Etsy made local market 2017 edition

This is my second time at the Etsy made local craft market and this time my sister decided to join me to sell her reusable eco friendly food wraps at the fair. 

Like before I decided on selling my sketches, creative bag charms and taking pet portrait commission. Even though I had ample time to prepare this time it was still a mad rush to complete all the charms that I have the week before because I decided to use up all my materials last minute. As if it wasn’t bad enough, I had to fall sick at the same time. Fortunately I still have my old booth signages so I didn’t spend too much time thinking about it.  I bought JANSJÖ lights from Ikea and fairy lights from Daiso and a portable usb fan just so our stay at the booth could be more comfortable. 

There was a lot to do on the marketing side where listings had to be updated on Etsy and announcements to be made for the event and invitation to be sent to friends on Facebook page/ Instagram. I had to halt my daily drawing activities (which I have just restarted!).

Day 1

I managed to pack everything into two suitcases the night before and Sis’s fiancé came to fetch us to Capital Piazza in the morning. We had a filling breakfast at Mac Donald’s 

Takeaway 1: eat as heavy a breakfast as you can because you don’t know when you can have lunch. My breakfast kept me full till late afternoon. 

The Piazza was sheltered but with a clear glass canopy so we were baking in the sun while setting up. My usb fan came in handy.

Takeaway 2: remember to bring an extension block that accepts two pin plugs. The IKEA KOPPLA 3-port USB charger came in handy cos I could charge our hand phones and the usb fan on one port and reserve two for the JANSJÖ lights. 

At 12pm, people started trickling in and my sis made the first sale of the day. Trisha from USKSG dropped by to say hi as she was attending an event nearby.Soon after, my long time supporters, Jonathan and Mary came with their kids and they bought one of my sketches- Ann Siang Hill in monochrome. They are supporters of local art and I cannot find better people to part my art work with.

Sold!

Takeaway 3: I made a few resin keychains for fun and gave them out to kids who came to visit. It didn’t cost much but the kids loved it. Win-win. 

Soon after more USKSG kakis came to visit after the monthly sketch walk which I had to miss because of the fair. Flavian bought the icecream charm as a Christmas gift.

Hope his friend likes it!

Kwan and Tony came with post cards and a pack of sweets. How nice! The sky turned a little dark at this point and the table cloth was blown up by the wind that came. I wished I brought safety pins to pin down the table cloth. I texted Vivien (who was on her way) and we were saved by her bubble tea and safety pins!! 

Takeaway 4: double sided tape, sticky tack and safety pins. Just bring them. 

Unfortunately at this point It started raining and I didn’t prepare any plastic sheets to cover up the booth. When I went to the organisers, I was told there were none left! Luckily our booth was facing the inside and we could do without covering our stuff.

Takeaway 5: bring along a clear plastic sheet to cover the booth just in case of rain.

The rain lasted a while and we had time to visit the toilet and filled up on lunch. As we turned on the lighting around evening time I realised that the charms were not selling as well as I had hoped. They were packed into ziplock bags and placed haphazardly into wicker baskets. The table looked cluttered so I kept the baskets and left just a few charms in their place. I sold a few charms soon after. 

Takeaway 6: merchandising is important. Don’t be afraid to shift your stuff around if the display is not working.

We packed up and left at 8.45pm.

Day 2

Hubs sent us to the venue early next morning so that we would be in time for the church goer crowd. Unfortunately when we reached, the black table cloth were kept away. I went ahead to set up anyway while sis got breakfast. 

After breakfast I sold two sketches after chatting with the people who stopped by to see the sketches.

Takeaway 7: Take time to chat with people. You never know if they might buy your works after knowing your process better. If not you will always learn a thing or two from them. 

Aaron and his family, and Favian dropped by to say hi early before lunch. Even Mum and dad who hated crowds came and brought us tea. Rei came with much appreciated iced melon tea during tea time. 

The crowd thinned around evening time so I made some simple charms with the nail lamp, UV resin and some embellishments that I brought to the fair. I also had time to walk around the fair.

Takeaway 8: Go around the fair to say hi to other makers or check out their stuff or setup during downtime.

Terrance, Natalie, xinhuan and Elaine from work came to support in the evening. When we packed up at the end my sister almost sold out. I didn’t get any pet commission this year (which was strange cos I got plenty last year) but I was happy that 3 of my sketches went to good homes. Also I have plans to organise a craft workshop early next year so I was glad I managed to gather a list of interested people during the fair.

And so the second Etsy made local market concluded. Thanks hubs for fetching us around and lending your quiet support. To the people who came down, you cannot imagine how happy we were to see you. To the people who fed us, we thank you too! There wasn’t a single moment we felt thirsty or hungry. To friends who were interested but couldn’t make it, we really appreciate your efforts. Hope to see all of you again next time! 

Here’s a short video of what happened during those two days at EML2017!