I survived my first craft show

... although there were moments last week when I didn't think I would ... usually around 2 or 3 a.m., when the little voice in my head screamed, 'What on earth were you thinking, girl?? Did you have any idea how much work this was going to be??' That was usually followed by terrifying visions of me standing behind an empty table looking sheepish ... 'nice tablecloth!' people would say, chuckling to their friends as they walked by ... 'but where's the jewelry?' That fearful thought would trigger off a rush of adrenaline that would rev me up for a few more hours ... and that -- plus a lot of General Foods International Coffee and a pair of +2.50 drugstore magnifying glasses that I reluctantly acquired last Thursday -- is pretty much what got me through the week ... a week in which I was up until 4 a.m. one night, 2 a.m. two other nights (always getting up at 6:30 a.m. regardless), and pulled an all-nighter Friday night, finishing up just in time to shower, get John up (even he wasn't spared last week), and head out the door Saturday morning at 7:00.

Did I say it was also the most fun I've had in a long time? Totally exhausting. Totally. I don't remember the last time I was that bone tired. But it was also truly fun (masochistic?) to see what I could accomplish ... how much cool stuff I could make ... how pretty and elegant I could make my table look ... how many little details on my long wish list I could get to ... and how many challenges I could overcome -- like the shipment of boxes that arrived in drab kraft brown instead of pretty purple ... or the credit-card swiper that had to go back because it didn't swipe ... or the merchant account company that kept me hanging (and still is) ... or the dog puking on the rug just as I sat down for five minutes to scarf down a slice of pizza for dinner. What's a project without a few surprises, right?

Financially, I had no idea what to expect. I purposely chose a 'low-risk' show for my first time out ... $30 for a table at the local high school where the band parents put on a craft show every year to raise money for the band. I figured if I sold $100 worth of stuff, I would be happy. By the time the show rolled around, though, I can honestly say that any thoughts of money were purely secondary. I didn't care if I made a penny. At the 11th hour, it was all about survival -- making it to the finish line standing and not being totally humiliated ( ... enter flashbacks of blanking out at the 5th grade spelling bee in front of the whole school).

Now I know why people say they work the first nine months of the year to get ready for craft-show season ...

Nonetheless, I did survive and I was not humiliated (quite the contrary). I sold $400 worth of jewelry and got special orders for three pairs of earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, and a necklace/earrings set at the show. This week, I got three more orders for another pair of earrings, a bracelet, and a bracelet/earrings set. I am oh-so-thrilled! Guess I'd better stock up on French Vanilla Cafe ... maybe even graduate up to +3.0 glasses this week.

So, here's a little pictorial tour ... (click on each picture for larger version)

This is the dining room table about 18 hours before the show. I was not only trying to make jewelry, but also trying to figure out what to charge, make signs, print and cut up business cards, create forms for people to sign up for my mailing list, check on whether my merchant account was up and running (and cursing when it wasn't), and keeping an eye on the clock so I would be sure to get to bank before it closed to get money for the cash box ... and to Target to buy big bins to pack everything in, candy to treat passers by, purple pens to sign the little thank you notes I printed up to put in each bag, etc. (yeah, I know ... blue ink probably would have done, but I had to go to the store anyway!)

These are the cool little stackable bins that I got a week or two ago to store my beads, after much waffling about which of the many storage options to go with. Each little bin screws into the one above, and the top one has a lid. They come in several sizes in stacks five high, but you can configure them any way you want. I just love, love, love them ... and now that I know they're just what I need, I'll be needing a LOT more of them.

Off to the side, on the sideboard, I put up my mock display, with the displays for necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that I had ordered over the past few weeks (also after much waffling, comparing prices, etc). As I made each piece of jewelry, it went up on the display, and my hope was just to have enough by Saturday morning to look semi-professional. As you can see, the earring rack is still looking a little anemic, and there are only a few hours to go.

One of my favorite new pieces was this bracelet with pretty blue beads (and teeny, tiny silver beads). When it didn't sell at the show, I secretly hoped it was mine to keep. Alas, a friend fell in love with it and bought it this week to give to her teenage daughter on her birthday. Guess I'll have to hunt down more of those beads at the Philly bead show this Sunday ...

Here's a garnet set (although it looks almost black in the photo). Both the earrings and pendant sold, but not as a set.

And here is a little display I set up for one of my dangle bracelets with matching earrings ... in the background you can see a pendant made of Botswana Agate, one of my favorite stones.

And now onto the show:

It's 9:00 and the first customers are strolling in... phew, I can't believe I made it!

A closer view. The green box is actually an empty box wrapped in bright green paper (that I also bought at Target Friday) to create a platform for the earring stand so it would, well, stand out.

And here it is ... actually full (with not a pair to spare).

Just as the show was starting, I realized how badly I had to pee ... so, figuring it was safe to sneak off to the ladies' room for just a minute, I left John alone at the table. As I was walking back in, I saw him standing and reaching for the credit card swiper while talking to two women. One of them was buying these blue chandelier earrings (which I also had in purple and amber). They were priced at $48 ... at 4:00 in the morning, though, I was tempted to ask for $200.

John had already put the earrings in a nice gift box (the purple ones that Rio Grande rushed after admitting their mistake) and was trying to stall for time until I arrived. As they waited, the woman also fell in love with this necklace and bracelet set made of crazy lace agate (on the right). My first sale: $116, which included a discount for buying a matching set.

One woman bought the bracelet I was wearing right off my wrist. It was similar to the one above, but the beads were orange glass/lampwork beads ... perfect for fall. Hey, I wasn't going to argue!

At 2:00 a.m. Saturday morning, when I finally admitted to myself that there was absolutely no way I could assemble all the dangle bracelets in every color by the morning (and finish everything else, too), I came up with this idea out of sheer desperation. I put the green bracelet/earring set in the middle, surrounded it by bins filled with dangles in all nine colors, and made up a sign letting people know they were available as a special order. No one ordered a bracelet, but one woman ordered a pair of amethyst earrings to match a bracelet she already owns, because she saw the beads in the bin ... and of course, every little girl that came by was mesmerized by the sparkly crystals.

One of the nicest things about my first show is that Mom and Dad (who are old hands at this) were there too ... right next to me. No pressure, of course. :-)

Here is one of dad's beautiful jewelry boxes ... this one is made out of box-elder maple, I believe. The little tray sits inside to create a second level. Gorgeous.

More highlights from the show ... several friends stopped by, which was just wonderful. They were all too kind to tell me how dazed and exhausted I looked ... though I'm sure they wanted to say, 'Girl, go home and take a nap!"

One woman walking by with her friend absolutely made my day when she said that I had a beautiful display. Not only was it beautiful, she said, but it was 'the best display' there. She said she could tell I had really put a lot of thought behind the placement of items (putting things at different levels, etc.), the signs, and the fact that I didn't have a ton of items just thrown on the table any which way. When I admitted that it was my first show and that I had been afraid I wouldn't have enough stuff, she assured me I had just the right amount ... that less is more and that when a table is too crowded, people don't know where to look and get overwhelmed. Huh ... whaddya know? Moral of the story: Maybe something you think is a 'mistake' or a disadvantage is actually an asset after all. My neighbor/friend, who was standing there at the time and overheard this, came back later after walking around the floor and said, 'That lady was right. I checked out all the other jewelry vendors, and yours is the nicest display.' That made me positively delirious with joy!

Or maybe I was just delirious because it was nearly 4 p.m. in the afternoon and we could start packing up.

Everything went back in the bins, we said goodbye to my parents, and we stopped at Rita's for a refreshing Italian ice before coming home, where I totally crashed (at about 5:30 p.m.). I slept til about 9, was up til midnight, got up at 8, then went back to bed Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and slept another two hours. I knew I would be tired after this and made sure I could take time to rest so I wouldn't make myself susceptible to a cold (so far, so good). Other than doing a few loads of laundry, Sunday was spent relaxing, looking through three new bead magazines and clearing off the dining room table.

Now I can't wait to do this all again next weekend. A lot of the one-time 'setup' stuff that took up so much time for this one is now in place ... so that means I shouldn't have to pull another all-nighter ... right?

Comments

[Marilyn]

No wonder you've been quiet this week--you were exhuasted! I'm SO proud of you! I can relate to the frenzy of getting caught up in wanting to make stuff for a show. I did that a couple of years ago at the prompting of a crafty friend. I was laughing about your fears of rejection--not laughing AT you, but identifying! I felt like a complete and utter FRAUD the first day I set up at that craft show. I was sure someone was going to walk up and say, "What are YOU doing here? Are you kidding me with this? Get outta here!" Instead, people actually bought stuff and commented how nice my (last-minute!) display was. What's the old saying?..."Fake it till you make it." :) Well, Miss Believe Street, looks like your jewelry business is up and running in a BIG way! Just hope you've got energy for all those orders that are sure to come in. The only thing missing from this post? A photo of YOU at your booth. Did John take one? (P.S. And gorgeous work by your Dad.)

[deb]

Yea to you! Everything looks so beautiful! And I hope the next thing I say doesn't diminish my congratulations and praise...but, really, I didn't expect anything BUT that from you! Your attention to detail, your appreciation of (and ability to create) beauty, and your welcoming spirit make it almost a no-brainer. (next time when you're in doubt, pick up the phone - you know the number!) ;)

Wish I could've been there; keep me posted for upcoming shows.

Huge hugs and big congratulations my friend! xoxo D

[Kerstin]

Hi Maria,

Oh how exciting!! Isn't it funny how we can be such life experienced women and still get ourselves into frantic and stomach knotting excitement over a new adventure?!

What a reward after such an exhausting yet adrenalin filled week! Your display looks fantastic and I love how you turned a situation of panic (not enough time) into an opportunity to sell customised pieces (the green earrings sourrounded by the bins) ... that's just genius! You are a creative soul indeed and I am so happy for you; this show was a definite success, you made great money and the orders are coming in!

By the way, I love the blue bracelet (have something very similar which I bought at a market in Berlin in Germany) but I think my favourite piece is the garnet set, very elegant and love the colour and style.

Hope you get some well deserved rest and let us know how the next show goes, with more pics too please :)

Take care, Kerstin

[Swirly]

Congratulations!! Your display looks lovely!

[Lisa Taylor Huff]

So sorry I had to miss your first show but be sure and keep me posted on the upcoming ones. I'm so proud of you for having done this. Remember about a year ago when we talked about this as a possibility? Look how far you came in just a year!

See you Wednesday for lunch!

[Lu]

Absolutely awesome. Your presentation was just beautiful for the show. And I am so happy it went well for you. Your dad's stuff in incredible.

[Will]

Dang---that stuff looks fine! Did you Mom and Dad offer any words of advice, like that it gets easier when you figure out a rhythm? I would think it would need to or people couldn't keep up with this for years. It would burn them out.

And seriously, that table looked fantastic. I know you're intent would never be such, but I can imagine that you may have intimidated another table or ten. I can see them thinking "who is the jewelry retailer rolling into our craft show"?

Excellent work. Just be sure to pace yourself. Don't want to turn into a crispy critter from stress overload.

(and I agree with Marilyn---we need a pic of you with your stuff. Take one this weekend if you didn't have one from this past weeks show.)

[kat]

maria, that's SO amazing! thank you for sharing your success and the great pics too! the jewelry looks gorgeous. i'm not surprised at all that you sold so much. and i also love your attention to detail and display. i could really learn a thing or two from ya!

[Alexandra Wieckowski]

Yipee, you survived!!! I knew you would :D Your jewelery is just gorgeous!

[Joanne]

WOW, woman!!! Your table looked like Tinker Bell sprinkled Fairy Dust/Crystals all over your beautiful tablecloth. Just EXQUISITE! ...but then again, how could it NOT be? You're an exquisite mother, daughter, significant-other, and to me, you're an exquisite FRIEND. Wishing you all the best in all the upcoming craft festivals, and may every wish in your new endeavor come true.

[KatieScarlet]

Alot of your jewerly is beautiful! I am not usually into dangingly stuff or bead stuff, but that blue set and the chandelier earrings were very cool. I linked over from Will's site. Good luck at your future shows!

[Kathy]

Hi Maria,

Congratulations! I did craft shows for a while and I remember all the late night, last minute preparations, and the feeling of accomplishment when you pack up less in the afternoon than you unloaded in the morning. I hope to make it to one of your shows soon and I wish you continued success!

Kathy