The Young Intern and me went to the Hague to do a workshop at #DeWerkplaats. Really promising venue! Unfortunately no workshop participants materialised, so we decided to take our wares to the street and do a pop-up workshop. Eveline had had the forethought to acquire a bakfiets – a carrier cycle that is sooooo Dutch that we forget to mention it in our tourist  brochures. Anyway, we filled it up with Tshirts, scissors, needles, thread and other fun stuff and set up shop outside. Choosing the perfect spot turned out to be rather tricky – shopkeepers not totally in tune with our project. In the end, we settled at the intersecton of the Frederik Hendriklaan (locally know as the Fred) and the Willem de Zwijgerlaan (named after William the Silent).

We advertised our upcycled Tshirts as beachwear, for the weather was lovely and the beach pretty close. But no dice – some interest, few participants. Everyone passing had some destination in mind,  no one in the mood to dawdle. When did we become slaves to our own itenaries?

Anyway, what did we learn:

– don’t set up shop in front of a shop
– don’t set up shop on an intersection
– don’t set up kiddy workshops during holiday week
– impromptu did not work for us this time
– make the bakfiets more visually appealing

One other thing I learned: I did not mind in the least that I had no kids to teach. Maybe it’s time to skip the for-kids part?