Taking The Plunge with a New Selling Venue

by Cindi Bernloehr.
(United States)

I have been selling my original hand-made jewelry at art/craft shows and weekly Farmer’s markets for 4-5 years.

It has truly been a journey of love, sweat, and hard work but I have enjoyed all aspects from creating jewelry to the social interaction with customers.

I felt I was ready to move into a more stable environment and was selected to participate in a local retail venture. Winter Garden, FL is a small town with a great vibe and they just built an artisan brewery and indoor market called Plant Street Market.

There are about 20 craft showcases and shop vendors with food and products and no duplicates. (I know you all can appreciate being the “only jewelry” vendor)

I now had a new challenge of creating a setup that would be permanent and use more “UP”space rather than just tables. I ended up buying new unfinished cabinets and banging the heck out of them before painting and staining to create the “old” look.

I also wanted concrete counters for the rustic feel. Regular metal pipes completed the look by becoming my light rod and additional hanging space in my window. I was lucky to find some cool rustic hardware and matching spindles for hanging display.

I take my loaded displays down at night and lock them in my cabinets. I put out framed pictures of my jewelry so any late night customers (from the brewery) can see what I have to sell and come back when I am open.

I am also planning to hold a monthly Make & Take class for a mommie & me or girls night out.

I wanted to share because if you keep trying new things you don’t grow old as fast. And you have lots more fun with all the WORK stuff.

Cindi Bernloehr
WoodStone Jewelry
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