The Annual Second Sale
By Donna Ward

    This was my first Seconds Sale. Several members of Sacramento Potters Group had warned me to be early to get a good place. Donna and Gary Claggett were going to be there and this was their first Seconds sale too. We decided to buddy up and get there at 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2004 Oh, such babes in the wood. My first social faux pas was to start setting up in what I thought was the "best" spot. I was getting uneasy glances from some of the other early birds. I finally asked what I was doing wrong. "Well, nothing I guess." Long pause. "But that is usually where Jon Mehr sets up." Just about then Jon came blowing in and was quite taken aback by my first time impertinence. It didn't take me long to decide that maybe another space would be politically more correct. When everyone had arrived and claimed their spaces and had everything ready to go we started going around and shopping our fellow artist spaces. I got a good look at Jon Mehr's area and the quality and quantity of his pieces and it began to make sense why he was considered the alpha potter.
    My second naive moment came when I looked up at 7 a.m. and saw several people milling around the front doors with their noses pressed to the windows. I had also been told that the customers came early but Good Golly Miss Molly, this was 7 a.m. for Pete's sake. Three hours before the sale started!! And they kept coming. By 9 a.m. the line was at the end of the building and was starting to curl back on itself.
    The first few faces at the window looked serious. They carefully eyed every artist as they came and went from their vehicles with their goods. These shoppers had their agenda down and their route planned. When the doors opened at 10 they swarmed in with ruthless and determined strides. I soon became too busy to pay attention to any one shopper. The ones who knew who they wanted to see went immediately to that artist. The crowd around each space became prime real estate for about two hours. At noon the crowds thinned enough for us to glance around and exchange slightly dazed looks with one another. The Claggetts sold out completely by noon. Packing and loading up was considerably easier this time for them. Their exquisitely beautiful Raku and Saggar fired vases, masks and platters had flown off the table.
    This year the sale was held in the large classroom and the middle gallery area. There was ample space for everyone. I was in the large classroom and once the sale got going I couldn't see what was happening in the middle gallery, but my room was hoppin'.
    The stream of customers had dwindled to a mere trickle by noon and it was possible to visit and exchange stories. The towers of pots and bowls and vases, sculptures and platters were gone and the view was much better. Of course one had to be alert to the eager latecomer. I had begun to pack up my remaining pieces at 1:30 despite warnings by my remaining neighbors that there was another half-hour to go and you never know.  Sure enough they were right. Just as they spoke a man seemed to rush up to my table and he purchased four of my little wall plaques. My husband, who was helping me out (bless his heart) and I froze. Suspended animation. We didn't know what to do. But it did finally seem that the Seconds Sale had ended for me. There were no more customers for me. But as we left I saw other artists still doing a relaxed but steady business.
    Over and over I heard artist say what they will and won't do differently next year. But there will definitely be a next year.
    I can't wait for the next Sacramento Potters Group meeting so I can hear everything I was too busy to hear at the sale. What stories we will hear!  So, Everybody come to the February 2, 2004 meeting. See ya there.