Event: Downtown Open Market
Date: Monthly, Every 3rd Sunday from 10am-4pm
Location: 308 S. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, Florida 33432
More Info Here
Positives
- FREE! - free to park, and no admission charge
- Variety
- Most craft shows have tons of jewelry vendors, and this event was no
exception. However each vendor had different types and price ranges than
the other. Everything from computer chip resin charms to high class
beaded necklaces. I also spotted some items that I don't often see at
shows such as quilts, pet items, custom painted vans, and detailed paintings.
- Great
location - The craft booths are in a lovely plaza full of local shops
and restaurants, which is a benefit for the customers and vendors! Its
also great that it's on a paved road and not in grass. It's also very
easy to find, right on the corner of a main street.
Negatives
- Outdoors - Of course, Florida weather is unpredictable and you never
know when it will death rain, drizzle softly, or glare down heat like
hell on Earth.
- Low turnout? - When I scoped this show out, it
was an overcast day but there was no rain. I'm not sure if this factored
into how little people were there. I also showed at closer towards the
end at 3pm, so I can't speak for the early afternoon
- No extra
programming - There didn't seem to be any extra activities or
programming at this event. For example, food trucks, a local singer,
health booths, and so on. I love to mosey through booth and check stuff
out, but it was a little to quiet and dull for me. Live music or
something would have been nice!
Vendor Tips
- Not sure if electricity was provided, but I doubt it
- Bring a tent! Although it didn't seem to be required, the vendors under a tent looked more presentable and professional.
- Bring snacks! The restaurants look like they had tasty food, but they also looked a little pricey!
- Turnout
could be hit or miss. I spoke to some vendors and found that several
did great while others did poorly. Just depends on the batch of folks
that show up that day. Again, there may have been less people due to a
chance of rain, but overall vendors said this event is hit or miss.
Bottom Line -
A great event to check out local crafters and their wares. Not entirely
family friendly if you are looking for a day full of activities, but
awesome if you wanted to sit down for Sunday lunch afterwards!
Upcoming events! I'll be vending at the Country Roads Arts and Crafts Festival, Witch{Craft} AND The Devil Made Me Do It!! Enjoy!
10/06/12 - Stitch Rock
Time - 12pm-6pm
Location - Old School Square Vintage Gymnasium 51 N. Swinton Ave Delray Beach , Fl. 33444
Details - $5.00, 12 & under free, tons of handmade vendors & crafters
Links http://www.RockTheStitch.com
10/06/12 - NOBE Art Walk
Time - 7pm-11pm
Location - A1A & North East 32nd, 33rd, 34th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Details - Open Art Studio exhibitions, live music, outdoor cafes, jewelry & craft vendors, fashion, etc
Links - https://www.facebook.com/events/100994936724020/
10/07/12 - The Market at Memorial Hospital Miramar *Weekly each Sunday, this date has special programming
Time - 9:00am - 2:30pm
Location - 1901 Southwest 172 Avenue, Miramar, FL
Details - FREE Admission & Parking. Chock full of local produce & organic products."Wear Pink Day" for cancer awareness and get a free pink cupcake
10/13/12 - Wynwood Art Walk *Every second Saturday each month
Time - around 7pm-11:00pm
Location - 36 Street south to 20 Street and between NE 2 Avenue and NW 6th Avenue.
Details - Community wide, free admission to all art galleries, local craft vendors, & food trucks!
Links - http://www.wynwoodartwalk.com/
10/14/12 - Downtown Open Market *Monthly, on Sundays
Time - 10am-4pm
Location - Royal Palm Place Monument Piazza 308 S. Federal Hwy Boca Raton, Florida 33432
Details - Arts, crafts, & vintage goods. FREE admission & FREE parking!
Links - http://www.downtownopenmarket.com/boca.asp
10/20/12 - Southwest Ranches’ 5th Annual Country Roads Arts and Crafts Festival ***I'll be vending here***
Time - 10am-4pm
Location - Sunshine Ranches Equestrian Park, 5840 SW 148 Avenue, Southwest Ranches, FL 33330
Details - Enjoy music, food, fun, & talented crafters! Pretty sure its Free all around!
Links - http://www.southwestranches.org/calendar.php
10/21/12 - Indie Craft Bazaar: Witch{CRAFT} ***I'll be vending here***
Time - 12pm-5pm
Location - Revolution Live, 100 SW 3rd Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Details - $5 admission, $3 mimosas, over 65 local independent artists and crafters, pumpkin patch, FREE trick or treating, DIY Resin Jewelry Make N Take station, live music..... costumes encouraged!!
Links - https://www.facebook.com/events/474423829255299/?fref=ts
10/27/12 - The Devil Made me do It ***I'll be vending here***
Time - 6pm-11:30pm
Location - IWAN's The Bubble 810 NE 4th Ave Ft Lauderdale Fl 33304
Details - $10 cover, Free beer & drinks all night, Tons of local artists, crafters, & food vendors. A satellite event of South Florida Day of the Dead Festival
Links- https://www.facebook.com/events/321892314573120/
10/27/12 F.A.T. Village ArtWalk *Last Saturday of each month
Time - 7pm - 11pm
Location - west of Andrews Avenue, east of the railroad tracks, and bordered on the south by NW fourth Ave. and the north by NW sixth Ave
Details - Day of the Dead Event Preview
Links - http://fatvillage.com/main/?page_id=34
10/28/12 - The Market at Memorial Hospital Miramar *Weekly each Sunday, this date has special programming
Time - 9:00am - 2:30pm
Location - 1901 Southwest 172 Avenue, Miramar, FL
Details - FREE Admission & Parking. Chock full of local produce & organic products. Costume contest with prizes for kids & pets.
10/30/12 - Brickell Art Walk *Last Tuesday of each month
Time - 5pm - 10:30pm
Location - Mary Brickell Villege Area
Details - Venues will not only offer exceptional and iconic contemporary artists, but also some of the most avant garde curators
Links - http://www.brickellartwalk.com/
PS I do update the list when I learn of more events! Check back every once in awhile!
My lovely readers, you must know that I'm a cheapskate that lives for sales. Well mosey on over to your local mall and find a Betsey Johnson!! She's closing out all retail locations and selling everything for the cheap from the actual mannequins to shoes.
Johnson lovers, don't worry, I think she still has a line at Macy's!
Check out these beauties I snagged for $30! (original price, somewhere over $100 you don't even want to know)
I wanted to sure some fabulous tips from Gena Divine, over at BakeAllTheThings on Etsy.com. A lot of sellers wonder; Do one day sales work? How could I promote it? Is it even worth it? Well, Gena Divine can tell you that they DO work! Here is what she had to say.
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I held a 28% off sale for 24 hours to celebrate my 28th birthday.
Results:
26 sales from 19 customers
17/19 new customers and only 5/19 were personal friends or family
What worked:
1 [by far the most successful]. Facebook - I have about 300 followers on Facebook and also about 600 personal friends/family members. I promoted the sale about 6 times in 24 hours on my Page and 3 times on my personal page.
2. Twitter - I have about 90 Twitter followers. I promoted the sale about 4 times in 24 hours. 5 followers re-tweeted sale info at least once.
3. Forum/Team postings - yes, I fully admit to commenting on some forum/team posts with thinly-veiled promotions. However, my comments were always relevant to the topics at hand.
What didn't work:
1. Shop announcement - this may have been because I didn't even THINK to list the sale in my shop announcement until the halfway mark.
2. Team promotion threads - none of my sales came as a result of posting in a promo thread for teams, despite doing this 3 times over 24 hours in about 30 different teams.
Overall impressions:
1. Thrilled that so many new customers gave my shop a chance!
2. Kinda glad that the % of customers I already knew in person was small
3. Good to know that Facebook is the best tool for my marketing
4. Glad to know I can stop posting in so many promotional team threads
5. Holy cow do I have a lot of baking to do in the next week!
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Show Gena some love and thanks for the awesome insight by checking out her Etsy shop BakeAllTheThings and FB page here
