Jewelry Show Preparation & A Giveaway

OK, I know you want to hear about the giveaway, but be patient.  The giveaway information is at the end of the post.

Show Prep

I live near a finger of land that juts out into the most southern part of Puget Sound, in Washington State, USA.  The area is called Boston Harbor, (for some unfathomable reason), and this weekend Boston Harbor is hosting its semi-annual garden tour and artisan show.  I will have a booth in one of the gardens there, along with a nice group of other local artists.  Keep your fingers crossed for pleasant weather!

Boston Harbor

I don't actually live on the water or even right in the little community of Boston Harbor, but water is never far away here.  Our home is tucked away in the woods and today you will find me there trying to get prepped for Sunday's show.

This afternoon I was checking through my jewelry and making sure that it had all been entered in my inventory spreadsheet, prior to the show.  I know that some of you have purchased programs that track inventory, supplies etc.  I just simply assign each piece an inventory number and then I add it to a simple spreadsheet.  For example, this bracelet is #1305.  That means it was the 5th item I made in 2013.  

AJE CoM bracelet, with focal bead by Starry Road.

My spreadsheet has columns for the type (earring, bracelet or necklace), the inventory number, the title of the piece (this piece is titled the "Blue Leaf Bracelet"), the main components it is made of, length, cost, & retail price. I have a second tab on the spreadsheet for sold items.  When I get back from the show, I'll "cut" the items that sold and "paste" them into the sold spreadsheet.  On the sold spreadsheet I also keep track of the venue from which they were sold, the date sold and the person to whom I sold it, if known.

After I entered everything into my inventory spreadsheet this afternoon, I then, sorted all the jewelry according to if I have a picture of it or not.  Even if something sells without ever being seen online, I still like to have at least one picture of it, for my records.  Most of my jewelry had been photographed, but not all.  So a photo shoot is the next order of business.

Matching earrings and necklace with copper components by
Kristi Bowman  Design.

If I were super organized (which is a joke for the likes of me) all my jewelry would already have earring cards or tags on them with the components listed and the price. However, this is another task that is only partially complete.  Tomorrow I'll finish adding tags, earring cards and prices to everything.  Its a tedious job and it will necessitate caffeine and loud, upbeat music.

Somehow, I'm never really satisfied with my tags.  But here are the cards I designed a couple of years ago, that I am still using.  Inside I write the title of the piece, the length, main components used, price and inventory number.  When I use these tags up, I think I will get some Moo Card Minis to use as price tags.

The "Lighthearted Necklace" and a few others still need tags added.

Heart Pendant by Suburban Girl.

My earring cards are just business cards that I designed in a portrait format.  I stick plastic earring adapters on the back and add the price and inventory number.  Here are some of my earrings from a show I did earlier this spring.   

The earrings below, plus about 5 other pairs still need earring cards after which I'm all done.  Then its "On with the show!"

AJE Giveaway!

Unfortunately not many people linked up for our last AJE Earring Reveal.  Our next reveal is this Sunday and  I'm writing the reveal post. I want to be able to choose the featured designs from lots of earrings! As an incentive our AJE team has gathered up all these goodies to giveaway to one lucky participant.  I rummaged through my newly organized bead stash and came up with bunches of art beads, as well as some gemstones, polymer clay, resin and glass beads.

Plus, Kristi is adding a pair of her awesome copper metal clay charms.

The giveaway charms will be these or something similar.

And Francesca will be adding a pair of her handmade argentium earwires!

One, randomly chosen earring designer will win all of the above items. All you have to do is add the link to your earring reveal, using the Linky Tool on the AJE blog.  I will post the Linky Tool sometime on Saturday evening (PST). To be entered to win, you must link up no later than Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PST. So get your photos up on Pinterest, dust off your blog (if you have one) and add your earrings there too! Good luck!

Linda

Linda Landig Jewelry - ArtFire 

Linda Landig Jewelry - Etsy 

Jewelry Booth Progression

The spring show season has definitely gotten underway and many of us are sprucing up our booth displays prior to our first shows of the season.  I made some big changes this year and that got me to thinking about how my booth has evolved over the years.

I first started selling my jewelry in the staff room at the elementary school where I taught, but in 2001 I launched out to our small town's equally small farmers market.  I have to chuckle looking back on those booth set-ups, as well as my early jewelry-making attempts.

Dig the cloth napkin covering a wood shelf that I propped up on a book to give it a little height!  The crushed velvet table cover is a nice touch too!  Ha!

I was always one of the highest selling booths at the farmers market--but I had to keep almost everything under $15 or it wouldn't sell at all.  Simple stretch bracelets, sold for pocket change, was the best I could manage to sell in this venue.

After a couple of summers sizzling at the farmers market all day, I bundled up all the courage I had and applied to an art show that raised money for the art gallery of the local community college.  My booth set-up wasn't much more sophisticated, but I could sell somewhat more expensive pieces and my design sense was improving too.

Same crushed velvet cloth, but I added a few props.  There is still no cohesive look or theme.

I did a bunch of church bazaars and such also, but eventually, I landed my work in a gallery in a neighboring university town.  This helped me set my sights a little higher. With the advantage of a more moneyed and diverse crowd at the gallery, my confidence grew and my jewelry reflected that growth.

In 2006 we moved to western Washington state.  It took awhile to get my bearings again jewelry-wise.  I knew by this time that church bazaars and farmers markets were not a good setting for my work, but I wasn't familiar with the shows and opportunities in my new hometown.  The state history museum sponsored a holiday jewelry show the second year we lived here.  I did well, but felt ashamed of my display, when I looked around at everyone else's.  So the profits from that show went into an booth upgrade.

The next holiday season, I screwed up my courage again and applied for my first art show that was juried by a panel, instead of just one person. I was accepted and I knew that my booth had to look polished and professional for this venue.

As you can see, I got a black knit-type material (it was actually intended for bathing suits) and had a table covering made.  I can throw it in a box between shows and it never wrinkles, but it cost a small fortune.  I purchased some risers, some bracelet bars and new, much nicer quality necklace busts. Then I designed matching business cards and earring cards in my signature colors. I have participated in this show every year except one, ever since.

Two summers ago I was juried into my first outdoor show.  I had a lot of anxiety about this one.  It was a fundraiser for an organization that provides housing for women and families in transition.  A great cause,but it was clearly the fanciest event I'd ever vended at. It cost $60 a ticket just to attend (not the venders, but for the guests).  It was a catered affair, with live entertainment, and an auction.   So I brought along a friend for emotional support and help.

I had a 10'x10' space; the most room I'd ever had before.  There was room for 3 tables. My display was a bit sparse, when spread out over this much space, but it was OK. At this point I had bought 3 white wooden trays (see below), which allowed some of my jewelry to be set against a lighter background. The clear plastic risers and gray bracelet ramps were purchased from a department store that went out of business.  I went back to this outdoor event the next year and was no longer nervous!

In the meantime my design aesthetic had been changing.  My jewelry had become more rustic, rather than traditionally "pretty".  My jewelry might be described now, as boho, with a touch of whimsy.  My display, while nice, was very formal and a bit sterile, I thought.  I wanted to warm it up and bring it into alignment with the work I am currently producing.

I am in a transitioning stage now.  Last month a did a small local show and my display shows some of the changes I am starting to make.  The rustic wooden boxes turned on their side (see below), look like vintage finds, but they are actually faux vintage.  I got them at a local department store called Fred Meyers, (I think it is just west of the Rockies).  I liked these boxes so much that I later bought 2 more.  When a fine crafts store in Tacoma, WA closed down, I bought several of their jewelry displays, one of which is standing to the left of the "vintage" boxes.  At the foot of the earring display is a half round of cedar bark, that I had leftover from when I used to weave baskets.  It turned out to be a great way to display my necklaces.

I lined my white wooden trays with some rustic fabric, as seen above, but eventually I plan to paint them to match the rustic boxes I got at Fred Meyers. To the right of the white box (see below), I made good use of a shallow woven basket I had. 

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 I got the mannequin (below) at that fine crafts store that was going out of business. I think she added a lot to my display, and tended to catch the attention of potential customers.

Its been quite a journey and I have more ideas that I want to implement in the next year or so. The goal is to develop a kind of personal brand identity.  I want my rustic jewelry to be paired with a rustic booth display, with business cards, earring cards and packaging that reflects the same sensibility.  I'm not there yet, but I'm moving along in the right direction.

How has your booth display evolved over time?  What have you learned along the way?

Linda Landig
Linda Landig Jewelry

Craft Show Countdown

It's that time of year again when I'm stocking up on business cards and jewellery boxes, checking that my fairy lights work and ironing table cloths. Yes, it's Christmas Craft Fair time! It seems as if it comes round earlier and earlier each year.

Source: ehow.com via Joanne on Pinterest

It's also the time of year that I put into action the plans I've been making to update my jewellery displays. I try to keep the look of my craft stall simple - partly because I want people to see my jewellery rather than be distracted by displays that are too colourful or too busy, but also because I have to carry or wheel it from my car to the venue! I keep to the same colours as my website, logo and business cards (my corporate image!) as the dark brown is a perfect background for all the different colours I use in my jewellery designs and for showing off the designs that are made just from silver, and also in the hope that when customers visit my website it will be recognisable as mine.

Source: blackdaisydesigns.blogspot.com via Joanne on Pinterest

I also keep to the basic craft show display rules that I expect many of you have read before. I make sure that some of my displays are at an eye catching level, that at least some of my jewellery is displayed on something - a bust, a tag or a decorative plate or dish - rather than flat on the table to show it off better, I lay items out in almost a grid pattern so that I can keep an eye on things easily and would be able to notice quickly if something "went walkabout" (not that I've had problems with that so far, thankfully) and I group items together so that, for example, a customer can easily see a pair of earrings that would go perfectly with the necklace that she's been admiring.

Source: elbrooklyntaco.com via Joanne on Pinterest

As the years have gone on I've swapped busts that I've made myself for more robust shop-bought ones. I've changed the boxes that I used to drape with a table cloth and sit my busts on for ones that are covered in fabric and fold up - I love displays that fold up for carrying and storage. I've done whatever I can within my budget to make my stall look more up-market as I've used more expensive materials in my designs and started doing more up-market shows. Now, however, it's to upgrade again as those fabric covered boxes have started to fray and the busts don't hold the longer necklaces that are popular now. I've finally invested in a banner from Vistaprint to replace the handmade sign I put in a frame, I'm planning a visit to Ikea tomorrow to pick up some stands to replace my frayed boxes and maybe a small light set of shelves to add more height to my displays, and a visit to the local timber merchants has bought me some lovely and surprisingly affordable oak that I've started to saw into simple necklace and pendant stands - ones that are hinged and fold up of course! The photo below is of my stall at one of shows I did last November. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll be able to show you my new look!

The other photos here are some of the craft show display pictures I've pinned on my aptly-named Craft Shows board on Pinterest - some are inspirational photos to hopefully get some ideas from, a few are tutorials for making your own displays. Not all if them are of jewellery displays, as its useful sometimes to see how other crafts are displayed.

Source: glassaddictions.com via Joanne on Pinterest

So, what's your style for jewellery displays? Do you display your upcycled jewellery so displays made from upcycled items? Or is your jewellery in a vintage style so better displayed on items such as pretty tea cups and saucers? Have you made your own displays, or have you found and adapted great bargains that show off your designs beautifully?

Jo Tinley
Daisychain Designs

Simple and FREE method for Selling More at Art Shows

As I was loading up my truck to set up for a show I'm doing tomorrow, I was thinking about the last time I did this particular show a few years ago. Several of my booth neighbors complained so much about not selling much. Blah Blah Blah.(I don't tolerate complaining very well. From anyone. Myself included).

Necklace and lampwork designed by Jennifer Cameron, resin pendant by Jade Scott.

Artisans who do shows spend so much time building inventory, planning their booths, getting their business cards/banners/brochures designed and printed, and everything looks so wonderful and professional. Why wouldn't someone buy from them? 

Necklace designed by Linda Larsen

I'll tell you why. If you do shows or want to start doing shows, this secret I'm about to share with you makes all the difference in the world. And it costs exactly $0 to implement. Pay very close attention. Take notes to help you remember.

Aladdin's Lamp earrings designed by Kristi Bowman.

The biggest thing you can do at shows to help sales is to stand up (I stand the entire day unless there is NO ONE around), SMILE at people who walk into your booth, or even the graze the opening of your booth. Then GREET them. Say hello, ask how they are liking the "xyz" show so far (you may get valuable info just from this casual question). If they commit to coming in and looking at my jewelry, I will tell them I make all the glass beads in my pieces using a torch and a rod of glass.

If it's a woman and maybe she's wearing a gorgeous scarf or something, complement it. Complementing accessories, hair, whatever, will tell the potential customer you recognize they are more than just a body hopefully carrying a wad of money to buy your stuff. It will also help you remember them if they come back to your booth later. 

Copper ring designed by Melinda Orr

If it's a man, they often like to hear technical details about your products. If a man touches one of my chainmaille pieces, I will explain briefly that I open and close all those links by hand and weave them into that pattern.

I have been to too many artist booths where the artist is sitting, practically hiding from view or maybe in view, but practically scowling. If an artist stares at me without smiling or chatting, I'm outta there. I don't care what they are selling. Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly ornery, I will look at everything, touch everything, try stuff on, just to see if they respond to very clear interest in their product. The answer, sadly, is no. They just sit there. Not cool. 

Mystic Raven Necklace by Karen Totten

Is there a certain amount of acting involved with the constant standing, smiling, small talk, etc? You betcha! I get tired just like anyone else. However, it doesn't matter if I am exhausted or not. I maintain that same level of pep, friendliness, and customer service until it is time to pack up and leave.

Alexis Necklace by Barbara Lewis

Next week I will discuss how to handle criticism gracefully while selling at art shows.