RagsReborn's Summer Craft Show Schedule.

Sorry the picture is little blurry... apparently, I'm not very good at screen shots.

Everyone loves a little shopping during the summer, right? I know you do and here are three craft shows for you to get your shop on! I won't be participating in any craft shows throughout the months of July, August, and (maybe) September so I hope you can make it out to say hello before my craft show hiatus. Don't worry though, I'll still be sewing, selling on Etsy and I'm always ready for custom orders!

The Village Fair-
Saturday May 6, 2017 10am - 4pm at Casady Square on the corner of Britton and Pennsylvania
www.thevillageok.org/villagefair.html and https://www.facebook.com/villagefaircasadysquare/
       This show benefits The Village Library and is their annual fundraising event. I get all of my books through the Metropolitan Library System so I was very excited and eager to participate when I heard about this event. It is outdoors with lots of great handmade & direct sales vendors, food trucks, entertainment and it promises to be a fun filled family event. The shops at Casady Square are also holding their annual sidewalk sale on the same day so come prepared for some serious shopping. No storms this Saturday, too!

Junk Utopia-
Saturday June 3, 2017 9am - 5pm at the Centennial Building at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds
https://www.facebook.com/events/647318792106360/ and https://www.facebook.com/officialjunkutopia/
       This will be another RagsReborn + Moon Drake Soaps combo event. If you want to purchase both handmade soaps and handmade pillows from one booth, this is the only place you'll find them! This is also another Revolve Media show (the same company that hosted Wanderlust Pop-up shops). They do an amazing job with craft shows and attract the best artisans & crafters.  I expect a large variety of repurposed and handmade vendors--no direct sales.

OUHSC Spring Craft Fair-
Friday June 9, 2017 10am - 2pm at Robert M. Bird Library at OU Health Sciences Center
       I participated in the Fall Craft Fair last November and had such a good time that I had to sign up again for the spring show. The entire library is transformed into a mall of sorts with booths selling jewelry, home decor, clothing and food. There is a good mix of direct sales and handmade goods. Let's all play a little hookie and come out to shop on a work day... sure does beat being at the office!

While it would really make my day if you came out to one of these shows, I completely understand if you can't... and not to worry because RagsReborn will still be selling pillows on Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts - all of my inventory is currently listed and updated in real time) and I do in-person deliveries throughout the metro Oklahoma City area. Custom pillows make great gift ideas. I free hand draw all of my patterns so each one is unique!

Check out this adorable Trolls pillow I made as a birthday gift.

RegsReborn's last three shows of 2016...

Guys, I only have three more shows this year!! Can you believe it??... My first full year of craft shows is coming to an end. If you haven't made it out to a show yet, this will be your last chance until next spring.

Please come out to support local artists, vendors and small businesses this holiday season. You'll find something for everyone on your gifts list, I promise. I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping and that's only because I've bought things here and there from shows that I've attended. We, the dreamers of the crafting community, all work so hard to put on a successful craft show. Please, please, please come out and say hello!

November was a great start to my holiday craft show season. I had five shows; two were spectacular (Holiday Handmade Show at The Crown Center and Christmas Bazaar at Central Presbyterian Church), one was so-so (Earlywine Park YMCA Craft & Vendor Fair) and only one was awful (Sip & Shop at Quirk and Beans Coffee Bar). Now I have three more in December, which are;

The Christmas at the Lodge craft show will have a silent auction. Here is my donation item- two holiday pillows in a festive gift box.

CHRISTMAS AT THE LODGE at The Mustang Masonic Lodge
406 E State Highway 152, Mustang, Oklahoma 73064
Saturday December 3rd, 9am - 3pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1009144722468437/

WILDCAT WONDERLAND COMMUNITY DAY at Northwood Elementary
14100 Northwood Drive, Piedmont, Oklahoma 73078
Saturday December 10th, 10am - 3pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1197578246989165/

LAST MINUTE FRIENDS & FAMILY SHOPPING OPEN HOUSE at St. Luke's Asbury
1320 SW 38th, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73119
Saturday December 17th, 10am - 4pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1836238559991388/

I am also taking custom orders throughout this holiday season (and all year round, actually). Custom order pillows are a unique and personalized Christmas gift idea, by the way.

Matching father & son pillows for my friend, Paul, and his little one, Luke. Made from three of Paul's old shirts.

Also, if you see something you like but can't make it to one of my craft shows, please let me know and I will schedule a time for pick up. I prefer that everyone come out to a show but I understand that we are all busy during this time of year. To reach me, please feel free to message me through Facebook (www.facebook.com/RagsReborngifts), Instagram (@ragsreborngifts), Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts) or email (ragsreborngifts@gmail.com). Much thanks and love to all who've visited me at a show, bought a pillow and supported my endeavors!!

RagsReborn's first charity auction.

I had an absolute blast at my first Quarter Mania auction!! I will be participating in the next Quarter Mania (they happen quarterly & the show organizers are currently looking at available dates for the next one) and I highly encourage you to come. All proceeds benefit a different charity each time. 

Before I start, I want  to let you know that if you are looking for a home in Oklahoma, you should totally check out the city of Mustang. The houses are nice--aka new, large and in a quickly developing suburb, the people are beyond friendly and their community center is the nicest thing I have ever seen. 

       In the middle of town, there stands the Mustang Town Center. It is a ginormous complex that includes a library, fitness center, park, and multiple banquet halls. The auction was held in The Great Room (one of their larger banquet halls that had a kitchen). I've never been to Mustang, let alone the Town Center, so I parked on the entirely wrong side of the building. I must have looked bewildered because the first person I happened upon offered to help (she, unfortunately, didn't know where the auction was, either). I then wandered into the fitness center and the girl at the front desk gave me very detailed directions to The Great Room. She offered to walk me so I wouldn't get lost but her supervisor wasn't around to grant her permission and she couldn't leave her post. I found the room with no problem and checked in. The women running the auction were incredibly friendly and helpful. I dropped off my quarters & chose my table to set up my items for sale.

       Then came the task of hauling all my items in. As I was walking to my car, I saw two teenagers wearing shirts that announced they were "staff." I asked if they could help me carry in my trunk of pillows and they had no objection!! (I'm always stunned when I come across nice teenagers.) They were very polite and informed me that there was a much closer parking lot where I could move my car to unload the rest of my items. I parked right by the doors and managed the rest of the unloading on my own. Like I said before, Mustangians (or whatever they call themselves) are beyond friendly.

I set up right in front of the west window at sunset. Not smart.

Okay...back to the auction. This was my first Quarter Mania and didn't know what to expect. Luckily, I set up between two veterans. I was in between Brandy, who sold Pink Zebra and children's book author, Carly Cartmill. (Shout out to these lovely ladies!!) Doors opened at 5:30pm and patrons flooded in. All of our auction items were set up on a long table for viewing. Patrons could purchase paddles and quarters. There were so many in attendance that we ran out of paddles and the show organizers asked for people to sell their paddles back if they had bought multiples. There wasn't much time for shopping but vendors had tables along the walls just in case shoppers wandered by.

Pink Zebra to my right and Carly Cartmill to my left. She was promoting her latest book, Stuffed.

Patrons browsed & shopped, ate yummy Frito chili pie and mingled until about 7pm when the auction started. Here's how it worked:
1. The MC announced an item--which vendor the item is from, a brief description and how many quarters it cost to bid. Ex. OU themed tote and pillow gift set from RagsReborn. Two quarters to bid.
2. A volunteer (vendors were volunteers for the night) would grab the item and walk around showing it to all the tables.
3. Then the bidding would start. Each item cost either 1, 2 or 3 quarters per paddle to bid. If you wanted to be entered, you would drop your quarters into a little Tupperware that runners (that was my job) would pass out and collect. If an item cost 1 quarter and you bid 1 quarter, you got to raise one of your paddles, 2 quarters for two paddles, etc.
4. Once bidding ends and all the quarters are collected and all the paddles are raised in the air, the MC draws a number from the hopper.
5. If the number corresponds to the number written on your paddle, you win!

The OU basket was my highest grossing item.

It was simple & fun and everyone participated. It was crazy! I was on my feet all night running around everywhere collecting quarters and depositing them to the bank. What a riot! Everyone was in high spirits and items were flying off the table. After the first hour, we had a 10 minute intermission. I used that time to have a quick bite and make a few sales. I was able to network and meet some new friends.

Then the second half of the auction started and it was just as busy as the first. At the end of the night, I had a bag full of quarters and eight pillow sales! (That doesn't sound impressive but there was barely any time to for making sales, so I believe that was an accomplishment.) And more importantly, I passed out all of my Spring Craft Show schedule flyers & a lot of business cards. I talked to almost everyone in the room and gained some interest in custom orders. I even got invited to be a vendor at an event next weekend! I had to decline since I am participating in D.U.C.K Week.

I posted short videos of the auction on my Facebook and Instagram pages. I'm really glad I was a part of this and I am already signed up for the next one. I hope I see you there!

RagsReborn's first at home shopping party

My pillow display...I love my antique trunk!

       Today is the last day of February and March is upon us. Oh how time flies!! I didn't participate in any craft shows this month. Instead, I tried to dabble in something new...two something news, actually. I co-hosted an Arbonne party and joined an auction to benefit the Mustang Animal Shelter (will blog about the auction next week). Both were very different experiences from the craft shows that I am used to. I enjoy trying new things and had a good time at both but I am excited to get back into the familiarity of craft shows. Bring on March and April...two shows each month and I am pumped!

I just noticed how blurry the top picture is... sorry!

I co-hosted my very first at home shopping party a few weeks ago. Before I start, I wanted to extend a sincere thanks to Mrs. Sue Ellis for opening up her home to myself, my products and my friends. She let her daughter and I use her beautiful home as the venue for our party. And, photo credit for this blog goes to Kristin Ellis. It turned out well over all but I will never do it again. It was SO.MUCH.WORK and I honestly don't think it was worth it.

       Wait, wait, wait... what is an introvert like myself doing hosting an at home shopping party??!? I seriously pondered this myself before I agreed to co-host and I concluded that, well, sometimes it's good to step outside of your comfort zone. You can't accomplish your goals if you don't take risks. And guess what...I sold 6 pillows that night!

       I met Kristin at a young professionals event many years ago. Although I stopped going to the mixers, we kept in touch through Facebook. Last year, she contacted me to do a joint party. She is an independent consultant for Arbonne and suggested that we do a fun girls shopping night. I was hesitant at first but then thought, "How hard can it be? Display some pillows, invite some friends and that's that." Ummm...lesson learned... it can be hard... very, very hard >.>

       After we planned the party and set a date, I promoted like crazy. I knew beforehand that people are wary of shopping parties due to the pressure to buy (I honestly never attended them myself for that very reason). I told everyone that there will be no pressure or obligation to buy from me. I couldn't speak for Arbonne but I wasn't going to pester my guests to purchase a pillow. I also told everyone that I'd be baking (that's always a good selling point!) I passed out all ten of my invitations and marketed all over social media. For about two weeks, I told literally everyone I knew about this party. I went as far as to get in trouble at my book club because I was trying to invite some of the ladies (they misinterpreted my sincere invitation as solicitation, which is against the rules.) At the week of the party, I had secured seven attendees!

       I spent the entire morning baking cupcakes and cookies in preparation for the night. I was uber excited for this party! But then that all suddenly stopped and stress crept in... when the night of the party finally came, four of the ladies couldn't make it after all. Oh no! That's over half of my guest list!! I was completely understanding of things coming up but I was also worried. So, I texted my co-host. Surely, she would have invited some of her friends & family, right? Sadly, no, she had not. She had zero guests coming. I was too overly optimistic about this little event and now I was completely let down. I did everything I could to make this party happen but she had only invited a scant number of acquaintances and barely even promoted the event. I felt cheated! How could I have worked so hard just to find out that my co-host did nothing? Weren't we supposed to be in this together?

         As it turns out, I was overreacting a little. Kristin and I had very different mindsets about the guest list: I wanted everyone to come & join us for a fun time but she only wanted the "proper clientele" to be there. This is definitely something we should have discussed as we were planning the party but I guess we just assumed we were on the same page. After I realized that, I finally let go of my anger & frustration at the guest list debacle and enjoyed myself. The evening turned out fine. I had a lovely time with my guests (thanks again Garrett, Lacey & Patti for coming) and Kristin's mother is a wonderful woman who kept our conversation going. We talked about travel, men and our jobs, sold some Arbonne & pillows and everyone loved my cupcakes & cookies. 

Lemon cupcakes with vanilla frosting and white chocolate water lilies. Pecan cookies with chocolate caramel center.

This is what I ordered at the party: lotion and deodorant.

It's Spring Craft Show Season!!! \(^_^)/ YES!!

      

       I love to read literature. 

I love the art of story telling and character development and all the little details. 

       I love using my imagination. 

Unfortunately, I think that has made me rather long winded. I find myself getting too immersed in my stories when I converse with coworkers about my weekend. I elaborate too much and take too long to get to the point. But tonight will be different... I'll be snappy; three months, five craft shows and a short description of each. Let's get this going!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 26TH:

       WEST OKC QUARTER MANIA "FUN"DRAISER IN MUSTANG, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first charity auction. All of the vendor booth fees will go directly to the Mustang Animal Shelter. (Yay! Puppies! Adopt, don't shop!) If you buy a paddle to participate in the auction or get dinner at the event, those proceeds will go to the shelter as well. The Facebook page for the event is here.

       I had no idea what "Quarter Mania" is until I signed up for this event. (I still don't quite know all of the rules.) From what I gather, all you need to do is to show up, buy a paddle for $3 and then bid on items for a quarter each. For each quarter you bid on an item, you get your paddle's number thrown into the hopper. When the auction starts, they draw numbers out of the hopper and if your number is called, you get the item regardless of how many quarters you bid. Of course, the more quarters you bid, the higher your chances are of getting the item. Here are my three items I've donated to the auction.

 Animal themed gift basket

 TV & movie themed gift basket

OU themed gift basket

SATURDAY MARCH 5TH:

       D.U.C.K WEEK JUNK SHOW IN PIEDMONT, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first official craft show of 2016 and I'm pretty excited about it. The event organizers are doing one heck of a job on advertising and promotion! There will be some direct sales consultants (boo) but there will also be a lot of craft/junk vendors, too (hooray). Here's the Facebook page for this event. Two words- food.trucks.
       I didn't know what D.U.C.K week was before I signed onto this event. It's a charity acronym that stands for Doing Unselfish Charity for Kids & and an event that the Piedmont High School does each year. The residents of Piedmont petition the school to support their child, then all the proceeds from the week's events go to the children that were selected. I think it's pretty great of the community to be a part of this. There is a $3 admission to this event but it will be worth it. There are both indoor and outdoor events and promises fun for the entire family.

SATURDAY MARCH 12TH:

       CREATIVE CRAFT FESTIVAL IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA

       There's nothing too out of the ordinary about this show; it won't be a charity event and there won't be live music but there will be unique handmade items, craft vendors and artists. Just like how a good old fashioned craft fair should be!
       I have two vendor friends (Glass Soldier Gifts and Pens & Things by Paul) who do this show annually and they love it. I have only heard good things about this show and I really wanted to do it last holiday season but I did not have time. So, I'm pretty pumped that I am a part of it this spring. There are a handful of shows throughout the year at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds and this will be the first one to kick off 2016!

SATURDAY APRIL 16TH:

       WESTERN OAKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH 7TH ANNUAL CRAFT SHOW IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA

       This will be my first time participating in this show but the show has been around almost a decade! 7th annual craft show!! From what I've been told, spaces for vendors fill up quickly. When I applied, RagsReborn was put on a waiting list and the show committee had to decide to open up more rooms within the church for additional indoor booths. (Thank goodness that they did!) That is just one indicator of how big this show will be. Here is the Facebook page. The photos section shows previous years' indoor and outdoor craft booths with lots of variety in items for sale.

       As you can tell from the picture above, I have just barely started to prepare for this show. I have almost all of my product for the February and March shows complete but I haven't done much for April shows. I have a lot of fun shirts and ideas swirling around in my head so keep posted for new pillows. I post on Instagram pretty regularly. (P.S. I can't get this to type black. For some reason, Blogger really wants it to be green.)

SATURDAY APRIL 30TH:

       THE CROWN CENTER'S HANDMADE SHOW IN MOORE, OKLAHOMA

       This is the ONLY all handmade show that I have ever been to as a shopper and as a vendor. There are absolutely zero direct sales and no boutique items. It's all crafters, artisans, upcyclers, etc. There are booths with quilts, jewelry, wood workers, religious items, peanut brittle, baby bows... Craft show perfection!!

       I participated in their holiday show last year and absolutely loved it. The show organizer was amazing, the other vendors were friendly and the shoppers and church community were very supportive. It ranks in my top three of shows that I have ever done. At the end of the holiday show last November, the show organizer invited me back to be a part of the spring show and I could not have been happier. I have been looking forward to this show for months and cannot wait to see all of you guys there!

RagsReborn looks forward to 2016

#tbt (even though its a Monday) to my first ever craft show. My how time flies!!

January is upon us and that means year #2 in business for RagsReborn.  \(^_^)/ I did a brief recap of my first year in business last week, so this week, I'll do a quick look ahead for 2016.

Here are two shows I wanted to do in December but didn't have time for. (;_;)

       Goal #1 is to participate in more shows!! I want to do two shows per month. Considering that I did three in November, that shouldn't be too hard of a goal to accomplish. There were two other shows that I wanted to do in December but the demands of my day job prevented me from fully dedicating myself to my business. Which was a total bummer.
       Unfortunately, there aren't too many shows in the spring so I'll be starting the year off slow. I haven't applied for any January or February shows, yet, but there are a couple in March and April that I want to be a part of. Three shows I really enjoyed were held at the YMCA, Triumph Family Worship and The Crown Center so I will definitely be applying for those shows again. I also plan to seek out more shows at churches. I'm not particularly religious but I had a really good time at the churches' craft fairs. My favorite part is how supportive the community was at each show that I participated in. The staff and volunteers are always so enthusiastic and welcoming.
      If you are a vendor/crafter, help me out here... below is a list of shows that I am interested in. Please let me know if these shows are worth doing. And if you have some that you like to participate in, let me know. I welcome all suggestions!

* Heartland Hunnies (they're the event organizers, actually, not the name of the show) & OKC Flea -- these were the two that I wanted to do in December but couldn't due to Delta Dental obligations. But luckily, they both also have spring/summer shows so I can look forward to that next year.
* Cleveland County Fairgrounds craft shows (I actually know a couple of vendors who do this show regularly and have high praises for it. This is one of the ones I plan to do in the spring.)
* The Santa Market (I applied for this show but got wait listed. *sad face* I heard it's pretty competitive and they only accept you if you have a good resume. Being completely new to this business, my resume was not impressive enough. I think I literally did one other show before I applied. LOL)
* The Earthglow Market & Jingle Bell Bazaar (both are held at churches and both came recommended to me by other vendors)
* The Christmas Bazaar at the Central Presbyterian Church (I drove by the church and saw a huge sign. Yes, advertising does work!)
* There were a few in Norman that I don't remember the name of and the Peanut Butter Drive in Mustang-- I found these shows online. I've been staying in the OKC Metro area but I've been told by other vendors that it's better to branch out to other cities.
       Smaller towns really embrace craft shows as something they look forward to. Oklahoma City has so much art and local talent that a craft show is no big deal but holding an event in a more rural area gives it's residents something to do on a weekend and they come and take it all in. Or so I'm told...

Goal #2 is to become a legit business!! I mean, I'm a business now already but for 2016 I want to manage the whole process a little bit better. I didn't keep very good records of costs and net profit. I kinda just randomly wrote things down in my journal. I opened a business bank account but barely used it (I do plan to put money in it this upcoming year and only use it for RagsReborn purposes). I've appointed Wes as my operations manager and I plan on keeping a detailed ledger. I hated finance and accounting in college but I can't really manage my business if I don't apply what I learned at least a little bit.
       I need to get a Goodwill card in January!! It supports the Goodwill cause and it offers me 5% off each purchase. I also need to stop making totes and be a little more careful of which shirts I get. I have had a year to learn what sells and what doesn't. Sadly, people don't like Oklahoma themed merchandise as much as they like popular culture. I've also taught myself some fun patterns and sewing techniques that I can use for my upcoming pillows.  I plan to add some creativity to the back of the pillows and/or choose some different fabric types.
       I also would like to take the Oklahoma Tax Commission's small business class so I can get a tax ID number, register my business name and have an actual logo. Now that is as official as it gets!

The "before" picture ... all my stuff laid out and ready to display at the Holiday Handmade Show.

Goal #3 is to keep working on my booth display!! Right now it takes me less than an hour to unpack my car and set up my booth. And I can set up my entire booth on my own (although I prefer to have help from friendly craft show volunteers.) I have one big shelf, a vintage trunk and my sewing table. It used to take two car loads to get everything transported but Wes figured it out to where it will only take one (yay for geometry!!) I like the way my booth looks but sadly my handmade "double decker couch" shelf is on it's last leg. It is made from cardboard, fabric, glue and Velcro after all. It lasted me five shows and can probably do a few more but I need to start looking into other options.
       I have some crazy ideas and blue prints in my head but none of them are financially feasible at this time. Even if I had all the money in the world, I think it would still be a little difficult to move my ideas toward reality because the hardest part is finding something that is both collapsible and that can be easily stored once the show is over (aka not too big, not too heavy and not too many pieces). Wes has more practical ideas using grid walls and simple shelving. I'll probably gradually move to that.

This is a "pack-n-roll." I got it from Jessa and Courtney for Christmas. I am in love with it.

Since I don't have any shows planned for January or February, I will use these first two months of 2016 to apply for shows (goal #1) and get RagsReborn officially established in Oklahoma (goal #2).  I also plan to spend a lot of time sewing. I still have a few shirts that I didn't have time to make for my holiday sales season this year. I am at 86 items on my Etsy shop and I really would like to have a consistent 100 at all times. This will be the perfect opportunity to work on those new patterns that I mentioned earlier!

Disclaimer: this is an old picture and a lot of these pillows have already been sold. 

Erica's last craft show of 2015

The Holiday Season for RagsReborn's craft shows is coming to a close...three shows under my belt with only one more to go before the year's end. It'll be this weekend, Saturday December 12th, 2015.

       **For those of you who can't come support RagsReborn at shows, I am also having a sale on Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/RagsRebornGifts). All of my tote bags have been marked down to $8 for your holiday shopping convenience.**      

       Please come out to the Holiday Handmade Show at The Crown Center. It's a handmade show so you know it'll be a good one with lots of local talent. It'll be great to see everyone and close out the year by selling out of pillows.

I've been posting about my shows and experiences on social media (have you started following @ragsreborngifts on Instagram, yet?) but I guess I haven't formally blogged about how things are going. So here it is... laid out as unbiased as possible...other vendors take note if you're interested in participating in any of these shows next year.

The Craft and Vendor Fair at Triumph Family Worship:

Hands down this was the most fun show I have ever done. Even if my sales tanked, I would still say this was my greatest experience. (Luckily, I had the best sales of the year at this show!) From beginning to end, the church staff & event organizers went above and beyond to support the vendors. I will definitely be applying for this show again next year. I don't have any negative feedback on this show. Only good--

     1. This was the only show where the staff thanked me for participating. The church (Triumph Family Worship... if you need a flock, I would recommend joining this one) recognized that the vendors and crafters are talented & have something to offer and we were sharing our time & talent with them. It was like the show needed us instead of the other way around. I'm not saying I don't need shows (because I do... so if you're an event coordinator reading this, please don't reject my upcoming application) but it's nice to feel appreciated once in a while.

     2. Information was distributed to vendors early on (about a month before the show) and again the week of the show. Then as you arrived at vendor check in, a last minute check list was given. It was the same information packet over and over again but I liked the fact that it was available. I didn't have to ask what time set up was and if wi-fi would be available. I knew well in advance so I could plan appropriately and if I happened to forget, I was given at least two reminders. 

     3. The staff was great! I guess it's because the parishioners were helping their community. This wasn't a show where they were out to make money (the booth fee was only $20!) It was a church and they just wanted to put on a show & have a good time. Everything was reasonably priced, from the rent fee to the concessions to the items other vendors sold. (My mom bought a pretty large scented jar candle for only $3!) Everyone came by each other's booths and everyone was super friendly. I met a lot of other vendors and probably the entire population of the church. And to top it all off, everyone wanted to buy a pillow (^_^)

PC West Fest at Putnam City West High School:

This personally was the worst show I have ever done. I sew both pillows made from upcycled t-shirts and totes decorated with gently used t-shirts. I have brought both pillows and totes to my shows and no one gives the totes the time of day. I figured that it is because my main display is pillows and totes just get set aside in the corner. It's not that people don't want to buy them; they just can't see them. (Being my own biggest fan, I refused to acknowledge that maybe people just hate totes and I should stop making them.) To test this theory, I brought only totes to this show. And with that, I had to stop being in denial... my totes suck. I was there from 10am - 4pm and only sold 3 totes. Ugh. But that wasn't the show's fault. I know of at least two vendors who were boasting of high sales. 

PROS-

       1. The president of the Putnam City West Foundation (the event coordinators) was very nice & helpful. He was the only one of his staff who wanted to look out for the vendors. Kudos to Richard!

       2. The vendors weren't monitored very well. This can be both good and bad, but for me, this time I liked the freedom. The staff was barely present. I didn't like the fact that I couldn't get help when I needed it in the beginning but as the day wore on, I enjoyed being able to do as I pleased. I'm not usually a rule breaker but I used electricity even though I didn't sign up for it on my application, I used a little extra space for my booth (the booth assignments weren't marked off with tape or chalk), no one cared about collecting taxes and a lot of people started tearing down early (although I stayed the entire time). These are normally rules vendors have to follow and if you don't, the show runners get mad at you. But, these people just did not care. I think the mentality was once you signed in, you were pretty much on your own to do whatever you wanted. 

CONS-

       1. The show was tiny. TINY! I think there was less than 25 vendors there. I expected a small show but not this small. I'd reckon there were only 18 vendors. And over half of them were direct sale (Avon, Scentsy, etc.) so in terms of crafters, there were only about 5 or 6 of us. I was the last booth and literally one out of every three shoppers looked around after seeing my booth and commented, "Wow, is that it? Really...no more booths?" 

       2. A lot of the vendors were just out for themselves. I don't think this is necessarily the show's fault (unless they purposefully selected jerks to participate in their show) but this is just a personal complaint of mine. My neighbor (a caricaturist) commented that this show was one of the most un-supportive he's done and he's been in business for six years. After talking to John a bit, I realized he was a pessimist who just liked to complain so I couldn't believe everything he said but I do agree with this. 

     Wes had to work on the day of this show so I did the entire set up of my booth by myself. I passed by a lot of people who asked if I needed help and when I started to say yes, they went on about what they were doing instead of actually stopping to help me. I made 3 trips to & from my car before the husband of a jewelry vendor actually got up to accompany me to unload. The event staff was at the sign in table chit chatting away and didn't even get up to open the door for me as I walked in with both hands full. 

     A vendor came up to John and myself and asked how our sales were going. When we told her not so well, she boasted about her sales (she actually gloated like a little kid who just beat up her younger sister). I have never had this happen. I'm not saying everyone should be nice and hold hands around the campfire but we are all vendors in this community together and that woman was just plain rude. 

       3. There was a personal emergency within the Friends of Putnam City West Foundation staff. This emergency hurt the show's organization & marketing. The president of the organization personally apologized to all of the vendors for this unplanned mishap but nothing was done to remedy it. Advertising was minimal and general vendor information was not given. I had to email the show a few days prior to ask if it was cancelled because I hadn't heard anything. 

YMCA Arts & Crafts Fair at Earlywine YMCA:

This was another good show. My sales weren't as good as the Triumph Family Worship show but I still had a really good day. The YMCA staff was friendly and helpful. I met some new vendors and saw a couple of my old buddies from previous shows. My only complaint is that there was a lot of direct sale vendors and the show was advertised as a "craft show." I was sandwiched between Essential Oils and Zurvita Zeal for Life. A couple of things I really liked about the show:

       1. The booth layout was really clean. It was held in the basketball court at the YMCA. It was a big space but it wasn't jam packed with vendors. The show only accepted 30 participants. There were vendors along all four walls and a couple in the middle. There was enough there for variety of products but not too much to where it was overwhelming. There was plenty of space to walk through with clear aisles and pathways. 

            This made it feel like the event organizers were out to select the best vendors that fit their show instead of accepting as many vendors as possible just to rack up on the booth rent fee. We had enough space to properly display our items and the shoppers could navigate through all the different the booths with ease.

       2. It was at the YMCA... great location!! Everyone who was coming in to work out also got a chance to stop by the show. Many of the people weren't buying but I still got A LOT of traffic. The show stayed busy all day. Literally, all day... it started at 9am and there was a constant flow of people all the way until 3pm. No one packed up early because there were still shoppers. I believe the final count was 605 people (they had a volunteer sitting at the door with one of those clicker counting things). 

           I think next year I will try to find more craft shows being held at local YMCA chapters. 

       The Earlywine YMCA can't be the only one who does an annual craft show, right?? (If you know of any Oklahoma YMCA's that host craft shows, please let me know). 

          My booth rent is going toward a good cause and I felt like I was really taken care of as a vendor. Plus, all the shoppers were in a great mood. :D You know how studies say that exercising releases endorphin? ... I think that since everyone was going to the craft show directly after working out, they were happy & excited and in a mood to shop & socialize. Their attitude kept my spirits up all day and even if I wasn't making a sale, it was still nice to see crowds of smiling faces throughout the day.

Bought a pair of earrings right before closing time. I didn't even get a chance to grab the woman's business card because it was 3:05pm and I was her last customer.

So all in all, I think I've done well thus far.  (Fingers crossed for continued success this weekend!) There's always room for improvement but I'm happy with my show experience. There were three other shows that I wanted to participate in on  same the days as my November shows  but I cannot be in two places at once. 

       The Central Presbyterian Church's Christmas Bazaar and Church of the Servant's Earth Glow Market were also on November 14th. I heard that Earth Glow was a good one so I will definitely be applying next year. 

       The Santa Market in Edmond was on November 21st; that is a huge show that is well known amongst the vendor community. I applied but got wait-listed. Oh well, there's always next year. 

       I thought about doing OKC Flea at the Centennial Building at the fairgrounds for their December show but I changed my mind. It's too close to Christmas and I think I've already worn myself too thin trying to do these four shows. I could do another one but I think I should probably rest and sit this one out. I will be going as a shopper to check it out because I know they have spring and summer shows, too. There's always next year! If you know of any good craft shows to participate in, please let me know. I am always looking for shows in and around the metro Oklahoma City area. 

A huge thanks to everyone who came out to support me this year!! And if you haven't had a chance to come out to see RagsReborn, there is still time. The Handmade Show at The Crown Center is this Saturday!! Pillows galore and they are all good ones!