Brooklyn Indie Market is a WIN

LadyThree was at the Brooklyn Indie Market this past Saturday and LOVED IT! It was a beautiful day and life under the tent was cool and crisp. This was my second Fair ever and the first of the summer season, and I learned A lot. First off, this is a really good fair to start with if your a Newbie. The Organizer, Kathy Malone, was such a great Hostess. From the very beginning in applying until close down for the day, she was prompt with emails, organized, courteous and and overall really really Super nice lady. She cleaned up the tent as we were setting up, when it got windy she got up on a ladder ( in a skirt BAD ASS!) and put up some tent walls so our stuff wouldn't fly around. towards the end of the night she came around to each booth and offered us a glass of red wine for our second wind. NICE!

I also met some really nice crafters. Honestly all crafters pretty Rockin' but this group in particular was great. it was the opening of the Brooklyn Lyceum so about half the vendors that could be there were there and there weren't tons of buyers, but that made it less nerve racking for me. Honestly, My sales were good, I made back my table money and then some. I liked that it is a smaller Market and That i was able to get to know my fellow Artisans. I was able to have conversations with them, get to know them, share some tips and learn a lot. There were 4 jewelry booths including myself, but we were all different. Kathy did a good job in spreading us out and not having similar vendors.

As a smaller Market I felt it was great. That can be both a Pro and Con, however I personally find More good in it than bad. Smaller Market = less vendors for less competition. You can get more personal with the vendors and Customers and really stand out. You are able to think more about how your product is being viewed and you can fine tune your displays. I had a lot of time to think and talk and really think more about my presentation and what direction i wanted to go with Lady Three.

So to make it easy on the Eyes here are the Pros and Cons of the BIM:

PROS:

• Kathy Malone, the Organizer, Was GREAT attentive to the sellers and customers alike
• Really nice Vendors with some great products
• Wide Range of Products for all tastes ( Cards & Paperie, Vintage Jewelry, Handmade Jewelry, Natural stone Jewelry, Fine Jewelry, Purses and Bags, Clothes and best of all CUPCAKES!!!!)
• Foot Traffic was AWESOME - Great Location on Smith and Union
• Good marketing of the market
• Smaller Market, but with quality goods, NO JUNK!

CONS:

• Brooklyn Lyceum was close by which can hurt the Brooklyn Indie Market BUT If BIM is marketed at the Lyceum it could bring some Crowds over to the BIM....so this isn't really a con.....

Things I Learned at BIM:

• If you are sitting or standing in back of your table, your display should not block your View of your Buyers and Merchandise
• Try not to make your table so Busy and keep everything  Organized
• SALE DISH: key to having people stop by your table, keep it stocked with stuff
• Always encourage Touching and trying on, the friendlier you are the better but  Try not to be too overbearing
• A good table cloth and sign will really pull your booth together
• Get creative with your display, you don't want to Blend in!

Overall This was a Fabulous and Awesome Experience. I was with Chris all day so that was great (Hes the love of my life) the location was awesome and there was a really good diner across the street for snacks. I made some sales and people liked my stuff so that was a much needed ego boost. I will be back on June 5th and am going to see about some other dates in August.

YAY FOR THE BROOKLYN INDIE MARKET!!!!!!