Comments on: Massive Steampunk Festival: I’m in!!…uh oh…I’m In.

By: Linda Abellera

Linda Abellera — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 05:37:34 +0000

I did my first show absolutely blind! I had no idea of what to expect other than advice from a friend that had done this show many times. I found out what a ‘juried’ show is all about when my friend told me to take good pictures of my things and send them to such and such address along with a form she emailed to me.

I had no clue how to photograph my jewelry, (and at that time I was doing silk florals also), so I just did it! The show was 150 miles from home and three days long. I had to make reservations for accomodations, truck all my things, (including a 20 foot by 10 foot tent type shelter to keep my friend and I out of the wind and weather should it get nasty), begged my ex husband to help set up and away I went.

I set up my things the best I knew how, was polite and friendly to all the folks that came into the tent, even if they weren’t there for me but to see my friend. It paid off! I made nearly 500 dollars that first day and the rest is history. I now know what to expect and what to take and what to leave home now. Be sure you take a tablet to write down people’s orders or phone numbers etc. Don’t forget to take a mirror, a large enough one for the buyer to see her whole face and part of the upper torso. I failed in that and ended up with a mirror that was about 5 by 7 inches and it was not big enough! I now know better! Hand out your cards to anyone and everyone that is willing to take it and smile, smile, smile!

I am sure with the quality of your jewelry, and the popularity of the steampunk movement right now, you will have no problems! Good Luck!!

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:21:40 +0000

It doesn’t really matter how huge the show is. There’s only going to be so much stuff that will fit in your vehicle or allotted booth space, so be realistic about what you need and can take. The bigger and more elaborate your hats, for example, the fewer will actually fit. Are you going to have help carrying this stuff and dealing with customers, or is it gonna be all you?

I agree, make some crazy, expensive statement pieces to draw traffic, and then chill out and have fun creating. You have a year to do this. Break it down into a manageable set of tasks — I’d make a goal of completing, say, X number of pieces per day or per week. If you have some go-to hot sellers, by all means make those, but don’t be afraid to play with lots of different ideas. This is the first festival of its kind in your area, so your customers are coming with no preset ideas of how it should go, what you should have or what your booth should look like. Next year, if you do it again, you’ll have a much better knowledge of what to expect.

Re the boredom, if it’s turning into a chore and you’re not feeling inspired, don’t do it. Customers can tell. You’re better off taking a break to clean house or do other things for a bit. I like making jewelry while chatting, watching TV or listening to music, and it’s not unusual for me to stop somewhere in the middle of a piece and then come back to it later.

By: Noreen

Noreen — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 17:57:17 +0000

I love that steampunk hat at the top!! To keep from getting bored, when making a lot of jewelry of the same type, could you make small changes to them so they aren’t exactly alike? That could be an interesting challenge – to see how many different ways you could make a piece – and enough to keep you from getting stale.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:50:17 +0000

I love those hats!

Make some spectacular, over the top pieces. Price them to reflect the amount of work you put into them – even if they don’t all sell, they will draw people to your table. Designing and creating statement pieces will be a great break from the production line.

Make sure you have an online store – give out cards with the address and possibly a discount code (Etsy makes this pretty easy). You’ll find that there are a lot of people who would like to buy your stuff but just don’t have the cash to spend right there (cons can get expensive!).

Congratulations on getting into the market!

By: Annette

Annette — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:31:42 +0000

Hi Roz 🙂 I found with my first professional type show I went overboard. I did a lot of work on presentation and made a lot of stock in preparation. Although I did well, I ended up having heaps of stock that never even got out of the box. Make stock to a level you’re happy with (go with the muse/mojo) and if you’re concerned about the quantity, well whats the worst that can happen – you sell out!
Your work looks great by the way – well done you!

By: Willow Cartwright

Willow Cartwright — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 10:11:11 +0000

Congrats on getting into the show, Roz! Your work is fantastic and I’m sure you’ll do well. You will need to build your stock to make sure that no one is left wanting after the show (you can always sell your remaining pieces afterwards online!)! I would suggest many multiples of your best selling pieces with a number of OOAK pieces to whet the appetite! I often take 3-500 necklaces to a show that I feel the traffic will warrant (sounds like this one will!). Because earrings are my lower price point, I typically try to make sure I have double the amount of earrings as I do necklaces. Depending on the show itself, the location and the “mood” of the buyers, that is usually a good strategy for me. There isn’t a set amount of jewelry to take to any one show and you have to make what is comfortable and works for you.

When I’m geting ready for a big show, i often do some “assembly” line work. I do all of the hohum tasks of creating as a mass production type of process – this saves me a lot of time and then allows me to more enjoy the artistic part of the process – adding the distinctive creative touches to my pieces.

Congrats again and good luck!!!

willow cartwright
simply willow