[Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets

Wed Mar 14 13:59:57 UTC 2012

I am laughing at Terry's comments - they are so true and so typical of our 
experiences.  Yes, they say they will "be back."  but that is their way of 
leaving your table gracefully. They most likely will never be back - it is 
quite unusual for someone to come back but occasionally one will - it is 
always a surprise. We call those people "BE BACKERS" and we joke about that 
all the time.  BE BACKERS almost NEVER come back.

And, it is our human nature to think that something is wrong with us or our 
spot in the show - we blame ourselves when we do not sell very much.  It is 
almost never your spot that is the problem, unless you are next to a 
bathroom, or near a food area. Other than that, all spots are good spots - 
you just never never want anywhere near food or bathrooms - never.

We are always looking for the next show that MIGHT BE a GOOD ONE. My son 
told me last year I am addicted to craft shows - he is a psychologist. He 
cannot understand why anyone would keep doing these things year after year 
and have so little to show for the hard work - he is right!  It is because 
as crafters and artisans we are very optimistic people, and we WANT to do 
well, so we keep thinking the next one will be better.  It seldom is - but 
occasionally you'll hit a good one, and that keeps you going again.
I think I need to take up a new addiction! haha

Lynda River Woman
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Heather Kirkwood" <hkdawn at yahoo.com>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 9:46 AM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets

Lynda, those were awesome tips. You should put them into an article!

Heather KirkwoodDirector of Outreach, Vice PresidentHermansky-Pudlak 
Syndrome NetworkOne South RoadOyster Bay, NY 117711 (800) 
789-9HPSwww.hpsnetwork.org Personal blog: www.heatherkirkwood.blogspot.com 
Search the Web at www.goodsearch.com and choose the HPS Network as your 
charity! HPS New York Conference - March 16-18, 2012

--- On Wed, 3/14/12, Powers, Terry (NIH/OD/DEAS) [E] <Terry.Powers at nih.gov> 
wrote:

From: Powers, Terry (NIH/OD/DEAS) [E] <Terry.Powers at nih.gov>
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets
To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 8:15 AM

Lindy;
I have only sold at NFB events and one at the National Institute of Health, 
not the actual building I work in. I had no success at the NIH event, it 
might have been my location in the room, I really do not know. Many said 
they would be back and never returned.
I make braille labels for most of my items, with a description and the 
price. I also have the price, in print. I try to have my items, sourted out 
in catigories. I tell people what I am selling and ask them what they might 
be interested in and what color. With braille labels, I can find a spacific 
color, or tell what color I have left. I also try to keep an up to date 
inventory list.
Fliers, business cards and if you want, a portfolio are nice to have.

Terry Powers

-----Original Message-----
From: Lindy van der Merwe [mailto:stephlin at iafrica.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 11:39 AM
To: List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets

Thanks, Linda, for all the tips and ideas. I have not yet decided to do the 
craft market on a permanent basis. You have reminded me to also look for 
some other alternatives and have given me some great ideas to work with. My 
sincere thanks.
It looks like I will have someone with me for my next market, so I'm sure it 
will also help me get comfortable if I decide to do this type of selling 
more in future.
Kindest regards.
Lindy

Find PRACTICAL PRODUCTS on FACEBOOK:
http://www.facebook.com/practicalproducts
----- Original Message -----
From: "River Woman" <riverwoman at zoominternet.net>
To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 2:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets

>I sell jewelry and knitted accessories. I no longer do "craft shows" but I
>do some higher end "Holiday Markets." The ones I do now are set up
>boutique style where the customers show the entire show, then bring the
>things they wish to purchase to the "check out" area where it is sold and
>bagged for them. This works perfect for a blind person because you do not
>stay at your area, other than to come in a replenish the stock. A much
>better clientelle visites this type of market, and you get much better
>prices.
>
> I did do craft shows for quite a few years. I soon learned that shows held
> in churches, fire halls, and schools are typically very low end ones and
> flooded with tons of people there to have lunch and visit, but not to buy.
> And, they are not discriminate about how many vendors they have selling a
> particular thing. ie, they may have a dozen tables of jewelry vendors -
> which means very little sales for any of them.
>
>
> I do only one show now in which I am there at my booth the whole time. It
> is in a museum, so again, the clientelle is much better and they are
> really there to buy nice things.
>
> I always have a family member at my booth with me.
> I am alone at times when they take a bathroom break, and after doing this
> many times for the four years I have been without sight, I am always quite
> nervous.
> There is no way anyone would know I am blind at all. Even after I say so,
> they are skeptical about it. I look them in the eye, and I engage with
> them through gestures as I always did before. There is nothing about me
> that reads "blind" unless they saw me walking in with my cane.
>
> Customers always say "over there" "that one" "this one" the "pink one"
> etc. That is the normal way for a person who can see to designate things
> and they have no idea that we cannot know what they mean. They are really
> clueless about blindness - I sure was! I understand this.
>
> Here is what I do that helps though:
> I put a clearly marked price tag is on every item.
> If they ask the price, I hand it to them and say, "Here, you can see the
> price on the tag." I also put any other pertinent information on the tag -
> I use large tags so it is very CLEAR to them.
> Money? I have the bills put in an order that is always the same. I use
> only bills and never have any change. This eliminates a very big worry.
>
> I never price anything with "cents" involved. Everything with only
> "dollars" this way the item is $5. or $10. etc. You can back the taxes
> off of the price after you get home. When you do your pricing, just round
> it UP to the next dollar amount. This has saved me so much worries. This
> way you need never worry about making change with those coins.
>
> You can get a money ID thing for your bills. I have an ID PacMate that
> reads bar codes so you can even make bar codes for your items which is
> pretty cool.
>
> Any time I sell things that are different colors, I put them in "Roy G.
> Biv" order. In fact, everything I can put into that order in my own
> house - all my jewelry is in Roy G. Biv order. Roy G. Biv means Red,
> Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. In my home I have plexiglas
> containers that are tall. Each one has a lid, and each one holds one color
> of necklaces. They are in Roy G. Biv order on my dresser. No worries about
> what color I am getting, if it is kept in order.
> Another special container holds all my earrings in this order, too. I
> found a wonderful Earring Box on Home Shopping Network. It holds 72 pairs
> of earrings. All in order and easy for me to find just what I am looking
> for.
>
> I do know that some people will definitely cheat you if given the
> opportunity. If I had not had my daughter with me to watch the
> transactions, there were some times when I would have given a person
> change for a $20. when she really gave me a $10. and the person stood
> there waiting for the change. My daughter saw it happening and ran over to
> clue me in. Also, teen age girls come into your booth in groups and they
> are there to steal - one engages you in conversation while the firends are
> stealing. This happens a lot at outdoor festivals. I cannot imagine being
> in the booth alone without some watchful eyes to watch the crowd -
> especially when you sell jewelry. It is small and very easily slid off the
> table into a tote bag even when a person CAN see well.
>
> Those would be my most important tips after about 10 years of doing arts
> festivals, craft shows, and markets.
>
> Lynda River Woman
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Lindy van der Merwe" <stephlin at iafrica.com>
> To: "List for blind crafters and artists" <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 3:03 AM
> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Selling at craft markets
>
>
>> Hi there,
>> To those who sell at craft markets, I was wondering about a few things.
>> 1 Do any of you manage a stall or a table on your own, or do you usually
>> have someone there to help?
>> 2 If you do it on your own, how do you answer the questions: how much is
>> this? or I'd like to take this ... or Do you have change for this?
>> 3 How do you handle sorting and exchanging paper money?
>> I had my first experience with selling at a stall last Saturday and these
>> were some of the aspects I had to deal with.
>> I don't think it is immediately obvious that I am blind, which did make
>> for some awkward situations, I thought.
>> Perhaps there may be some obvious answers to some of these questions, or
>> perhaps I just need some practice with being more comfortable in dealing
>> with strangers in that type of setting?
>> I know it will be most helpful to have prices on either the products or
>> on the containers they reside in, but it just felt like people related to
>> me using gestures a lot of the time, which obviously made communication
>> somewhat difficult and even though I wanted to respond in a confident
>> manner, I found it quite challenging at times.
>> Any ideas and thoughts would be much appreciated.
>> Lindy
>>
>>
>> Find PRACTICAL PRODUCTS on FACEBOOK:
>> http://www.facebook.com/practicalproducts
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
>> To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 5:28 AM
>> Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Looking for volunteers
>>
>>
>>>I am looking for teachers to teach the classes. Do you know or are you
>>> interested in teaching any of these suggested classes? I need
>>> volunteers to
>>> teach.
>>>
>>> Heads up we hopefully will be having an email class with an Origami
>>> project
>>> in the near future. I will do a soap class and a sewing class, but
>>> I
>>> am busy with kicking off my new craft business. I am not sure if I
>>> can
>>> fit classes in that I will teach between now and middle of July. I
>>> have 4
>>> holidays between now and then to fill orders. Hopefully I am putting
>>> St.
>>> Patty's Day Wild Irish Roses to bed maybe by tomorrow. I have 100 in
>>> reserve
>>> for my Irish Bar that is selling soo many of them. I spent the last 2
>>> days
>>> working on Easter ones to get a head start. I will know on Wednesday
>>> if
>>> they need any more St. Patty's Day ones.
>>>
>>> We need to wait for the Latch Hook class to be finished before we start
>>> a
>>> new email class. I want to only do one at a time email class for now,
>>> until we work any problems out.
>>>
>>> So think about what you can teach, host a chat night topic. I will
>>> be
>>> there to help with what YOU do.
>>>
>>> Krafters Korner is for everyone and everyone makes Krafters Korner what
>>> it
>>> is!
>>> Joyce Kane
>>> _www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
>>> Blindhands at AOL.com
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
>>> Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> Nfb-krafters-korner:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/stephlin%40iafrica.com
>>>
>>>
>>> -----
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 10.0.1424 / Virus Database: 2113/4866 - Release Date: 03/12/12
>>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
>> Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Nfb-krafters-korner:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/riverwoman%40zoominternet.net
>>
>>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
> Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Nfb-krafters-korner:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/stephlin%40iafrica.com
>
>
> -----
> No virus found in this message.
> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
> Version: 10.0.1424 / Virus Database: 2113/4867 - Release Date: 03/12/12
>

_______________________________________________
Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Nfb-krafters-korner:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/terry.powers%40nih.gov

_______________________________________________
Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Nfb-krafters-korner:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/hkdawn%40yahoo.com
_______________________________________________
Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
Nfb-krafters-korner:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/riverwoman%40zoominternet.net