Experiences from my first show...

This weekend, I packed my husband (Amar) , the dog (Bruce) and my jewelry in our car and we headed off to Whidbey Island for the Greenbank Farm's "Sweetheart Wine and Chocolate Tasting and Art Show". This was my first show and I was nervous as I could be. Getting only 3 hours of sleep the night before my show probably didn't help matter much. Why was I nervous? I was afraid I wouldn't sell anything or, worse yet, I'd sell out of everything on the first day and not have anything for the following day. Well, both fears were unfounded. I did sell some jewelry but not enough to run out of inventory. In the end, I was a little disappointed with the turn out and with my sales. I probably lost money on this show. In the beginning, I was sure that I was in the sweet spot. My booth was located right across the way from the wine tasting area and I was hoping that after imbibing in several rounds of wine tasting that people would more willing to part with their money. I soon discovered that they were - but they were buying all the wine they were drinking. Later on that day, one of the vendors from downstairs came up and asked me how I was doing (meaning are you making any money - or - are you doing better than I am). She told me that she usually got "stuck upstairs" and was happy to be downstairs this time.

By the second day, Amar and I were joining the others in the wine tasting area (if you can't beat them join them). When we weren't imbibing in wine, both of us were drinking coffee to keep warm. The show was in an old barn - we were upstairs in the loft on the north side of the building. It was cold - very cold. Who would have thought that a barn in the middle of winter would be so cold. The vendor's downstairs had heat. The wine tasting area was nice and toasty warm because they had sunlight streaming in the southern facing windows.

So, what have I learned from my first show? First thing, take time to get to know your neighbors. If you're lucky, you'll meet some very nice people - I did. If it weren't for the the guys in the tasting area, the gentleman selling photos on my left and the woman selling bead wrapped spoons to my right I don't think it would have been as much fun. They were good company and they didn't mind letting me benefit from their knowledge of selling at arts and crafts shows. Another important thing I have learned, bring extra clothing in the winter - even if you are indoors it can still be uncomfortably cold. However, I think the most importantly thing I learned is: you can never have too much inventory. Even though I had enough inventory for the weekend, when I looked at the photos I took of my booth it didn't look very well stocked. Matter of fact, it look sort of barren.

The best part of the weekend was when our friends, Lisa and Alex showed up at the show on Saturday just to say "Hi". It was nice to see a couple of friendly faces in the crowd. Lisa returned on Sunday, bearing diet Cherry Cokes and peppermints for me, an invitation for dinn for me and my husband. She even bought a pair of earrings and started selling my jewelry to other people! Now that's a friend!

All in all, it was good experience. I sold jewelry to absolute strangers. Which made me feel great. I love Whidbey Island, it's such a beautiful place - lots of farms, small charming towns and it's only two hours from my home.

I have photos from the weekend which I'll post at a later date.

Sweetheart Wine & Chocolate Tasting & Art Market - Greenbank Farm, Whidbey Island

I'm having a bit of a panic attack. My first BIG show is this weekend and I'm not fully prepared. Some of my worries are:

1. I don't know how much traffic to expect. I don't know how much inventory I'll need. If I do run out of jewelry on the first day I won't be able to go home at night and create more jewelry. Why? This is an out of town show and I'm staying over night. Of course there is a flip side to this "problem" - will I actually sell anything? I don't want to make a bad impression on the organizers of the show. I want to come across as a organized and professional vendor who creates wonderful jewelry. Not some sloppy un-organized mess who creates suprisingly wonderful jewelry. You never know, I might want to return to sell at this venue if me, my jewelry, and the farm are a good fit.
   

Here's what I have to do tonight to be comfortabley prepared:

1. Stop by the bank to get money to make change (how much do I need?)


2. Go to Target to buy a hand mirror so that my customers can see what my jewelry looks like on them.


3. Go to Office Depot and buy post cards to that I can make coupons to stuff in my shopping bags.


4. Design said coupons.


5. I still have 8 pairs of earrings to make. I've got to finish 5 necklaces and make the charms for my wine glass charms.


6. Do laundry and pack the overnight bag for me and my husband.


7. Pack up my display and jewelry.


8. Print off the state sales tax list to use for tomorrow.


9. Find my license - I don't know if I need this but it's good to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it.


10. Print off the ferry schedule so that we can time our arrival just so.


11. Find time to sleep.

I'm sure I'll be able to pull it off and I'll know what to do for my next show. Below is information on the show. Despite all my panic and worry - I'm actually looking forward to going to the show. I really like Whidbey Island - and I'll have easy access to wine (and chocolate).

"Sweetheart Wine & Chocolate Tasting & Art Market Wine and chocolate tasting will be featured throughout the weekend at the Greenbank Farm Market inside the historic 1904 Barn. The event is scheduled from 10am-5pm on February 16-18. Bring your sweetheart and experience the varieties of wine and chocolate, as you taste wines of the Puget Sound area paired with truffles, Belgian chocolates and fudge. Stroll through the market of handcrafts, art photography and gourmet foods created by local artisans to find special gifts for your Valentine. Enjoy the charming atmosphere of the market in the barn making your visit to the farm a sweet destination. For more information contact the events Manager at 360/678-7710 or email events@greenbankfarm.com"

Address:

Greenbank Farm - Whidbey Island
765 Wonn RoadSuite #A201
Greenbank, WA 98253
(360) 678-7700

Getting ready for my upcoming art and crafts shows...

About a year ago, I made the decision to create as much of my jewelry as I could. Instead of buying ear wires, head pins, jump rings and some of my clasps at my local jewelry store, I have started making them in my shop. Being able to do this comes in handy. If I run out of ear wires for my earrings late at night, instead of running to the store I can just "whip up" a pair right there, on the spot, with out any fuss and muss.

I spent a good part of yesterday working in at my bench creating the rings for my wine glass charms, the head pins and ear wires for my jewelry. Every now and then, my husband would appear, just to check out what I've been working on. Each time, he'd get this puzzled look on his face and would inquire "Is this all that you've done??!!". Each time, I felt like I had somehow let him down. So, I would explain that it takes time to create all the pieces of my jewelry and fabricating the components I need to create my jewelry. The ear wires take the longest to make. I have to make sure that the ends are absolutely smooth so as they don't scratch the wearers ear lobes. I have a little burr cup that I use to smooth the ends and it's totally manual. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I continue using a manual burr cup that I will developing carpal tunnel syndrome in the near future. The perfect excuse to let my husband by me that Dremel tool that he has mentioned in the past.

Now mind you, I could go out and buy the ear wires, head pins, wine charm rings and it would save time and possibly money. But I don't want to do that. Besides, I like being able to tell people that the piece of jewelry they are buying was created by me, in my shop versus being assembled by ready made findings and components. Of course there are somethings things that I will buy, like clasps for my necklaces and bracelets. I like to use lobster clasps - I just like the way the look and they would be too difficult to for me to make.

So, what did I accomplish yesterday? Well, I made 15 pairs of ear wires, about 40 head pins, and 40 wine charm rings. Today, I'll get to actually make some jewelry. My first big show is next week at the Greenbank Farm (show information can be found in the upper right hand corner of my blog) and I'm hoping that my whole inventory will be wiped out!

The photo in the upper left hand corner is a photo of one of the wine glass charms that I made. It looks like I'll have an opportunity to sell them out of a local wine shop. This particular wine glass charm is made out Swarovksi crystal and sterling silver filled wire. The owner of the shop wants to sell items made by local crafters. She liked my jewelry but suggested wine charms that looked like artisan jewelry and this is my what I came up with. The owner loved my idea and if all goes as planned, my wine glass charms will be available in her store when it opens. I'll let you know if they are as soon as I can.

The More I Learn the Less I Know:

I found this article in the EtsyRain forum. Oy vey, I've got a lot to learn. It's a good thing I haven't made any money yet. :)

Unwired: TAX PROCEDURES - Killer of Micro-Business

It was too beautiful to stay inside yesterday...

After all the rain we have been getting this winter it was a nice treat to get outside and enjoy the glorious sunshine. So, my husband and a friend of ours and I made plans to check out the Fremont Sunday Market to see if this would be a good venue for us to sell our "wares". While all of us loved the market we decided it wasn't the right venue - it's more like an open-air flea market than a "artist market". However, we did find things to spend our money on: beads for me, a slide rule and a western style belt buckle for my husband. Our friend was the only who showed retraint and didn't buy anything.

Next on our agenda was the Pike Place Market. Our friend had to buy a Starbucks coffee mug for a friend who lives in Florida and needed to get it from Pike Place Market. I went because I wanted to practice with my new camera and knew that the market would provide me with limitless photo opportunities. I was most interested in using the macro setting - which is the setting I'll be using a lot when I'm photographing my jewelry to post on line.

Below are the photos I thought turned out fairly well. I'll be back later to provide better descriptions of the photos.

Until then, I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Martha

My web-site...

As part of my business plan I will be selling my jewelry at arts and crafts fairs in the Puget Sound Region and on my Etsy.com web-site. The plan is that within 5 years my studio will be generating enough income so that I will be able to quit my day job.

My web-site is set up and ready to go - all I need is to post pictures of my jewelry. Because my budget for photography is $0.00 - I'll be the photographer. My deadline is to get my website up an running 2/1/08. If your curious, why don't you take a look at my web-site: www.dancingmonkeyjewelry.etsy.com

I have a few arts and crafts fairs that I'm applying to - hopefully - they'll attract a crowd that has money to spend.