Hi everyone! :)
Like I've mentioned a few times in the last posts, my next and soon coming up craft show will be the one at Henryville. I thought I would share some insight and some sneak peaks! :)
All right! The show will be hosted at the beautiful church in Henryville
(Église St-Georges-de-Henryville, 153 rue de l'Église, QC J0J 1E0) and you'll find from Kirameku many novelties and even a surprise! Kirameku is launching a new product at this craft show, I can't wait to see what you guys think!
Besides that, what's new? Well Kirameku will be adding lights to her kiosque this year so you can appreciate more in details the different colors and varnishes on the Berries. I'm also hoping to have enough space to hang my new beautiful banner that I had printed from Vista print earlier this year.
What about the Berries? Many original pieces have been added to the collection and you will find them - for now - exclusively at this craft show, just like the Mint Berry and Lilac Berry necklaces that you see below. And for the new goodies I've mentioned earlier I'm eager to post the final results! You can follow the steps on
Kirameku Facebook page if ever you are too curious to wait! :)
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| The new Mint and Lilac Berry necklaces! |
To top it all off with a bang, there's a new packing and I'm so proud to see how well it turned out! I have 8 different berry models for the tags on the bags but those 3 are my personal favorite! :) Which one is yours??
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| Kirameku's new packaging for her 2014 craft shows! :) |
As for my Etsy shop, there has been a lot of renewal lately but some new pieces as well, like the gorgeous
Cluster Berry Ring Green and Light Blue! I thought it was a perfect color match for this summer lingering heatwave. These cool hues are perfect to break the heat!
That sums it up for Kirameku this week! I said I'd share some insight for scraft shows well here it goes...! I hope many of you are doing craft shows right now (they are so much fun!) and that I'll be sharing some new tips you haven't heard of. I want to make a short serie of articles related to craft shows, but I'll start by saying this : here are my suggestions and my method to prepare for craft shows. There are many ways to get to the same result. The key is to find one method that works for you.
Planning a craft show - Part 1
So, you have found a craft show you are really excited about, you've made your research, found it to be a perfect match and you've sent out your application. Great! What next? Craft fairs are really fun, but they are a lot of work. Let's start.
Once you've applied to a craft show you should list all the things that you want to bring and/or make specifically for that show. I would suggest you divide your list in two sections : what you have in stock and what you want to make. In your ''to make'' section, be as specific as you can : what kind of material will you need, how much time will it take to create those pieces, how much will it cost you, if you need new packaging etc. This way, you'll be able to determine your goals for that craft show and see if your goals are too ambitious. Maybe you want to create way too many new necklaces for the time you have. Be realistic in your goals, it will save you a lot of stress and sleepless nights.
Most craft shows will let you know in advance if you have been selected or not to give you enough time to plan and market yourself. If you have doubt's about their reply deadline, don't hesitate to email the show organizers and ask them. But please, be nice! Those people are super busy making a show that will make you look good, the least you can do is to be polite. Why not ask them as well if you can help them promote the show? Promoting a craft show is always a good thing for everyone as you'll attract more traffic to this event, therefore more potential customers.
Once you've had the confirmation that you were selected for a show, clear your schedule and take out your plan and get busy! If you think the deadline from once you've been accepted to the actual show is too short, don't hesitate to start as soon as you've sent out your application. You're the boss of your schedule. Break down your ''to make'' section in a daily or weekly to-do list to ensure you'll meet your goals. Don't forget to include time for shopping if you need new material. Adding a bit more time to this task can be a good thing too as maybe you won't get lucky and the stock you need won't be available when you'll stop by the store. My suggestion is to purchase/go shopping for all the material you need as soon as you can, may it be business cards, lamps, new beads etc.
Make sure that you make your inventory before you start making some new pieces and also a second time about three weeks before the show. That way you know which pieces you need to make more of and you make sure that you have enough stock before the show. And if you don't, three weeks should give you enough time to double your efforts and make more stock. Include time to do a real size mock-up of your table to see how you want to fit all your goodies on your table. Dress a list of everything you need to bring to the craft show - from scotch tape to food and your goodies, write everything down. This will be your final checklist as you'll pack your stuff 2-3 days before the show so you can concentrate on having a good night of sleep and be full of energy on the day of the show. Don't forget to bring some business cards or some type of promotion tool so that your customers will remember you and will be able to find your Etsy shop if they want to shop from you again. Don't hesitate to be original but be consistent in everything you do, make sure it reflects your brand and your style.
On this everyone, I hope you found some tip that will be useful for your future craft show. I'll be back with more insights, no worries. And you, what's your favourite craft shows tip?
Have a lovely labor day everyone! :)
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