It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since I posted on this blog, but I'm still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, the arts and crafts business has not been so great. I used to do a lot of art and craft shows, but once the economy tanked, so did sales at shows. I struggled along for a while, reducing the number of shows a little each year. After doing only two shows last year, I finally decided to take a complete break in 2014. At least from the show circuit.

I am still selling my jewelry on Etsy, and last year I added in my decorative boxes that I used to sell at arts and crafts shows. The boxes have done pretty well and I've actually had some more sales on Etsy. Nothing spectacular, but I had some decent sales this year. It's amazing how hit or miss it is on Etsy, but the funny thing is that I paid for keyword search ads for a while on Etsy, but my hits kept up about the same once I stopped paying. So, I decided that the pay to play was a waste of my money.

I need to work on adding new items to Etsy. I haven't really made a lot of new things lately, but I already had a huge inventory of items that have not been posted. So, I just need to block out some time to photograph some new items to add and then work on writing the descriptions and posting them all...a time-consuming affair, but one you need to take the time to do right.

How has the show circuit been for you lately? Are you selling on Etsy or another online site? Let me know in the comments.

Learning and Lessons Learned

I discovered some free classes offered by a local small business incubator. I took three marketing classes and a "How to Start Your Business" class. I found all of the classes to be helpful, except for the last marketing class on social media marketing...I didn't learn anything in that class that I'm not already doing other than not posting daily (but this is something I knew to do.) I seem to have the social media marketing part down (I have this blog, I have my Twitter, and my Facebook page.); I just need to work on my website and SEO. While in the classes, I also got some ideas for things to update or change with my existing business name and website. More details on that to follow. Today I am taking part in the Etsy Success Symposium, running live all day online. Hopefully, I will learn some things to help me better optimize my Etsy shop.

New Year, New Plans

Alright, so it's already three months into the new year, but that still doesn't mean I can't plan for this new year. I've been taking some business marketing classes (free, yeah!) and have gotten some new ideas on what to do. So, I will be updating my website, enhancing my online presence, and just creating some all around new goals for improving my jewelry business. First things first, though, so there will be a lot of things going on behind the scenes. I will start posting more frequently on my blog, as this is part of my plan to increase my online visibility. Please check back frequently (or better yet, subscribe to my feed) for new posts. Also, you can check out my Facebook page for news and other updates, including updates to my Etsy shop. So, hopefully my new ideas and planning will help my business improve and grow, because I really want that to be the end result.

High Hopes

That's what I've got for the Wooster Arts Jazz Festival this Saturday. My show last Sunday was a total bust with only one sale. I think the show is old and tired, not to mention over-saturated with jewelry (although there was more jewelry last year.) So, I've got high hopes for my show this coming Saturday in Wooster, OH. The show in Wooster is very nice and very well organized. I was thrilled to win a prize for best booth last year...not to mention surprised, as I didn't even know there were cash awards. The prize and the show's excellent organization were the main reasons I am returning this year. A well run show makes a big difference, even if other factors (like sales) aren't quite what you hoped. I did okay last year, but the prize money certainly helped. This year I'm hoping sales are better. I have a great location in the center of the action and I'm really looking forward to a pleasant day. The show has moved to Saturday this year, so hopefully that will really draw a big crowd. For some reason shows on Sunday never seem to have quite the draw. So, I have high hopes for Wooster, but regardless, I know the show will be pleasant. Of course, a pleasant experience doesn't pay the bills, so I'm really hoping for some decent sales. If you can, come on out to Wooster, OH for the show, it's from 11-7, Saturday, September 17.

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

I haven't done a lot of shows lately, because sales have been down due to the economy and an increase in the number of jewelry vendors. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the two shows I've got scheduled in September turn out to be okay.

The first show, the Mariemont Art Show, has been around for a long time, so I'm not sure if it doesn't get the buying crowd or if people are just burned out on it. I've done it off and on for a number of years. I did it last year and it honestly wasn't worth doing, but it's close to home and in a pleasant setting. It is also easy to set up/tear down at. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, though, for good things this year.

The next show I have scheduled I did last year for the first time. It, too, has been around for a while, but it was a very nice show with music and was well organized. This show is the Wooster Arts Jazz Fest in Wooster, OH. I won a prize last year for best booth...it was quite unexpected and an honor. It definitely made the show worth it. This year, the show is on a Saturday instead of it's usual Sunday date. Hopefully, this will increase traffic and business. I'm looking forward to this show and hope I won''t be disappointed.

Regardless, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Let's start this thing all over again

So, I haven't posted on this blog in a long time, but I'm baaaaack! Not that I ever went away, just away from this blog. I've been working on other blogs and things, and I let this blog take a back seat. I have been doing some work on my jewelry business, especially recently. I've posted a shop on Etsy and have been working on updating my website.

As for applying for shows, those are few and far between. It seems that the shows I've been doing have not been doing so well...my sales have really slumped the last several years (of course, so has the economy.) So, that shouldn't really be much of a surprise. Also, it's seems it is harder to get into shows. Jewelry has always been so competitive, and now it seems that literally everyone (no, I really mean literally everyone) is making jewelry...or their sister is or their brother...you get the idea. So, shows are just tough.

I've Been a Bad Blogger

It has been more than a year since I last posted to this blog. I guess I was feeling down about business at the time and haven't been too motivated since then. This year has been bad and I severely cut back on my shows. I will be doing a show this coming weekend. We'll see how it goes. In the meantime, I plan to get back to posting to this blog.