DONE! I did my first craft show with the help of my friend, Jeanne! Thanks, Jeanne! You were a great help to me. We had many visitors and many oohs and ahhs for the jewelry and for Jeanne's wonderful, artsy, beaded dolls, which she displayed on the table - see her dolls at http://gammiebrat.blogspot.com/. All in all it was a good first show for me, albeit not very profitable. Considering that there were many, many beaders at the show and taking the economy into the equation, I still felt it was a successful day. Why? Because I got to see how other beaders/crafters worked their booths and how my pricing compared to others. I had business cards and larger post-card type flyers on the display, so folks who were interested in my jewelry walked away with my name, my Artfire address, and my blog address. I did get a special order and also someone who was interested in having some family jewelry restrung. I signed on to do another show in the fall and I am told it's generally a more productive craft show. So, we'll see how that goes. We met some really wonderful jewelry artists and shared business cards and general information related to the craft. And we met the many people who stopped by to browse! That's always a plus and you get great feedback as to what type of jewelry people are drawn to.
I would love to hear about your craft shows and experiences, what works, what doesn't work....so please add a post to this blog and tell me what works for you! We can all learn from each other. Thanks for blogging with me. Anita
Thank you, Anita. It was FUN!!! I am not one to do things like this, but I enjoyed meeting two of the jewelry designers. Theresa made the most amazing sterling silver chain maille, didn't she? It was so tiny that I am sure she will be blind if she continues making the patterns so small. John does a lot of copper work and shared so much information with us. Of course, we wouldn't have met either, if it weren't for Anita's outgoing personality. I was surprised that everyone liked the beaded dolls to the extent that they seemed to. I had one woman suggest I submit them to doll magazines. Next time, I hope you actually sell many things as I think your work is wonderful and you have a knack with designing.
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Thanks, Jeanne....I appreciate the comments. And yes, Theresa's chain maille was beautiful - I've never seen it done in such small chain. I'd like to touch base with John and his wife to learn some copper techniques from him. Also, I need to learn how to solder, although I do like cold connections, too.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Anita. It's super to get that first one under your belt, and I agree, profit's aside it's a great learning experience.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Deb. Do you have any suggestions based on your own experience?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your first show. I used to do craft shows back in the 80's. The economy was bad then also. My shows were always better in the fall, so eventually I limited them to the fall and concentrated on Christmas. Hope you find this a profitable outlet for your work. At any rate you are drawing attention to your site on Artfire. I hope that market grows. I like to visit there so much better than etsy. Its definitely easier to find what you want.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol! Thanks for following. Anita
ReplyDeleteI use to do a ton of craft shows in the 80's and 90's and what a lot of work, panic, stress sore feet and often disappointment with low sales......and if I had the energy I'd do it again! When it's all said and done, packed away,the long drive home behind you, sore feet soaked, and waking up the next day just wiped right out...you wonder why did I do that? The answers is for the wonder and pride of looking at that table or booth that just rocks cause it's all yours. For the comradery of other creators, to deepen our understanding of our specialty and where we can refine and expand our work. We do it for the learning experience, of hearing what the public thinks...because yeah our friends and loved one like it but...we need the affirmations from strangers. And the thrill of that first sale is such a rush. A wonderful old timer told me to be patient the first time at a show because the "customers need to see you're going to be around for a while". Now I don't know why or even what that is all about but darned if she wasn't right. The second time at a show people came up all excite because they remembered me and sales went up. Interesting! I wonder if others experience that? Wish you fun and profits,
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Hi, Karma. Thank you so much for your note. I appreciate your feedback. You are so right about EVERYTHING! I love when my customers love something I've made...I feel like I'm doing something special for them! I guess that fills a need in me. And...I will remember what you said about the "2nd time around" at the craft shows. You are so right. I have looked for certain crafters to return because I like what they offer. I did have positive comments about the jewelry, and people tried things on - so I guess they must have liked it - just decided not to splurge that day. Thanks again and have a great day! Anita
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