First up. There was some confusion
about this last year, so we want to clarify the issue this year.
There are no free tables at the East Bay Anarchist Book Fair. We
have chosen to adopt the percentage model, as used at The
Montreal Anarchist Book Fair successfully for almost 15 years.
We will not ask for payment in advance. We will come around late
in the day on Saturday and ask to collect 10% of your sales. If
you are an organization that does not sell anything or asks for
donations or does sales under $200, then we require a minimum of
$20. So please be prepared. We will come around about 4:30 or so
to remind people and then check back in with each table around
5:30. If you are not tabling but receiving this email please
tell those who will be tabling. Last year a few organizations
did not pay stating they "did not know" payment was required.
That response will not be acceptable this year. Anyone who does
not pay this year will not be eligible to table next year. And
we will grimace at you. A lot.
The other thing to give you a heads
up about is that we are encouraging Halloween costumes and would
like to give out prizes for the best costumes. We are going to
come around and ask people if they would like to donate
something to the prize vault. Perhaps you will have an item or
two that you would be happy to give!
On to the logistics of the day. The
book fair opens to the public at 10am, doors open for you at
8:30am. There are 27 tables, and we are at capacity. Selection
is first come first serve. There is a great deal of wall space
and outlets at regular intervals along the two long walls. You
should bring your own power strips/extension cords if you
anticipate needing power. There is wi-fi in the hall.
We will have the area in front of
the hall on 27th Street blocked off, for unloading and free
hands to help you carry your wares. There is free parking on
both sides of 27th Street. However, technically there is a two
hour limit, Humanist hall says the city generally does not
enforce this. We will have volunteers check periodically during
the day to see if cars are being marked. There is a small
parking lot behind the Hall on 28th Street, that will hold
roughly a dozen cars, where it is safe to park all day. The
helpers outside can direct you to this lot and it will be marked
so you can't miss it. Again, parking here will be first come
first serve.
Each tabler gets a standard-six-foot-book-fair-table and two chairs. We can provide additional chairs upon request. We will do what we can to make the day as comfortable and as enjoyable for you as possible. There will be volunteers on hand to watch your table if you need a break or want to spend time enjoying the event.
There will be coffee available on a limited basis to tablers and conversation holders until early afternoon. In terms of food, there are several small neighborhood places, and a Whole Foods about a third of a mile east on 27th Street. About a mile south on Broadway is downtown Oakland and Chinatown and about a mile northeast is a small business district on Piedmont Avenue. Each of these areas has quite a number of restaurants. More information about this will be available on Saturday at the info table.
Tabling is scheduled to go until 6pm. Again there will be volunteers available to help carry and load you back to your vehicle if you require it. After tabling is over there will be karaoke and everyone is encouraged to attend.
The complete schedule for the day can be found online at http://eastbayanarchist.com/conversations/
The complete list of tablers can be found at http://eastbayanarchist.com/tablers/ . Please check your listing and see that it is to your liking. Words, phrasing, link etc.
For announcements, updates, and information on all the other events happening over the weekend visit https://www.facebook.com/events/227860837363480/?fref=ts
If you have any questions or concerns please contact us and we will respond as quickly as possible.
Thanks so much for participating, see you Saturday, October 26!
On behalf of the EBAB planners,
-ariel