Experience with the Rosen show

Vivek,

Sorry for the confusion… The “Rosen show” (Buyers Market of
American Craft) is an amazing wholesale art/craft show where the
artists themselves sell wholesale to galleries, stores, boutiques,
etc… With this particular show it’s all American made craft:
jewelry, fiber, pottery, metal & many other types of sculpture. All
work needs to be done in the states and the artist is in attendance
selling to the stores. It’s a really neat show.

It’s not the kind of wholesale show like Tuscon where you can
purchase goods to incorporate into your jewelry as well as the
finished product.

Hope this clears it up.
-Amery

This is going to be the first year that I will experience the Rosen
Show, not as an artist displaying my work, but as a viewer. I haven’t
ever applied for the show, and would like to check it out first hand
before doing so. I’ve had the honor of winning Niche Awards in the
past (I truly feel honored!), and am anxious to see all the beautiful
art out there. I live in the boonies, and don’t have a lot of contact
with fellow artists (aside from my family which are all artist :-)),
so it will be a thrill for me, to be sure! Living on the west coast
it’s difficult to do the Tucson Gem Show, come home to Oregon, and
then head out to Phillie! I’m really excited that I’ve decided to do
it, and would really like to hook up with Orchidians at the show.
Lisa, what’s your booth #??? Anyone else? By the way, I’m bringing
my 17 year old daughter to Tucson with me, she’s so excited about
that! Me too! She get to experience the mayhem that goes on, gem
buying frenzie, yee-ha!

Lisa Hawthorne
@Lisa_Hawthorne1

So in which Category does the Rosen Show fall in!? 

The Rosen show is anti everything you mentioned. It is intended
strictly for United States and Canadian companies only and
concentrates on supplying the medium to high end Arts and Crafts
galleries in the US. They have a few manufacturers that get there
work made internationally, but the are supposedly removing those
vendors.

Cheers,
Paul

So in which Category does the Rosen Show fall in!?

Good question…

Just shows to go you that there are a lot of different ways to skin
a cat…Hey!!! Its just an expression!!!

The official name of the show is: “The Buyer’s Market Of American
Crafts”. That about sums it up. Rosen’s motto is: Handmade in the
USA". They try to keep out importers and large manufacturers, and
restrict their show to generally small craftspersons, artists and
artisans who make their work one at a time, themselves… although
that said, the aforementioned picture frame maker has 12 employees,
mostly illegal, from Guatamala making her designs, so I am not sure
exactly where the line is drawn.

Wendy works hard to keep foreign manufacturers out, even chucking
longtime pal Tabra from the show because she couldn’t meet the made
in the USA requirement. Tabra now sucessfully rents a room at the
Hotel that the venue is attached to, as do a few other manufacturers.
those rooms are open and right on the way to the convention center.
Others have been tossed because they mainly just bezel set foreign
carvings, although I have pointed out that I don’t facet my stones or
dive for my pearls in southeast asia…

The Rosen show is geared to galleries, museum and boutique buyers for
the most part, although there are always catalog folks and others
lurking around. Buyers come from all over the world as my shipments
can attest. I sell to one store in NYC that has 6 locations. Love
those guys. I sell to another in London that is obscure and buys only
every other year.

Rosen is very supportive of craft artists and promotes them at every
given opportunity.

Lisa, (greyhounds running around in the chill wearing their little
coats. If you would have told me prior to getting these guys that I
would ever in a million years buy a coat for a dang dog…
ok… killl me now… lol.) Topanga, CA USA

Hi all,

I’ve not yet done any wholesale shows but have been reading the
posts on the Rosen show with interest as I’d definately like to have
myself put together in time for applications next year for the Rosen
and Buyer’s Market shows. In the meantime I’ve settled on doing the
Boston Gift Show as it is close to where I live and am also
considering the Baltimore Craft Show as mentioned here. So, does
anyone have any input on this alternate Baltimore venue - or on
George Little Mngm’t / Boston Gift Show? Thanks in advance for any
assistance.

Meredith Anderson
Gloucester, MA
www.mamodern.com

Hi Everyone:

There has been a lot of talk in the last few days about the Rosen
Show and similar wholesale shows. This has sparked a question for me.

If all goes well (and I’m pretty sure it will) I will be doing my
first large retail show in July and my second in September of this
year. I think I have all my ducks in a row as far as promo, tent,
display, case, etc. My question is on the volume needed for a large
show. I have a product that sells very well at 95.00 and one that
sells very well at 65.00. I have other products at higher price
points (one of a kind necklaces) and others at lower (earrings) but
they don’t sell as well. I am planning to produce 50 pieces at 95.00
and 50 at 65.00. About 20 necklaces to fill in and however many
earrings. Can anyone give any kind of input on this type of plan? The
last thing I want is to embarrass the promoter by selling out (I have
a huge ego don’t I?). Obviously, at this point in my career, I have
to make a large volume because my prices are low. In the future, I
want to work with more precious materials and higher price points.
BTW, when the 95.00 item had a price tag of 65.00, I sold about 90 of
them thru word of mouth in the year, so I have recently raised the
price to 95.00.

Any (and I do mean any) input would be appreciated.

Best Regards and Thanks,

Kim Starbard
Cove Beads

p.s. Is there anyone who deal well with the stress of not knowing if
you will be accepted to the show until March? I’m not dealing with
the unknown very well.