wash your hands!