This weekend is the big INDIE CRAFT EXPERIENCE SUMMER MARKET! It's a huge, 2-day arts and crafts market being held at AMBIENT + STUDIO in Atlanta and Missy and I (along with over 100 other vendors) will be there selling our lovingly-made HANDMADE GOODIES. If you're in Atlanta or anywhere in the vicinity, come on out for a truly unique and fun shopping experience...GIVE THAT TIRED OLD MALL A REST! Also, Missy designed one of the TOTE BAGS that they'll be giving away! That cute illustration at the top of this post? Yeah, that's the design on the tote! The first 250 shoppers to show up Saturday morning gets a Missy-designed tote bag filled with swag. Trust me...there will be a line out the door, so get there early if you can. Click HERE for more info on ICE ATLANTA and their 2011 Summer Market...
As you may or may not know, we've been super busy for the past couple of weeks gearing up for this weekend, and now it's coming down to the wire. We're making sure that our CRAFT SHOW KIT is packed with all our usual "craft show essentials"...
In our kit we've got:
- a CALCULATOR (for adding up those big purchases)
- various MARKERS and PENS (for writing up price tags, making signs, sketching, notes, for customers writing checks, etc.)
- SCISSORS
- NEEDLES and THREAD (for making any last-minute repairs)
- TAPE (for taping up signs and price tags)
- ORNAMENT HOOKS (for hanging up plush, plaques, etc. on our wire shelving)
- CLOTHESPINS
- LINT ROLLER (for cleaning up our plush and fabric items)
- BUSINESS CARDS (for advertising, repeat business, networking, etc.)
- ADVIL (for achy feets and heads)
- CAFFEINE PILLS (one pill equals 2 cups of coffee...waaaay cheaper than those five-hour energy drinks)
- BATTERIES (for the camera and LED Christmas lights)
We also take several strands of battery-powered LED CHRISTMAS LIGHTS with us...we have about five strands, which we picked up for super cheap after the holidays. They run on AA batteries and last forever. They come in handy if you're selling indoors and the lighting is crappy...also, they help draw attention (and customers) to your booth!
Whenever we can, we try to set up our booth in the living room a week or two before a sale so we can determine what exactly we need to bring and see where any holes are in our display. We also use it as an opportunity to price everything beforehand...
A couple of weeks before a show is also when I start hoarding all my ONES AND FIVES...it never ceases to fail that, within the first hour of a sale, one or two people will buy a ONE DOLLAR ITEM and pay with a TWENTY DOLLAR BILL, wiping out your change supply. We learned that lesson a long time ago, and so now we make sure we always have way more change than we could possibly need...
HOPE TO SEE YOU AT THE ICE SUMMER MARKET!
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Thursday, June 9, 2011
Indie Craft Experience - Summer Market 2011!
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7 comments:
Great craft show survival suggestion. I also carry a money marketing pen. That has been a lifesaver for me.
Thanks, Audrey! We usually carry pizza from the night before, or else I like veggie sushi. It helps to have snacks, but if you are busy it is difficult to find time to eat. :)
Getting ready to go to my first craft show and I couldnt have come across this post in a better time! Thanks!
A. Nieman
aniemandesign.blogspot.com
Hi Alison! We've since added to our kit the little SQUARE credit card register device for iPhone. If you don't have one yet it really is a must! People are willing to buy more and spend more if they can use their credit cards. Check here for info:
www.squareup.com
Good luck and thanks for reading!
- R A O U L
Hi
Great advice-I'm heading into my first show too!
I dont know what a money marketing pen is but I will google it...
Thanks
shelley
Awesome kit, but it seems like some importants are missing - I always bring a way to charge my cell phone in case, as well as extra memory cards for my camera. I do sewing crafts, and sometimes my clients ask me to sign thier pieces, so I always have a fabric marker. Remember when packing snacks that you might only have one or two minutes to nibble between talking to people. Oooh, and an apron with pockets. It's a must for me, so that I can keep track of my change and other kit while working.
An emergency cell phone charger is a good add...though, we usually charge up the night before and in the car on the way to a fair, so it's never been a problem (knock on wood). We usually do have extra memory cards packed with the camera, though we're usually too busy to take many photos during a sale. Snacks are important though, if you are unable to leave your table during a sale - if we're too busy to eat the lunch we brought with us, we also have handy finger foods as quick snacks...gotta keep your body fueled and energized during those sales!
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