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Showing posts with label craft show resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft show resources. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
HELP: BUSINESS RESOURCES & LISTINGS



















I am constantly on the quest to find things that make not only my business better but also more efficient. Some info out there is useful, others....not so much, so the following two are resources that I have found to be useful for business. Some you may have heard of others you might not of, but they are both worth taking a gander at
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{The Crafts Report}
This monthly magazine delivers tips and tricks on everything from creating great photographs of artist's work to setting up a show booth and handling legal issues that surround running a small business.
Each issue contains features of crafters who have turned their hobby into a profession. There are monthly columns on business basics, crafts law, advanced business concepts, crafts technology, retailing and more. They have listings of supplies, craft shows, and equipment which is especially good for that #1 question I always see..."WHAT IS THE BEST TENT TO BUY?"
To receive the report you can subscribe online at The Crafts Report Subscription for $40/yr for either print or digital, but if you can't wait and secretly you want to "thumb " thru it before you purchase, the do sell the "hard copies" at Barnes and Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, Hastings and Jo-Ann Fabrics. The downside to that is there is no "set" location to which stores carry them, it is not based on size of area or size of store, but landscape. This means that areas where there are traditionally more "Crafters" located is where they sell it :( ........this is one of the times where living in a smaller town may be an advantage.
Good News though, after speaking to a lovely rep from the publishing company, it was suggested to purchase the digital version( same price as the magazine). No only does the digital version arrive quicker ( usually withing about 2 business day from puchase) it has more content. They also only have the Craft Show Listings in the digital version, they are no longer in the magazine. Not to mention that since it is digital they can add more articles and resources that they might have to cut to fit in a 40 page magazine.

PRO: With monthly subscription there is constantly new ideas and info for your business.
Suggest getting the digital version for more content and access to archives
CON: May be a bit overwhelming to the "newbie" crafter, may need to wait until you
have a few shows or experience under your belt, but still a good resource.
________________________________________

{American Style Magazine}
This monthly magazine arts lifestyle magazine for art lovers, collectors and travelers. Each issue features contemporary art and artists, art galleries, art collectors, and arts travel and tourism. American Style offers readers exclusive visits to American artists' studios and art collectors' homes, as well as articles about art glass, ceramics and pottery, art jewelry, handmade crafts, furniture and more.

ARTICLE OF INTEREST: WEB ONLY EXCLUSIVE
2010 ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

DOWNLOAD LISTINGS: 2010 GUIDE TO FAIRS AND FESTIVALS LISTING
This guide has current listings for 2010 and up to early 2011 for fairs as well .
GET IT NOW BEFORE IT EXPIRES!

PRO: Great place to get inspiration and major fairs/festivals you may not have heard of
CON: Seemed to be geared toward finer arts and crafts, so this is good for the jewelry, sculpture and other such crafters. More about established artist and inspiration than business resources
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Friday, April 16, 2010
HOW TO HANDLE TO CRAFT SHOW TALKER :D

Anyone who has done craft shows knows about "The Talker" ...you know that chit chatty person that comes by ask you a ton of questions and your products and life in general , but never buys. The one that won't take a hint when you are trying to sell your products or who doesn't understand that you this is not a social event but an actual money making event!
So I was sent an email with the Q & A about "The Talker" and I thought it was interesting advice that was given on how to handle them without being to much of an a-hole, lol

Q: I attend a lot of shows each year, and it never fails—I always have at least one person visit my booth who is there to simply visit. Meanwhile, I have many buyers coming in and out that I’m unable to talk to effectively, because the “talker” continues on...and on...and on! What are polite ways of breaking the conversation and concentrating on people who are there to do business?
A:There are always chatty people who seem to enjoy being with artists. Often they have no sense of the inappropriateness of engaging you in long conversations.
I believe they haven’t made the connection that although you are in a public place in a social situation, you are indeed working. I think the “talker” is hard to offend and urge you to excuse yourself to talk to other customers.
Alternately you could pick up your duster and excuse yourself saying, “I can’t believe how dusty it gets in here” and go to work. Or get the glass cleaner or reorganize your merchandise...you get the picture.
Soon the “talker” will be off to another booth, pleased with themselves for having talked to an artist.-Donald Clark
_______________________________
Now, that is usually what I do, if they have been there for 30 minutes and are talking to me about the new episode of "Jersey Shore" (which I will only give 10 minutes of my time to Snooki & The Situation) I will start "Rearranging" and "Stocking". I have actually seen other vendors blatantly tell "The Talker" to exit the tent, but I am not a big fan of that, lol.
This is really because you never know who "The Talker" is or knows. There are instances where "The Talker" is actually beneficial, such as in this instant from Bob the Woodcarver.
I was doing a show in Memphis. I had a gal that looked like she had lived under a bridge someplace; dirty torn cloths and all. She hung around my booth all day. She would leave for an hour then be back to talk. She asked about a zillion questions about six foot tall cigar store female Indians and could I do one. Yes I could do one! This ran on all afternoon. Finally she asked how much and how long it would take. By now all I wanted to do is get rid of her. I said the price was $1000, 50% down and 50% on delivery. I thought this would shut her up. She thought for a moment, got her wallet out and laid five $100 bills on the table. She gave me a post office box number where to send the photos as I progressed. I finished it in a couple weeks and requested a land address where to deliver the piece. Using the directions I drove out this winding road and found the address except there was a large iron fence and a locked gate. In the wall of the gate post was a phone. I explained who I was and the gates opened silently. The driveway had to be a half mile long. I rounded the last turn and an old antibellum mansion stood there. I thought maybe she was a worker there. I rang the door bell and a gal in a maids uniform met me at the door. "Oh I'll get her for you." The same gal came down the stairs in almost the same outfit she wore when I talked to her originally. Turns out she was some country singer. She turned to the maid and told her to give me the final $500 an extra $200 for delivering it. Somewhere in Memphis is a six foot tall female cigar store Indian. Sometimes it pays to talk to these "talkers." -Bob the Woodcarver
So in essence, treat every "Talker" differently, because you really never know who you are "Talking " to.........
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Tuesday, January 5, 2010
FREEBIE DAY: Printable Banner























Banners make a very big impact at any function, from your craft show to your own special event.
This pretty banner project is brought to you courtesy of Martha Stewart. These are 3" circles that can be cut out by hand ( which takes longer) or you can obtain a 3" punch, like the Uchida paper punch. You can also resize ( if you are crafty) for smaller or larger punches. You then punch holes and thread with ribbon the word of your choice.

NOTE: THIS CAN ALSO BE USED FOR YOUR CRAFT SHOW SHOP BANNER.

Download Link



photo and template courtesy of Martha Stewart Weddings
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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Crafts in Chelsea: A {New New} Event

When asked what I did over the weekend?....I whored myself out in the rain and 40 degree cold weather at the "Crafts in Chelsea" Fair. This weekend there was a weather advisory for coastal flooding , 90% chance of heavy rain and some snow, so when I found out the fair was still on , I was skeptical, but one thing that I can say about New Yorkers is that they come out, rain or shine!
This {New New} Team sponsored event was in conjunction with PS11 (local school) so in addition to the other vendors they had food and fun in the school for the kids as well as the adults....on a side note there was so much food that they were practically giving it away, bags of cookies and pastries for $.50. Not to mention the hot food they had, from fish, fries, macaroni & cheese to vegetables, pasta and more. Due to the weather they only had half the vendors, but the crowd was continuous, not just from advertising but from the normal New Yorkers who happened to walk by. More importantly they also came to buy.


For the most part, the fair went well and it was run well, with only a few sponsor organizational glitches. With a rainy day I was surprised that more people did not have up side walls on their canopies.Because I like to be able to see out of the sides of my canopy, I prefer clear walls, also it helps buyers see in the booth, which is important. Alot of times when they walk they only glance from side to side, so any opportunity they have to view the product unobstructed is great. Opaque walls does not let them see the product from far away, only when they get up to the booth and if there is a crowd...buyer lost.
I made my "rain" canopy walls from thick plastic clear shower curtains for a few dollars. but you can purchase side walls for canopies from a variety of places.

{SHOWER CURTAIN SIDE WALLS}

Materials:
  • 8 clear or color of your choice shower curtains preferable with metal grommets for rings and weighted/magnets in bottom hem
  • Clear Thread
  • Sewing Machine
  • Grommet Tool such as a Crop-A-Dile
  • Shower Curtain Rings or Twine/Rope
  • This is for a standard 10 x 10 tent
Construction:

After you unwrap all eight of the shower curtains, take two and lay them out ( we suggest the floor due to size). Take the last grommet ( at an edge) of one curtain and overlap it the other edge of the shower curtain and pin
so that both grommets of the two shower curtains will match up ( as pic).

Make sure shower curtains are flat and straight and pin down to the edge.
Then with your sewing machine use clear thread to sew (regular running stitch) the two curtains together on each side of the grommet closer to the edges of the overlaps. You can use regular colored thread, but I wanted it to be invisible.Repeat this step with the remaining curtains for the other three walls.

Once all of the walls are sewn together, you will need to put grommets down each side so that they can be attached to the four corners/poles of the canopy.

These grommets can easily be attached with a handy Crop-A Dile. If you have never heard or bought a Crop-A-Dile, it is an investment you need to make. They come in a variety of sizes and colors and are affordable grommet/eyelet setters (under $30). They can be purchased at Amazon or Ebay for less as well as a variety of other places. You can put as many grommets as you want down the sides but we suggest at least 4. We suggest marketing the curtain for the grommets with masking tape and then setting the grommets right on the tape for added strength, since you can't double up the sides..
Continue and finish both sides of each curtain and voilà ....four side walls for a fraction of the cost.

Attaching to canopy:
There are a variety of ways to attach your new side walls to your canopy. As you can see buy the picture, we used twine strung thru the grommets and attached to the frame. This was done since it was extremely windy and I wanted to make sure it was secure.

You can purchase curtain hooks ( these are small and very discreet from Target) and use them to attached the top of the canopy rails underneath the canopy.

You can then attached the sides to the frame legs with twin at each grommet.

Now there are two ways that you can create the wall for the opening of your booth. If you have followed the instructions in creating your side wall above then to attach the canopy so that buyers can freely come and go, just attached the top of the wall to the frame (leaving the sides loose/unattached). You can then roll up the bottom (creating a bundle) and tie to the frame at three places(side and the middle).

Or another option is to leave the two curtains loose/unsewn in the middle , but still set grommets in sides. That way you can attach the sides to the frame with twine and leave the middle loose for the buyers to push aside and come in....this is where a clear color curtain comes in handy as well as the show curtain hooks so that they can be pushed and moved freely.

Just Note:
  • This is not the time to scrimp on the material, make sure that the curtain is a decent thickness, not the flimsy dollar store shower curtain liners (this is important). It needs to be the actual shower curtain, not the liner! You can purchase the clear shower curtains with metal grommets from any home store, like Bed Bath & Beyond , Target, Walmart or Kmart for $1-$2 each. You need to purchase 8 curtains ( 2 for each side). Most shower curtains are about 70 x 72 , so this gives you enough material for the next step.
  • You can us this technique with other materials for different variety of side walls. Using this technique with canvas material is great for every day walls (three sides, open front). Canvas can be bought cheaply and in a variety of colors at any fabric store including Walmart. Just make sure to measure and account for hems
  • This shower curtain side wall will be longer than you need, but it is easily tightened if you use rope/twine to attach to frame.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Craft Fair: Tips & Tricks For A Smoother Day

Even though the summer craft season is winding down, the fall and holiday craft show season is just heating up! I am always on the hunt for new info about upcoming show, tips, tricks or any other info that I may not have thought of that will make my life and show experience easier.
I have seen alot of info over the years, so here is just some of my tips that will hopefully help you or at least give you ideas!

{TIPS}
Having done Craft Shows & Fairs for awhile, here are some of my following tips and info that have helped me over the years:






  • Price all items to the dollar to avoid dealing with loose change. So if something is $3.50, either price it at $3 or $4. It is easier and will save you and the customer hassles.



  • Bring a buddy along, even if they don't stay for the whole event( some people just can't seem to get up early on the weekends) ask them to come for a couple of hours to man your table during peak times like 11-3 or 12-4, etc so that you can take a break , walk around or etc.



  • Bring CHANGE, CHANGE and more CHANGE. I have found that people tend to make a stop at the ATM before a show, anticipating buying, so they pay with nice $20 dollar bills. The best ratio I have found is fifty $1 dollar bills , two $10 dollar bills and six $5 dollar bills for a total of $100 dollars. Whatever ratio you do , just make sure to bring alot of ones like you are going to the strip club.



  • Because people are going green and trying to conserve , I have found that lately more people are not giving out bags with there merchandise. But it is handy to have some because there will be people who ask for them. If you are not going to provide "Company Bags" , (which we highly suggest )with your logo on them or etc, then those good ole plain plastic bags or paper bags from the will do.



  • If you have never done a show before and have the time and space, try setting up your table in your home (or garage) and see how it looks, that way you can fix anything you don't like about it before you get to the show.



  • Don't bring out your whole inventory, I suggest bringing out a nice range of pieces but not each and everything you make



  • If you cannot enclose the sides of your tent and need to, just purchase heavy shower curtains (the ones with the metal grommets) and clamp them underneath canopy to metal frame with grommet size down. Then tie down bottom ends thru grommets at each corner to pull tight. Viola! Four walls and since shower curtains come in a variety of colors you can find a solid one in to match your canopy color.



  • No need to buy a Tablecloth, just purchase a Full or Queen size flat sheet(not the fitted) for your table cloth. You can purchase these at any linen store, Walmart, Kmart or Target in variety of solid colors for just a few dollars. And the good part is that they come in hundreds of colors are durable and can be easily replaced.



  • I suggest an apron or pouch for the cash , as I have heard horror stories of those big cumbersome cash boxes getting taken. With a pouch or apron you can always have it on you.



  • Make sure to take a variety of priced items, especially with this economy. This is a buyers market, so people are more apt to make a variety of smaller priced purchases as opposed to one large one. Of course this also depends on your product. So if you have a larger product maybe make smaller items "specifically " for the craft show and label them "Limited Edition" so that customers know this is the only place and time to get it.
{TABLE}
One of the best tables that I have found ( and trust me I have reasearched and gone thru alot of tables) is this 6ft Folding Table (standard craft show size) at Walmart. They also sell the brand at Target as well. Though the standard price is around $89, they usually have it on sale and you can get it for $40-$60, maybe even cheaper. This table is sturdy and has a nice hard High-density polyethylene top as well as easy to carry and set up with handle to carry. If also comes in 4ft size for those of you needing smaller tables.

Or you can also get a nice 6ft Resin Folding Table at Amazon , just remember that a table without the center seam will always be more durable. If you don't have a car that can carry a non folding table, then these are the best ones to get. And if you still are unsure about the amount of weight the table can hold, you can always place a "stablizer" underneath the table where the seam is located. Like maybe stack your cartons/boxes that you carried your products in under the seam.

{CANOPY}
If you are serious about doing craft shows, you will end up at some point needing a canopy. They are large, cumbersome and can be annoying to lug around, but they are necessary.
The most popular canopy is the EZ UP, pop up tent. Though they are easy to use( most of the time) , they are not "Water Proof". And that is VERY IMPORTANT. Most Pop Up tents are "water repellent" and not "water proof", so that means that the water will bead off for awhile, but eventually it will soak thru ( as I have found out the hard way)
If price is the main issue for you, then you can get an EZ UP or any other pop up tent from EBAY alot of them coming with four walls and some with a roller bag for easy transport. If you want to spend a little more to get a good tent, we recommend Swiss Gear Canopy, it is Water Proof , pop up construction and comes in a canvas zip up bag with wheels for easy transport. You can get them for about $100 but check Ebay as you may get it cheaper. Just remember that most craft show spaces are 10x10, so just get the 10x10 tent size .
The following are places to find canopies of a variety of prices and styles.



{WHERE TO APPLY}
One of the number one questions I get asked is "Where do you find the info for the shows? So I have compiled a list of some( I am sure not all) of the better avenues to find show for your area. The good thing about all of these is that they can be categorized by city/state. But one of the best resources is "word of mouth" , so when you are at a craft show talk to your neighboor. Find out how they heard about the show, what other shows they do and more importantly what kind of turnout business the shows tend to do. Actual first hand account of an event is the best information to have...do you actually think the promoter of the event is going to tell you the "real truth" about turnout and buying?

{CRAFT SHOW RESOURCES}_____________________________






  • Indie Craft Fair Guide-geared towards the large heavily publicized annual shows, like Renegade, Bust, ETC



  • Indie Craft Shows- geared towards the true handmade artist so they have alot of smaller crafts shows listed as well as the larger ones



  • Craftlister- large comprehensive list of events, not just craft shows, but fleas, markets, streetfairs, and etc. Can search by state or zip code for free for up to one month. Since you will need to apply to shows several months in advance you can get free limited time (days-week) searching up to one year in the future by either paying or commenting on crafts shows past and present. Time of access depends on how many comments you make.You do have to sign up (for free) to access the free membership comment program.



  • Event Lister- Same as Craftlister, with benefits, membership program, etc



  • Craft Fair Online-group shows and resources



  • Art & Craft Yellowpages- subscription service, catagorized by state



  • Bob's List- List by state



  • I Want Crafter's Guide- For Tri-State area and a little bit beyond, so includes NY, NJ,PA, Delaware,Maryland & Virginia



  • Also Google "Craft Fairs or Street Fairs in... insert city" and some will come up that you may not have known about.

There are no hard and fast rules about craft shows but hopefully this will point you in the right direction.

Have any craft show tips, tricks or resources? Send us a comment..

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