Posts belonging to Category Events

Joanne Linder of Vintage Twee is lovely in all senses of the word, so back in February when we were at Warrington Market for the Valentine’s Fair, it was no surprise that she was approached and asked to be the face of Warrington Market for their TV advertising campaign. 

Joanne being filmed

Since being filmed, Joanne has been worrying about the camera adding its proverbial 10 lbs – but even if it did, I don’t think she has anything to worry about!  

If you live in the north west of England, do look out for the Warrington Market ads this week.

As well as being on TV, Joanne will be at the next Craft and Vintage Fair at Warrington Market on 30th April 2010 – so if you’d like your autograph book signing before she gets truly famous, you know where to get hold of her!

paper cones from Vintage Twee

Joanne makes some adorable vintage-inspired tea party accessories for her Vintage Twee business so you may want to make a little purchase too  

Maybe see you there on Saturday?

"drink me" labels from Vintage Twee

There is a lot of talk in the handmade community about whether craft fairs are a worthwhile investment of time and money and  I decided to write this post after reading this blog post over at Ali’s Craft Studio, where Ali mentions selling her new designs at a recent show (and tells of how scary it can be!).

my craft stall at a local show

I spent a lot of time in my first year of business selling at fairs, markets and shows and discovered quite a few things – some of which may be obvious and some slightly less obvious.

Some fairs are a considerable investment of both time and money: these are often the thee or four-day events, spread over a weekend and maybe a late night too.  There’s lots of potential for selling well, but potential for disaster too.  I’ve learnt to check whether both the organiser and venue are well-established, whether good and wide-ranging advertising is in place , whether the weather will make a significant impact on visitor numbers (at some venues, this can make or break an event) . . .

blue skies at a marquee event

(in a similar marquee, the day – as well as my feet and good mood - was saved only when I discovered waterproof furry boots and luxurious thermal socks for sale in the garden centre nearby)

and – of course – whether you have enough stock and some way of displaying it effectively.  Laying it all flat on the table, even on a nice cloth, doesn’t count and good displays really do make a difference.   I invested in Gridwall (the uprights in the first picture) to make the most of a standard six-foot table.

wrapped and ready

It’s not all about expense, though.  Sometimes, fairs and markets can be really cost-effective: farmers’ markets can be good value, attracting lots of potential customers willing to spend on something a bit different and many organisers are pleased to welcome locally-handmade crafts into the mix.

Established indoor markets, wanting to attract the public back into our towns’ market halls are getting creative with arts, crafts and vintage fairs.  The ones being held in Warrington are even backed by TV advertising and the cost for a stall really is minimal.

But, for me, sometimes the best things about fairs are not the actual sales on the day, important though those are.  Fairs give you the opportunity for:

• promotion: hand out your business card and invite people to visit your internet shop
• interaction: gain ideas from your customers’ questions, comments and requests
• validation: it’s hard to work alone all day every day and keep positive about your own creations, especially to begin with.  How fabulous, then, to get lovely enthusiastic comments from the general public – especially when they’re willing to part with hard-earned cash too!
• meeting lots of other like-minded people - other stallholders as well as the general public.  Lots of friendships have been formed behind a craft table!  Ask questions and offer advice - you’ll gain and learn bucketloads!  We’re a friendly bunch.
• immediate feedback – this one is really important.  Big businesses spend a lot of money on market research. You don’t need to.  At a craft fair you have the ideal opportunity to present a new product to the market at comparatively very little cost.  You can immediately gain customer feedback and use this, either to decide to invest in making more of the item or to adapt or develop it in some way.  You could even have a mini-questionnaire for customers.  Research can be such a worthwhile use of a fair (but don’t neglect the selling and promotion).   Possibly the most worthwhile research is the informal eavesdropping you can’t help but do when customers are browsing: they’ll be brutally honest when chatting to each other.  Don’t take every negative comment to heart, but if they’re all saying the same thing, then of course you need to take note.  Bear in mind, though, that different markets will in all likelihood yield different results in both sales and comments. 

I don’t do as many craft fairs now as I did before, because internet sales are keep me busy.  But the ones I do are working for me in more ways than just selling – which is, I think, good value for my money and time.

What do you think?  I’d love to hear the ways craft fairs are working (or not) for you.

I just wanted to post a quick update on today’s fair.  The Great British Craft Bazaar had been eagerly anticipated by many of us with a mixture of excitement and nervousness! 

A high standard of stalls

(stall pic above courtesy of Itsa Mistry Design Studio)

This was a new event by a new organiser and it was always going to be a bit of a gamble on the part of stallholders.  I was lucky that I didn’t travel far (I reckon it might be about 3 miles or so . . .!!) but some had travelled quite a distance and are staying in hotels tonight.  However, for me, it was a gamble which paid off.  I was really pleased with the level of sales I had – and when I got home and counted up I was even more pleased (I’d obviously fogotten to write down some of my sales – such a nice surprise!).  And we still have tomorrow!

We had a steady flow of people all day – and some amazing comments.  One group of ladies spent the whole day there, watching demos, browsing stalls and even trying out new crafts themselves.  I think that’s truly fabulous.  It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to be part of a fair with such high standards of design and workmanship.  A lot of people mentioned how lovely it was to see so many stalls of such a high standard.

So, just to give you a little flavour, have a quick look at these:

Colette from Emma’s wolf makes some amazing quirky pieces of 3D art from papier mache, paint, old tins . . . just look!

seriously gorgeous mouse in a tin

And Harriet from Sausage Dog makes amazing creatures from fabric – look at the personality in these!

sausage dog's dogs with attitude

And can you believe this jewellery is handmade from leather?  It’s made by CJ at Curious Cat Creative

Leather jewellery from Curious Cat Creative

I’ll be writing some more about this fair in the next few days, so do check back if you’d like to see more. 

Meanwhile, we are there again tomorrow (Sunday).  Pop in if you can make it (Culcheth High School, WA3 5HH) – I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love!

Just a very quick reminder that I’ll be joining about 50 other stallholders, all selling and/or demonstrating their handmade crafts in Culcheth, Warrington, this weekend (26th and 27th March 2011).

painting

I’ll be taking lots of blank plaques (and some clocks and canvases too) and will be painting away happily during any quiet times.  If it’s busy, I’ll have to leap up and switch immediately to shopkeeper mode! 

The event is being held at the new Culcheth High School building on Warrington Road, which is off the A580 East Lancs Road.  It’s a local one for me but there are exhibitors travelling from far and wide for this, with a wide variety of handmade goodness to browse and see.

You can find out more on the Great British Craft Bazaar website by clicking this image:

And if you need another reason to pop along?  They’re giving away a Craft Robo and jewellery worth £250 in a prize draw.  Be there or miss out!

I’m really impressed with the prizes on offer to visitors at the Great British Craft Bazaar in Culcheth, Warrington.

One of these Craft Robos courtesy of Graphtec

craft robo

and a ring (of the winner’s choice) up to the value of £250 from Fat Cow Designs

titanium ring

are both being offered as prizes to vistors – you’ll find more info here.

Don’t miss out – all you need to do is pop along to the craft fair on 26th or 27th March for your chance to win.  You’ll also get the chance to browse lots of stalls, watch many of the makers in action and maybe even try out a few new skills yourself. 

Click the image below for all the details:

If you’re considering popping along to the Great British Craft Bazaar on the 26th and 27th March 2011 in Culcheth, Warrington

then you may be interested in having a sneaky peek at the Exhibitor List

Do pop over and have a look – it looks like there’ll be some really unusual and different crafts there.  Lots of workshops and demos too – which should make for an exciting and motivational weekend.

I can’t wait!

Oh, and it’s just in time to do a little shopping for Mother’s Day the following weekend! 

Come and say hello if you’re there – I love to meet people who read my blog

A big thank you must, once again, go to Warrington Market . . .

vanilla cupcake with a cherry on top

This isn’t the easiest of times to sell gifts – mid-recession, mid-month and early in the year.  But with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, people were looking for special gifts which are a bit different and I hoped I would be able to provide that for at least a few people today at the Craft and Vintage Fair in Warrington Market.

The market once again provided the ideal venue: a big space indoors at the back of the market hall, with free parking, helpful staff, clean loos – and lots of people to sell to!  I was very impressed that they’d invested in TV advertising too, which brought people in from quite a distance away.  It was a delight to meet such lovely, appreciative customers – thanks must go to each and every one of them too!

And the cupcake in the photo above?  Courtesy of www.gobbledup.co.uk it was one of the nicest cakes I’ve ever eaten!  And just who was responsible for sneaking a bite before the photo was taken?

Whoops, that’ll be me.  Sorry, I just couldn’t resist it.

Just a short post today (that doesn’t happen very often with me, does it?) to say that I’ll be at the Vintage and Craft Fair this Saturday in Warrington Market.

The stalls will be inside, at the rear of the market hall, and (if last time is anything to go by) it’ll be a lively, fun event.  There should be loads of variety, lots of vintage and lots of handmade too.

A fabulous place to shop if you like something a bit different.  Mark it in your diary now:

Saturday 12th February 2011, 10am – 4pm, Warrington Market

. . . make your way to the town centre, there’s plenty of parking and it’s well signposted.  If you can get there, it’d be great to see you there!

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I’m a big fan of handmade products – everything I sell in my own online shop is handmade in my little garden studio, so it makes sense that I love quirky, well-designed and handmade products that aren’t available in every supermarket up and down the country.

felt owls from Papillon Amore

I know I’m not alone in loving (or indeed producing) handmade items.  And I’m not alone in wanting to promote them.  They don’t need massively promoting – by their very nature, only a limited number can be made by any one person.

So, here’s my little gesture to the handmade community: I plan to host a Handmade Monday every week – here on this blog – where you can show something you’ve just made, are in the process of making or even just a sketch of your idea.  You could even just leave us a link to the mess you’ve created in your workspace (looking at other people’s messes is always preferable to looking at your own!).

it looks better than this at the moment - honestly!

You’ll be able to leave a link to your own blog, where you’ll have posted your handmade item(s) and hopefully people will have a virtual wander around the various blogs for a nosy!  It might brighten up many a rainy Monday for us all!

For those people who don’t make their own, but do appreciate buying handmade, it’ll provide (hopefully!) lots of links to places they might otherwise not have discovered.  If you make – but don’t sell – please don’t be put off.  I’d love to give your work a bit of a wider audience!

I’m looking forward to all this with a strange mixture of anticipation, nervousness and excitement.  What if nobody shows up?  What if, being a Technodunce (see last post!) I can’t make the linky tool work?  Oh heck . . .this could be a worrisome time!

Don’t let me down . . . if you are a maker of something gorgeous, please come back this Monday and leave your link: there will be a linky tool provided, which – fingers well and truly crossed - will work all day Monday, from midnight to the following midnight (GMT) if all goes to plan! 

Hope to see you on Monday!

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Every once in a while comes along something that looks exciting.  And I think this does: http://greatbritishcraftbazaar.com/

The Great British Craft Bazaar isn’t just another craft fair.  It’s aiming to offer the very best experience for anyone interested in handmade goods – so, as well as being able to buy gorgeous goodies from UK designer/makers, you’ll also be able to see demonstations of a variety of crafts and buy supplies for crafts too.

craft demonstrations

It’s being held on the last weekend in March (26th and 27th) in the new Culcheth High School building, which is on Warrington Road in Culcheth (WA3 5HH).  It’s a straight road from the East Lancs, and it’s easy to find from both the M6 and M62 too.  For any potential stallholders  who live some distance away, they’ve even negotiated a discount at a local hotel.

I know the organisers are already full for jewellery, but they still have vacancies for lots of other things – including craft supplies.  They’re specifically looking for card making suppliers, art materials suppliers and bead suppliers – and similar!  It’s a juried event, so you need to submit an application to them via their website, but that only serves in keeping the standards high, which can’t be a bad thing!

personalised campervan clock

My personalised campervan clocks are of course available at www.1stuniquegifts.co.uk – but as usual I plan to have some with me at the Great British Craft Bazaar.  I can of course personalise these (and other gifts!) while you wait at fairs.  I’m hoping to be doing some painting there, too! 

Might see you there!

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