First Craft Show....i Actually Went, Lol

[DoubleC]

LOL Mike. Thank you. The woman that started the Marketplace took this picture yesterday and just sent it to me. Finally a picture you can see, LOL

[JLSleather]

We quit the Etsy scene [in part] because of all the jewelery surrounding the leather. Cheryl makes jewelery WITH (and from) leather... see now that makes sense

[DoubleC]

Thank you Jeff. Yes, I do love my leather Cheryl

[David8386]

Looks good Cheryl, keep it up, picture shows it looking a little more organized. Congrats on the straps. Remember the closer it gets to Christmas the more impulse buying will occur. And most men hate to shop and wait until the last minute.

David

[DoubleC]

Thanks David. I hope people get very impulsive. At least at the marketplace they're going to get good products. Cheryl

[Greybeard]

So Aurelie, Whered you get those cool display wire racks in your booth?

[TapTapTap]

Cheryl, Seeing the photo of you sitting at the table at your first show brought back memories of the time I ventured into weekly markets (saturday and Sunday). On my first time out I made $7.50 on a small knife pouch ( this was in 1983). Did not cover the cost of the stall. I asked my friends what would be handy that they would buy from me. I ended up making what I called my "bread & butter items". They were mostly made from offcuts from my scrap bin. I used these "volume sellers" to pay for the stall while I carved wallets, key cases, etc. Demonstrating your skills is a crowd magnet - people browsing markets are interested in how you produce your stock. The "bread & butter" items that I (and my kids) made were key tags (1" X 21/2" with a key ring and words such as "Back Gate" - "Shed" - "Trailer Lock" - "Boat" - etc. The list is endless. We also used a 11/2" wad punch and made key rings with alphabet letters or the heavy Tandy stamps with animal and bird images on them. By keeping the price low they sold quickly which covered the cost of the stall. The trick is to find out what people want and meet the demand. I hope you stay with your new venture because the satisfaction of selling your hand made product makes it all worthwhile. Regards, TapTapTap

[DoubleC]

Thanks Tap, so far I've sold enough to cover the cost of my booth for the month and made $40.00. I'm not getting rich but I'm having fun. I have small items for now, book marks, holly leaves, bracelets but so far just sold one of the smaller items, but it led to two guitar strap sales so I'm happy, and I'll probably get a belt order this weekend from another crafter, going to take one just like he wants with me that another customer bought. Just get it in his hands, LOL and get that wallet out before I have my other customer pick it up! The other vendors are a great group and it's a lot of fun to go. Thanks for the encouragement....Cheryl

[DoubleC]

This is me last Saturday at the Marketplace 'Showing off' the article that just came out in Cider Mag plus my 'new' stitching horse. Still selling things, still covering costs so I'm really happy.

[WinterBear]

Good luck at the next one!