Bohemian Mermaid Palace

Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival - Winthrop, WA Craft Shows, Art Fairs, and Street Festivals: What's the Difference? My last post about the hierarchy of art & craft stimulated a bit of discussion in some of my fb arts groups. Something I realized reading through it, is that some people have a strict idea of what a venue will be like according to its name. Some artists put a lot of credit and credibility on an event named Art Fair or Fine Art & Craft show. Likewise, some of them have a very specific idea of what a Craft Show is or is not. They have a vision in their minds of what is for sale at a craft show, as if it's always the same. It's not. At all.  I think it's really strange. Because unless you live under a gallery rock, you have to know there is a VERY broad range of shows out there. They are named to be descriptive to their audience yes, but there is no master checklist for naming a show Art or Craft or Fair or Festival or wh...

The Judgement of Art vs Craft is Useless Ah, I have been wanting to write this for a long time. The discussion around Art vs Craft has been happening as long as I can remember. Especially in art school, I heard this talked about a million times. What is art? The conclusion I came to then was that this debate is futile, similar to talking religion. Everyone has a different view, and none of them are wrong. It's a debate you cannot win, and so has always frustrated me. I just don't participate, unless asked directly.  But recently I saw a thread in an artist group I'm in. It's a national group on Facebook called Art Fair Reviews. Many people in that group have very high regard for what they do, and lesser regard for those they consider to be... lesser. The discussion was so arrogant and gross, I had to leave. But I've seen it a so often. And in my own group, West Coast Artists and Artisans , I have struggled with this same tendency toward something I ...

Best Practices for Your Craft Booth Display I visited a new local festival the other day, and it got me thinking. Who is teaching these vendors how to make an effective display? Nobody from what I saw. Lots of nice artwork and handmade goods there, nothing against their efforts. But walking around as a shopper (for once!! I never get to do that!), I was a little appalled by what I saw. And it hit me that maybe they just don't understand how bad that is for sales, to have such a dismal display for their wonderful products. I didn't visit many of those booths really, and not to be mean. There just didn't seem to be any reason to go in. I couldn't tell what was for sale, or they were staring at me behind a tiny table with nothing else around them. I don't know... some of them were pretty bad. It's so important to have a nice looking display. It really sets the tone and expectations for your customer. Think of it as your packaging, your store. What ki...

Rain at one of my best shows. Sad face! What to Do When the Craft Shows are NOT Going Well Bad show. We have all been there! I don't think it matters how long you have been selling your handmade work, a bad show feels terrible. One slow day at a festival can sometimes have you rethinking your entire path in life! ha.  Especially when you have so much of your hard work, heart, and cash wrapped up in your inventory. It hurts. But, when you are brand new at doing craft shows, you should expect the first few to be not great. There are many different factors that make a show good or bad for you... and it's not always predictable even when you figure them all out. It will take time and experience to learn, just like any other job. So don't freak out! Here are a few things to think about when you are having low sales in your booth: Find the Right Shows This is actually an ongoing quest forever. But especially in the beginning, it takes some time to figure o...

How to Plan a Private Pop-Up "Home" Party Ah! This is a good one! In my search for better and more independent selling opportunity for artists, namely myself, I have always loved the private party concept. This type of sales party has been around forever, mostly for commercial goods. But artists are doing this type of selling as well, and I would love to see it become popular again. If you haven't tried one, you definitely should! Especially if you have creative friends you can work with, to offer multiple crafts for sale. You can take turns finding new hosts, and make it a fun filler thing to do between craft shows. In my experience, the private pop-up sale works great for the artists, the host is happy to receive gifts for their efforts, and the guests have a great time shopping for unique handmade goods while visiting with friends. We all win!!  What I love about the Private Pop-Up Party: - Easy to organize, especially with friends.  - Zero $$ ...

Awww it's so nice to see my little old blog still sitting here, waiting for my return. Sometimes I feel sad that other social media have been taking my attention away. Well it's possible I'm back, with a focus again on helping artists sell their work at craft shows. It's where my heart is! I just love talking about it, and supporting creative small business. So that's what I'm going to be posting here from now on.  See my list of previous posts on the subject on the sidebar >>> I'm also thinking about starting a youtube channel, which really sounds fun to me! Short informative videos on all aspects of selling art and crafts at shows. I have been totally geeking out on this for a while now... so I have many lists of topics and ideas, as well as having nearly completed an entire workshop curriculum. Woop!! Ultimately I want to create more online resources for artist, like workshops and ebooks that I'm hoping will be a help for newbies and e...

Make the Switch to a Business Mindset You know, it was so long ago that I made this switch, I forget how difficult it can be. I decided in high school that it was pos sible to make a living by making things and selling them. I'm not sure how I came to that conclusion exactly, I didn't know anyone who was doing that. But at 18 I was starting to believe (as I do still) that anything is possible . Why couldn't I? As a n art major in college, a bout mid way through I dec ided to quit waitressing and try to work at only art-related jobs. And I did that. So by the time I graduated and started working on my current business, I had already made the switch. I was already used to getting paid for my art skills. I had already started a pre-business during college, selling my crochet hats and beaded jewelry to friends, online, and even a few craft shows. But really, it started when I made that decision in high school. That I could do what I love, what I'm good at, ...

Mermaid Tour 2015: Last Leg Here's another interactive m ap of my route west. The east bound map is on my first T our post ( see the tag at the end of this post). It's fun to map it all out like this, I can picture most  of the towns and areas I passed through still in my mind . It helps that I did the same t rip just last year , I feel like I know this route pretty well now.   After a great visit in North Dakota, and a nice breakfast with my mom, I started back west toward my next show in Whitefish, Montana.  It was raining when I left, and continu ed throughout the day in varying degrees. Until around Bozeman, when I hit a big th under storm. L ike I've said before, I think it's just part of the routine when you drive across MT to hit storms. I got a great pic of lightning in the not so far distance last year. And just like last year, there was a point where the storm was so crazy, the wind so strong, the rain so heavy , and the visibility so bad, t...