Some of you know that I will be attending Quilt Festival in Long Beach, July 24th thru the 26th with a preview on the evening of July 23. This will be my FIRST RETAIL SHOW and I would love to hear all of your comments and suggestions on what to bring / sell in my booth.
Now mind you, all of your suggesting will not go unrewarded. I am going to be randomly picking 2 people who leave suggestions / comments and you will be rewarded with the 5 new patterns from my Spring Collection PLUS a brand, spankin' new Christmas table topper pattern (and can I just say "it's so cute")!
I really need help here peeps, and I know I can count on all of you!!
Thanks, and happy suggesting :)
Mary
9 comments:
Well, I looked at all the posts on your blog, and your quilts are simply gorgeous. I saw the booth you had at quilts etc. (one of my favorite stores) and it was beautiful. I personally think that the booths that are covered in quilts and fabric and have some furniture in them and are very homey, are the prettiest. Maybe you could do some focus things as well. Perhaps have a small bed in the booth and have it be the focal point with a beautiful headboard (covered in fabric or a quilt) and quilts laying on top with beautiful pillows, a vintage book left open with cute reading glasses, and a tray with some good treats that you could snuggle in bed with while reading your book. Have it very cozy and inviting and quilty with lots of fabrics.
I always look for some reason at how a booth is decorated. Too much and it is distracting, and too little means they don't have enough to bother with :) I love looking at fat quarters and notions. If you have a quilt hanging it is always nice to see that the pattern is available. Right now with jelly rolls, the turnovers and whatever all the rest of them are called being so popular it might be wise to have some available.
Good luck on your booth.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
oooh. What fun. The booths/vendors which go the extra mile, always catch my attention. Hard work I know, but worth it, I think. Full of product is always good too. Lots of eye candy to draw them in. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't like to have to ask about price. I love it when stores, booths, vendors, have the price really visible. just my two cents. ;o) ooxx`jod
Since I have never been a vendor I probably have nothing to contribute. Except I want to tell you to just have fun with it and enjoy the attention you have worked so hard for and that you deserve so much. This is a chance to get your feet wet and learn from the best. Watch others and learn for next time. Good luck and have fun!!!
Definitely bring lots of eye-candy...but also my best suggestion is that when I'm shopping at a venue where there are a lot of booths and such...I love patterns and kits for small projects or gift ideas...that's what I'm most likely to buy there.
samples of your patterns, and the requirements to make them just like you have! and then of course, everyone loves to pick through fat quarters. Those cupcake stands are delightful, and at a show on the weekend, I loved all the cuddly soft toys. And prices displayed are a must for me too.
I think that samples of the main patterns in more than one fabric line is a big draw to show how versatile the pattern is. Also an easy flow so there is ample room for the shoppers to view the patterns and pricing that is clearly shown.
Hang quilts of various sizes on all the walls of your booth. Perhaps you could attach the corresponding pattern to the lower corner of the quilt so there's no question as to what pattern it is. Then have several more of the pattern packages in baskets or wooden boxes on the table below the quilt. I think it would be great to have several single blocks from the displayed quilts made up in different colors to give the shoppers more ideas for the patterns. These could be displayed on the wall next to the quilt. Sell lots of fat quarters to coordinate with the quilts. I like to see these displayed by color or by theme rather than just randomly. Cover your tables with solid color fabric then drape quilts over them. Have some small projects available too. Tote bags are very popular right now. You could make up some kits to go with some of your patterns. Having things in various price ranges is good too, so you can appeal to the shopper who is on a budget. I have attended several quilt shows where I bought something inexpensive from a vendor and then later, when my budget allowed, ordered more from their website. Have your card available also. That probably goes without saying : ) A little dish of candies by your checkout might be a nice touch too (I'm thinking Hershey kisses).
Good luck with your sale.
I love to look at finished projects with a stack of kits near by. It makes it so much easier to spend my money!! Good luck!!
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