I Heart Indie Holidays UPDATE

I have some exciting news! We just finalized the venues for all three I Heart Indie Holiday shows. There have been some scheduling changes, but we were able to book all our first choices. Check it out:

I Heart Indie Holidays Seattle: Saturday Nov 24, Seattle Pavilion
I Heart Indie Holidays Portland: Sunday Dec 2, Wonder Ballroom
I Heart Indie Holidays Bellingham: Sunday Dec 9, The Majestic

I'm so excited about these shows. It is our goal to provide the best opportunities for local crafters and create a sense of community in the Northwest.

There are still spaces available for vendors of all types. So far we have jewelry, bags, paintings, clothing, soap, cards, housewares, candles, and even chain mail. But we're still looking for more of you. Every hand-crafted item is unique and special and we want to give you an opportunity to show off your creativity.

Don't forget about booth shares, too. We have no limit on how many crafters share a booth. If you have some crafty friends, band together for a 10' x 10' space at all or just one of the shows. Everything is better with a friend! And you double your customer base at the same time.

We also want to encourage everyone to think about ways to expand their businesses. We know that IHIH shows are not the only ones offered during the holiday season (although they are the most affordable). We don't want you to feel like you have to make a choice between shows - we encourage you to do them all, even if they fall on the same day. This will just make you think about your business plan a little harder. Start thinking about ways to do two shows on the same day - how you will create displays and split inventory.

My first two-show day was about 10 months ago, when I decided to do IHR for the first time. I had to figure out how to keep my booth at the Fremont Sunday Market but also participate in Seattle's longest-running and most-talked-about indie craft show. I thought about how to divide inventory and how to leverage my friends and family to help me out. Not only did I double my customer base but I instantly saw the value of expanding my business to accommodate every show I could possibly get in to. And look at me now - co-directing 3 great shows at the forefront of the indie craft world.

If anyone is hesitant to double up on shows or needs some guidance on what shows to participate in, I'm more than happy to help. Since I've been there, recently, I have some insight that you might not. And although I'll push for you to participate in the IHIH shows, I'll offer sound business advice for your specific situation.

Stop by Fremont on Sundays or shoot me an email if you have questions or need some friendly crafty advice.

Happy crafting!
~Anna

ACK! It's been far too long...

I've been incredibly busy with pulling together some new shows in conjuction with I Heart Rummage. Cassandra Lanning, the indie craft goddess, has asked me to co-direct I Heart Indie Holidays. This is a group of shows - Seattle, Bellingham and Portland - aimed at providing new, affordable retail opportunities for local artists and indie crafters.

I'm also swamped with filling orders for summer weddings, restocking for Fremont, and putting a class together. That's right - a class! This Saturday I'm running a BYOS (bring your own stuff) class for beading at the Capitol Hill library. And IT'S FREE!!! If you want to participate, email Cassandra at iheartrummage@hotmail.com. The class will focus on helping students design and complete beadwork projects that they "thought" they could do themselves. So, if you bought a bunch of beads, but have no clue where to start or how to finish, bring them along.

Hopefully I'll be better at keeping you informed in the future. As always, you can come see me at Fremont Sunday Market every week.

Happy crafting!
A.