Folks,
I’ve just returned from the MJSA show in NYC, and wanted to pass
along my review.
First off, I have to say that Karen Christians (Making the most of
your flexshaft) and Cindy Edelstein (building a designer business)
ROCK! I got more insights and energy from their 2
workshops than I ever imagined. Both are personable, funny,
knowledgeable, and really understand the environment in which we
work. If you get a chance to take a class with one of them, do it.
You won’t be sorry!
The show itself was good, but I was disappointed a bit. It didn’t
seem nearly as large as the past several years, even though several
of the exhibitors I talked to insisted that it was actually BIGGER by
15 booths. I noticed that many of the larger dealers didn’t have as
large a presence as before (for example, Progress tools had at least
a double, if not a triple last year, with a to-die-for array of
workbenches… this year, they had a single booth with some
hand-tools and I walked right by before I realized it was them… and
they weren’t alone in that!). There were about 1/4 the number of
stone dealers as last year, most of whom seemed to have an abundance
of gemstone beads, but not as many cabs and facets. Only one or two
diamond dealers, which was a distinct change.
Having said that, I saw some awesome new tools, brought back some
cool samples to try (Rapido molding rubber from castaldo, stop-off
from Krohn) and found some new materials that I can’t wait to try…
Signity’s stone-mesh (silver or gold mesh embedded with bezel-set
CZs in your choice of colors) and Rio’s new colored sterling mesh
“ribbon.” So the show wasn’t a bust from that perspective. I just
wanted MORE… especially more in the stone arena!
I definitely plan to go back next year, but hope that it’s
“re-grown” a bit!
What did the rest of you who attended this year think, compared to
the last several years? Any comparable shows in the Northeast that I
should check out given what I’m looking for?
Thanks!
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
www.nolimitations.com