andrealh1975

I agree with doing an Open House...People will be able to get last minute gifts and it will help get that stuff out of your house. Do you work outside of your home? Maybe see if you can sell some things in your lunchroom/cafeteria during your lunch hour. HTH

Very nice, great job!!

Try checking out your local Staples or FedEx Kinkos. HTH

Has anyone here ever participated in a Home & Garden show in your area? I have the opportunity to participate in one and had some questions. Thanks!

Yes it's in VA, it's the Robinson High School show in Fairfax on 9/15 and 9/16.

There are shows in my area (DC, MD, VA), which require you to be juried "in person" if it's the first time you've entered a particular show. After that you can just send pics. I was recently accepted into a show where I was juried in person. They wanted me to bring 3-4 or each item I make, along with pics to include my set up. (I gave them 2 pics that had one of each of my products and 1 pic of my display). I had to appear in front of the selection committee of about 6 people. They gave me like 5 minutes to talk about my products/company, etc. They asked questions, then sent me out of the room for about 5 minutes while they "made their decision". Then they called me back in and accepted me.

Good Luck...I've yet to do a 4 day show, only 1 or 2 days. If you take a helper, make sure they know your products as well as you. If you need to run to the restroom you wouldn't want to miss out on a great sale(s) because your helper wants them to "wait until you come back" or they just don't know anything. HTH

The 2 biggest things I can suggest are: - Start making stuff now!! If you have space to store it until your show, it's always good to get started as soon as you can. That way, the days before the show you can relax. - Take as much as you can make and get into your vehicle. With 50,000 folks, you want to have LOTS, and LOTS, and LOTS of product. If it's a 2 days show, take what you can the first day and bring more the second day.

You may also want to check AC Moore and/or Michael's if you have them in your area.

I've been ordering from VistaPrint for about 3 years now and have never had a problem with "extra" charges on my card. Just be sure you're not clicking anything extra and you should be fine.

Also, I have a full time job too AND another business...It might help to put yourself on a schedule for getting your stock made for shows, etc.

I don't feel it's over-saturated here where I am. And even if it were, I KNOW that I have a great product that I will continue to sell. There are more jewelry folks here, BUT, I will say that a good number of those who make candles don't last. Since there are so many out there who don't make quality products, etc. Keep on making a wonderful product and keep your customers coming back again and again. Those who don't have quality will fizzle away, unfortunately it might take a little while, but they'll be gone....For instance, I did a show on Saturday, there were 2 of us who made candles. I always walk around and check out all the vendors, especially the competition. I opened lots of jars that needed a second pour, ones in which the tops needed to be hit with a heat gun, and even ones w/ large sink holes. Needless to say, she ended up leaving 2 hours into the 6 hour show because she wasn't getting any business. She was in a great spot, I was at the end of a dim hallway!!

It's always best to have insurance for those "just in case" situations. For instance, because of the year of my car, I can carry just liability in my state, instead I choose to have full coverage. Thank goodness I do that, my car was stolen last year, I got it back and the damages plus what was paid for me to rent a car was over $1600. I only had to pay $250. So, it's worth it.

Why don't you try advertising in the Valpak if you have it in your area. www.valpak.com, http://www.valpak.com/vpcol/advertise.do In my area I think it costs about $499 for black and white and $599 for color. I'm not sure how many households that covers. I've found tons of good stuff in mine, coupons, good deals, etc. I know someone who recently opened a hair salon and put an ad/coupon in the ValPak and has tons of customers now. Might be worth a try.

Portia think about the way Bath & Body works is laid out. They group everything in a particular scent together. And like the others said, it could be more sales for you when customers see that you make x amount of things in their favorite fragrance. HTH