The Life Of An Online Blog Shop Owner

Blogshop owners in the Malaysian blogshopping scene are usually girls in their twenties (college/uni students or young working adults) who own a blog where they put up products to sell. Most choose to sell clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and some do handmade items as well. I ventured down a road less taken and found my calling in stickers. The Sticker Monster is two years old already. 🙂 Time flies.

Honestly, the money is not consistent but it is a total enjoyment seeing all the colourful stickers that I manage to take in. It is just enough to pay the bills on a monthly basis but to go on holidays or to really make a living out of it? Of course not!!

However, some blogshops go on to become real online stores and they actually make enough to quit their full time jobs to focus on the business entirely!

Then there are times when a bazaar crops up and invites you to be part of it (The usual rates are RM70-80 but more sought after bazaar spots have a higher going rate). I don’t know about clothes lah but back in the glamourous days of Bijou Bazaar, a pioneer in the bazaar-online blogshop scene, stalls can make up to a thousand ringgit in one afternoon.

As for my stickers, the best I ever got was about RM500. The worst? LOL A profit of RM2! Sales was terrible and the rental was expensive. Walked around the other stalls and bought RM30+ worth of hairbands and thus the RM2 profit after sitting there for a whole afternoon.

So here is my recap of my bazaar experience at MOS Euphoria’s/A Shopaholic’s Den’s Too Hot 2 Handle:

The night before, I took out all my stickers from their respective plastic bags and arranged them properly in the box so I did not have to do this at the bazaar the next day.

Sensing the excitement in the air, Angel loves to be in the thick of things and decided to sit right in the middle of my sticker mess.

Whenever I am working on  something, she will come and sit right in the middle. If it is soft, she will fall asleep on the pile.

Like how she did with my pompoms which I was working on the night before for my faculty’s sports week (held this week). Mel laughed so hard when I told her I was going to be a cheerleader.

-____- So comfortable right?

She won’t get off no matter how many times I ask her to.

After awhile I decided to give her paperweight duties. She fell asleep and her paws were easily lifted up without rousing the sleeping dog. So one paw held down one stack of plastic bags from a certain supplier and the other paw did the same for another supplier’s stocks.

When that was done, I had to take out my dad’s tool box and find a spanner, learn how to use it and dismantle my mum’s metal clothes hanger. Rolled it out to the front door to make things easier in the morning. Asked mum for some crystal bowls for my display, packed the essentials like strings, markers, plastic bags among the usual sticker stuff.

As I had yet to finish with some sticker inventory work, I was up till almost 3.30am keying in codes and taking photographs with my eyeballs blurring with eye shit because sleep was much needed.

I surprised myself by waking up with exactly enough time to wash my hair, blow dry and have my full make up done. *pats self on the back* This would be the third time this year where I put on make-up. What is happening to me?! Too comfortable with my own face?! How can that be?!?

So hell basically starts after colouring my eyebrows (last make-up step). I drag the plastic bag containing my plastic bags for customers, record book, calculator, scissors, cellophane tape, strings, corkboard pins, disposable chopsticks and plasticine.

I start by trying my best to stuff the clothes rack in to the car with plenty of huffing and puffing and maneuvering, sweating under the slight morning drizzle. I then make countless trips by first putting my biggest sticker box in the boot, followed by my smaller sticker box (i usually have two more small sticker boxes but since I can fit everything into one big box and small box, I guess this is good news which means my stocks are actually dwindling!), then my big carry all with all the random crap a sticker stall could possibly need. Mum’s precious crystal bowls clinging in another bag, settled into the backseat. Kicked two nice heels into the backseat while I put on my 3 year old slippers to drive (and for the many trips up to the stall and down to the carpark).

Finally settled into the driver’s seat. Checked my make-up. Okay, still presentable.

Drove to the petrol station to pump petrol, bought my lunch for the day (coconut buns ftw and mineral water), took out some cash from the ATM. Just in case I saw something nice at the bazaar but I hardly had time to wander around.

Upon reaching Sunway Hotel, I had to make like a thousand trips from the carpark to Euphoria where the bazaar was held, lugging my million and one things. By the third round, I was a sweaty mess.

I looked in the mirror and a gunk of whitish stuff was accumulating on my upper lash line. It looked like eyelash glue applied directly onto my lashes but the problem was I did not even put my falsies on so this was beyond gross!! Melted eye concealer, sliding off my lids because of the sweat and then settling on my lashes!

But the show must go on.

I dragged my mum’s clothes hanger up the stairs and a fellow blogshop owner helped me hoist it up and had to wait for me when I went “oh fuck oh fuck, my eyeshadow just went into my eye” and had to stare at the ceiling and blink furiously for a few seconds. The kind stranger stood there waiting for awhile and then we continued our long tedious journey.

Throughout the arduous process, there were many other blog shop owners who were trudging up with their super big suitcases. Since they were selling clothes, they probably have it far worse than me. Sucks to be them!

After getting everything up to my store, it was time to open up my cloth trays (damn useful) and place the stickers accordingly. Epoxy stickers, furry stickers, big puffy stickers, bling stickers etc.

My display was a little different this time around!

I used my mum’s disposable chopsticks, stuck tiny colour papers on it with the stickers’ description and price on it, propped it onto a plasticine and there you have it! A sign with a stand!

My mum’s crystal bowl were used to keep my decoden stuff. Yeap, they finally arrived. Pictures up on the blog soon!

Nice right?!? So many girls came by to run their fingers through them. I hope interest means good. Damn supplier won’t let me take less than 100 pieces per design.

Clearing out the old stocks. I have plenty new stocks at home which I didn’t want to bring because then they would be distracted by the new ones and my old stock would be like old maids left on the shelf.

I feel so smart this time around. I bought two plastic corrugated er..plastic boards(?) in pink and blue. Stuck corkboard pins into it and hung the stickers all up.

When that was done, I could finally rest. I really wanted to walk around but didn’t because I did not have a friend with me this round. Previous unfortunate souls were such as my mum, Chee Kiang, Mel and Esther. Which is good also since I was not tempted to buy anything.

With the little bit of clothes I had on, I was shivering and tweeted, “Fucking cold in Euphoria!! Any blogshop selling jackets?!?” Too bad the event did not have a hashtag or it would have been awesome communicating with the other sellers.

I saw a few familiar faces like Leeza from Tasty Cherry Chapstick and Jeremy from My Favouritees. Grace from Lush Serendipity is also a familiar face but it was only this round that we got acquainted. Tiffany from Soak Republic was talking to me at my car…..and I really forgot if we have met or not. :(:( I AM HORRIBLE LIKE THIS. :(:(:( So I saw her earring carousels and I stupidly asked (to make conversation), “Oh…..you sell accessories!” She gave me an ‘are you kidding me’ look, “I am from Soak Republic la!!”

:(:( I only dealt with Pei Shan (extra remember her because of the same chinese name) before when I reviewed some of their products and only saw Tiffany at previous bazaars. :(:( My bad. Awesome stuff..too gorgeous. I lost one bracelet during a drunken night out though. 🙁

Tiffany wasn’t the first victim of my lousiness in remembering people. 🙁 It is not that I don’t care for the people that I meet, but I just have such terrible memory! 🙁

Quite a few people walked pass my booth or stopped and said, “HI Jolene!!” and I waved back, “Hi!!! How have you been?” without a clue who they are. 🙁

As for old school friends, there were too many that came by my booth! They didn’t even know I would be there that day! The first would be Evelyn who was my senior from school, Chung Lern and his girlfriend Stephanie (whom I bumped into at Daiso Curve exactly a week ago), Kok Ben, Sze May (a junior whom I didn’t recognize because of her funky hair cut. Had to ask her, “Sorry you are?” Malu sial……she was one of the faithful Interact Club juniors), Pui Mun and college friend Matt Ho plus primary school classmate Wayne Adam!!

Bloggers friends too, the usual Kelli, Hsu Jen, Nigel and David who are usually there at every bazaar that I am at! Plus Jess whom I was supposed to send stickers too! Arghh! If only I brought it along, I could have passed it to her. Vivien, Ginny and Natalie were there too!

With Cze-Yin who came with almost her entire family.

And Cze-yin not counted as “wah such a coincidence ah!” because I asked her to come if she was free to teman me jaga stall. She just came to shop and sit with me for awhile. LOL.

There were also a few who came up to me and told me that they read my blog. Some had to pick up my namecard and say, “OHhhh I read your blog.” Hahaha, not instant recognition, but still good enough! So touched! :)) Thank you my silent readers!

With Kelli!

Trying to get a wider shot of my stall.

<3

With the RM19 shawl I bought from the blogshop opposite mine. I’m holding up the Swarovski grade crystals which I just received from my suppliers. SO LOVE…!!!

Here’s the only photo of the rest of the bazaar. Apparently there was a long line at the entrance waiting to get in! Didn’t expect the bazaar to be this hot!

My decoden pieces!! Cute right?:)

With Hsu Jen.

Chung Lern and Stephanie.

Yien Yee, the smart girl who runs A Shopaholic’s Den. She was pretty much the bazaar’s organizer though it is an event under Euphoria.

With Wayne and Matt who happen to be colleagues now!! What a small world. 🙂 One was my class monitor in standard one who threatened to write my name if I spoke another word when the teacher was not in and the other I met in college when I did the make-up for the cast members of a play by the Taylor’s College Society of Performing Arts.

After repeatedly explaining the joys of decoden and bling bling stickers to all who stopped by to oooh and aaaah, it was finally time to go home at 6pm. Since I was all alone, I had to AGAIN make the countless trip up and down.

If my day at the bazaar with all those familiar faces walking by wasn’t enough to make me feel that Subang is a really small place, Justin and Ada were in the car opposite mine. Can’t run away from familiar faces. 🙂

Seeing me struggle with my boxes, one of the waiters helped me to carry it all down to my car. “I help you because I like you! You know my name or not?” he said. I was like, “Okaaay…….” but still have to give tips lah. Coz cannot assume people think you’re a lenglui and just play the lady in distress card right?

So I played the lady in distress who will still give him RM5 tips anyway. He took it immediately. Right then…:\

Compliments and help were much appreciated anyway.

Finally back in my car at about 7.15pm with my freebra sliding off my chest due to sweat (yes I know I am the most disgusting girl in the world but such is life) so the bra sat next to me in the passenger seat as I made my way home.

The end.