[Jewelry making - Article 01320] - Re: [Orchid] Art Shows - Is it worthwhile to do?

[Joanne Malakassiotis]

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Hello!

    This past summer I decided to attend a few local craft shows as a
    jewellery exhibitor. I live in Ontario/Canada and referred to the
    Ontario Crafts Council Craft Show Directory for information about:
    dates, costs for the booth, locations and expected attendance, among
    others. 

    I applied to several that were "juried" shows and managed to get
    into three. 

    There is no way of knowing what kind of business and sales you will
    achieve at these shows. Although I made plenty of contacts and met
    some wonderful people - both customers and other vendors, the
    revenue generated from these events wasn't enough to warrant my
    return next year. 

    In addition, I was confronted with plenty of competition from nearby
    exhibitors that were selling $10 and $20 handcrafted sterling silver
    jewellery with gemstones (!?) Don't know how these people stay afloat
    in their business but I refuse to compete with that "Payless"
    approach. 

    To sum it up, I also encountered a few irate passerby's and hagglers
    that felt the need to openly express their dismay with my prices
    (i.e. $60 for genuine coral and turquoise necklace with sterling
    silver Bali beads and silver findings). 

    Just because we are artists/artisans does that mean we should sell
    our work for next to nothing? What about our labour, material costs,
    our booth cost, vehicle rental, overhead costs, and the wee bit of
    profit we feel justified in providing ourselves for our skills and
    hard work? 

    I am very reluctant to partake in future trade show events unless I
    can be certain I will at least 'break even'. I'm also quite new in
    the jewellery industry struggling to launch my business, so any
    advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Cheers!

Joanne Malakassiotis
jewellery artisan
Toronto, Canada
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