Fair Fall and Fall Fairs

When August speeds along (far too quickly), I know that soon enough leaves will glow with color.

Fall’s energy differs entirely from summer’s hectic sun-drenched activities. It’s cozy.

And fall sees the beginning of one of my favorite activities: the craft and art show circuit.

Perhaps you love beading so much that you pretty much have to try your hand at selling (to justify your stash and purchases!)? If so, here are some tips to get you going:

• The first rule of business is to sell to an ideal client. Trying to attract grandmothers, moms and teens doesn’t work because you cannot be all things to all people. BUT, attracting Bohemian grandmamas, moms, and teens could work!

So then, first, determine which style, market, or colours you’ll stick to.

You might choose to do all black and white jewellery, with gold or silver or bronze accents, for example. Or maybe red, purple, or blue accents. If you go with metallics, they are always in style, and if you want to select a colour theme, check out the trends in clothing before you decide.

Another winning idea would be to create in earthy, natural tones, or a horse-lover’s theme, or mainly for bridal needs. You will likely need a scheduler to take orders – and absolutely have a stack of lovely cards made up to hand out. (Vista Print is quick and inexpensive.)

Find a theme and stick to it.

• Ideally, you’ll have items at different price points – something around $5 as well as those at $75, for example. Pinterest would be an ideal research tool for ideas. (I used “jewellery to make for fall fairs” and got, of course, a stream of ideas – check out these pumpkin earrings! So perfect for an autumn theme.

There are tons of other topics, of course – upselling, payment options, pricing, display/presence … a good resource is madeurban.com.

Whatever you decide to make – be it for fall fairs or for yourself and your friends – The Beading Room has you covered. We have seeds and delicas, glass beads and pearls, super duos and daggers, findings for bracelets, earrings, hair combs, hairbands, and necklaces … we have thousands of items on hand to help you create from the cutest to the most sophisticated pieces.

And to help you keep your prices competitive, many size 11s are now available in a 125g Bulk Bag.

Check us out!

Your bead-along-babe, Cathy

(Originally published August 8, 2021)