I spent a lovely day at the RiverFront Market on Saturday. It was hot, and humid, and that part really wasn’t so great. But the people at the market make it so worth it.
To the customer who came to buy a new wallet for her husband, and showed me his very well-worn one she bought from me before, thank you. I love seeing something I’ve made put to such use that it’s literally falling apart. And to know that it was so well loved that when it did fall apart you came back to get another one just like it is so wonderful.
To the customer who came by to tell me she bought a Little Hootie Owl mobile from me awhile ago and that she and her little one love it, thank you.
To the customer who bought a wallet from me two weeks ago and came back to request a custom order, thank you. I am so glad the first wallet was such a hit!
To the customer who looked familiar, because I’ve seen you so many times before, because you’ve bought from me on many occasions, thank you.
I can’t think of a better testament to my work than the fact that you came back to tell me you still love what you bought and to buy more. I truly have the best customers ever. Thank you for the wonderful day at the market.
A couple of photos from last weekend’s market. I love all these colors.
Anodyne Design will be away for the next two weekends. I’ve got a new baby to meet and friends to see! I’ll be back in time for the last RiverFront Market on September 24th. Hope to see you there!
I was working on this post when my computer crashed. And I forgot it never got officially published. So here it is, a week and a half later…
Another day, another booth photo. While I was at Sommerfest today, some friends reminded me of how much my booth has changed since I first started doing markets and craft shows. So I thought I’d look back at what my very first booth set-ups looked like, and I was surprised. I didn’t realize how much my set up had changed in the last two years. Check out this photo of my first craft show booth:
Two little tables, with room for everything I had for sale. No display pieces, no fitted table covers. When I first found this image, I was sure it had to be from at least 3 years ago. But really, I’ve only been doing craft shows for just over 2 years now.
Some things I’ve learned in the last two years about setting up a booth:
Have multiples. People are attracted to groups of like items. They don’t pay much attention to single items that don’t seem to fit into a group… it’s much harder to sell that last one of something.
Group similar items together. I’ve noticed that when I have similar items scattered throughout my display, people don’t always realize they have more options. They don’t naturally look over the rest of your display to see if that style of coin purse they like is in a pattern they like somewhere else.
Make prices easy to see. If people can’t quickly find a price for an item, they’re likely to set it down and move on rather than ask for a price. Consider putting a price on every single item, because sometimes people will miss even the most obviously placed signs.
Use height. I tend to be attracted to booths that make a good use of vertical space as well as the flat space on top of tables. It draws my eye, and gives the appearance that there’s a lot to see at this booth.
Wind-proofing your booth is probably important, too, but that’s not a thing I’ve mastered yet.
I don’t normally share photos of my entire booth at the RiverFront Market, because I always feel that everything going on in the background sort of takes away from the aesthetic quality of the picture. But here’s a picture of my booth at the market today anyway. It was about 20 degrees cooler today, and so much better than last week! I worked on more Little Hootie Owls all day, and most of them are ready for stuffing. I expect to finish a lot of them while I’m at Sommerfest tomorrow. And once I finish this batch of owls, I’ll have them in enough colors to start putting together some owly mobiles.
Today was the first RiverFront Market of the season. The sky was blue and the weather was warm, and it was nice to see familiar faces again. After making what felt like a million little hootie owls for a friend’s wedding last fall, I took a bit of a break from owls and had almost none left. I finally sat down this past week and made a whole mess of them. A few have already gone to new homes, but there are still plenty waiting for that special someone. Soon, I’ll be putting some of these little guys into mobiles. A whole parliament of owls is always better than one, right?
Thanks to everyone who stopped by and said hello at the market today! I hope to see even more familiar faces (and new ones) next week. I saw sugar snap peas, and lettuce, and tomatoes, and fresh herbs this week. Even if you don’t need a little hootie owl, a trip to the market is worth it.
I’ll be down on the riverfront again next Saturday, from 8am until noon. And Sunday, I’ll be out at Sommerfest in Hickory Grove Park from noon – 5pm. Sommerfest is an annual event held by the Peoria German American Society, and is a fun way to get out and enjoy some German food, music, and beer. And arts and crafts. And air rifles. How could you miss that? See you next weekend!
This weekend was Rhapsody in Bloom, so I got to spend both days enjoying art and nature in the Luthy Botanical Garden. The predicted rain did not materialize, the garden plants and creatures were lovely, the art was lovely, and it was wonderful to see so many people come out to visit the garden and check out the art.
I loved meeting so many new people, and seeing some familiar faces from the RiverFront Market and the Peoria Heights Art Fair. I keep trying to make new things, to keep things fresh and interesting, and this weekend was no different. I stayed up way too late on Friday night making new straight-sided cosmetic pouches. I broke out some of the fabric I have been saving for “just the right project,” and each one was embellished with fancy French velvet ribbon or ric-rac.
Three of the pouches in this picture are gone, but I have a few more in the works, and hopefully I’ll be getting a few listed online in the next two days. And they will definitely be putting in an appearance at this weekends’ RiverFront Market. (I loved doing Rhapsody in Bloom this weekend, but I did miss my weekly market time, especially the tomato man and the lettuce guy. I’ll be happy to see them this Saturday!) I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too, and that this week shapes up to be a good one!
This weekend was busy (and it’s only Saturday night)! Friday afternoon I drove to the next town over to set up for First Fridays. They shut down the main downtown street, and local restaurants set up some outdoor seating and do a bit of cooking in the street. There was a band (whose cover of Sarah, by Hall & Oates, I thoroughly enjoyed), and local artists set up their tents along the street. The street was full and lively all night long, and the forecast rain never appeared, which was marvelous.
Anodyne Design at First Friday in Galesburg, IL
This morning was not quite so nice, weather-wise. But a little rain is no reason to miss the first farmers’ market of the season, so we braved the weather and set up downtown. It was clear the rain kept quite a few people away, but I think that just speaks more to the awesomeness of those who did come out. It was nice to see some familiar faces and to make some new friends.
One of my favorite things to do at a farmers’ market or other event is to people watch. It’s endlessly interesting to see the variety of people in this world. (And to see their pets. There were definitely some cute dogs out at the market today.) Some of my favorite observations from this weekend:
Stilts at First Friday in Galesburg, IL
– watching an older woman dance un-self-consciously to the First Friday band, while everyone else just stood around. It was absolutely refreshing to see someone so much enjoying herself regardless of what anyone else was doing or thinking.
– witnessing a Walk of Shame. The parking lot for the farmers’ market has signs clearly stating that no one is allowed to park in it overnight on Fridays, because we need it for the market early Saturday morning. Not everyone always follows the signs though, and sometimes we have to work around the cars. There was one such car right next to my space today. About halfway through the market, we watched a young woman enter the lot in some fabulous heels that were clearly too fancy for a rainy morning of produce shopping. She quickly walked straight to the car next to us, and drove out of the lot with her hand over her face. But she did have awesome shoes.
– watching a man on stilts gently hold his companion’s (who was not on stilts) hand. And then watching that man on stilts be “stalked” by a gaggle of little boys, who would scream and run with delight whenever he turned and saw them.
– I also met a man with a laugh just like Amadeus today. It was marvelous.
Tomorrow, I plan on checking out the Junction City Art Fair. Some artists who are there that I love: Joan Furilla (fine silver jewelry), Razorberries (quirky watercolor illustrations), and metalME (more pretty jewelry!). And perhaps best of all, it should be sunny, or at least not raining. Hooray!
P.S. Help Anodyne Design grow a little, by nominating it to win a small business grant on Love a Local Business. All you need to do is click the link and leave a comment describing why you love Anodyne Design. If love is too much commitment for you, I’d happily settle for “like a lot.” I love being a small, local (and online) business (although you don’t have to be local to vote!), and it will be easier for me to keep doing that, and doing it well, with a little love from you. Thanks. 🙂
This weekend I participated in a craft show at the Franciscan Recreation Complex, organized by the Peoria Park District. It was in the same location as the first Fancy Schmancy show last May, which is a lovely park with lush green grass and big old trees filled with allergens. I had the pleasure of sitting directly under one of these trees, and it dropped little presents on me all day.
Holy cow, I had no idea I could have such bad allergies. Thanks, Illinois. I never had allergies before I lived here. Unfortunately, I had a lot of time to think about my terrible allergies, because this craft fair currently holds the title for Least Attended Craft Show of 2010. To those of you who did come out, stop by my booth, or even buy something, thank you!
On the positive side of things, I met some great people, both shoppers and other vendors. In particular, I met the ladies of Garden Glitz, who were my booth neighbors. They were a pleasure to talk with, and their garden art truly does look lovely in sunshine. Not to mention the fact that they recycle old glass pieces into something beautiful, which speaks to my eco-conscious heart. I heard them mention that they will also make custom garden art with your own glass pieces, if you have something special that you don’t quite have a use for.
I also continued to work on my booth set up, and I think I hit upon a great use for the antique shutters I bought a couple weeks ago. I used them to support little “clotheslines,” which I used to pin up my clothespin magnets. It’s always been difficult for me to come up with an attractive way to display these, so I’m extra happy with this one.
Next weekend will be filled with a much-anticipated visit with a friend, instead of a craft show. Although I won’t be there, a little bit of Anodyne Design will be at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market next Saturday, sharing space with Yellowdragonfly Designs. The next place you’ll be able to find me is at First Fridays in Galesburg, Illinois on Friday, June 4th, from 5-8 p.m. I hope to see you there!
This Saturday I spent the day at the Fancy Schmancy Market. The market was held indoors, which was a nice change from last weekend’s cold outdoors event. Especially since it ended up raining this weekend! The market went well, although it was not as highly attended as anyone had hoped. Those who did come by were a pleasure to see, and as usual, I enjoyed talking with everyone who stopped for a moment in my little booth.
When there was a lull in shoppers, I used the time to get to know some of the other vendors there. There were a lot of great people and things at the market: Sea of Glass Designs was there with some really lovely jewelry, Carrie’s Crafty Cottage was there with the cutest hand-knit cupcakes, and Razorberries was there (and I finally got some fabulous notecards).
There were also some new Big Hoots in my booth this weekend. They are twice the size of the Little Hootie Owls, and perfect for watching over the little ones. Most of them were gone before noon, so I think I’m on to something here. I’ll definitely be making more. And thanks to a special request, I’ve started branching out into owls made with cotton prints, in addition to the felt ones.
Next weekend, I’ll be participating in the Craft & Vendor Sale at the Franciscan Recreation Complex in West Peoria. This is in the same outdoor location that Fancy Schmancy used last May, so I know it’s a lovely place to go for a little shopping. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for nice weather. We’ve had enough cold, windy, and rainy Saturdays. There will be more Big Hoots there, and some new wristlets, Little Hootie Owl mobiles, and journals. I should probably get to work on those now…
It was a windy day at the Peoria Heights Art Fair yesterday. Windy, cold, overcast, and decidedly un-lovely weather-wise. That was really unfortunate, both for the artists and the shoppers. At least it didn’t rain. And I have extra love for all the people who were willing to brave the weather, after a week of gorgeous, warm, spring-like weather, to come out and see what everyone has been creating. One of the organizers came around halfway through and told me if I wanted to pack up and go home, because of the cold, I could and other artists were doing just that. Amanda and I stuck it out and stayed until the end, though, and I think it was worth it.
Anodyne Design at the Peoria Heights Art Fair (click image to see a larger version with notes)
Despite the cold and the wind (for which I finally had to figure out how to put the sides up on my tent), I had a great time meeting and talking with new people throughout the day. And I love knowing that some of them left with with a new Little Hootie Owl mobile to hang in their baby’s room, or a journal to give a friend. As usual, the general consensus was that Little Hootie Owls are terribly adorable, and that tiny things are cute.
Of course, today the sun is shining and the wind is gone and it would be a lovely day for a street fair. But it will be summer soon, and I expect there will be lots of lovely days like today at the Farmer’s Market, First Fridays, and Rhapsody in Bloom. And next weekend, just to be on the safe side, the Fancy Schmancy Market, will be indoors, where the weather is always perfect.
Hello! I’m Shannon. I write about sewing and crafting, and selling handmade. I also run a little online shop. {Read more…}
