Friday, March 01, 2013

Why I Do Craft and Art Shows

Last week I posted on why I added Cons (conventions) to my shows.  This week I'd like to post on why I continue to do some Craft and Art Shows and why I choose carefully the ones I do. 
Several of my shows I have been doing since the beginning - Landis Woods Art Show and Heart of Lancaster have been on my schedule for going on 8 or 9 years now.  They are well run, invite only handcrafters and artists and are local.  This builds my local business and those people are the ones that come to my open house.  I also did a show last year for the first time in Chalfont, PA - Byers Choice (that I hope to do again this year but haven't heard from yet) which shared those qualities.  I don't do shows that invite vendors - vendors are people who sell ready-made items.  Basically, they are reselling for a company.  I have nothing against vendors, I was a Mary Kay Consultant for many years and loved it.  But, in a show in which vendors and crafters are competing, my experience has been that the crafter always loses.  I am cultivating a clientele that appreciate the hand made.  My customers are people who appreciate wearing something different and don't want to be the same as everyone else.  I want you, when you wear my jewelry, to feel special, to know that you're not going to see the same thing on the next five women (or men) that walk down the street.  When people see you, I want them to notice that there is something unique about you, something special.  They may not see the jewelry right off, but they will know there was something different and interesting about you. 
I do make some items that look similar, but I make them in 5s or 6s, not 100s.  And generally - my jewelry is customizable, I can change it on the spot (most of the time) to suit you or you can special order something. 
So, now to highlight some of my one of a kind items -





Hand beaded Collar with Mother of Pearl Cabs and Fringe - not listed in my shop but you can e-mail me for details - $825 - meleenia@aol.com

Thanks for reading, thanks for looking, and much thanks for any words of encouragement or purchases.  You make it possible for me to pursue my art!

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