I’m a jewelry artist who has never done the “craft show route”. I’m
curious to hear from those of you with all the experience, how did
you figure out how much inventory to have with you for a 2-day show?
Thanks for any ideas and input!
L Green
how did you figure out how much inventory to have with you for a 2-day show?
The short answer is “as much as possible”.
The longer answer is, enough to fill your display and refill.
Practically speaking, this really means set up your display so that
no more than two-thirds of your work on hand goes in initially so it
won’t look bad as you sell pieces.
As a side note, one mistake I tend to fall into, as do many others,
is overfilling cases. One artist described this as looking as though
you have put out everything you ever made. I always feel as though
the piece I didn’t put out yet is the one that person would have
bought, but I am also convinced that a somewhat sparing display
looks far better than a crowded jumble.
So if you have relatively few pieces, you can put your display
across the 10 foot space, at the front. If you have a lot, you can
do an L or a Z into the interior space to accomodate more cases.
Noel
Bring everything you have.
Seriously, you never know what’s going to happen. I still don’t know
and I’ve done shows for a couple of years. I don’t put everything
out, but I bring it just in case. Outdoor shows are a gamble…it’s
either too hot, too cold, too wet or too sunny? Some shows go better
than others for no real reason. Someone once told me it’s like
farming; you can prepare the soil and plant the seeds, but if mother
nature doesn’t cooperate then you get nothing.
Good luck.
Ivan Sagel
Wyzensagel Designs
www.wyzensageldesigns.com
For what it’s worth, I find it difficult to sort out a line if there
is too much in the case or cases. If you have someone interested in
your designs, you can always bring out additional pieces.
My biggest problem in viewing jewelry exhibits as I walk down an
aisle, however, is the display that overwhelms the work. Or, the
display that shows more creativity than the work. Or the display that
fights the work. Or the display that is so beautiful, I don’t even
notice the jewelry.
Good display is complementary in color, helps the pieces stand out
(and stand up) and helps you present a well thought-out line in a way
that catches the buyer’s eye and pulls her over for a thorough look.
Ettagale Blauer