PREPARING FOR YOUR FIRST SHOW
ARE YOU READY TO DO SHOWS?
There are no official guidelines that you must pass in order to be qualified to sell your bears at a show. There are, however, some things you may want to ask yourself before you take the jump.
First, are you happy with the look and quality of your bears? You are both the artist and salesperson. If you do not believe that your work is quality and worth the same or more than the next personís work, than no one else will. You must have confidence in your bears.
The next question to ask yourself is what others think of your bears. Self-confidence is all well and good, but not if you are the only one who loves your work. Ask your family, friends and co-workers to critique your bears. Tell them to be tough (and be ready to take it!). Honestly think about what they have to say and whether or not you want or need to change anything. Take into consideration who these people are and how seriously you need to consider their suggestions. (Your co-worker may think their cute but wants to pay $10 for a $150 bear. Your friend who has done a few craft shows that has suggestions on how to tag and price your bears may be a better one to listen to. ) Also, ask a few children what they think. Children are usually brutally honest (when they are allowed to give their true opinion) and will tell you if ìthe bearís face looks crooked and scaryî, even if you may not want to hear it!
As I suggested in last monthís article, a nice ìtesterî and fun annual event would be to get a group of your crafty friends together. Just before the holidays, have your group plan a holiday open house. Depending on the group, you can keep it simple and comfortable in one personís home or rent a place and make it a big bash! Invite everyoneís friends and family to stop in, have home-made treats and display the groupís creations for show and sale! Promote each other as a group as well as yourself as an individual artist. This is a great way to display your bears as you would at a show and get a true public reaction.
Once you decide that your bears are ready for the public, you must be sure that you are comfortable with the production process. You have to decide exactly how you are going to sell your bears. Are you going to sell one-of-a-kind bears or are you going to re-produce several designs? Are you going to only sell what you have in stock at the show or do you want to take orders? If you decide that you want to take orders, be sure that once you get home, you will not be overwhelmed with bears that you promised to reproduce. Donít let the customer talk you into anything that you are not comfortable doing. Also, you must be comfortable charging an amount that makes it worthwhile for you.
Although the idea of doing shows is to make a little money (even if itís just enough to support your mohair habit), it is not cheap and will probably cost you a bit before you see a profit. It also takes time to make the bears, prepare your display and organize the business end of the show as well as the time you need for the actual show. Be sure you can handle the additional demand on your schedule and wallet.
Now that youíre sure youíre ready, where do you begin? Show expenses can really escalate when you take into consideration the cost of airfare, hotel, shipping bears ahead, dining out etc. Local shows are a good way to start. The travel expense is minimized to gassing up the car. You also have the flexibility to pack your car with options. Traveling by airplane forces you to consider strict space and weight limitations. Although ideally you want to have your set-up confirmed in your head prior to the show, until you get a feel for it and have done a few shows, you want to be flexible. If you get all set up and your table looks a bit plain in comparison to the other artists or you need more levels of height on your table, you can always run to the car and pull out a few more ìaccessoriesî.
Remember that your bears are works of art that are made with the finest quality materials. Your local craft fair patron will not appreciate the difference between your bears and a manufactured bear from Toys R Us, so be sure to target the right market! The best way to find shows would be to subscribe to the teddy bear magazines. (Teddy Bear and Friends and Teddy Bear Review are the top 2 in the United States.) These magazines are where the collectors look for shows that have quality artist bears. Look for show advertisements, show listings and in the calendar of events. Another good way to find shows is to look at the websites of individual artists in your state. Look at the shows that they will be attending. Call or email them and ask about the shows ñ this is generally a friendly business and artists want to promote the shows they attend. Ask them what their experience was with specific shows/promoters. Call all the promoters and ask about their shows. Compare the table prices, find out what kind of advertising is being done by the promoter, find out which other artists will be there, find out if the show is accessible to the public (very important!) and ask any other questions you can think of. A good promoter is usually more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
Now that youíve signed the contract, itís time to decide what to bring.
1. The bears. Take a look at the bears you have ready. Do you have just one size or an assorted size range? Look at the color range. Remember youíre your bears will make up one show display that should blend nicely. Your bears should compliment one another, not clash and take away from each other. If you find that some of your bears do not look nice next to others, donít leave them home; just keep it in mind for later when we discuss your display.
How many bears you bring would depend on the size of your table and the size of your bears. You want the table to look full, but not have so many bears that you canít fully appreciate each one. If you have more bears than looks nice on the table, keep a few off the table and fill in the space as you sell. It is smart to have a couple of a particular design that you know is popular.
2. Take pictures of other bears you have made. Arrange them in a photo album with their name or item number. Indicate whether or not you are willing to take orders for specific bears and/or custom orders to the customerís specifications. If the customer doesnít fall in love with anything on the table, they may see something they like in your photo album. Special/custom orders are a great way to get more sales. If you donít mind the work and have the time to fill orders, then absolutely take as many as you can!
3. Hang tags and price tags for the bears. Each bear should be clearly priced. Many customers will not pick up a bear to look for the price and will just walk away if they donít see one. The bears should also have a hang tag with your (or your company) name and a contact number or website etc. Another good thing to have on a tag would be whether or not the bear is child safe. Something like: ìCollectible Bear ñ Not intended to be a childís toyî or ìNot recommended for children ñ contains small partsî or ìAdult collectible, not safe for small children.î
4. Business Cards and/or Flyers. They may not buy now, but they usually take a card or flyer and may buy later or refer you to a friend. Never let someone who has shown interest in your bears, but didnít purchase leave your booth without some way to contact you if they should change their mind! Business cards are absolutely necessary, but flyers with pictures of an assortment of your bears are a great way to get the customers to visually remember your bears. I canít tell you how many times Iíve picked up business cards from the table of an artist and then come home and couldnít remember which bears that person made!
5. Table display. You want your table to stand out from the crowd. Create a display that separates your bears from those of the next vendor. You want to make them stop and look at your bears ñ not just browse right into the next display as they walk by. Use table coverings, shelving, boxes, signs, decorative items/props/accessories etc. to enhance your bear, but not overpower them!
If you find that some of your bears do not look nice next to others, because of different styles or clashing colors, just keep it in mind when you are setting up your display. Separate them within your display by making separate little vignettes that do go together.
Usually you will be provided with a chair, but itís always good to make sure or bring a stool just in case. Also, have a small table (or overturned packing box) behind your table for your business items (discussed in the next paragraph). Some extra things I always pack are tape, safety pins, stapler, markers, paper, needle & thread, extra logo tags, extra price tags and a tagging gun.
6. Be ready for sales with a cash box, fanny pack or wallet with money for change. Have a receipt pad with duplicates for the customer. Bring a calculator and pen/pencil. Be sure you know the correct tax to add in the county you are in. Donít forget to bring enough bags for your customers to carry their purchases in. Have extra business cards to put into the bag with each purchase. Itís a good business practice to keep a notebook with a log for each show. List the bears you took with you and mark off the bears you sold. Also, list the price you had on the bear as well as the price you actually sold it for.
7. Re-sale permit (permanent or temporary). You can obtain a permanent or temporary resale permit from your local Board of Equalization. You must report anything you sell so the government gets the tax you collect. If you donít want to get a re-sale permit just yet, your show promoter will supply you with state tax forms to fill out on the items you sold at that particular show.
8. Dress nicely. Look not only like you are the artist, but like you own the business! If both you and your display look neat and professional, your customer feels like they are buying a better product! It is very important to interact with the customers during a show. Donít hide away behind your booth where you are un-approachable! Comment on the bear they seem interested in. Encourage them to pick up the bear and hold it ñ hopefully, they wonít want to put it down!
9. Bring a snack & drink in case you donít get a chance to leave your table. The vendors around you are usually happy to keep an eye on your table if you need to run to the bathroom, but they are looking to sell their own bears, not yours. Make friends with the vendors around you. Shows can be the perfect place to make lasting, valuable contacts with others in the business.
After youíve done your first show, make yourself some notes. Write down any difficulties you had and how you can remedy them for the next show. Make note of any items that you didnít have with you that you may want to bring next time. Also, note any items that you did bring and definitely wonít use next time. Make each new show a learning experience. If you did poorly, ask yourself ìwhy?î. If you did well, ask the same question. Plan the next show accordingly.
I think Iíve covered the basics. Now you can take your creativity with you and get out there and sell your bears!