It will be here soon!

It might be hard to think about the spring and summer show season when there is finally snow on the ground, but it will be here before we know it! Now is the time to get everything you need for your show applications prepped - photos taken, artists statement written, website cleaned up - and to start thinking about designing your table displays, packaging, marketing, and all those little details. And if this is your first craft show season, its never too early to start planning - you'll be glad you did once those acceptance letters start rolling in!

Here are links to some great articles and lists of tips and tricks that should help you prepare for a great selling season! Add your own tips or links to favorite articles in the comments!


Basic overall tips and tricks from Mermaids Closet, from finding shows to what to do on the big day  - great tips for those just starting out!

Tips about perfecting your craft show applications from Tina Seamonster, one of the organizers of Crafty Bastards in Washington DC.

Luann Udell’s blog is a treasure trove of information about being a skillful all-around salesperson in the art and craft realm. Any blog entry tagged “booth behavior” is valuable, but her entire blog is worth reading!

Excellent marketing advice from Naughty Secretary Club - don’t expect the venue to do all the marketing and promotion for you! With a little effort you can bring in your own customers the day of the event and build up your own craft show following.

Craft Show Explosion hasn’t been updated in a few months, but dig through their archives and you will find great articles about surviving outdoor shows, tips for traveling to vend at shows, and lots more!

Quick video from Lintyfresh with some nice beginner tips about practicing your booth setup at home and packing for the show.

Hello from LVHA!

Hello! Just a quick introduction before we get down to business!

Lehigh Valley Handmade Alliance was started by Jaime of Crinoline and Danielle of Buttercup Jewelry to function as a community that will support handmade small businesses in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas.

Starting in the coming weeks, we hope to:

-Share info about events, retail opportunities, shows, classes, and crafty happenings in the Lehigh Valley area and beyond on this blog and our Facebook. We hope that you will share info you come across about local events in the comments here, on Facebook, or at our email address LVHandmadeAlliance@gmail.com.

-Provide opportunities to network with other artists and independent crafty business owners through in-person meetups and selling events. Details about our first LVHA-planned events to come soon!
 
-Discuss the joys and challenges of running a small handmade business. Please feel free to use the blog comments and our Facebook page as a place to connect with other local handmakers and crafty business owners!

-Promote buying handmade and shopping locally! We hope to cross promote the events we are participating in and local retail venues that support handmade to raise the awareness of our community in the Lehigh Valley area.

Crafters, handmakers, and artists in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding areas are welcome to post and participate! Welcome, thanks for reading, and feel free to spread the word!