Left to Right: Satellite Ring by Lori Gottlieb, Etruscan Earrings by Christine MacKellar, Bell Earrings by Sheila Beatty and Scullptural Bracelet by Shana Kroiz.
Don't miss our www.ArtJewelryOnline.com artists this weekend at the Baltimore American Craft Council Show. 1)Lori Gottlieb Booth: 502. 2)Christine Mackellar Booth 708. 3)Sydney Lynch Booth: 422 4)Sheila Beatty Booth: 3706 5)Shana Kroiz Booth: 429 Follow this link for show information. http://shows.craftcouncil.org/baltimore
American Craft Council Baltimore Show
Feb. 22-24
Baltimore Convention Center
Please join us as hundreds of the country's best contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture, and home décor artists gather in one spot to present a spectacular season of fine quality craft! This is the American Craft Council’s flagship show – a must-attend for craft lovers!
Don't miss the upcoming American Craft Council Shows. The next scheduled show is at the Baltimore Convention Center February 20-24. This show is unique because the first two days are wholesale shows for buyers and interested parties. Several Art Jewelry Online artists will be at the show including: Shana Kroiz, Lori Gottlieb,Sheila Beatty and Christine MacKellar.
Wholesale
The American Craft Council Baltimore Wholesale Show is open to the trade only.
This was my first year doing the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore. The wholesale show for most vendors and myself was a waste of time however, the retail show proved to be a much better venue. Jewelry artists that seemed to do well were those that worked with gold, newer artists and those that had a price point under $300. Many of the artists that I spoke with that had done the show for 10-20 years felt that it was their worst show ever. However, in putting their comments into perspective they shared with me that when they first started doing the show it was common for artists to have a sign on their booth saying thank you Baltimore because they were entirely sold out on wholesale and/or retail. Oh, those were the good old days!
As a new artist I found the 6 day schedule grueling both physically and mentally. The biggest surprise for me was not the $2000 booth fee but all of the other associated costs. Additional fees include, electricity, piping, display cases (if needed), drapes (if needed), carpeting (if needed), parking, food, and advertising. If you elected to have an ad in the brochure the cost was a whopping $1400.
Although I had my best show ever I still felt that I would have done better if I had made more bangles. I did not bring them in until Saturday and they turned out to be my top seller. I hate doing bangles because they usually require 2-3 hours of sanding and retouching however since I had success selling them at the higher price point I will consider doing more in the future. The cost of goods sold on this item is nominal, but it takes a minimum of 16 hours to prepare and finish five bangles. Given that most of that time is used to sand and retouch the work to say that this drives me crazy is an understatement.
Most artists myself included felt that if selected they would do the show again next year. Given the cost and physical/emotional demands of the show that seems to be a great endorsement.
I am overwhelmed with fear and anticipation as this is my first year participating in the Baltimore American Craft Council show. I am doing both wholesale and retail so I am expecting 5 grueling days. I don't know what I would do without Lori Gottlieb (awesome jewelry artist) she has been helping me every step of the way! I thought all I had to do was make jewelry but there is so much more that goes into preparing for a big show. I am scouring the internet for more tips and tricks. Hopefully all will go well. Pictured is Lori's Open Pebble Necklace with matching earrings. It is my personal favorite!
