Press for local indie crafters

Lots of press for some of our local indie crafters. 

 COOB Originals was included on the on the Inlu blog about holiday gift ideas that give back.

Beth Robinson of Strange Dolls was featured on Geeks of Doom.

South End Holiday Hop

December 10,11,12
Throughout the South End of Burlington Vermont

4th Annual South End Holiday Hop. Artist Market and Open Studio. Shop local, support your community, see your neighbors and buy amazing wonderful goods for all your holiday needs.

Check out their Facebook Event Page

Queen City Craft Bazaar Pictures

Here are the pictures from the Holiday Queen City Craft Bazaar 2010.  Thanks to Matt Ames for shooting the show for me.  Click on any one of the pictures below to see the full set.

www.flickr.com

Friend or Fan?

Facebook.  We all love it, we sometimes hate it, but the reality is Facebook has changed the way we interact with each other and surprisingly the way we do business.  There are so may discussions we could have around how Facebook can help your indie craft business, but I am going to start with the most basic one today.  What type of page do you create?

This topic is sort of a pet peeve of mine and writing about it will probably help explain to several people who have recently "friended" me, why I have not accepted.  I have a rule and it is as simple as this.  I don't "friend" a business.  Set up a business/fan page and I'll "like" you for sure, but sending out a Facebook friend request for a business is a no no in my book.  Here's why:


When you become friends with someone on Facebook the other person has access to your personal profile.  Let's role play here.  Say Queen City Craft decided to set up a Facebook page but went with a personal page where I have to "friend" people to get my followers.  I do some promotion to build my following and someone named Beth decides to become friends with my QCCB page.  After she friends me I now have access to her personal profile page because she told Facebook that we are friends and according to her settings her friends can see her wall posts, photos and info page.  She will get my updates, but I will also get hers.  Beth realizes this and decides to stop being friends of QCCB.  She is bummed because she wants to stay connected to QCCB, but she doesn't want QCCB to know all about her Friday night adventures.

The flip side of this is setting up a business page instead.  In this situation QCCB sets up a business page and people "like" it by clicking a button instead of having to send out "friend" requests.  There are several reasons why a business page is better:

1. You will build a bigger and better fan base
2. People will be "like" you more often than they would "friend" you because of privacy concerns.
3. You have the ability to promote your business with ads
4. Business pages come with built in insights so you can have visibility to how engaged people are with your brand page.
5. More robust marketing tools

If QCCB set up  business page instead of a personal page this means Beth could "like" the QCCB page which allows her to stay up to day with what QCCB is doing because whenever they post something to their wall it will show up in Beth's news feed.  The biggest difference here is that what Beth posts on her own Facebook page is NOT seen by QCCB.  QCCB would have no access to Beth's page.

I encounter this situation all the time.  I have several "friend" requests right now in my inbox from businesses and I feel terrible because I just can't "friend" them back.  In some cases we are actually friends in real life, but I can't break my rule.  I don't "friend" businesses.

What can you do?  If you are still thinking about whether you should get your indie biz on Facebook the answer is YES (I'll go into more of that later).  When you decide to make the leap please consider setting up your Facebook page as a business page instead of a personal one.  If you have already set one up and want to switch you may be hesitant thinking you will lose your current following.  My advice is DO IT!  Create the fan page and post it on your current page, message all your "friends" telling them to jump over and "like" you on your new page.  Leave it up there for a while until you see people making the switch.  It will be well worth it.  I promise.

Shop local this weekend!

The Women's Festival of Crafts is happening this weekend!  Don't spend your money at the big box stores this Friday.  Boycott Black Friday big box shopping and support local crafters instead.  The event starts this Friday 11/26 from 5pm-9pm and runs through Sunday 11/28.  That's right - you have three days to shop your heart out. 

Check out all the vendors HERE!

Open call to Artists

 

The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery will be accepting work for its annual 'Small Works' Holiday Show, opening December 3rd. Work must be no larger than 12" in any direction, 2" allowance for frame. There is a 'small' fee of $5/ piece, and no more than 10 pieces will be accepted per artist.
Email spacegalleryvt@gmail.com for application or check the website for info www.spacegalleryvt.com.

Thank you!

This past Saturday was the 5th Queen City Craft Bazaar.  This unique Vermont craft show made it's come back in the holiday circuit and I would say it came back with a bang.  I was blown away by the steady flow of customers from the moment the door opened at 10:00.  The energy in this building was buzzing with creativity from both the vendors and customers.  Thank you to everyone who came out to support indie craft.  I will have an album of photos from the show posted soon.

I am already starting to plan the spring show so if you are a vendor interested in applying keep checking back in the coming months for info.    I have a few new ideas up my sleeve for the next show.

Just because the show is over doesn't mean Queen City Craft goes away.  The website will continue to get updated with vendor spotlights, news and events, resource info and much more.  I am hoping to start up a series of gatherings called "The Business of Craft".  The first will focus on digital marketing and web analytics.  I'll post more info once this idea comes to life.

Thanks again! 

Today is the day!

2010 Holiday Queen City Craft Bazaar

TODAY!  Saturday November 20th

10am-5pm

Union Station at 1 Main St. Burlington VT
Free Parking (in lot next to building) or take the college street shuttle (for free) and it will drop you off right at the front door!

Free Admission!

After months of hard work the day is finally here.  Today from 10-5pm you can check out Vermont's indie craft show at Union Station, 1 Main Street in Burlington VT.  Each show I am blown away by the amazing vendors who apply to the show.  This one is no exception.  Stop by and give it a try. 

Shop local, shop handmade!

In the news!

The Queen City Craft Bazaar and local artist Jess Graham were featured on the front page of the Vermont section of the Burlington Free Press today!  Read the article here

Thanks to the Free Press for choosing to highlight some local crafters and the show!  I want to take just a moment to clarify a one part of the article to my readers.

I did not organize the first holiday QCCB in 2007 as the article states.  The show started then, but it was first organized by Sara DeFilippi of the late Made Boutique & Gallery.  I took over the name and continued producing the show after she moved out of state and handed it over to me.


thanks!

Vendor Spotlight- Small Equals

Dubbed "A Tiny Treasure" by the Burlington Free Press, Small Equals is a 90 sq. ft shop run by Liza Cowan, artist, designer and former curator of Pine Street Art Works.

Small Equals sells only small goods in our 90 square foot shop. They feature personalized gift-building with Keepsake Card Kits, their  own line of greeting cards nestled in Vermont-made wooden boxes, filled with your choice of fun, eclectic and wonderful things.

Liza will be bringing her Keepsake Card Kits to the Queen City Craft Bazaar on Saturday Nov. 2oth.  Her booth will be located on the top level of Union Station.  I have a feeling these will be hot sellers at the show. Stop by and build your own gift! 

Be there!

New Etsy Holiday Badges!

Make a Badge for Your Shop

When you click on the badge you want, it will automatically generate a link back to your shop. (Double check that you’re signed in to the right account!) If you’re having trouble, make sure your browser is not disabling pop-ups.


Get your holiday Etsy badge here

Vendor Spotlight - The Candy Thief

Casey Dwyer is the woman behind Candy Thief and she will be joining the Queen City Craft Bazaar for the first time next Saturday on November 20th.  Casey is a talented artist and designer who started Candy Thief in 2006.  She is best known for her unique line of hair accessories, but she also makes handbags, pillows and even some clothing!

Casey describes her Candy Thief pieces as "a place or surface where all her passions meet. A love of printmaking, folk art, fashion, nature, color, and the traditional arts are stitched together to create an absolutely one of a kind, handmade look."

I couldn't agree more.

Learn more about Casey and The Candy Thief at http://www.candythief.net   and make sure you stop by Union Station at 1 Main Street in Burlington on Saturday November 20th from 10am -5pm.  The Candy Thief will be located on the top level.

Vendor Spotlight - Nicole's Threads

Nicole Carey of Nicole's Threads is back at the Queen City Craft Bazaar selling her unique handmade creations. Nicole embodies what the Queen City Craft Bazaar is all about. She is a true indie designer. She combines great colors and textures to create everything from clothing to jewelry and accessories. Make sure you stop by her booth on November 20th.

Vendor Spotlight - John Brickels

John Brickels will be joining the Queen City Craft Bazaar for the first time this holiday season.  John has been creating stoneware sculputure for over 35 years.   Known mostly for his larger scale pieces, John will be offering the Queen City Craft Bazaar community a selection of smaller pieces including his new mini robots called  lil' bots.  I am excited to welcome John to the show.  Be sure to check out his work in person on November 20th.

Getting ready

The weeks are flying by and we are now so close to the November 20th holiday show I am starting to freak out a bit.  Producing a craft show is a lot of work and when you also work full time outside of the home, and have two kids it is even more work.  On top of that I also make my own products to sell at the show so needless to say I am starting to ask myself how the heck I do it all.

Despite the craziness I am so excited about the line up of vendors we have for the show.  After many many weeks of dealing with applications, jurying, making floor plans, buying ads, ordering posters, and lots of online promotion it all comes full circle the day of the show as I walk around and marvel at the mix of talent.  It is very difficult handpicking vendors.  There are years I want to just open it up and have it be first come first serve, but that would not be in the best interest of the event.  I enjoy seeing the hard work come to life as the vendors set up their booths and I get to see my ideas on paper come to life.  

The challenges are worth it.  The enthusiasm of the vendors and the customers keep me going and I look forward to seeing everyone again in a few short weeks.

If you haven't checkout out the Queen City Craft Facebook page head on over and become a fan.  It is an active page and will give you a sneak peek at some of the vendors.  You can also RSVP to the event page so you can be sure not to miss the event on Nov. 20th.

Calling all budding photographers!

Photographer has been found. Thanks for all those who contacted me. I'll need a volunteer again in the spring.




I am looking for a budding photographer who might be interested in volunteering their time to take pictures at the Queen City Craft Bazaar on November 20th. I would need this person to take pictures of each vendor and some overall shots of the event.

If interested please email me at queencitycraftbazaar@gmail.com

thanks!

Vendor Spotlight - Rebel Intuitive

Based out of Montpelier VT Beckie Sheloske creates handcrafted, botanical perfumes, colognes, and essences.  I have had the pleasure of sampling some of Beckies creations and I am excited to share them with the community by having her sell at the Queen City Craft Bazaar.  Check out her Facebook page to learn more about Rebel Intuitive and check out her products in person on November 20th.

BCA Holiday Artist Market now accepting applications!

BCA Holiday Artist Market
December 17th and 18th, 2010

Postmark deadline: Friday, October 15th, 2010

Hello artists!

We will be holding our Annual Holiday Artist Market on Friday, December 17th from 12-8 pm and Saturday December 18th from 10-6pm in the Contois Auditorium in Burlington City Hall. We will not be holding a jury, but we ask that all artists who do not exhibit at the BCA Summer Artist Market to include 4-6 printed images with their application. Existing BCA Summer Artist Market members are guaranteed a space at the Holiday Artist Market. Please let us know as soon as possible whether you are interested in participating.

Payment and space:
34 spaces are available. Each space is approx. 8’x 6’.
Space fee is $90 to participate in both days. Participation is mandatory for both days
Make checks payable to: Burlington City Arts.

Set Up:
Set-up will be Friday, 9 am to Noon and Saturday 9am to 10am.
Break down will be from 6pm to 8pm Saturday evening. Please keep in mind that there is no vehicle access to Church at that time.
You must bring everything that you need for your own booth – Tables, chairs etc.
Electricity is available. Please bring heavy-duty extension cords, a power strip and duct tape.
There is vehicle access to the front of City Hall on Church Street until about 10 am.
Please move your vehicle as soon as you are done loading in.
We recommend carpooling or being dropped off because it is often difficult to find parking in Burlington.

Please return the application and checks to:
Emily Lawrence
Firehouse Gallery
Attn: Holiday Artist Market
149 Church Street, Burlington, Vermont 05401

*If your application is not accepted, your check will be voided.
*Submission material will not be returned.

For questions, please contact:
Jen Wagner, Holiday Artist Market Coordinator
jwagnerdesignz@yahoo.com

Vendor Spotlight - Recycle Moe

From upcycled journals, to capes and bibs made from recycled products, Moe of Recycle Moe does it all. Come see her creations on November 20th at the Queen City Craft Bazaar!