Hello Everyone,
It's with a heavy heart that I have to announce that Salty Witch Market and Psychic Faires are going to have to be canceled.
I tried my hardest to fight for these events, but the condo owners are not budging. The only owner who supports the events is the person who owns my units (B1 &B2). The other owners of the other units have not been swayed by my words, by compassion for small businesses and local artists, or facts and business savvy i.e. how our market and businesses bring loads of visibility and good will to theirs.
I heard back from a couple of lawyers and neither think that it's realistic I'd win a case should I choose to bring one. It would be irresponsible of me to overspend SWMKT budget funds and Ritual business funds on an issue we probably won't win.
As it stands, I was financially counting on the business from SWMKT to recover from a winter that frankly, wasn't the best. The markets and faires were a part of my long term business plan and while I know we'll be ok, right now, I'm not sure what that looks like. This is a potentially devastating blow to Ritual.
If I choose to forge ahead with the market in my location, the condo board can fine me or bring me to court, or put a lien on the property, eventually forcing my LL to sell. My landlord is understanding, but I doubt he'd be happy with that situation and he could be forced to evict me. I do not wish to jeopardize the good relationship we have by putting him through that.
Moving the market on such short notice is unsurmountable for me, given my schedule, energy levels, and financial resources. As they stand the markets usually overrun their budget by a significant amount. I count on the revenues the shop sees from that day to offset that balance both monetarily and energetically.
Moving the market could also possibly result in an increase in table fees, as they sometimes require a rental fee, more staff (staff needs to be paid as my business isn't a 501c3 and can't legally accept volunteer help), a different permitting process, and a larger event insurance policy. This could possibly push the market out of the realm of affordability for some, and I believe events like these should be accessible. The parking lot at my business was a free venue, and we were lucky to have it while we did.
I am looking into what can be done for future events, including forming a 501c3 so we can have volunteers, finding new and inventive venues, and finding a way to make it so we can support the esoteric artisan community in the same grassroots way we have so far. I'm even looking into finding a new location for Ritual that would possibly have the room to accommodate SWMKT and see it for the treasure it is.
I will be returning vendor fees and have written to the vendors with an email to that effect.
THE PETITION WILL STAY LIVE.
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On a personal note,
Thank you all so much for being one of the highlights of my journey on this planet so far. I'm so grateful for and so very proud of all of you.
It takes extreme courage to be a creative and/or healer in today's world and even more guts to put yourself out there and try to make a living doing it. Don't ever let anybody else tell you otherwise.
That is all for now.... Hopefully the next time you receive an update for SWMKT it will be one filled with happier news.
Holly @ Ritual
P.S. the facebook post and video update can be found here:
https://fb.watch/k2p9Udd10w/