Check out your buds at Magpie

Or in Cambridge

Don't forget the South End Open Market; or the one in Providence or the one in Mashpee!



Next week look for folks in Hamden, CT

What shows are you doing & signed up for this fall?
post 'em here!

Craft Alert!

Mark it on your shopping Calender!

September 22 from 9-5 in Greenfield MA, join the Western Massachusetts Street Team and other artists, artisans and crafters for an arts and crafts fair.

CALL FOR VENDORS -

The ETSY Western Mass Craft Fair is back on!! We have found a new and better location. It is STILL scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 22 from 9-5. It will take place on the grounds of the St. James Episcopal Church on Federal St. in Greenfield . The grounds are lovely and if we have good weather we can probably put everyone outside. The church is in the Tudor design and there's also a covered walkway (cloister) where people with small displays could be set up. If the weather doesn't cooperate, vendors without tents can be put inside - in 2 rooms. The church will be selling food and as this is a cooperative event, there will be some select non-Etsy vendors who will be invited.

We will require a $40 booth fee, some of which we will used for advertising. Checks should be made out to Vickie Hutchinson and sent to her at 33 Spruce St . , Greenfield , MA 01301 . Include with your check: your name and mailing address; email address and phone number, Etsy Shop name, preferred space (outdoor with tent, outdoor without, cloister, etc) table and electricity requests. Please note if you should need any special considerations as well.

The church has a limited number of 8ft tables. They will be distributed on a first request basis. Electricity is not available outside. You must supply your own tent.

Unless you have a tent and are outside, spaces may not all be the traditional 10 x 10 size. The cloister is narrow and the inside rooms can accommodate a 10 ft width but not always a 10ft depth.

Etsy is helping us with advertising by supplying us with a large sign that will be hung in front of the church a couple weeks ahead and signs that we'll put in the center of town. This is still the same day as the Old Deerfield Craft Fair and there should be shuttle buses running from the center of Greenfield . Our location is about a block from there (walking distance.)

We have no application so please be sure include all requested information By September 8th at the latest. Once we know how many we need to accommodate, we'll send you directions and instructions.

Questions should be sent to jbajgier@comcast.net. Valley Artisan Craft Fair

Boston Street Team

The Boston Team takes to the streets tonight.

Showing in Jamaica Plain this evening from 5-8pm at the South Street Outdoor Mall in front of the tennis courts across the street from Harvest Foods is a selection of spectacular art & craft talent. Prints and originals, jewelry and fashion clothing.

Today's exhibitors:
Amy Olson Jewelry
Cozy Cottage Creations
Glamorpuss Creations
J. Hill Design
MuchachaK
Reclaimed To You
Relaxation Works
The Hole Thing
Zesty Betsy

More Events - deadlines very soon!

Hamden, CT Craft Show weekend of Aug 24 - 26. - send email to SulimosDesign@ yahoo.com for info

shop til you drop
Stoughton, MA

Canalfest
Worcester, MA

Sign of the Dove
Belmont, MA

This Thursday (August 2) you can stop by the Shops on South in Jamaica Plain (Boston) to meet and support a group of Etsy crafters showing their works as part of JP First Thursday events from 5-8-ish.

Free Vending Sapce this Saturday!

From an associate on the NH Street Team:

Hey guys,

I just got a heads up from Open Market headquarters that if you show up on Saturday at the Providence Open Market (corner of Westminster and Union Streets in Providence, downtown), you can set up for free to sell. This Saturday only. Woohoo!

If you have questions you can convo muchachaK, OR email Chris the Market Director. Also see the market website for basic market info http://providenceopenmarket.com.

SHOW UP BY 10AM, you get your tax ID's there so you don't even need to worry about that part. And make sure you have weights for your tent (see the weights thread here in the group posts for more info about weights).

That is all :)

Katy

Go - it's a nice cozy spot & sales can be OK there. Go - to check out the other sellers & show support for your fellow crafters. POM sometimes has music & has a super cute cafe across hte street - yummy scones!

Craft Fair Review - Country Folk Art Craft Show – Sturbridge, MA

In our ongoing search for the perfect craft fair to sell our jewelry, I came across the Country Folk Art Craft Show website which sponsors shows all over the U.S. They did advertise that they had "Home Décor & More!" but they also mentioned that they allow jewelers. So I sent in my application fee and a few pictures hoping to get into the November show. I attended the July show in an effort to see what kind of show it was and find out what they meant in the contract by "creating your own room."

Right off I can say that this is probably not a show any of the Etsy crafters I know will want to consider. This is a trade show complete with a woman (with microphone attached) hawking a new kind of cleaner, 2 vendors of pain reducing magnetic bracelets, and a large display of beautifully embroidered table runners and doilies with the "made in China" labels still attached.
There were a few real crafts people, however. Sandy Fair was there from PA selling hand-stenciled, cut and pierce lamp shades. She kindly allowed me to take her picture before I was informed by another vendor that pictures were not allowed. I also met Mary Shalkowski from CT, aka Artful Ramblings. She's familiar with Etsy and knows Pam. She was one of the 3 jewelers (and the only one I would call a crafts person) exhibiting but, as it was only Friday of the 3 day show, she couldn't tell me if she was happy she came.

This show is well-known and gets around 10,000 people over the 3 days. Admission is $6; $5 with a discount coupon. But you only have to pay if you make the mistake of entering the only one of the 4 entrances where they are actually collecting money. People were spending a lot of money. But they are there because they love the distressed country décor in maroon, navy, brown and black and they need some new Halloween or Christmas decoration or some new piece for the mantle. Parking is a mess. Once you get into the parking lot you need a GPS system to find your way out as they block off all the entrances but one.

I did learn a lot though. A "room" is a 10' x 10' space that you block off with pipe and drape configurations that you buy, rent or make yourself. But several people didn't have that and it seemed to be ok. This really angered the people who spent money renting the set up.
I thought my dilemma about this show would be "do I exhibit because I won't have much competition from other jewelers or do I not because no one goes there to buy jewelry". But on Sat. morning I received the letter that we did get accepted into the November show. They only want $460 for a 10' x 10' space (that's on top of renting a "room") and the prices go up to $1100 if you need more space.
I don't think so.

Opportunity for vending in CT

Heather of DecadenceDesigns is in the planning stages of a craft show that will be held in the Hamden, CT area.

The space can hold 3 seller spots at a time and I would be booking several dates to accommodate all interested sellers.

One option is Friday nights to do a "crafts and cocktail hour" kind of thing, seeing that most sellers are booked on weekend days with other craft shows.

Another possibility would be to do a Friday night, Saturday day and Sunday day craft show, with 3 sets of sellers (so 9 in total) so that every one gets a chance to exhibit.

She'd like to start a list of sellers that can be contacted once dates are confirmed.

To get on the list please convo DecadenceDesigns your contact info.