Whew, I’ve got a huge backlog of events to review! Despite my goal to limit myself to two markets a month, my blitz of seven events during May and June really tuckered me out! I took notes and photos, to share my adventures with y’all! So my hope is to have all my blogging done by the end of 2026, even if they may end up out of order, haha!
But onto Mead and Metal and returning to the Viking Alchemist Meadery!
Applications
The Viking Alchemist Meadery is one of my favorite Smyrna haunts. They’ve always got their calendar full with Plant Swaps and Richii Mahjong meets. So I like to hit up their art markets at least once a year, which are run by Nicole Barnes, as Mead and Metal Markets! Their autumn market was the first one I didn’t have any conflicts with, so in late July when Nicole announced on Facebook that applications were open I sent mine in right away.
I got my acceptance email before mid August. As usual, Nicole included all the need-to-know details about load-in, load-out, and even some graphics for us to share on social media. The vendor fee, $30, could be paid via your choice of Paypal, Venmo, or Cashapp.
Since I’m familiar with both Mead and Metal and Viking Alchemist Meadery, I didn’t really stress too much beforehand, even if it would be the first market since my summer break. However, maybe it was a small mistake to schedule an event right after DragonCon. While I didn’t have my own DragonCon booth, I did help out my sister, Kafaid, in the Pop Artist Alley! My thought was, since my sister would be in charge it’s not like I’d have the brunt of the work. But in hindsight, even with a week in between, my social battery was still recovering! So if you visited and noticed I was out of it at Mead and Metal, that was definitely part of it! I was eepy.
Mead and Metal
As usual, for load-in Nicole had us come in at set time-intervals to control parking lot traffic. She sent out the schedule about a week ahead and I was assigned to roll up at 1 PM. When I arrived Nicole was there to check me in and direct me to my tent spot.
Unfortunately, the autumn weather was both unbearably hot and humid!! Fall came really late and the Atlanta area didn’t start to cool down until the final week of September! We were really lucky to have just missed some storms the day before, but I suspect the stickiness left behind discouraged shoppers from coming out. I definitely had to order one a pink lemonade from the meadery to cool off and had my Ryobi fan going the whole afternoon.
Overall, the pace was slower compared to previous Mead and Metals. A couple of my friends and neighbors came out to visit despite the heat. I was able to break a modest $100 in revenue, so I did make back my table. I also got to chat with my neighbors and make a few trades and purchases!
Another lovely thing that happened, usually Nicole makes sure there is a food vendor as well, so we can all have a source of sustenance. But due to some unfortunate circumstances, our food vendor had to cancel. So! To make sure us vendors were fed, Nicole ordered pizza! Surprise pizza party!
Billie’s Vendor Review
| Foot Traffic | ⭐⭐ |
| Attendee Vibes | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Restrooms | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Pokémon GO | ⭐⭐ |
| Organization | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
I was able to hit my minimum goal this time, and after reviewing last year’s Mead and Metal review, I guess I’ve had some bad luck!
I’ll admit, after all the events I’ve done this year, I’ve been thinking perhaps I need to be more thoughtful in choosing events. Even if I’m able to break even, to make the most of my time it’s important to aim higher. Artist Alley is a part-time gig I do for supplemental income on top of my full-time work. So in practice, on a week-to-week basis I’m deciding if a weekend will be spent on a market, market prep, or with loved ones. And it is disappointing to miss out on something awesome, only to make table.
It’s difficult to fight the FOMO of applying to every event, but, my goal for 2027 would be to do even LESS events than 2026 and focus on creating new work. That was another thing I realized, after DragonCon last year I left with a yearning to create more illustrative pieces… and I still haven’t done that despite another DragonCon come and gone, haha! To get into bigger shows I really need to a stronger portfolio.
Wow, this review has been a lot about my career in general and not just Mead and Metal! Please don’t let my ponderings be an inditement. I think Nicole runs a wonderful outdoor local market, but perhaps I’m just not as good of a fit as I had been in the past. Or maybe I just need to make more new things to excite the audience!
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