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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 1, 2009 11:05:31 GMT -5
Last Saturday I did my first "Craft Show". I had actually done two shows before but my first was a chruch bake sale and the other was a rock show. This show was pretty small, just 12 booths or so but all the others were more professional looking than mine. Considering the low traffic I felt I did pretty well. I figure I sold a cab to about every twelfth customer and two were repeat customers so that was good. Here are a couple of pics that I took with my cell phone, forgot the camera yet again. Amber and I are planning on slowly improving the display as we do more shows. Thanks for looking.
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,787
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 1, 2009 12:28:40 GMT -5
Amazing display Tony! And, besides your beautiful cabs, I bet people were lured towards your booth by Amber's presence Adrian PS. your cell phone takes very good pics.
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Post by stonesthatrock on Oct 1, 2009 13:31:03 GMT -5
every 12th person is excellent. We have gone the whole day without selling one. Look at the friendly smiling face.............. Wish us luck ours comes up in 2 weeks. Much bigger and more competion grrrrrrrrrrrrrr. We are the only ones that sell slabs and rough, though so hopefully it will be good. Glad to hear you did so well. Now on to the next one.....
mary ann
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Oct 1, 2009 15:23:14 GMT -5
Good job! Be sure to have business cards or contact information to give to your customers. I see a lot of repeat business from people who make jewelry and are looking for something different than the calibrated stuff coming out of China and being sold at most shows... And having such a pretty face smiling back at you from behind the table can't help but increase sales...
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Oct 1, 2009 15:33:39 GMT -5
A couple more suggestions...
Buy some 1 1/2 inch PVC and cut small lengths to put on the ends of your folding table to raise it up to counter height (30 inches). Customers like being able to see things without bending over.
Have a cover that goes all the way to the ground so you can stash boxes, etc.
Get folding barstools to sit on. Customers like you being on the same level as them making eye contact. Having to get up out of a regular folding chair makes the customer feel like he's inconveniencing you. Especially when you grunt and groan as much as I do when getting out of a chair.
When we do shows, my SO doesn't sit down all day. She's up chatting up customers. We've found those foam mats you get at Harbor Freight save your legs and feet from standing.
Just a couple suggestions on things I've learned over the years...
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Post by Bejewelme on Oct 1, 2009 18:12:39 GMT -5
Hey Hon, I didn't give permission for that pic Rockdewd, you make some good suggestions, this was a really small event, but right aroudn the corner from my house, so worth a shot. It was really nice to have 2 ladies who bought at the local Christmas fair we did last year remember us. We need a more fancy display and would like to start finding more high quality shows, but this table was $20, so it wa sa cheap experiment, and we made $100. Vacation Stash! Adrian-You got it right, I engage them and don't stop talking until they buy!LOL
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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 1, 2009 18:31:58 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions Rick. I never thought of those things. I might do one or two more shows as the holidays get near so I'll try and work on getting that table higher. I also need to figure out a better way to display the cabs. I like the Riker mounts for keeping them at my house and transporting them but the batting gets caught up on the bails when customers pick them up. Any suggestions for that?
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Thunder69
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Thunder 2000-2015
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Post by Thunder69 on Oct 1, 2009 20:58:31 GMT -5
Hey Tony ....I have a suggestion for displaying cabs ...Make a step pyramid ...and use the tile holders from the scrabble board to stand them up on....just a thought.....Congrats with the show....John
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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 1, 2009 21:29:19 GMT -5
Thanks John. How many games of Scrabble would I have to buy to display 200 cabs? lol I'd have to line them with something so the cabs don't slide to the side. Hmmm, something to think about.
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Post by frane on Oct 1, 2009 21:46:57 GMT -5
Awe, that looks like you two had a good time even if it was a small show! I just love Amber's smile. It is contagious! Fran
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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 2, 2009 8:08:26 GMT -5
Yes her smile is contagious and she is always smiling.
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adrian65
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Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,787
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 2, 2009 9:58:04 GMT -5
Yes her smile is contagious and she is always smiling. Wrong, she's not always smiling, she's smiling only when she's tired of laughing ;D Adrian
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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 2, 2009 10:57:09 GMT -5
lol true true. She loves to do both.
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Post by rockmanken on Oct 2, 2009 12:12:38 GMT -5
Hey! What's wrong with that display? We use PLAIN bed sheets for table covers and write cards with magic markers. Very primative, but we sell. Everyone around us has glass display cases or riker mounts. We just stick them out on the table. But, we do stand if anyone is around and talk a LOT. Way to go, ya'll. Ken
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rockdewd
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2007
Posts: 605
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Post by rockdewd on Oct 2, 2009 12:46:58 GMT -5
Tony, I've gotten away from displaying with Riker's mounts. I show my stones in standard jeweler trays with the flocked plastic inserts. I use black or white inserts depending on the stone color. I've found that people like to touch and feel the stones and having them out in trays increases sales. Obviously you are going to have to keep an better eye on your stones to cut down on pilferage. I've found that Riker's mounts have a limited life span when doing shows and always end up with broken glass or the paper lid getting trashed. I like the plastic 1" jewelers trays. They stack nicely and I use the soft sided cases to transport them. I also cut a piece of 1/2" foam rubber to fit inside the tray over the cabs to keep them from vibrating out of the dividers in the trays. The cheapest source for trays, inserts, and softsided case is Gems on Display. www.gemsondisplay.com/
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Post by Tonyterner on Oct 2, 2009 12:55:15 GMT -5
Ken, talking a LOT is Amber's job. The problem is getting her to stop. lol Seriously she is the sales person. I can talk about rock or the process but she the one who really works the customers.
Thanks Rick I really like the idea of white and black. I kept the Riker boxes open so people could pick the cabs up but that batting tends to stick to the bails. I'm going to check out those display boxes.
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NDK
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Member since January 2009
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Post by NDK on Oct 2, 2009 13:13:00 GMT -5
Tony, how about wrapping the batting in the riker boxes with black velvet or similar? Would be a nice elegant look, and not snag. Light and dark colors could contrast the stones to really pop the color.
Nate
P.S. Great job on the sales!
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Post by Toad on Oct 2, 2009 14:47:59 GMT -5
Congrats on your show
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harryz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2008
Posts: 137
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Post by harryz on Oct 3, 2009 7:09:17 GMT -5
Thats a nice setup. Thanks for sharing.
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wyobrian
fully equipped rock polisher
GO VIKINGS
Member since February 2009
Posts: 1,739
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Post by wyobrian on Oct 3, 2009 8:40:45 GMT -5
congrats Tony on the show ;D with a salesperson like Amber you cant go wrong ;D ;D ;D Brian
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