www.1001TopWords.com |
Capturing the Craft Show Market
Finding the right product to sell at a craft show is extremelyimportant in finding success on the craft show circuit. You mayalready have an excellent craft product or line of products youare creating or even selling, or you may be looking for a craftto produce in order to enter the business. In either case,market research is going to help you find a craft show productthat you can produce at a low enough cost to net a profit - andone that you will enjoy making. If you don't spend time lookinginto what everyone else has at their craft show booth, you mightrepeat what others have, or create a product no one really wants. What exactly is a craft? The dictionary definition of "craft" isto make by hand, therefore, theoretically anything handmade is acraft. Although that's true, a craft typically falls into acategory of items that are normally sold under the umbrella ofarts and crafts that are either decorative or useful or both-andthat consumers generally purchase for ornamental or practicaluse. The endless creativity of new craft show items is nothingshort of remarkable. The product you choose will likely be oneyou enjoy producing or have a natural affinity for. It might bea skill passed down from generation to generation in yourfamily, but you can also learn it on your own. You may decideto take classes or apprentice to a master to learn a new skillfor producing a craft show item. Yet in order to make your craftbusiness a success, you should consider doing a little bit ofhomework about what craft show item to make, ahead of time. Market research What sells? Wouldn't you like to have the answer to thatquestion before putting all your resources into creating aproduct? How can you get the answer? Market research. Any largecompany that manufactures products utilizes market researchbefore developing new products. You can use the Internet as wellas common sense. You can ask friends, visit craft shows,galleries, retail stores, eBay and other websites to see what isselling and what isn't. Ask other artisans and craft show boothowners. Study trends by reading consumer magazines, tradejournals, the fashion section of the newspaper or even watchingTV. Product ideas also come from everyday life-find a niche and fillit ? and you will most certainly find success in craft shows. But, you need to make sure you stay on the cutting edge. Children, animals and nature can provide inspiration as well. Jot ideas for craft show items in your notebook or computerwhenever you come up with something you think would be a hotseller. Compile a list of possible items and compare it to whatyou might enjoy producing. Then ask yourself if the craft showitem is practical, decorative, unique, can be priced right (forprofit), has a personal touch, is of excellent quality andoffers exceptional value. You might also want to check out the competition in any categoryyou select. How can you put a spin on your product to make itdistinct and stand out from the others? If you're a crafter,you're probably highly creative, so use your creativity to comeup with something imaginative. Without plunging into it full on,see if you can make a few samples and solicit feedback fromfriends or store owners. Do a small craft show and gaugecustomer response. If all systems seem to be saying "go" then gofor it! Find a craft you enjoy making, that you can constructefficiently and cost effectively, and one you can sell, and youhave the craft show market cornered. But, you probably aren'tgoing to land the perfect product without some groundwork donebeforehand. If you want to find the utmost in craft showsuccess, then take the time to deliver a product that you haveresearched, and watch craft collectors flock to your booth! Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Invest in Antique, Vintage, or Modern Jewelry As Antique Jewelry is 'Really' based on the 'Collectability' and Style of an item, it is hard for clients to appreciate the 'Craft' involved in Handmade work, as they only see the Gold value or Diamond Value fluctuate over the years. Family Fun on the Rails Imagine your are five years old. As your family arrives at the train station, your hand slips free of your Mom's and you dash over to the tracks. Looking left, then right, your eager eyes scan the horizon, searching for your train. Getting Started With Radio Control Cars Take note that you need to decide whether you want a radio control nitro or gas car or perhaps one that has an electric engine. You could purchase either one which is ready to run (rtr) or a kit. Now, knowing how much you would want to spend start going shopping for a vehicle that fits your specifications. Like me passion is what drew me to this exciting hobby and there's a lot you are going to learn before you can "get behind the wheel". Antiques From Europe...Is It Really The Goose That Layed the Golden Egg? Many dealers and auctioneers have been bringing container loads of antiques from Europe for years now. The lure of getting "fresh to the market" antique furniture and "smalls" is something that can bring renewed excitement back into your antique business. The Leather Look, Accents, and Punching for Your Scrapbook A leather look can add elegance to your scrapbooking page. Decorative Metal Work Techniques From The Early 1900s Today's Metal Craft workers should truly appreciate the artistic skills & techniques used exclusively by the highly skilled metal artisans from almost one hundred years ago. PE-Design Embroidery Digitizing Software: Getting Started This article is in response to the emails I receive from my website asking for my thoughts on PE-Design. If you are considering purchasing embridery digitizing programs, I hope this information will help your research. Is There Money To Be Made In Depression Glass You've seen the shows on television. You've watched theauctions online. You've read the stories in the newspaper. Copyright: Five Facts Every Scrapbooker Needs To Know! Here are five basic things that EVERY scrapbooker should know about copyright: Sharing Journals Creating a journal or diary that combines scrapbooking and journaling, is a journal that you can share. Writing about experiences and feelings, and including photos, ticket stubs, magazine or newspaper clippings, fortune cookie fortunes, drawings, and more, enhances and further explains those experiences and feelings, becoming a treasured keepsake for you and for your family and friends to share for years to come. 17 Tips For Getting Balloons to Last Longer in Hot Weather In warm weather, latex balloons will typically only last outside for a day. As you know, sun, wind and heat will biodegrade the latex. With that said, however, there are tricks you can do to raise your odds of getting them to last more than a day outside. Christmas Gifts Kids Can Make Christmas is a time of giving and receiving. Even kids would want to get into the picture. Giving gifts to their friends and loved ones.Now what gifts can kids give that do not look tacky? I mean, kids generally do not have much income. It kind of breaks a mom's heart to see a kid break his or her piggy bank just to buy a gift for someone who might not really appreciate it.A better alternative is to get kids to make something cute to give as gifts to those who matter to them. One thing that comes to mind is a pet rock. Those cute little pebbles with faces, which one could get quite fond of. These are easy to make, and they are practical as well. Pet rocks make great paper weights. Add a secret message below and you have an adorable, personal gift a kid could make, without breaking the bank.All the kid has to do is to collect some smooth pebbles, each around the size of his or her palm. Mom can supply the felt, glue, cardboard and pens. Kids just spend their free time making gifts they can give out on Christmas day. The glue must be able to stick the felt to the stone. To avoid disappointment, test first by sticking a small piece of felt to a stone that you do not want. Stick another small piece of felt on top of it. Let it dry. If the felt pieces stay stuck to each other and to the stone, you are all set to go.How To Make Pebble Pets Ribbons and Lace, Embroidery Cotton, and Hemp to Spice Up Your Scrapbooks Ribbon and lace are by far the most common, and most beautiful, border embellishment. The flowing nature of both materials encourages a touch of softness and elegance. Ribbon and lace are especially popular in gift and memory scrapbooks. A Look at Cabinet Humidors Cabinet humidors are specially designed for the serious cigar aficionado. Much more of an investment than a small desktop humidor that can hold 100 to 200 cigars, cabinet humidors can be as small as a standing chest, can hold up to 8000 cigars or more, can measure as much as four feet wide by 20 inches deep and over six feet in height or larger and resemble a large bookcase, and can cost from the high hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars. These humidors are designed for the discriminating aficionado, and because of their size and the cost, they are considered a good long-term investment. A Brief History of Japanese Daruma Dolls Daruma dolls are representations of the historical Indian priest Bodhidharma, a sage who traveled throughout Japan and China in the 5th or 6th century AD. Bodhidharma is credited with establishing Chan Buddhism in China and Zen Buddhism in Japan. Legend has it that Bodhidharma achieved enlightenment, or satori, following seven years of meditation either in a cave or as he was facing the wall of a room at the Shorinji Temple in China. During this time he moved neither his eyes nor his limbs. Legend has it that as a result of his inactivity Bodhidharma's limbs shriveled and fell off. Another legend relates that angry with the fact that he had fallen asleep during his meditation, Bodhidharma cut off his eyelids in a fit of anger. It is believed that the severed eyelids fell to the ground and sprouted into China's first green tea plants! Mini Rc Cars Did your heart ever palpitate for fast driving? Did you ever imagine your hands controlling an extremely speedy car? I f so, then you should definitely experience the gravity and true charm of mini RC cars. Finding The Best Display Case For Your Treasures Maybe you have a bunch of collectibles sitting in your closet gathering dust. Or perhaps you've been storing your fine China in the kitchen cupboards instead of a hutch. Far too often we sequester our prized possessions rather than place them where they deserve to be... on display. Airbrushing Does Not Have to be All Disappointment, Heartache, and Bloody Hard Work! A smart, but irritating man once told me that Airbrushing did not have to be all blood, sweat and tears. If only I had someone guiding me back in those hard, frustrating and sick in the stomach days of airbrushing, I wouldn't have wasted all that time and money! Family Album In The Digital Age Back then it was simple - you take the picture, you print it and put it in your family album. But now you have a digital camera. So do your cousins, uncles, aunts and grandpa Joe. What are you going to do with thousands of digital photos to pass them onto the future generations? Read our advice. Soap Making For Beginners ? Melt And Pour Process As you will learn, soap making can be simple or complex. Some people enjoy the challenge of going all out professionally, which is fine. However, other people simply want to make soap for personal use or to give as an occasional gift. |
© Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |