Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

How interesting re the smaller tables.........................it has given me food for thought.

I am/was planning on holding a fair next year but am struggling to find a suitable date at the moment, what with new fairs springing up all the time, existing dates moving and people deliberately choosing dates to obstruct me!!!

Anyway offering a showcase table option sounds a really good idea, at a good price.

I love fairs but have to say the cost can often outweigh the monetary return. At my stage in this business I have used fairs not just for selling but also to enhance my customer base, introduce myself to new collectors and for advertising but I can see a day in the future that certain fairs are really not worth the effort. Some fairs charge a disproportionate amount for their stands compared with the footfall that they have.

I do find it a shame that in this economic climate that the cost of exhibiting at a fair will eventually prevent artist attending and the rise in fair popularity at the moment will be ultimately killed by this expense.

I know it is time consuming organising a fair and the cost is not small BUT in SOME cases I feel fair organisers have taken the high handed approach with regards to costs, I know of one fair who are happy to have anyone and everyone attending just to fill gaps, it's a case of as long as we are ok. I do believe that this attitude is not helpful to the industry. If I was a new collector attending this fair it would certainly put me off attending any others, even the really good ones, like Sheffield and Hugglets.

Congratulations to you all, they are stunning 

Thank you Jane, they are wonderful xxx

What a lovely surprise to see my profile featured, many many thanks and hugs
       

A huge congratulations to all the winners, they are stunning     

Ah thanks everyone, just got to make loads of new bears to sell 

Thank you Natascha xx

I just had to let you all know I have a stand 

I am in Hall 1 Stand 42 

Please come and say hello if you are going xxx

Have you tried these

http://www.craftinsurance.co.uk/insuran … rtnership/

Ah thank you all so much everyone................................still fingers crossed 

That's what I am on the short list for Peter, 9th September

I am watching my phone constantly LOL I have even offered to kidnap someone till after the show but I am yet to have a volunteer 

I am so excited, I just had to tell you all...................................................I have been added to the shortlist for Hugglets 

Hi Ruth
I am probably a bit unusual as I sold the second bear I made to Australia, via ebay and have been selling ever since. I knew that if I wanted to continue I had to at least recoup some money to pay for further mohair purchases, as I could not afford to buy otherwise.

I do find that selling is a great learning curve and it does teach you so much about the market and what sells. Not that I am saying you should make a popular style just because its "in". After a year of making and selling fluffy bears I realised my heart lay in old style bears and turned away from the more popular style.

Like Jenny I have a nemesis, my daughter, she is soooo objective it's unreal and my mother too likes every bear I make LOLOL My daughter firmly keeps both my feet on the floor and I know I have hit the jackpot if her eyes widen, I have yet to get a wow from her.

My computer friend says Word press is very easy to use, not tried it as I fought with fasthost's sitebuilder and won, need to build my strength up to do battle again 

I am a bit of geek and love statistics  So I do note where I sell and here is the results of this year from april

Website 14%
Facebook 35%
Shows 51%

Ebay, Bearpile and Etsy are not included because I have tried them all. Ebay is too soul destroying but as Peter says if you are an established artist with a good mailing list it can be good. Etsy, could never tell if anyone ever saw my bears amongst all the crafts. Bearpile was great the first month as I was new but then just tailed off very quickly

As for a website, I have always seen mine as a showcase of what I currently have for sale, I do tend to find that even if a bear is seen on my website a collector will often PM me through facebook to adopt. That said I do think a website (or blog equivalent) is essential, it shows internet presence and conveys that you are a professional.............even if it is a free one and only one page 

Thank you Becky       

It's not getting any better, the economy here in the UK is getting worse

They are saying we are out of recession but it does't feel like it

Hope your sale goes well   

I spent ages try to find a name that went with my surname Pemblington but it's so long and the shortened version didn't seem (pem) quite right. I then played with my first name..................so common, ten a penny LOLOL (Sue) Eventually I turned to my location (the fens) and had a eureka moment at 4am on the loo LOLOLOL

I have wondered a few times if it was a mistake as I get multiple variations 

Firstly I am sorry I didn't reply yesterday, we had a family death

Jenny, thank you, I know it must have taken a lot for you to post

I am such a doh, never realised what a juried show was LOLOL I completely agree with you all 

Quality is paramount but also the need to have a range of prices that suit most pockets and I think that would be difficult to achieve if it was on a first come first serve basis, juried does insure a good mix, keeping high standards seem to be a key issue longer term

I am thinking of holding a show next year, my daughter has been on about it for about 2 years but I felt that I would not be able to attract the caliber of artist required to make it successful. However I now feel that I would get a reasonable number of quality artists, this is just in the planning stages at the moment but free parking, admission etc is on the list, location would probably be Lincoln

LOLOL you see what did I say, we come with the idea but then move on, typical xx   

D*mn and us Brits invent so many thing, never do anything with them though LOLOL

Ta Katy for putting us straight xxxx

This topic has been inspired by a great Teddy Bear man Peter

In another topic on fairs it came up that dye hard fans will travel miles to a favourite show, so the question is what makes a certain show popular and another not

Controversy alert here.............. my observation of a medium level show that I attend is this, when I first started attending, the footfall was reasonable, a lovely show but middle of the road. Then a few well known popular artist were asked to attend, the collectors then attending skyrocketed, now I was delighted it opened up a whole new group of collectors to myself and other regular stall holders thus resulting in more sales. My fellow stall holder and I were in complete agreement "a crowd puller" was responsible for the up turn

Now I do know other factors go to make up the whole picture but some fairs in the UK are failing and it's not because of their location......so why? It may help revive the flagging ones

PS Don't shoot me and if you disagree then tell me LOLOL 

Oh yes we are...........................LOLOL dare I say all shades of grey (no white with blonde highlights really) 

I agree Bobbie TT is truely international and all the better for it

In some way it felt awkward to be honest about the way I felt because the culprits are now absent (or maybe they are just waiting to pounce LOLOL sorry)

The people who are here currently should in no way feel bad because they were not at fault in any way and I would hate you or Joanne or Brenda to feel hurt or upset by it. I think it just happened that the few I had trouble with were from the US, it was then exacerbated by those that would "suck up" to them and they would then jump on you too, so nationality really is a bit of a red herring   

Although I will have to wikipedia who invented the pc!!!!!  LOLOLOL xx

Peter.....................you are a priceless darling (in a great big beautiful way)  Your opinion is worth a lot believe me and not just because you are a collector

What a food for thought paragraph, I have lost count of the number of times these things have been used to explain why a show is slow and I for one have used the rain, the sun etc as reasons many times but it actually ultimately boils down to which shows collectors like and which they don't.................ooooohhhh another topic?

So true

Bobbie, ah thank you,    I did miss out the evil 4th type of shopper, didn't want to frighten people............you know the ones "pick up, scowl then put down, move off" In one look they put you on your knees LOLOL xxx