Holiday Prep You Can Do in September
Before the busy season starts to creep up on us, this is the perfect time to start preparing your craft business for the holidays. Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas to help you get holiday-ready.
Interview with ‘Making It’ Contestant Robert Mahar
“Nick and Amy — I came in as a fan, and I came out as a super fan. They couldn’t have been sweeter, and they set such a nice tone from the get-go. That level of kindness and collegiality really came from them. Since they didn’t have to judge us, they acted as advocates for us.”
The Key to a Successful Craft Show is a Well-Planned Booth
Once you’ve applied for and have been accepted to vend at a craft show, or have decided to secure a booth at a show with an opening, there is a lot to think about. Here’s what you need to make your booth successful.
New Wholesale Platforms Rise in the Wake of Etsy Wholesale
In the wake of Etsy Wholesale’s closure, many artists and makers are looking for new resources for selling creative work to wholesale buyers.
Getting Started on Pinterest: Growing Your Brand Through Visual Search
Pinterest is an anomaly in the social media space. Rather than a place to connect with friends, Pinterest brands itself as a “visual discovery engine.” Pinterest users, or “pinners,” use the platform to share their inspirations, create curated pinboards to help guide their projects or plans, and use Pinterest search to find ideas, inspiration and products that they need. Boasting 175 million users, Pinterest is driving tons of traffic to online shops.
Purl Soho: A True Gem of a Shop
It’s easy to spend an entire afternoon at Purl Soho. Cubbyhole shelves line the walls of the shop, stuffed to capacity with thousands of skeins of yarn, in every weight and color you can imagine. Martha Stewart Living touted Purl Soho, “the downtown Manhattan yarn store [that] helped make knitting a hobby as likely to be practiced by models killing time on shoots as by grandmas producing booties.” Founded in 2002 by Joelle Hoverson, Purl Soho debuted at the forefront of the contemporary craft movement, during an era where knitting think-pieces proclaimed that cozy was making a comeback, and knitting wasn’t just for grannies anymore.
Trend Report: Punch Needle Embroidery
Punch needle crafting is seeing a surge of interest in 2018, fueled perhaps by the recent revival of macrame and loom weaving.
Summer Reading List for Creatives
Erin Dollar is back as the Craft Industry Alliance resident librarian, offering her picks for 2018’s best art books, creative business titles, and self-help books. For artists and creatives, summer vacation often means a tote bag filled with craft books, and she’s found some excellent additions to your summer reading list.
Show Report: Surtex 2018
SURTEX is an annual trade show for the surface pattern design industry, connecting artists and art licensing agencies with manufacturers, retailers, and licensees who want to create products with their artworks. The show attracts art buyers from across many industries: home decor and furnishings, fashion and apparel, beauty, giftware, stationery, and much more. Art buyers walk the aisles of SURTEX looking for artwork to buy or license for their brand, and this year’s show brought nearly 200 exhibitors unique offerings to the show.
Show Report: The National Stationery Show 2018
The National Stationery Show (NSS), hosted in the Javits Center in New York City annually in May, is the only stationery industry trade show in North America. Showcasing greeting card companies and a selection of gift companies and publishing houses, NSS is only open to registered members of the stationery trade and press. Erin Dollar was there and brings us this report.