Catchin' Up

The show was not as expected - there was a race and parade which had the roads right around the venue closed for most of the day. As soon as the roads were re-opened, a rush of people came in but there was only an hour left. It was nice to meet new people and I did make my cost, so it wasn't a total loss.

I'm in the process of opening my own storefront online and that has been consuming a lot of my time. This is why I haven't written much or done any giveaways. I have been busy busy revamping my business plan and putting many things into action. So please bear with me and keep close. I hope to have everything up and running smoothly by June 2, so stay tuned!

Hope all the mamas had a Happy Mother's Day!

I Will Be at May Fair This Weekend!

I'm very excited! I will be doing my first show for this year on May 10th in Northern Virginia. So if you are in the DC Metro Area, please be sure to come check me out at the May Fair sponsored by Virginia Craftinistas at the Clarendon Grill. Parking is NOT an issue! I know, I know - you can hardly believe it, you DCites! But it's true, it's across from a Metro Station and it has it's own ample parking. It will be indoors, so weather will not be an acceptable excuse for staying away.

I will have lots of One Of A Kinds! There are several items I am bringing that are not even available in my shop - so come, come, come. If I can swing it, I will borrow a laptop so that I can take Paypal and RME payments right there. Otherwise, it will be checks or cash only.

Ooo! I will also be offering as a Show Special, Free Shipping on all custom orders placed with me at the show. It's a great way to get your unique item ordered and not have to pay extra for shipping. So bring yourself, your sister, your neighbor, your mother-in-law, anyone and come shop. Don't forget Mama's Day! Hope to see you there :)

Gearing Up for Festivals

It's Craft Show Season again! There's only about 3 months out of the year here on the East Coast when there's not a lot of fairs to attend. But it seems like a long time when you're waiting for them to get to the planning stages. Then there's the excitement - where are they going to be? how much will it cost to get a space? for juried shows (which of course are the ones we crafters WANT to be in) - are they going to accept me?

Two or three weeks ago, I started the application processes. My goal is to be in one craft show per month from April to November - maybe 2 if the location is right. I'm trying to do all juried shows, since I've not had much success with the non-juried PTA Band Booster type of events.

There's so much that goes into this! Do I have enough inventory? Do I have what I need for a good display? Is it outdoors? Now I have to worry about potential weather conditions. Can I get somebody to come and sit with me? (Bathroom breaks, lunch, boredom) Will the market be saturated with my type of items? Are people buying? The economy isn't so great. I've to a few fairs where 85% of the vendors didn't make more than 1 sale. That's terrible!

So the woes and the joys begin for another crafting year. And we start on a woe note - I didn't get into the April show. So, now I'm off to find another!