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!

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.

South End Open Market

In Boston in the South End on Harrison Street, there is an open market every Sunday.

Plants, clothing, baby gear, jewelry, pottery, furniture, windchimes and pan flutes, brownies, lip gloss, bread and sandwiches, muffins, italian ice, hemp clothing, indian import clothing, antiques and junk, tote bags, handbags, hair clips and scrunchie, flowers and herbs. All in one spot. Every week.

Etsy sponsors 2 booth spots for 4 Etsy sellers, evey other week (hahaha) stop in to say hi and show support. Pic is goolala, Lush Beads and Zesty Betsy at the end of a long hot day.

Sundays from 11-5. Go for shopping, check out setups, buy a spot and sell.

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.