HOW TO: organize your own hip holiday sale

by Christy Petterson

Craft shows have always been one of my favorite ways to spend a few hours. I enjoy seeing what other people have made, picking up business cards, saying hi to the artists, even making a few purchases. After years of attending these local shows though, the crafts started to look the same, and as I developed my own style I related less and less.

My frustration grew when I decided to try and sell in a show in my neighborhood. I mean, really it couldn�t hurt to give it a try, right? Actually it could hurt a lot. A whole $250 lot.

Two hundred fifty dollars is a lot for an entry fee when you�re 23 and work in a coffee shop. I thought I�d never get to participate in a show. Two years later I heard about this new kind of craft show taking place in Chicago called Renegade Craft Fair. It was exciting to hear that there was a show for people like me. I did some research and discovered a slew of these shows were popping up: Bizarre Bazaar, DIY Trunk Show and depart-ment, just to name a few. I wished someone would organize one in Atlanta where I live. Why� weren�t there cool people in the A-T-L making this sort of show happen?

Then it hit me. Maybe it was up to me. August of last year, I mentioned to a group of crafty girls that I wanted to organize a holiday trunk show. We had much success with our sale and organized another a couple of weeks later, which also drew a large crowd. Something interesting happened between the two shows�a lot of people came out of the woodwork. Strangers were calling me asking if they could sell in my show.

Clearly there were a lot of people hungry for this sort of event. We organized a small Valentine�s sale and with two friends I started planning for a much larger, grander show. This resulted in the Indie Craft Experience in June, which drew a crowd of close to 700 people.

So what are you waiting for? You might be lounging by the pool enjoying summer, but now�s the time to plan a holiday sale. And the cool kids are waiting for you to make this happen!

First, you need to find some people to help you. Decide if you want to be the ringleader and have volunteers help you or if you want to co-coordinate the show with a couple of other people. Whichever you choose, make sure these people are dependable, hardworking and passionate. You are going to be working very closely together--this is probably your only opportunity in life to pick your coworkers! �����

Next, you need a place to host the event. This could be someone�s house, a community center or a restaurant. Restaurants have worked best for me. During our first holiday sale we used the upstairs area of a large restaurant. The owners were more than happy to supply the space on a Sunday night when they�re usually slow. It was a win-win for everyone because we got space and they got more traffic that night than usual. For two other sales I was able to rent a restaurant that only serves lunch and is closed in the evening.

Now pick a day and time. Be aware of what�s going on in the community and make sure you aren't competing with large, well-established events. If there is something already going on that you can hook up with though you might be able to increase your crowd. We held one of the Christmas sales the night of the community holiday bonfire. Tons of people were already out that night and many stopped by our sale after the festivities.

Got all the details worked out? Now become the self-promoting queen! Create a flyer and give it to EVERYONE you know. Put it in every bar, restaurant, and coffee shop. You can make a really cute, zine-style flyer by photocopying text, photos, fabric and textures. Next, email all your friends, post on your blog and post on getcrafty. Try to get the event listed in the community calendar section of your local paper. And talk it up to everyone you know!

Once you get to this phase you�ll see you�ve accumulated some costs. To take care of this figure out the total cost and divide it by the number of people participating. Then add on a little extra per person. This might feel strange, but it is ok! When all is said and done you will have invested a lot of time. You�ll also be taking care of a lot of leg work that some people would rather not deal with. Keep the price reasonable, but don�t sell yourself short.

All you need now are participants. Base your number of participants on the size of the space, making sure everyone has enough room. Tell your friends you�re looking for hip crafters. Word spreads quickly.

On the day of the event make sure you are ready and rested. Have a plan for how to set up and for who is going to help with set up and clean up. Give yourself enough time to get ready so that you aren't crazy and exhausted by the time the event starts. Providing simple hors d�oeuvres, beer or wine is a nice touch for the people attending. Once the event begins relax, enjoy all your hard work and take a look at what other people have made.

I've turned my frustration from five years ago into a big event and I'm looking forward to my very first trip to Chicago in September for Renegade. Then as soon as I get back it's time to start planning the holiday sale...I hope your sale is fabulous!

Here's a list of a few super-hip shows. Check out
their websites and visit a few for inspiration for
planning your own show!
Indie Craft Experience in Atlanta
Art vs. Craft in Milwaukee
Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago and Brooklyn
Crafty Bastards in D.C.
Stitch in Austin
DIY Trunk Show in Chicago
Bazaar Bizarre in Boston, Cleveland and L.A.

Christy Petterson lives in Atlanta where she writes, sews, works in PR, organizes crafty events, roadies for her drummer-of-a-husband, eats the yummy food he cooks her, drinks coffee, goes for walks and occassionally watches dumb tv and sleeps.