Color of the Week - Tanzanite

Tanzanite is actually a semi-precious stone found in the African country of Tanzania.  It's often lilac colored although as a stone, it can also be anywhere in a range of sapphire blue through violet through burgundy.  Inspired by this beautiful stone, Swarovski created the Tanzanite crystal ... and I've chosen Tanzanite as my color of the week.

I'm also featuring my design "Cheryl's Smile" -- named for my friend Cheryl who always makes me smile!  It has great "swing" and is one of my personal favorite styles (I have several colors!).

Please drop in for a visit at my Etsy shop -- click on the section called "My Favorite Girls" -- any jewelry found in that section can be specially made in Tanzanite.  From June 23-28 (2010), you may purchase designs in Tanzanite at 20% off*!  Please convo me with your requests and I'll prepare a special listing for you.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gentleadornments

Cheryl's Smile in Tanzanite Crystals

Color of the Week - Capri Blue

Want an amazingly cool summer blue?  Check out Capri Blue!  I've been in the Caribbean and there are places that the water is really that color -- awesome!  

I'm featuring my necklace design "Czarina" in Capri Blue as well as a pair of earrings, "Caressa" but you can choose any style found in "My Favorite Girls" section of my Etsy shop and ask for them in Capri Blue.  Since it's the Color of the Week, any style ordered by Monday, June 21, in Capri Blue will be 20% off! 

So come on over for a visit!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/gentleadornments

Color of the Week - Light Amethyst

This is my first week to feature a special color -- and I chose Light Amethyst crystals.  Light Amethyst is the Swarovski color for June's birthstone.  One of the more traditional birthstones for June is the pearl -- so mixing Light Amethyst with pearl is a great way to celebrate a June birthday!   In honor of Light Amethyst, I just listed a new pair of earrings -- Caressa!  They are really a sweet style and look great in any color!!

Please drop in for a visit at my Etsy shop -- click on the section called "My Favorite Girls" -- any jewelry found in that section can be specially made in Light Amethyst.  From June 8-14 (2010), you may purchase designs in Light Amethyst at 20% off*!  Please convo me with your requests and I'll prepare a special listing for you.  See ya soon!!

*only 1 discount per order

Spring Observations

It's been an interesting month in my craft show world.  The first Saturday of the month, I did a show that was awful for most vendors.  For some odd reason, the organizers had placed most of the jewelry vendors in the same general area, and the show was very poorly attended.  The gal across the aisle from me, who sold jewelry, didn't have her first sale until half hour before the show ended.  The couple next to her, also selling jewelry, had only 1 sale.  The guy next to me, selling photography, had 1 sale for the day.  The guy behind me, selling foodie stuff, had the worst day he'd ever had.  I didn't.  It wasn't a spectacular day, but it wasn't bad either -- given the attendance, I'd say my day was "satisfactory".

Week 2, I was selling again .. well, sort of.  I don't know how much advertising the sale had and it wasn't a big show (maybe 20-25 vendors).  And as it happened, it was perhaps the worst weather for any show I've ever done.  Winds were blowing very hard -- probably 40-45 mph -- and temps were low with a threat of snow mixed with bitter rain.  It wasn't a good day to leave the warmth of your kitchen -- so not such a good day to be a vendor.  The upside was that I was "back home" in a town where I'd lived for 6 years and some of the people who did show up were old acquaintances -- I got to do some fun catching up!  But I didn't make much money.

The Week 3 show was the worst show I've had since my second show ever (almost 5 years ago) .... the one where I didn't even make my modest booth fee.  I made my fee this time, but little more.  It was a first time show, and the organizers realized during the course of the day that they had made a couple serious mistakes.  We had no customers in the afternoon and several vendors sat with the organizers and there was great communication and brain storming.  We vendors shared some of our experiences ... what worked and what didn't at other shows we've done.  The organizers took us seriously and took notes.  Next year will be different.  The organizers had done some things right too -- they had attended several other nearby shows last fall and made contact with potential vendors, gathering a list of 200 sellers.  They sent out an email invitation to their list, but the show only ended up having 11 vendors (6 of whom sold jewelry).  I wasn't one who had received their email -- I found their application online.  The event sounded like fun and there was no mention on the app that it was their first year.  I'm suspicious that it was mentioned in the email -- and vendors didn't want to take a chance on a first year show.  Part of the problem for sellers was their location in relation to other activities -- next year, vendors will be placed between parking and other events so customers have to pass through the vendor area.  It also didn't help that we'd had a week of rainy cold weather and Saturday was gorgeous -- people wanted to be out in their yards and gardens, not out at a craft show. 

It's sounding pretty grim so far, isn't it?  It gets better .... I promise!!

So last Saturday, I was at another show.   This one, well established.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect ...mid 70's and partly sunny with a very light breeze.  The show was a mix of craft vendors and plant vendors and done at a beautiful Art and Garden Museum facility.  There were at least 150 vendors and it was our first outdoor show of the season.  It was well attended and  I had my best craft show of the year ... woohoo!!

So it made me wonder ..... is everyone having a tough spring with low sales, or is there something I should be doing differently?   I don't lack confidence in my craft -- I hear too many positive comments and I personally feel good about it -- so I'm not questioning that.  Is it the economy?  Is it the show?  Or is it me?  Have I missed some little factor that would make a big difference? 

We had a few minutes to talk to a foodie vendor, who has also been a craft vendor, doing both for many years.  She said that she was having the best year ever.  That was a little discouraging at first .. but as we continued talking, she made the observation that while her customers are still buying, the size of their individual purchases is getting smaller.  She used to sell a lot of "large" size product, but lately she's selling lots more "medium" size.  As I thought about it, I realized that's also been my experience this spring as well -- most of the sales were from my $5 trays and I haven't sold many necklaces, which have higher price tags.  The two shows where I'd done very poorly were also very poorly attended -- so there just wasn't the quantity of people to compensate for the smaller size sales.  And the two shows where I've done moderately well, it's been because I've sold a bunch of my smallest earrings. 

So how is it going with you?  How are your spring shows?  Are you finding your sales lower .. or maybe smaller?   I'm optimistic about my summer shows.  I think as more people feel more secure about their jobs, they will "loosen up" and begin spending.   A lot of people are more relaxed with their spending because they don't have to pay high heat bills.  And a lot of people have been very careful for quite a while -- they are ready to throw off caution and do a little shopping.  I hope they shop with me!!

Sometimes Smaller is Better

Yes, it was good to go a little bigger with the stone jewelry -- it works better that way.  But not all that's bigger is better, as evidenced at the craft show we did this past Saturday.

For some odd reason, the organizers put a lot of the jewelry vendors in the same area.  Across the aisle from me, there were 3 jewelry vendors side by side.  I was on a "corner" so across the aisle to our side and 2 spots ahead of us was another, and 2 spots behind us was yet another.  Within 4 spaces of my booth in all directions, there were 9 other jewelry vendors -- pretty heavy saturation.  

The show was slow ..... I mean sssslllllllooooooowwwwwww.  There were few people, and those who were there were conservative in their spending.   The show hours were 9 to 3 and like most shows, packing up early was strongly discouraged.  But at 1:30, one of the jewelry vendors behind me was packing up -- can't say for sure, but suspect they weren't selling anything.  At 2, the lady from across the aisle came over to chat -- she was SO discouraged -- hadn't had a sale all day.  As we were packing up, we chatted with some of our neighbors about their day -- the guy next to us (selling gorgeous photography) only made 1 sale and the couple selling jewelry across from him only had 1 sale.  The lady who came to talk to me did have some activity around 2:30 -- looked like she made 1 sale.  The guy right behind me selling foody stuff (YUMMY) said that this was the worst show he'd ever done.  Another jewelry vendor said her day was "horrible .. disheartening". 

My day wasn't fabulous, but it wasn't bad either -- I was satisfied, particularly in light of how other vendors had done.  So what made the difference?  I mean, I'm selling jewelry ... and there are tons of us out there.  I've been making changes to my display these past few months and tweaking things in my business ... so on the way home, my husband and I discussed what we thought contributed to our success.  I don't want to mess with something that's working!!

We came up with a list.  I'll share more of that list next week -- because I also want to take some photos this weekend at a show we're doing to post with the points.  I looked around at other vendors and compared -- I wasn't trying to be critical but I definitely wanted to analyze why my sales were reasonable when others were doing so poorly.  I have 5 trays of little earrings that I offer.  Each tray  holds 50 pairs of earrings on 1x1" cards.  The earrings are very simple and small and all the earrings in the trays sell for $5 each.  Most customers think nothing of dropping $5 for an item at a craft show.  I'm pretty sure that a lot of them end up being for girls, and some get purchased by older women who don't like dangles.  They are good for complimenting another piece of jewelry -- when you've got to have earrings but don't want them to detract from a stunning necklace.  Teen athletic types seem to like them -- they have to keep their jewelry small, as do many in medical professions.  Last Christmas, one lady, who was the head nurse of a unit bought a pair for each of her crew -- 13 pairs!  Big earrings are trendy and I see jewelry crafters offering a lot of bigger items -- but at a show where many vendors weren't selling enough to cover their booth fees, those little trays of earrings were turning me a profit!

Going Big!

If you've seen my work, you know that a lot of my jewelry designs are delicate and petite.  I don't actually wear a lot of jewelry ... but I love making it!   But I don't like a lot of the really big stuff that's so popular.  Apparently, I'm not the only one -- because I sell a lot of the little stuff at the craft shows I do.

At shows, I have several trays of very small earrings.  They are usually very simple with just one or two crystals, pearls or stones and a very basic earwire.  I sell everything in those trays for $5 each -- they don't cost a lot to make and I can make several in an hour so it does come out ok for pricing.  I'm sure that some of them will be worn by children, some are purchased to coordinate with a larger piece of jewelry and some are for women who, like me, just like their jewelry small.

I have a line of semi-precious stone jewelry -- none of it is listed on Etsy yet -- and it includes a tray of earrings.  I do sell from that tray, but for the longest time, my stone jewelry hanging on the earring rack wasn't getting much attention at craft shows.  Last week, I decided to really "analyze" my collection -- I came to the realization that I was offering too much that was too small.  As I thought about it, I realized that people tend to buy the larger designs in the stones.  I have 3 or 4 designs that I've been carrying around for several years and have either sold only one or two pairs or none at all.  So I decided to try going with all my larger designs.  I had to make a bunch of earrings to fill in my display racks but it paid off.  If I were guessing (educated guessing, of course), I would say that I've only sold 3 or 4 pairs of earrings off that rack in my last 6 shows.  In fact, the sales have been so slow, my husband was encouraging me to drop the whole line.  This past Saturday I was in a craft show -- it was not well attended and a lot of vendors were unhappy with their low sales.  In spite of the selling conditions, I sold 5 pairs off that stone earring rack!   We'll see how it goes in the future, but if sales continue, this could be one of those little tweaks you have to do from time to time that make a world of difference!

Keeping it Safe

Yesterday I posted my little journey of the past days into a very scary craft show application zone (if you haven't read it, you probably need to so today's post will make sense).  I do want to make it clear that I'm not accusing the organizer of scamming anyone -- I never sent my check.  If I had, he may very well have returned it.  And, as I mentioned in one of my forum posts, he's organized a show before at that location -- he may have been planning on it when he set up his show season and website and when it didn't pan out, he just didn't change his web info.  I have neglected my Etsy shop and my blog from time to time -- laziness is not the same as fraud.  It's not the best management or the most professional, but that doesn't make it a scam.  I posted my story because I could see how easily it could have become a scam and I hope that sharing my experience will help others be more watchful.

One of my forum friends reminded me that there was a big scam in Boston using a Bridal Show as a front -- I knew about it.  Apparently, a show organizer took large sums of money from vendors for booth fees at a bridal show (such shows are usually far more expensive than craft shows) and even went so far as to advertise on a local radio station.  The whole thing looked very legitimate -- but wasn't and the vendors were left out in the cold.  While it's awful that the vendors were scammed like that, my concern is actually about the forms they filled out.  

I don't know about you, but a lot of the craft show forms I fill out ask for my tax ID or Social Security number -- in many states, show organizers are required to provide this information to state tax authorities (which I totally understand).  My issue with it is, that I may not get accepted into a particular show but I've provided my most private identity information to someone I don't know and who is unlikely to be bonded in any way.  I've begun enclosing a note with my applications stating that due to concerns over identity theft, I will not provide my private numbers until after I've been accepted to a show.  I'm sure that adds to the work load of the show organizer -- having to link my info to my application later on.  But identity theft is too big a problem for crafters to be handing their info to just anyone.  Many applications require a self addressed stamped envelope for the return of photos submitted -- I've gotten photos back, but have never gotten my application back.  What did the organizer do with it?  Where did my personal information go?   Those vendors in Boston not only lost hundreds and thousands of dollars in booth fees, which is tragic enough, but they also provided personal information to these same scammers.

I would like to challenge craft show organizers to find a different way of collecting and securing personal information from vendors -- maybe indicate to a vendor on the application that such information will be required after acceptance.  Add a "security page" to the application which can be filled out and returned after the vendor has been accepted ... or send a small form with their acceptance letter.   There needs to be some reasonable way for the vendor to provide that information without putting themselves in jeopardy of identity theft.

And for those of us who take credit cards from our customers, we need to have a secure method of handling and storing their information.   I use a knuckle buster at craft shows to take credit cards so I have a "paper trail" to prove the transaction -- but I also have to maintain those forms in a way that's secure.  I don't really want to reveal what I do here because I don't want to announce that on a blog and invite trouble -- but just know that I have a security plan for keeping my customer's credit card numbers safe.  

We need to be keeping it safe -- for ourselves and our customers.