The Ultimate Epicurean Boutique Market

You may remember the post "Making a list? Check it twice!" where I announced that  Just Bee You! would be attending the Ultimate Epicurean Boutique Market at the Crowne Plaza in Port of Spain. I'm not even going to wait till the end to summarize or add suspense or anything - let me just come right out and say I had a tremendous time at this event! It was well organised and my interaction with Andrea of Eventuality Ltd was wonderful from the very beginning. She was professional yet friendly in her approach, prompt in responses to messages and kept us updated and informed  in the weeks leading up to the event.

I attended the event with my mom and cousin Kari, two of my "elves" as I like to call them =) We did not arrive as early as we would have liked, and then I forgot a piece of my table display at home, but we were able to modify the display and set up fairly quickly.

My two 'elves'  =)

This was my first show in Trinidad and I thoroughly enjoyed the day! The interaction among participants was great. I had some really friendly "neighbours", with the Soap Boutique on my right and STC & Company who were on my left - their lemongrass soap smelled DIVINE I need to pick up some of that, and the soap net! I tried to visit as many booths as I could when I got a little break. There were some wonderful products on display, I would encourage everyone to take the time to check out some of your local manufacturers and artisans when doing your shopping this holiday season.

The response to Just Bee You! beauty products was extremely positive. I am glad I participated in the Epicurean Market and look forward to attending more markets soon. I would encourage crafters, soapers, manufacturers to attend a few of these markets, not just for the exposure to customers and potential customers, but also for the opportunity to meet other persons in your industry or related industries who may provide a product or service that you may need. The interaction with knowledge gained from more experienced persons in the industry will prove invaluable.

The pictures I took were a bit dark (boo hoo!) but there are pictures on the Facebook page if you'd like to see more.

A vapour in the wind

Every now and then I'm reminded that life is so fragile! The passing of Dawnyele last weekend was another reminder for me, since I was just watching her last update a couple days before that. Dawnyele was a natural hair vlogger/blogger. (If you are not familiar with who she was you can go to her fotki, blog or youtube channel). Her large following is no surprise as she had a warm personality that seemed to reach you through the computer screen. I was introduced to Dawnyele through the fotki picture-sharing site. We interacted through picture comments and messages. I added her as a fotki friend and followed her album faithfully as our textures were similar. It's crazy how you feel like you know someone as they share their world with you online through blogs and vlogs. I have never met her in person but I felt so sad to hear of her passing. 

My heart goes out to her family and loved ones - judging by the out-pouring of emotion online by those of us who just knew her through the medium of the internet, I can only imagine how much she will be missed by those who knew her personally. Their hearts must be breaking! My prayers are with them.

I've met so many great people through being a part of the online hair community, many of them I have formed great friendships with, even though I have never even met them in person. A few I have been fortunate to meet (*waves @ Black Pearls*). Some of them I really wish lived right around the corner, that would be so awesome (I'm talking about you Natitwists! ) Others I only know by your fotki name/youtube name, but all of you have been such a wonderful source of support and encouragement. I take this opportunity to say thank you to all of my online hair inspirations! Life is a vapour, and we should truly take every opportunity to appreciate those who've played a positive role in our lives. I've mentioned a couple of names already, but I'd also like to mention Deidre of Keep it Kinky, Yekinae (Michelle), Chicoro, Loolah of Healthy Hair and Body, Lina40, Mooks-Hair, Corporate Naps, Gisele69, Melanizm and I CANNOT leave out Dee of nappturality.com her online forum is one of the main reasons I am still a natural today. I might have forgotten some people, I'm so sorry in advance! To everyone who's been an inspiration or source of support to me along my hair journey thank you, thank you, thank you!