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Questions 1&2 of New 40 Question Blog Series - Developing Your Booth Display Style

Posted by Michelle Sholund on February 11, 2010 at 2:39pm

40 Questions Blog Series: Question 1&2 – Developing your Booth Display Style


To kick off the Blog Series called 40 Questions, the first several questions will cover the area of boothdesign. Booth design covers style, function, cover/protection, andso on. The following questions are all about finding your ownpersonal style which should flow into branding your art/craftbusiness. Do follow along, using a piece of paper or journal andwriting down the questions and answer them as honestly as you cantaking your time when answering them.


Question 1: Picture yourself with a limitless amount of funds to spend however you want.Using that money describe how your ideal booth would look like?Think about color, texture, fixtures, what you have seen atshows that stood out, whatever...


Question 2: Because we all budget our money, are there still ways you can make your dream booth become areality?


I first did this exercise when I worked for Starbucks. I was goingthrough a management program and in efforts to attract more peopleinto the store we were asked how would your ideal store look. Withworking with others in this exercise ideas ranged from having agarden like courtyard cafe seating, aesthetic aquariums, messageboards to promote a local dating service, live entertainment areas,and funky furniture. I still use this exercise and have applied itin designing my own booth display. My current booth design beganwhen I looked at my logo, a dew kissed green leaf with a light bluebackground – tranquil colors. The name of my craft business is Bythe Bay Botanicals and focuses around products that promotetranquility. Staying with this theme it was clear the design neededto be natural, showing off my craft, but still be true to theme. Ishopped for natural pine shelving displays and incorporated two tables, whichI already had. I bought white table coverings that went to theground and a short table covering of ocean blue as well as covered the pine shelves with patio furniture fabric that matched my theme colors. With the additionof some silk flowered vines and lighting I created a display thatmatched my products. This new display not only allowed customers to shop freely and allow more room display my craft, people remembered my business name better and could easily find me at shows at it stood out from the crowd - all that was accomplished through a little bit of change into my booth display.


As you look at your current display you may find you are happy withits design, but need to tweak it a little. Working with dimension, having your work visible at different eye levels can be a great solution. It is a great remedy if you find customersfeeling cramped in your booth. Shelving or stacked crates are just two ideas that can createdimension and doesn't have to be expensive. Think about color –customers are attracted to color and if every booth is acookie-cutter white booth with white table covering (one after another)you will loose to those that embrace color.You want to create an identity that is all your own. I have seensome great ideas where one used tulle in 1-2 colors wrapped about thepoles of their canopy or incorporated astro turf into their displayto sell garden art.


My final thoughts. In designing your booth, it is important to havea booth that regular customers will recognize, but at the same timecreates a buzz that your items are fresh and that you do offer newart/craft work at each show or it varies from season to season. Think back to past shows and booths you have seen. Are there booths that seems stale because it doesn't change.Don't you get the impression that they sell the same thing over andover, year after year because their booth display is the same year after year? Don't be the owner of the boring booth! The next question in this series divesinto developing a booth theme as well as how to find booth displayfurniture and what kind is ideal for each medium. Stay tuned...

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New Blog Series for Art Fair Insiders: 40 Questions to Identify and Solve Problems Craft Artists Have Today

Posted by Michelle Sholund on February 10, 2010 at 3:45pm

New
Blog Series: Forty Questions - Identifying problems and issues and
tips on solving them.



Buckle your seat belts as over the next few weeks, with the support of Connie Mettler, I will be doing a blog series regarding my 40 questions method in helping to identify problems craft artists have today and offer ideas on how to solve them. This series will be posted via my own blog, www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com as well as here on Artfairinsiders.com . I encourage all to add your thoughts regarding each topic covered that will be posted either every day or every other day.

First,here's a bit of background about myself as well as how I came up with
these 40 questions...

Back in 1997 I was involved with a groupof crafts people who all shared in a need to want to do more in getting
the word out on how to become better business people, but gear it to
craft artists who do art fairs and other similar events. Through
sharing our frustrations, ideas, tips, etc. I started the Mid-Atlantic
Crafter Expo which was like a typical expo but for craft artists. What
made the event what it was is that we had 15 different exhibitors from
website designers, promoters, jury slide photographers, and two keynote
speakers and 7 other mini speakers talk about tips on designing a
website, how to organize one's workshop, report on trends of what was
going on at shows (back then), and so much more. This event helped so
many people, but due to funding I couldn't afford to do a follow up
event. Regardless this opened the door for me to do consulting work and
give talks at seminars on how to not just be a great artist but be a
great business person too. It was at this time I developed a 40
question survey to learn a little about the clients I was working with
to help identify what they their needs and problems are to come of with
some effective solutions.

At this time, Feb 10th, 2010, I am snowed in in Maryland and I have nothing buttime to share my tips, for free, on this topic. As Spring art fairs and
festivals will be around the corner (which can't come soon enough!) and the beginning of a new decade,
it is clear folks are looking for answers now. This is the best time to
work together on these questions, using both my personal experiences
and others, to share with those who follow my blog regularly as well as
with folks on
www.artfairinsiders.com .

Starting today I will be postingthese 40 questions and doing my best to answer them, not only from my
own perspective with my own business, but open it up to you, my friends
and colleagues to share your thoughts as well. I suggest answering
these questions yourself and keeping a record of your answers as we take
this adventure together in finding more about ourselves as artists as
well as being better business people too. Again, please stay tuned
every day or every other day for new blog posts and if you have any
questions yourself that you would like me to address, please email me at
mksholund@gmail.com !
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How to become an expert of doing "Bad" art fairs.

Posted by Michelle Sholund on October 26, 2009 at 8:09pm
I just had a bad show this past weekend. Maybe you, yeah you, the one reading this did too. I have had quite a few of them this year with some glimmer of hope shows in-between to make me think, ok, maybe the economy isn't all doom and gloom. So, with my experience of having several bad shows under my belt - bad meaning not profitable - I feel I can add this to my expertise book too - an expert on doing bad shows. However, I want to illustrate that just because a show isn't profitable doesn't mean it has to spoil the whole day. There are actual good things that come out of bad shows, but you have to open your eyes and mind to see them. Here's a list of things I have learned that can make a bad show kinda fun and still walk away with a smile at the end of the day.First, I want to make it clear I am disappointed as others in my position when it comes to doing a bad show. Aside from theft or having your work destroyed, one of the worse things that can happen is not turn a profit - not be compensated for all the hard work in making the art, but go through all the motions to sell it too. So, in hopes of trying to make a bad situation better, please consider the things you can still be thankful for, no matter how rough a show can be.1. Stock. I labored until 12:30 the night before this past show, which took place in a mall, to make sure I had enough stock. After all you never know - people should be planning ahead for the holidays or take a mental note to find you again when the holidays get closer at future shows. In making extra stock, you always think - whoo hoo, I won't have to haul it all back home, it won't be as heavy then. That is something I always forget, because if a show is bad you still have to haul it all back home and sometimes more difficult to get back into the car. The good part - I don't have to make any more stock for the next show! Think about how nice that is for a moment. The simple notion of all one needs to do is simply load everything back into the car when the time comes, well, puts a big grin on my face. Perhaps you too? This is why I do not recommend putting things on sale at the end of the day to hopefully move it all is selling yourself short. Why discount your work, that is in perfect condition, so you merely have to go home and slave away to make more for the next show? Not only that, people start to expect you to discount your work at every show and will only start shopping when you lower your prices. Totally defeats the purpose, right?2. Down time = networking time. There are only so many things a person can do when there is down time at a show - rearrange your display, do an inventory check, tidy things that may get misplaced... Take this time as an opportunity to learn a little about your neighbors. Just as you have a fascinating story about how you got involved in doing art shows so do the countless others you are selling next to. You may find they have advice for you, live just minutes from where you live now or when you were younger, offer info on up-coming shows, maybe even buy from you because you never know. This past show I learned a fellow exhibitor had a birthday and a small group of us surprised her and sang Happy Birthday - she was surprised. I didn't know her, but she was so tickled to know that there are some great people out there willing to do something as simple as wish her a happy birthday, probably made her day. I also learned another vendor is from Hawaii - as I am part Hawaiian, and the last 2 hours of the show we talked about food, places, jokes, all that stuff. If I was in my 10x10 the whole time ignoring the world around me, I would have never had a good time meeting nice people, learn about how others are fairing at other shows, all making the hours pass like minutes.3. Breakdown. The first thing you think of, when you have a bad show, is how much longer before I can pack up. Maybe the thought would people notice if I pack up early creeps in your mind too? Well, most opt to pack up early. I even did - the show ran until 9:00 p.m. and I started packing at 8:00 - consolidating overstock and turning lights off. However others were out by 7:00 p.m. While you take your time breaking down and others are rushing to get out of there you realize two great things. A) You still get a few sales as the show is still open and people will only buy from those still open. B) After these people leave, it frees up a closer parking space (loading space near the entrance) where you can just pull your vehicle up without traffic congestion and get in and get out in no time.4. Doing bad shows forces you to be more observant. When I say observant I am referring to watching what others are doing and learn a little more about the lifestyle of how things work in the environment you are selling in. So many people, who have a short fuse when they have a bad show quickly blame things on everyone else. But what I saw are little things that could be improved and an even bigger picture that "fate" is out of your hands. What I saw that could be improved was that there were no real signs within the mall to let patrons know there is a craft show going on TODAY. IT was a first time show and something so obvious was just overlooked by the organizer. The show took place inside an abandoned dept. store - big and in a great locale (very secure and great access to all things like being near the food court and movie theater). However those who come to the mall on a regular basis will always assume it is a vacant area UNLESS they see something somewhere that tells them otherwise especially those who may have seen some advertising and get there and think the event is canceled because there are no obvious signs a show is going on. You also see that people don't go to a mall - or ART SHOW - and buy from everyone. They have a plan to seek the place they need to go to and if there is time, see what else there is - maybe a sale, a new shop, a new style of clothing for the season attracts your eye... So many artists/crafts people believe that every patron shops at every place - impossible! I have never seen this as what each artist offers isn't what EVERYONE needs at that very day. This is why some shows are better than others (where some shows offer such variety and attract so many people that you are bound to have good sales) or why some locations are better than others. You also pick up on tidbits regarding your target market - and in other instances who will never be a customer of yours and why. This will help you down the line when planning shows - which merchandise might move more (depending on the show) as well as focusing your work to a better line of what is more likely to sell, purging older works at the same time. In other words, having some down time really allows you to really see things they way they really are than how we all assume how things probably are.5. Count your blessings. I always think it could have been worse. I could have paid a whole lot more for the space and lost even more money - the space this past weekend was very cheap. Hind sight is always 20-20 and you learn from your mistakes, it makes us smarter for the next show we do. I was so happy it was an indoor show as it was a horribly windy and rainy day where I could have lost stock and possibly catch some sort of cold verses being dry and warm inside with a decent selection of food. I did have some sales - I probably would feel even worse if I spent the whole day not making one sale than the 5 very small ones I did have. These could very well be trivial to you all reading this, but I am a thankful person. It keeps me going. I realize that everyone isn't guaranteed the best show ever bringing "my" whole stock and at the end of the day left with a pile of money. It isn't realistic during any type of economic climate. But it makes you want to do even more at the next show - be more outgoing, set-up earlier to get some quick morning sales from some early shoppers, and of course realize what happened in the past doesn't determine how things will go at the next show (it's in the past and today is a new day).I open this up to you all - what have you learned from a bad show that has made you a better person/artist at more recent shows? Thanks and have a good week! - Michellewww.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com and www.bythebaybotanicals.com
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Tips On How To Draw Customers Into Your Booth

Posted by Michelle Sholund on August 1, 2009 at 1:28pm
The start of a sale at any art fair begins with getting customers to notice your booth. What is the best way to attract customers to your booth? Here's just 6 tips that could work for you.1. Flowers. Nice landscaping can go a long way to sell a house. Flowers on a tables in restaurants put people at ease. So why not use flowers to your advantage. Last year I have used 2-4 planters with real planted flowers as anchors for my canopy. The idea came to me as I couldn't stand looking at cinder blocks or milk jugs while I sold at fairs. When I started using the planters - the first thing customers saw "Oh, what beautiful flowers" and came closer to take a look. Guess what happens next - they look in the booth and and enter it. So, perhaps planters aren't for you, what about a simple bud vase with your state flower, rose, wildflowers placed in areas you want to draw people's attention or fake flower garlands draped around an easel of your best 2-D art work?2. Large format photography. Ever find yourself driving and NOT take a second to see what a billboard advertisement was all about? The same idea can be extended to those who walk up and down aisles at fairs. Anything big draws the eye and for artists, this works like a charm especially for those who sell jewelry or anything small in size. For about $20, take a good photo of your best selling piece to a Ritz Camera (or other photo developer) and or get it framed or made into a banner and you are set.3. Good lighting. Remember the saying, "like moths to a flame"? Well good lighting in any show booth will draw customers in like moths to a flame. Darkness, shadows, and dim spaces is a natural deterrent - gets customers thinking about dark alleyways where danger could be around the corner. If people can't SEE what you make and sell, then isn't it only natural to pass one booth up for one that is well lit? Desk lamps, strings of Christmas lights, clip-on display lights, good display lamps, etc. all can work and some work better than others all depending on what you sell. Although some fear the money to fork over for electric, hauling lights and so on is too costly, I can tell you it will at least increase your sales 25-30% if not more - I am one of those who can vouch for this tip .4. Color. Commercial products in today's market place have great bright color branding - Yankee Candle, Victoria's Secret, Coca-cola, etc. I often see "cookie cutter" booths at every show - white canopy, white backdrops, white table coverings... While we can't help that fairs require white canopies and they are so easy to find, something as simple as colored table coverings, flower garlands hiding the legs to a booth, colored curtains/backdrops, simple colored scarves accenting jeweled toned necklaces, painted wooden shelving, and so on all are simple, inexpensive ways to add color to a booth. A splash of color in a sea of white (or black) will surely catch customers eyes as long as it is soft and not too bold.5. Banner. Banners do not have to be big, full of color, or expensive. Office supply stores who have a copy/print area or places online like Vistaprint can help help you make up any kind of banner you want all in the name of getting noticed. Two lines of writing such as your business name and website or tagline can truly make a booth stand out. It has a billboard effect, but also tells customers in a matter of 3 seconds I SELL POTTERY (photography, oil paintings, candles, jewelry...). This will help weed out lookie loos and drive serious shoppers into your booth.6. Demonstrate. Every show I have attended where someone demonstrates how their work is made - it draws a crowd. This idea appeals to the "mob" mentality where if one person stops to watch, others follow suit because they see one or more doing it too that it must be something interesting. Demonstrating is also a simple way to start selling without customers catching on. To show and tell a show patron how pottery is shaped and molded, watching a painter make a blank canvas flow with color, or how the sound of a hammer striking metal to form iron work is something people just don't see every day. Doing so also authenticates your work - they will never question "do you make this or is it handmade"? Can't demonstrate at a show - see point #2 - a large format photograph of you in action working away in your workshop also works just as well.I wanted to add this tip as I have had people asking me this question and recently posted it on my blog. I thought others here may benefit from the knowledge. If you like this post all I ask is to leave a comment on my blog - www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com . I want to encourage everyone though to share their tips. Have you tried any of these tips and they did or didn't work - I (as well as others I am sure) want to hear it. Thanks so much for reading!- Michelle, By the Bay Botanicals, www.bythebaybotanicals.com
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Exude Success

Posted by Michelle Sholund on May 16, 2009 at 3:12pm
Exude Success After putting some finishing touches on a art/craft business presentation I realized an overall theme occurring - exude success. Since the economic down turn (and even before that) I have seen countless craft artists get caught up in lively discussions in aisles at shows about the economy and how shows aren't what they used to be. I have noticed more and more craft artists are neglecting how important it is to obtain a "professional" appearance of their booth to attract customers - from new people just getting their feet wet to the seasoned vet who does the same display year after year selling the same thing year after year to boot. Tell me, have you seen those who just look like they threw in the towel before the doors open to the event? Maybe these people fall into a habit of doing Sudoku puzzles, or better yet ready to pounce on the next unsuspecting customer praying this is the person who will buy something expensive. I don't want to burst anyones bubble, but we are in control of our own success when it comes to our own art/craft business. If people are experiencing lulls in sales - of course it could be the economy and many other reasons, however if you are not putting your best foot forward then you are not exuding success. Why Exude Success? When it comes down to it people will buy from those who are successful or appear to be successful. It is almost like a popularity contest without the drama. When you see people in ones booth it is usually because there is something going on there that no one else is offering. Next time you go to a show observe the dynamics of what is going on in each and every booth around you. Notice who has something unique, what makes some displays attract a lot of people while others don't, and what are each booth owners attitude like. It shouldn't take long before you see it - the dividing line - booths with energy and booths without energy. Creating a happy vibe will in fact attract people who then pick up on that positivity which builds and builds where before long one person starts to buy something and the more follow. So, in a sense, if each craft artist would take the time to exude success using their time wisely at shows they too will find sales and others wondering what does he/she have that I don't. How to exude success: 1. Be positive. If your day starts off bad, let it go, take a deep breath, move on. You don't need to be super perky as if you had 5 cups of coffee, but doing something like smiling, WELCOMING people into your booth, offering suggestions or help, all goes a long way in winning a customers confidence and trust. 2. Dress for success. First impressions means the world of difference when it comes to customer shopping. The way you dress directly affects the way people perceive your work. The little things like trimming beards or shave, putting on a bit of make-up can go a long way especially with a great shade of lipstick, and of course dress casually and for comfort all goes a long way. It scares me when I have see some sweaty men putting up a booth and then start selling with major b.o. and sweat stains. I have observed women with the most messiest of hair dos and no make-up complaining about how their sales are so poor OR question "why are so many people trying to barter with me?". 3. Make your booth pop! Are you selling at an art fair or at a flea market? Think of all the things that makes one show more elite than the other and you'll see it is all about the way the art work and craft is displayed and merchandised. Find a happy medium where you don't get people commenting more on how beautiful your booth is than your work. And on the other side of the spectrum that if the booth is too plain where items are just sitting on one table with no style or class you also will loose customers attention. Just think - your booth is much like a mini boutique and when people shop at boutiques and nice retail shops - they want that experience. When store names like a Godiva Chocolates, Crate and Barrel, or The Gap you automatically think about what they sell and how it is presented - the same should go for your work/business. Using good lighting, a styled theme, organized merchandising where your products are on different eye levels and more should be everyone's goal. The one thing that can make or break ones booth is to have it look like all the rest at the show - think about ways to make it memorable and you will surely find buyers verses passersby. 4. Use positive language. I usually get customers and other craft artists, when I do shows, ask, so how are sales today? I usually say "its too early to tell" or "I have made some sales, but I won't know until the end of the day". Whenever someone asks a question they are testing you to see if you are more successful than the others they have encountered that day. If the weather is at least nice (and sales aren't) mention how you can't remember such a good day as today and to thank customers for coming out in such nice or bad weather too - changing a situation to a positive one. If someone shrieks about something they think is over priced, calm the situation and explain what makes the piece unique and why people buy it, never giving into their opinions. Just as there are many situations that could result in negative responses, figure out ways to make a negative situation good. 5. Have realistic expectations. I am referring to setting the the bar too high regarding expectations that could result in loosing focus on the prize. Set simple and realistic goals when doing shows or in handling business decisions. The more you are able to complete simple goals the better you will feel when it comes to your overall businesses success. You can't expect every customer who enters your booth to buy, every show can't be successful (even if past shows were always good), and every show can't always be just right for your product. The sooner people realize nothing in life is guaranteed and each person holds the key to their own success, the more likely you are achieve any goal you have your mind set on. I am a big advocate of good customer service because you want people to have a good time, have a memorable experience to want to come back, don't you? There are so many times I see a snowball effect when one upset customer or artist rants to another thus creating and uninviting aura, an almost a dead zone where no customer would venture into. The sad thing is many don't even notice it happening and blame it on other factors when the most obvious answer is right in front of them - how their inability to exude success hinders their own success. As we move forward in our art/craft show seasons, don't let the economy or other factors greatly affect how your shows will go as you can exude a positive successful business in times of uncertainty. Please think about some of these ideas and try to apply just one to your own craft business. You may be surprised to see that if you do exude success you will find success. Check out more topics like this on my own blog - www.quickcraftartisttips.blogspot.com ! Thanks - Michelle

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Why are Some Artists More Successful than Others?

Posted by Connie Mettler on February 27, 2009 at 8:00pm
Could it be because they have business/life partners who devote themselves to the success of the artist? Yes!! This month's issue of the Crafts Report explores the role of the "non-artist's" role in an artist's business life discussing this often unsung person's contributions to the business. As an artist's partner myself this is not an eye-opening expose, but it is great to receive some recognition. As art director of Arts, Beats & Eats we have a revolving award, The Golden Dolly, that is awarded each year (with an award check!) to the best artist's partner. The first recipient was Richard Nash, hauling the work of Jeanne Nash around the country. Year two it went to Michael Strailey (an Art Fair Insider) who is still setting up Nancy's booth innumerable times each season. Other awardees: Carole Weber (spouse of Michale Weber), Judy Lederer (spouse of Ron Lederer), Sam Kuznets (spouse of Svetlana), etc. Many thanks to these great people. Enjoy the article at this link: http://www.craftsreport-digital.com/craftsreport/200903/?pg=36 Read the article and then get back to this and let us hear what you think.
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