craft fair Archives - VTGCLT

Winter Market Vendor Spotlight: O&Y Studio

Posted by | Uncategorized | No Comments

VTGCLT is popping up on November 24th at The Fillmore for the eighth annual Winter Market! Come out and spend the day shopping with over 60 of the region’s best vintage & handmade vendors. $2 general admission 11am-5pm. Want to have first pick at all the goodies? We offer $7 early bird entry at 10am.

Leading up to the market, we’ll be sharing vendor spotlight posts that give you a chance to meet some of our amazing vendors in advance of the market. We are excited to welcome O&Y Studio to the Vintage Charlotte Winter Market. O&Y Studio is a Charlotte maker with a unique method of crocheting into embroidery hoops. Here is Andy with an introduction to her brand, and a sneak peek at a few special items that will be available at the Winter Market:

I have been a maker almost all my life. Growing up in South Africa, my mom put knitting needles in my hands at age 4, and she presented me with my first sewing machine at age 11. From then on I knitted and sewed my own clothes, taught myself to crochet and pursued anything artsy and crafty I could lay my hands on. I developed a love for smocking, hand-sewing and embroidery and later owned a smocking shop. 

I now enjoy freehand stitching floral and botanical designs with specialty wool threads on a crochet. When I travel, I love to share my myriad photos (many of which are of flowers) and to bring back interesting wool and mohair yarns for new creations. I create my embroideries in an array of colors and sizes; plus a selection of Christmas ornaments will be available this year!

Winter Market Vendor Spotlight: Up a Tree Cup a Tea Co.

Posted by | Uncategorized | No Comments

VTGCLT is popping up on November 24th at The Fillmore for the eighth annual Winter Market! Come out and spend the day shopping with over 60 of the region’s best vintage & handmade vendors. $2 general admission 11am-5pm. Want to have first pick at all the goodies? We offer $7 early bird entry at 10am.

Leading up to the market, we’ll be sharing vendor spotlight posts that give you a chance to meet some of our amazing vendors in advance of the market. We are excited to welcome back Up a Tree Cup a Tea Co. to the Vintage Charlotte Winter Market. Up a Tree Cup a Tea Co. specializes in making handbags using vintage and repurposed materials. Here is Johanna with an introduction to their brand, and a sneak peek at a few special items that will be available at the Winter Market:

As an artist and seamstress, I love giving materials that have been forgotten new life. Reusing vintage military tents, bank bag canvas, lace, and textiles to create one of a kind handbags. Each handbag saves a unique piece of Americana. All handbags are made using a team of heavy-duty, vintage sewing machines in my in-home studio on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. 

One of my favorite materials to work with is overshot. Overshot is a handwoven textile that reached it’s height in popularity in American from the 1750s to 1870s. Primarily woven to serve as bed coverlets, they became popular again the 20th century. Hunting down overshot at estate sales, auctions, and everywhere in between is one of my favorite things to do besides creating! Check out this Our State Magazine feature from earlier this fall that shares more about my story and process. 

I’m bringing a variety of woven overshot bags at the Winter Market along with bags from the holiday collection that features Vietnam Era US Military duffle bags, tents blankets, and 1900s Turkish Kilim rugs. I’ll also be bringing a large collection of vintage felt pennants from all over the United States, Canada, and beyond.

Winter Market Vendor Spotlight: January Jewelry

Posted by | Uncategorized | No Comments

VTGCLT is popping up on November 24th at The Fillmore for the eighth annual Winter Market! Come out and spend the day shopping with over 60 of the region’s best vintage & handmade vendors. $2 general admission 11am-5pm. Want to have first pick at all the goodies? We offer $7 early bird entry at 10am.

Leading up to the market, we’ll be sharing vendor spotlight posts that give you a chance to meet some of our amazing vendors in advance of the market. We are thrilled to welcome January Jewelry to their very first Vintage Charlotte Market. January Jewelry specializes in nature inspired handcrafted jewelry. Here is Melissa with an introduction to their brand, and a sneak peek at a few special items that will be available at the Winter Market:

I am a metalsmith and I handcraft every piece of jewelry in my South Carolina home studio. I create during the luxury of preschool and nap-time for my 4 and half year old daughter. It’s an ebb and flow of balance, but the creative gene runs in my blood and I have to create!

january jewelry

 As an artist, I have always loved tinkering with tools and designing in an organic and carefree manner. My inspiration comes from my childhood growing up in the mountains and outdoors….where I learned that I love nature and the beauty it possesses.

My recent collection, Horizon Lines, has been a best seller and I am so excited to bring it all to VTGCLT! The Horizon Line collection is about wonder, journey, and potential: look past the horizon and beyond what the eye can see. It’s also inspired by a trip to Arizona with warm golden views and the expanse of the beautiful mountainous desert horizon.

The 4P’s for a Successful Market Day

Posted by | events | No Comments

Market day can be one of the most exciting days for our small business. We have spent so much time preparing our goods and promoting and this is our time to finally showcase our goods in real time.  So, how do we make the most of this amazing day that we’ve all worked so hard for?  These are a few ideas that ought to help cut out any market day uncertainty, always follow the 4Ps: Promote, be Personable, be Professional, be Prepared!

needles and pins

 Promote!

Before you ever pack up your inventory and load up the car, it is really important to let everyone know that you are going to be selling in person!  Tell your friends, your family and use social media to your advantage.  People talk and word gets around, so while you may feel that you don’t have the largest social reach, you may reach someone who does!  Use your business and your personal social media to let your friends and your audience know that this is their chance to come out and support you and a bunch of other awesome local businesses.

We always make our posters readily available to our vendors and we encourage you to pick some up from us and post them all over town! bunch collective

Be Prepared!

The boy scouts were really on to something with this one. Nothing will make your day unnecessarily stressful like showing up unprepared. So, we are here to prepare you in your, er, preparation.

Make sure you have a cohesive brand image for market day.  You should have a BIG SIGN with your business name on it and your business cards should match that sign.  If you have unique packaging, make sure it matches too.  The more times a customer sees your branding, the more likely they are to remember you!

We thought you might like this handy list of items we think are crucial for the day of the market:

All merchandise clearly priced (best done before the market)
Any product information signs necessary
Boxes for purchases
Customer bags
Extra price tags
Tissue or newspaper for fragile items
Business cards and holder
Company name sign
Mailing list
Clipboard
Writing pad or notebook
Paper clips
Pens and pencils
Markers
Safety pins
Scissors
Tape – scotch, masking, duct, packing
Credit card machine / square
Calculator
Change: ones, fives & tens
Cell phone
Cell phone charger (especially if accepting payments via phone!)
Laptop
Receipt book/sales book
Tape measure
Extension cords- different lengths
Painters tape to tape the cord to the floor
Power strip
Apron or other way to keep essential supplies on you

Oh, and coffee. Just lots and lots of coffee.

dressing room interiors

Be Personable!

This list of tips can help us all, market veterans and rookies, to have the best possible interactions:

Smile. Lots of smiling. Smile when they tell you they love your work. Smile when they tell you your hair is awesome. Smile when they tell you their mom’s best friend makes scarves like yours, only better. Because someone is always watching. People are much more inclined to approach and purchase from shop owners who show overall friendliness than those who appear easily agitated.

Don’t let your media outlets interfere with basic social interactions. Keeping up with your social media during market day is important, but never at the expense of a real, live customer.  Getting to know people and helping people choose what is right for them is the best way to hook those repeat customers and to secure fantastic reviews.

Be patient. While there will be tons of folks wandering around, there are always a few who want to chit chat forever, possibly at the expense of other customers. It is important to give customers the one-on-one attention they crave but if Chatty Cathy is costing you sales, it may be time to hand her a business card and suggest following up via email.

Don’t be pushy. Customers know what they want and what they don’t want.  If you wave and smile and they still don’t approach you, don’t take it personally, that is just their way of shopping.  On the other hand, if a customer is really interested in your product, suggestions go a long way!  Don’t be scared to sell your product, if you don’t do it, no one will!

the big white cat the big white cat

Be Professional!

The market is filled with all sorts of shoppers. People are looking for decor, gifts, and some great finds for themselves. Booth set-up is pivotal in showcasing what you have to offer. Here are a few things to remember during this time:

Try to offer products at a range of prices.  It is always a good idea to have at least one product UNDER $25.  These are quick, easy items for customers to pick up and buy without really thinking too hard about the purchase.  Similarly, it is always a good idea to have a “luxury” or high dollar item that really represents your aesthetic.  If you find the right customer, there will be a great pay off.

Your space is your space. Set yourself up for success by being unique and creative. Bring tables, displays, props, back drops, etc. to stand out and catch shoppers eyes.  Having an interesting and creative booth space is one of the best ways to get customers to take the first step towards you!  It is always a good idea to show a product in action.  Style your booth using appropriate props, show the customer how it might look in their house or on their body.

PLAN AHEAD!  It is a great idea to tape off the size space you have and do a trial run set up.  Sometimes you are just trying to bring too much (or too little!) with you to the market.  Make sure your booth is full but not cluttered and always keep in mind that you can’t sell what you don’t bring with you.  Make sure to have enough inventory to last you all day, although it feels great to sell out, it feels even better to know you sold the maximum amount of product possible.

Also, your space is your space. So don’t encroach on your neighbor. The spaces will be clearly marked which will make it easy for everyone to stay in their territory.  Keep in mind that the aisles are also not your space.

BYOL- bring your own lighting. Because our venues were not designed with this type of event in mind, the lighting is not set up to fill the nooks that exist when setting up booth displays. Our advice? Bring more lamps than you think necessary. You want your items to be fully visible and to draw people to you.

Collect customer email addresses!  You will have hundreds of customers take your business cards, but wouldn’t it be great if you could reach out to them as well??!?  Put out an email list and watch as your most dedicated customers sign up to keep in touch with you.  Additionally, consider having a sign with your social media links so customers can follow you right on the spot.

hawks and doves

Keeping these bits of wisdom in mind will help ensure the best day possible for all of us. We are so excited for this community of artists and vendors to come together. You guys are what makes Vintage Charlotte spectacular.

Vintage Charlotte Holiday Market

Posted by | events | No Comments

Vintage Charlotte Holiday Market

It is finally just around the corner!  VTG CLT is popping up at The Fillmore Charlotte on November 16, 2013 for the second annual Holiday Market! Come out and spend the day shopping with over 50 local vintage/antique/handmade vendors.

Our non-profit partner, go-go fresco will be set up with a little 100% locally-sourced pop-up farmers market. All of their proceeds go directly back towards providing access to fresh local food and food education to those in need!

Central Coffee Co. will be on site keeping us energized, Yelp Charlotte is supplying some swag, King of Pops Charlotte will be cooling us down and Juan Taco Truck will be filling our tummies!

Admission is FREE from 11am-6pm! Get in an hour early (at 10am) for $5 to get first pick of all the goods.

Official Facebook event page!

Stay Up To Date With Vintage Charlotte! Join Our Email List