Selling REAL Jewelry

"This is real jewelry.  Not those store-bought pendants you just hang on a chain."  This is a quote from one of 3 young girls who stopped by my booth this past weekend to look at my fine silver pieces.  Though they didn't buy anything, it was so gratifying to know that they knew the difference.  I'm not certain everyone does.

This was not a very successful show for me and given that the traffic count was easily over 20,000 people, I couldn't help but wonder why I did so much better the last time I attended.   The question of what is handmade came up again as I left my booth in my friend Eva's capable hands and walked around to see how everyone else was doing. 

Crystal who makes "real" handmade bags.

                                   Becky who also makes "real" jewelry. 

About 8 or 10 booths away was a cluster of jewelry sellers, 5 or 6 booths almost in a row, selling pendants for $5 or $7 or the same bangle bracelet in different colors for $10.  I'd like to say that I can't compete with those prices.   But while several of them had people in their tents, it didn't look like they were selling a lot either.

This year on its 10th anniversary stART on the Street accepted 360 vendors, both with 10 x 10 booths and sidewalk tables.  That's over 100 more than last year.  The section of Park Ave. between Highland and Pleasant was completely filled and even included a farmer's market at one end.  As I walked up one side of the street it suddenly occurred to me that I really wasn't taking in anything.  Occasionally a painting would catch my eye but mostly I just browsed.  Between dodging people and the sameness that all the booths became after awhile, I never really focused on anything.

Many of the shows that I do have too many jewelers.  It's not often a problem as my steampunk usually stands out.  I had a corner booth so I was getting traffic from 2 sides.  I just had to put up something that would catch their eye.  So I did a little rearranging and put up a couple of bigger steampunk pieces right out front and some fancier silver pendants on the side.  Anyone who actually registered what they were looking at did stop and comment on the steampunk and the creativity that went into making my unique pieces.  Men in particular were fascinated with what I do with watch gears and sewing machine parts.  And everyone liked the expensive pieces but no one was willing or able to buy them. 

At other shows I encourage people to come in and try something on.  It sometimes leads to a sale. This wasn't an option at stART as we were also very close to one of the stages that featured some very loud repetitive heavy metal type music that made it difficult to hear.   Words don't sound very encouraging when they're shouted.

For me the show wasn't a loss.  Just disappointing.  While the organizers of stART probably did very well financially on their 10th anniversary, adding 100 vendors didn't do the artisans any favors.

You can read a more detailed review for vendors in my side pages.

It's June and You're Just Now Looking for Fall Craft Shows?

"Need a cheap craft show to be in on November 19th"  (June 15, 2012)

"Craft show-- need cheap booth opportunity for fall in _________, KY"

"I'm finally getting my butt in gear and looking for Christmas craft shows." (June 23, 2012)

"Need good holiday craft shows near _____________, CA"  (June 21, 2012)

"I have never done a craft show but I signed up to two thinking that I wouldn't get in to either of them...well I got in both.  Now, I am freaking out.  I have no idea if I can do enough inventory for both."

"I have done a total of 4 fairs this year and am starting to get a little irritated...the majority of the fair was full of home party vendors and people with import items."

I belong to a few craft & artisan groups that post questions and have conversations in online forums.  Lately I have been seeing lots of posts like the ones above.  It's June, Folks.  We're halfway through the year.  And you're just now thinking about looking for holiday shows?

Well, you'll probably easily find a $25 or $30 spot at a local church bazaar or high school show.  Their applications don't usually come out until a month or 2 before the show.  But do you know if that's even a good market for you?  Would you take a chance and spend even $25 to sit for 6 hours not knowing if you'll even sell one item?  I'd prefer to spend $100 to do an established show that I know attracts my kind of customers and maybe take home $500 or $600. 

                                                                                                                                         

Like any other business, handmade ventures require planning.  June is not the time to start thinking about doing fall or holiday shows.  But it could be a good time to start visiting shows, to scope them out, to do a little research.  Find shows you think you might like to do.  There are lots of ways you can find them online.  Then visit them. Is the show getting good customer traffic?  Check out the vendors who will be your competition and see if they are selling anything.  Watch people and see what kinds of booths attract them.  Some vendors might even be willing to talk to you and tell you if they're having a good day.  And if it looks like it might be a good show for you, find one of the organizers and ask how you can apply for next year. 

But if you see a lot of cheap resellers, move on to the next show. 


FYI--all this travel to do research can be a business deduction when you do your taxes.  Keep a record of mileage, meals, and admission fees.

In my first year I did a church bazaar and a PTO craft show.  I sold nothing at either.  My customers weren't there . So for the rest of the year I attended several shows I learned about online and from other vendors.  I made a spreadsheet listing each show I thought might be a good fit, application due dates, costs, etc.  And in December I planned what shows I would apply to the next year.  Yes, December.  Two of the shows I wanted to get into (a late summer and a fall show) had due dates of Jan. 15 and Feb. 1. 

I applied to mostly moderately priced shows and a couple of higher end shows ($200+).  In a few cases I had backup shows with later application deadlines that I could apply to if I didn't get into my first choice.  Does this require having a lot of money up front?  Yes, it might if you get over-zealous and apply to LOTS of shows.  Many of the checks aren't cashed until you're accepted and some not until a couple of weeks before the show, if that helps.

Also, be selective about the shows you apply to and space them out so you can plan how you'll replenish your inventory in time.

Handmade with Love--February Edition

If you enjoy shopping for handmade crafts and maybe even sometimes buying handmade, you'll love this small craft show that takes place at Eastworks in Easthampton, MA, on Feb.11.   In a small room on the right hand side of the building you'll find a group of 20-25 local artisans exhibiting their work which runs from the traditional to the unique.


 It's only a few days to Valentine's Day so Jansjems will be there with every heart in our jewelry collection--hearts with pearls, fine silver hearts, hearts with gemstones, steampunk hearts, and even a few red & pink ones.

Easthampton has an Artwalk the 2nd Saturday of each month.  It doesn't start until 5pm so Eastworks would be a great place to stop earlier to take a stroll through Handmade with Love and maybe have an early supper at Riff's Joint.

What kinds of things will you find at Handmade with Love?  Well, jewelry for sure.  And not just mine.  Heather Black and Amy Love have lovely gemstone jewelry.  Glimmerstone is a bead weaver and her work is truly unique. And there will be others.



The Little Birch Shop had body products.  You'll find sculptured paperworks, Lou's bags and wallets made from recycled plastics,quilted items, and purses from handwoven fabrics.



It's supposed to be sunny, so come on out to see us. There's no admission fee.

And the first 50 people through the door get free goodie bags.

Roseland Cottage Fine Arts and Crafts Festival

Well, I didn't get accepted to this one again this year.  So I took a ride to Woodstock, CT., to find out just what kind of jewelry did get accepted.  Last year I applied with pictures of my steampunk jewelry.  While it seems to be what gets me into shows like West Hartford, Historical New England probably didn't find that classy enough. So this year I sent pictures of my nicest fine silver pieces.  And it appears that too was a mistake.  

Taking a tour around the festival I found that though the jewelry category wasn't more than a quarter of the vendors, there were many, many with silver jewelers.  Silver clay pieces and those made by metal smiths tend to have similarities.  There were jewelers with shiny sterling silver, some with oxidized silver, a couple with some interesting designs, and a few that set stones.  On the other hand, I think there were only about 3 bead jewelers and they were all different from one another--riveted, soldered, and crocheted but no strands of plain strung beads at all.

So my dilemma now is what should I apply with next year.  Steampunk is the only genre with no competition. But I'm not sure this show is ready for what might be considered "gritty and industrial" just yet.  I've thought about a high end steampunk with gemstones and no rust.  Play up the whole recycling thing.  Or should I go back to my roots and try gemstone cluster pieces.  I guess I'll be working on this for awhile.

The show, however, is still quite successful.  Traffic was great on Saturday morning despite the $5 admission fee.  And people were buying.  The wind was an issue and I heard that a couple of tents blew away.  There were also a few empty spaces where it appeared people didn't show up.  But this is a show I hope to get into again one of these years.

I did see two members of the Artisans of Western Mass. selling there.  Fortunate enough to get is was Little Birch Farm and Armeith Naturals.  They both have great products.  I hope that had a great weekend.

StART on the Street

One of the pieces of information an artisan needs when deciding to which arts and crafts shows he/she will apply is traffic.  The estimated number of people who attended in the past tells us if the show is established, well advertised, and popular.  Unfortunately that information is not always available. Occasionally I find a website for a show that actually has pictures of people in the aisles and shopping (and not just their volunteers manning the donations table).  When I can't get numbers, these pictures sometimes prompt me to give the show a try.

StART on the Street just had it's eighth show yesterday.  They have no problem advertising that they get over 200 vendors and attract over 20,000 people.  That's what I want to hear.  When I can't get that information, this is what I want to see.

This show takes place on Park Avenue in Worcester.  It begins at 11am and somewhere between 12 & 1pm this mass of people arrives making getting from one booth to the next a bit of a challenge.  At times we had so many people in the booth I could've used a third person.


The variety of arts and crafts runs from the truly funky and kitchy to high end and polished.  You can buy a skarf made from recycled t-shirts or fine art.  But StART isn't just a craft show.

  Throughout the day they have a variety of musicians performing, dancers, performance art,  mimes, and even a poetry reading stage this year.  There's a section dedicated to keeping children entertained.

And I can't leave out the Chinese dragon who made an appearance.

This is a fun show.   It's loud, it's crowded, it's full of the unusual and the unexpected.  You should try to get there next year.

For artisans who want more detailed information, go to my review section.

Old Deerfield Fall Craft Show

We're heading out to Worcester tomorrow for the annual StArt on the Street that takes over a portion of Park Avenue.  It's big, it's loud, and it draws around 20,000 people.  We decided to go back to Worcester after taking a break last year to sell at the Old Deerfield Fall Craft Show.  But I visited this year's show with a friend just to see if the people who told me last year they weren't going to return, really didn't return.  And they didn't.

While even the fall show, the biggest and best attended of the 4 they sponsor, didn't have all the spaces filled, I was happy to see some new artisans at the show.  Tina's Baskets is not your traditional basket.  She came with basketry art.  Even her actual baskets were unique yet usable.

Liz Blanchflower came with her handcrafted sterling silver designs and unique French knot cord necklaces.

Lou Rudinski, woodturner, came all the way from Maryland to set up a tent with beautiful wooden bowls.


I had a laugh looking at the Art of Conni Togel.  It's all about sheep and they are wonderful!  This one is called "Big Horn Sheep".

I hope these new vendors did well so that they'll return.  Having attended this craft show as a patron for years, I always like to see new artisans.

Gotta run and pack up the car for Worcester.

                  

Designing Jewelry with Irene

This morning, as I look at pictures of Irene's destruction in the newspaper and on TV, I'm so grateful that the worst of the storm missed my section of town.  We were as prepared as we could be having purchased water and battery powered lights, pulling out the portable sump pump and wet vac, and getting everything I could off the floor.  Ours is a raised ranch so the basement is a finished room, part of which is my workshop.

So what do you do as you wait for the inevitable storm and possible flooding?   I created jewelry...all day.

Using some of the watch movements and findings I snagged in NYC, I made some new necklaces for the shows coming up in September.  For those who like their steampunk with a little bling (and a spider or 2) I designed these 2--

For those who like the heavy metal, industrial look I made this necklace and bracelet--

Last week I managed to find a few hours to make some silver clay pieces and get them fired.  They were cleaned and polished and just waiting for me to do something with them.

Jansjems now has a few new pairs of fine silver earrings and
some of our popular pendants many of which I oxidized.






And 3 new larger pieces (I love to make these) that I've hung with gemstone beads.  Oxidizing can be hit or miss for me no matter whose recipe I use.   This large focal piece picked up some nice color.  I added it to a strand of pyrite faceted rectangles.

 It's dark and powerful and I think I'll name it Irene.

A Tree Does Grow in Brooklyn. Actually Lots of Trees

My daughter & I managed to make our yearly trip to NYC this past week.  Needing to get away and de-stress I thought the Big Apple might help take my mind off of recent sad events for a bit.  We usually go to sample sales, hit the bead stores for supplies, and spend Saturday morning at the Garage Flea looking for steampunk parts.  But we've been doing this for a few years now and each year we get braver and venture farther out.  This year my daughter wanted to go to the popular Brooklyn Flea.  I've never been to Brooklyn.

A  cross between a flea market and a craft show, The Brooklyn Flea also has great food. We never did get the name of the vendor whose donuts were "life changing."  Lunch was a margarita pizza and the best limeade.  One vendor had some steampunk jewelry similar to ours.  And we saw lots of vintage clothes.  Actually several women attending the flea were wearing vintage clothes. Yeah recycling!

The sample sales we stopped at this time were all in the Soho district.  Sadly they were all at high end trendy boutique shops.  You know, those minimalist stores that have 20 items all between size 0 and size 2.  Very intimidating.  We actually did quite well at Macy's and their 50% and 70% off racks.

But...we bought the best shoes at United Nude, a great shoe store on Bond St.  Also minimalist and totally black, the shop has its shoes backlit with rainbow colors.  But there were actual customers in there and the staff was very friendly.  Shoes were 60% off.  While not as colorful as my Irregular Choice shoes (we managed to stop there too), United Nude shoes are architecturally unique.
 And I can't believe how comfortable they are.

I managed to snag a couple of tickets to How the Succeed in Business without Really Trying.  Yes, this musical has been around forever.  But I really wanted to see John Larroquette.  He can't really sing and doesn't do much dancing but he was a hoot as the CEO of World Wide Widgets.  Oh, and Daniel Radcliffe had the starring role as Finch.  Harry Potter actually can sing and dance.

All in all it was a good trip.  We only got lost once on the subway.  We found out that even when the local isn't running the express doesn't pick up the missed stops.  We rode around for awhile.

We walked up to 50th and bought very expensive chocolates. On the way we passed the entrance to the Empire State Building and noticed a SWAT team in front complete with large black van, rifles, and dogs.  I asked the doorman if something was going on.  "No," he said.  "That's the travelling SWAT team.  They'll stay here awhile and then move on to another (undisclosed) location."  He made it sound like they might go into a song and dance routine.

We also passed the New York Public Library.  I was tempted to stop in and look around but my daughter spotted and 80% off sign on a shop across the street.  Maybe next year.

We even made it up to Central Park this time.

Finding a reasonably priced hotel gets harder each year--especially if you want clean and bedbug free.  This time we stayed at NYMH on 32nd St., about 2 blocks from Penn Station in the section called Korea Way. The shops and banks there all have English & Korean signs. We were happy to find the rooms air conditioned, upgraded and clean and the beds comfortable. Breakfast was included in the price of the room. If they don't raise their prices, we'll go back there next year.  The hotel is next door to the Paris Baguette, a bakery carrying a combination of Parisian and Korean pastry.  Really, check out the website.  


Each year I like to see what kinds of jewelry people are wearing in NY and check out the jewelry stores looking for trends.  This year we found a row of 3 or 4 shops selling Asian imported jewelry in wholesale lots.  This jewelry is BIG.  Do you think this could be the latest trend?  If it is, I'm really not ready for it.

A Weekend in Lenox

I wasn't certain I was going to apply again for this year's Church on the Hill Craft Show but I'm glad I finally did. Last year was a bad one for weather, traffic and sales.  But I decided to give it another go and was pleasantly surprised that all the bad from last year was good this year.

Two other AWM members were present at the show.  Amy Love was located across the aisle from Aviva of Sieber Designs and her colorful quilts.  


We spent some time comparing notes about how we dealt with the very hilly terrain.  We all had to shim our tables to level them off.  My tent was notched higher in the front than the back to make it look level.  It's a very rough park to set up in.  But being in the center of town we picked up a lot of tourist traffic and the businesses in town were busy too with people who came just for the craft show.

It's been many months since I spoke with Emily of Emily Betti Designs.  We met in Springfield, I think.  She also makes jewelry and has a shop on Etsy.  We chatted a bit and since I could see her booth from mine, I noticed she was having a good weekend too.

Thai Indigo Village had a booth across the aisle from us.  This is a family business located in Northampton.  The weaving is just exquisite.  

I must say though that there were way too many jewelers this year--about every third booth.  In talking to one of the organizers I learned that like lots of other shows they had trouble attracting non jewelry crafters and accepted more jewelers to fill the empty spaces.  And how did all these jewelry vendors do with so much competition?  Well, I learned that  4 of us did well enough to come back again.  As for the rest, I don't know.

For the official review of this craft show, see my side pages.

Crafts on the Common -- Successful and Rain Free

Sunshine and occasional cool breezes made for a pleasant Saturday in Amherst at the Annual Crafts on the Common Craft Show.  We were shouting distance from the always wonderful Amherst Farmer's Market and  had a great spot between Amy, who does wood carved sculptures and Shannon, who drew a crowd of children for face painting.

Didn't even realize my friend, Rebecca, was in the background.


And here's Bethany getting into the steampunk spirit of things with Shannon's help--

We at Jansjems featured mostly steampunk designs.  They are really popular with all ages at this show.  We also had a small collection of traditional jewelry just in case.  But we only sold a couple of those pieces.  I did have to say "goodbye" to one of my favorite steampunk pieces.                                                  



Several other members of the Artisans of Western Mass. were there--

Lou's Upcycles had a corner booth and her banner stood out nicely from a distance.



Cutsomers got drawn in by Aviva's bright and colorful Sieberdesigns.

And you couldn't miss Wild Child's tie dyed clothing.

Steve was there with handcrafted soaps and skin care products from Little Birch Farm.

Another jeweler from the group, Mary Risley Jewelry, brought her beautiful silver and gemstone pieces to the show.

It was really nice seeing some of my former co-workers from the Umass Library who stopped by the tent to chat.  The Indian food was great and the snow cones were enormous.  And it was nice to spend the day with artistic friends and appreciative customers.

Even Hamlet had a good time.  I don't think he bought anything but it looks like he chatted with friends.


For an official review of this show, see my side pages.