We’ll be at the last Made In The Shade at the Lighthouse this Saturday, from 1o-5. I say we, I’ll be there for the first half and Mr Miso Funky will be manning the stall when I have to go to work – be gentle with him!
Although this is the last event at the Lighthouse, the event will continue elsewhere in the city and in Edinburgh – phew! To check out who will be joining Hamish & the gang, click here.
Hope to see you there!
Phew, what a scorcher! London was so hot and I’m almost glad to be back in rainy, windy, cold Glasgow, where summer seems to be over already.
Myself and former Miso Funkateer and best friend Jo went down to London for the Bust Craftacular last weekend and what a weekend it was! We crammed a lot in besides the big event, including:
a trip to see Sister Act at the London Palladium! It was awesome and we got half -price second row seats. What better way to prepare for a craftacular?
On Saturday, we were up bright and early to be driven by our Hilton driver (la-di-da! We got a very cheap deal!) from Canary Wharf to Bethnal Green where a queue right around the block waited to get in:
We got set up on our mini half-stall next to lovely Kali from Lush and Lovely. It was already starting to get warm in there – it was such a hot day outside and even hotter inside!
Here’s our stall, ready to go. Two thumbs up from Jo! I had time for a quick photo of the calm before the storm…
..and then the doors opened and it was so busy that the next thing I knew it was past 3pm and we’d almost run out of postcards, which were doubling up as very handy fans in the sweltering heat.
A wee close up of the Miso Funky stall – all carried down to London in the biggest suitcase known to man.
It’s never a good day out without cake or pie, and luckily, at the indie food court, we could have both! I am sure our stall neighbours thought we did nothing but eat all day! But it really was too hot for cake – I had a mouthful of this brownie then brought the rest home for Lee.
We also had the most awesome pork pie from Lardy Da.
We met so many awesome people, including our stall neighbour Phil from Urban Cross Stitch, who we are really looking forwards to working with in the future! We also hooked up with Jamie from Mr X Stitch and met some good online friends, including Lee May from Bonbi Forest and Anna from Custom Made, to name but a few!
After a very long day’s sweating craftacularising, we were sad to miss out on the 1983 disco Phil invited us to, but we just had enough energy to drop off the giant suitcase and have a curry on Brick Lane before retiring to our air conditioned room to go over our purchases (another post soon about those!).
Sunday, before we had to come back on the tilty train, we managed to squeeze in a whistlestop tour of the Cabinet War Rooms after a walk down the sunny Embankment and then the obligatory self-portrait…
..before hopping on that train and getting back to Glasgow.
Whilst I was down in the big smoke, meeting all those awesome people and bringing cross stitched goodness to the people of our capital, Lee was at home, having a wife-less birthday! Lee aka Mr Miso Funky worked very hard in the run up to the Craftacular to make sure that no-one would go away tea towel-less and make sure I ate and had clean clothes – so join me in a big belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to him!
I’ve returned to a giant to-do list with a lot of shops seemingly running out of stuff all at once, so the pace has not dropped – it’s relentless! I’m pleased about that of course! Also another couple of exciting things coming up in the next few months, so looking forwards to sharing those with you when the time comes.
For now, though, I think I need to get round to unpacking that suitcase before Lee or I break our necks tripping over it in the hall!
Hurrah! I didn’t think it was going to happen, but I’m excited to announce that Miso Funky shall go to the ball!
We’ve secured a mini stall at the BUST Craftacular in London on Saturday 10th July.
From 12-7, me and 59 other indie businesses will be plying our wares alongside DJs, crafting, cake and all sorts of other shenanigans.
I’ve also contributed to the Ladyfest 10 zine which is launching at the Craftacular.
Click here to find out more. Hope to see you there!
In London this Saturday? The We Make market is in town!
Although Miso Funky won’t be there, many of our crafting compadres will be putting on a good spread, so if you can make it to Chelsea Town Hall, do pop in and say hello.
There’s over 80 stalls to choose from, bunting workshops, a tombola, cake… A real fun day out!
Hope you have fun if you can make it!
Don’t forget, that if you’re in Edinburgh tomorrow, or elsewhere, looking for something to do, it’s all going on at the Roxy Art House!
From 10.30am – 5pm join Miso Funky and 38 other indie designers, crafters and vintage purveyors for a shopping experience with style. There’s live music, a pop-up cake lounge from Auntie M, a tombola and much more. I L-O-V-E tombolas!
At the Miso Funky stall, we’ll have a great selection of samplers and home accessories as usual as well as a big sale on some craft supplies and kits, including over 50% off some items, so make sure you stop by!
Click here for more info on the event and other stall-holders.
Miso Funky is taking part, albeit from afar, in Dundee’s Big Top Jamboree!
We’re in great company – the organisers are extremely talented young ladies themselves and there’s a whole host of creative goings-on throughout the event on Monday 17th May.
If you’re in Dundee, be sure to check it out! More info here.
We’re going jamboree crazy here, with not one but two coming up.
First up, is the Made In The Shade Springtime Jamboree in Edinburgh, our first of very few market outings this year.
Check out the details above – hope to see you there!
Seeing as it’s now well and truly craft fair season, I thought I’d share my top tips for getting prepared for market with you. I’ve been going to markets and craft fairs as a stall-holder now for almost 5 years and have learned a lot along the way. I hope these tips will be useful, especially if you’re taking the plunge for the first time this year!
NB I posted this last year, but this is a new and updated version!
Bring a piece of material to cover your table!
This could be a plain table cloth, or even an old curtain that is big enough to cover the table at the fair. Remember that some of the tables supplied by venues are older than you are and have served more craft fairs than you’ve had hot dinners, so it’s best to cover them up!
You can also use your table covering to show off your wares too – e.g. if you have silver jewellery, a dark table covering would show off your lighter items. You can store all your junk, boxes, packaging, lunch, etc under the table, and use your covering to drape over the front to hide your stuff – clever, eh?
Bring Sellotape!
It’s amazing how useful Sellotape is! You can use it to stick stuff to walls, fasten bags closed, tape stuff to your table … bring some and keep it handy, you’ll never know when you might need it. You might also want to keep some blu-tak and/or white-tak handy for fussier venues. Always check with the organiser before sticking something to the wall!
Other useful things to have handy are mulitple pens (you WILL lose one), scissors and a notepad.
Bring a project!
Bring along a craft project you are working on to keep you busy during the day. Nothing too elaborate, but, for example, if you’re a knitter, then bring your needles! Your potential customers will love to see you working on something – let them see how the magic happens!
If the worst happens and it’s a day for poor attendance, then you will have something to keep you occupied, but don’t bank on getting your project finished – hopefully you’ll be too busy raking in the cash!
Bring carrier bags!
It’s often overlooked in the excitement of seeing your stock ready to go, but make sure you bring something for your customers to take their purchases home in. This could either be shop bought bags or even recycle your own stack of carriers (I know you’ve got loads under your sink). At Miso Funky, I like to keep any interesting bags from trips overseas to use for my wares. I also use new recycleable paper bags to cut down on the old landfill.
Smile And Get Chatting!
It sounds daft, but people are more inclined to buy stuff if you smile! I’ve been to events before where people sit with their arms crossed behind their tables looking surly and really, it just puts people off. If you’re shy, bring along a chatty friend to help – they can do the sales pitch, whilst you beam with pride in the background and wrap the goods!
The organisers of the events do the hard bit in getting people in the door – you do the easy bit, working your charm and showing off your fabulous stuff! After all, no-one knows your stock better than you. Don’t be too pushy though – friendly, polite and helpful is the order of the day.
Chat to your fellow stallholders – you’ll find them to be a mine of information about other events, their experiences of markets, packaging suppliers, where’s best to get lunch nearby… You’ll also hopefully make some new friends and get involved in your local crafting community.
Have a price list!
Again, it can be overlooked, but make sure you think about how much you want to charge for your stuff. Remember to factor your time in when you are coming up with prices, as well as materials. It’s a good idea to have at least a mental idea of what you want to charge for things – you can always haggle with your customers on the day!
For new products, I often print up two lots of price cards – a maximum price and a lower price that I’d still accept for my product. That way, I can experiment with pieces I’m not sure what to charge for and see what the customers think.
If you need inspiration, check out the prices of similar crafts or products or ask other vendors for the honest opinion. It’s important to charge a fair price for your work – it’s possible to undercharge as well as overcharge, so it give it some serious thought!
Bring your card!
If you have them, bring a stack of them to hand out to everyone, customers and fellow exhibitors alike. If you don’t have a card, then make sure you’ve got something with your website address or email address on it, a flyer, or even handwritten cards. That way, everyone will be able to find out where to go to buy more of your stuff!
There’s no excuse not to have a card in this day and age! It’s your cheapest and most effective way of getting your name out there for little effort. I get mine printed at Vistaprint and designed by Asking For Trouble, both for extremely reasonable prices.
Leave a stack on your table for browsers to take – they may not buy anything today, but more than likely they’ll take your card, visit your website, tell a friend or just remember you til next time.
Be able to make change!
Remember to bring some loose change, especially one pence pieces, if you have x.99 prices. Better still, eliminate the need for change by charging whole number prices. Obviously you’ll still need change, but only then a couple of fivers and some pound coins. It’s better to be able to give change than someone not buying something because they only have a tenner.
Make sure you keep your takings secure, especially if you’re at an outdoors market. Don’t turn your back on it for a second! Invest in a market traders’ apron and keep it close to you – it’s handier as well as more secure. Just don’t compromise and use a bum bag!
Remember to keep a note of what you sell for your accounting records and also to help you evaluate what sells best and what’s not-so-popular later.
Pack your stuff well!
You don’t want to worry about humffing your stuff around in carrier bags – so pack a suitcase! One with wheels is a great idea, so you can roll it along behind you. It looks more professional too to have one well-organised bag than lots of carriers.
If it’s a hard-bodied case, you can also stand things on top of it, or lean things against it. If you’re not using it, then you can close it over, and stick it under your table out of the way. You could even keep bags and change in it out of the way, to give more room on your table for your wares.
Also, of course, a well-packed bag means your stock will be in tip-top condition when you arrive to set up. Remember to repack it well at the end of the day to make life much easier next time!
When you’re packing, make a list and check it twice – Santa had the right idea! Also, if you’re at an outdoor show, check that chairs are included at the venue – if not, take along a deckchair or stool to give you a break or you’ll be knackered!
Practice makes perfect!
Take the time to think about how you want to set out your table. If you have a lot of stuff, decide what will be best to go at the front to catch the customers’ eyes. Consider leaving some stuff off the table if you have loads – you can always restock later in the day, or swap less popular items over.
Common sense applies here – if you have tall items, put them at the back so they don’t hide any smaller items and put light objects against a dark background and vice versa.
Get a few friends to have a look and give their opinions – you can always tweak it as your stock dwindles through sales over the course of the day! Practice at home on the dining table, kitchen counter or even on the ironing board.
Get Promoting
Preparation before the event is just as important as getting ready on the day itself. Check with the events organiser if they have a poster or flyer for the event and circulate it to everyone you can think of.
If there’s an e-flyer or poster, post it up on your blog, on your website, Flickr, etc. Make sure you post the event details on your Facebook, Twitter, etc and generally let as many people know as possible where and when you’ll be there.
Some events will have goodie bags for the first 100 visitors, etc and the organisers will appeal for small gifts or even postcards, etc for inclusion in these. This is a great way of making sure those people take your information home, so it’s well worth donating a few items or cards for these.
Use Technology
More and more venues have wi-fi these days, so why not take your laptop along, use the wi-fi connection and take card payments online using Paypal? It’s especially useful if there’s no cash machine nearby (if there is a cash machine nearby, make sure you can direct customers to it!).
Or, if you have a fancy phone, like an iPhone, you can take Paypal payments on the iPhone app. Check it out and consider it as an additional payment option.
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I’m not saying you should follow this to the letter, but these things are all points I’ve picked up on through my own experiences and I hope they will help you too.
One last tip – HAVE FUN! Remember why you’re doing this, and have a great day. Good luck!
Hamish & Co are heading East this Spring to take part in the Made In The Shade Springtime Jamboree.
We’re mostly taking a bit of a break from markets this year, but we’re having a little jaunt to the capital for a wee change.
Make sure you pop in and say hello to us and all the other awesome crafts and designs on offer on Saturday 15th May from 10.30am – 5pm.
You may have missed the last boat for ordering online (although if you’d like a mug, What Would Delia Do?, magnets, tote bag or calendars, we could probably still post until Monday!), but fear not, for we are at our very last market of 2009 this weekend!
Edinburgh’s vibrant Grassmarket will be home this Christmas to an exciting new market for Scotland’s leading makers, artists and craftspeople, which naturally includes Miso Funky.
We’re sharing a stall with our buddies at Asking For Trouble and our joint venture, Super Cute Kawaii.
So, we’ll have quite a large selection of gifts to suit all pockets and tastes! It’s the perfect place for that unique Christmas find.
Stay tuned for an exciting giveaway next week, too!
