It's a Wrap: Etsy Ireland Pop-Up Shop

Press Shot of the shop by Neville Gawley

The Limerick Etsy Ireland Pop-Up shop is all finished now. It's all been packed up, and the last few bits and pieces are sitting in my living room, and will definitely be sorted today before my housemate kills me! It was a really great achievement for the team and an invaluable experience to learn how a shop works, even just for a month. The space we were using (thanks again to our hero Niall!) is now being turned into a late night cafe, and I for one am delighted, the city really needs it! It's amazing how long it took to put together and in the space of an hour it was all in boxes and packed into the back of Helen's car!

The shop all packed up in bags and sitting in my living room!

It was a really great success sales-wise I never would have expected it to be so popular. I noticed a big difference between selling in a shop as opposed to a market. There seemed to be a greater enthusiasm and appreciation for the craft. People were commenting on how reasonable the prices were(contrasted to some of the comments I get at my stall that I'm ripping people off). It was interesting to note the shift in attitude, I think when people are in town and shopping they are in the mode to spend more money,€20 for a bracelet seems fine when you are next door to a boutique. Whereas €20 for the same item when you are next to a veg stall and a bric a brac stall suddenly seems extortionate-it's all about context.

There was repeated comments throughout the month about how positive people were to see Irish handcrafts and also to see something so creative happening in their city. People are so jaded with doom and gloom in the media that they want to hear about people making a go of it themselves and starting their own business, and lots of people wanted to support that with their wallets.

It was also interesting to look at the figures at the end of the month and see that not all the big sales when to the most popular shops. So if you aren't doing great on Etsy don't be disheartened, maybe a shop would be better for you. There were sellers that have only made a few online sales who did incredibly well in the shop, some things just need to be seen in person maybe.

As for what sold? On the first weekend lots of baby things sold, lots of people were passing through who knew someone with a new baby and they were looking for a gift and a card. Also wedding cards were very sought after. It's true Ireland is going through a wedding and baby boom, so if you can capitalise on it you should. Cards were very popular as they were the lowest priced items and people picked up a few for future occasions while they were browsing. Even though we had lots of jewellery it did sell well, with rings being one of the best sellers.

The cool bags that Etsy sent us!

Etsy were very good and got in touch with me, they wanted to thank us for all the hard work we've put it and they also sponsored our second lot of flyers that we needed to get printed. They also sent us these fab tote bags, which we gave to customers who spent over €10, a great incentive for people to put their hands in the pockets! They are also sponsoring those of us who worked in the shop to go for a few drinks to celebrate, which will be happening when I get around to arranging it! I was delighted that they spotted what we were doing, apparently it was the US branch that got in touch with Amity and told her to hunt down the organiser. So Etsy are watching us!

We also managed to get into two newspapers, both the Sunday Business Post and also the Limerick Leader. The local paper brought us some extra footfall and sales. If we do this again we must try to get the press on board early, as we were nearly finished by the time it went to press.

A mortifying picture of myself and Noreen Foley that was in The Limerick Leader

I have put forward an application to the council to try to get a space in Limerick near to Christmas. I haven't heard a peep from them yet but I'll keep you guys posted. It won't be exactly the same arrangement as before, I've learned an awful lot by doing this pop-up shop, but all details will be discussed before hand. I know that markets were not that great for me last year and it's in my best interest to find another avenue for selling. Last year it was just too darned cold to sell outdoors, and the customers all flocked to the shops where there were heaters, and it wasn't -12! If the council don't give us anything maybe we could look at renting a low priced art space for a month...or something like that. It's early days yet and we have lots of time to throw out ideas. Also it might be good for the Dublin branch to give it a go, if you can't get anything officially, maybe approach individual businesses and see if you could work something out.

Press Photos by Neville Gawley

Press photos by Neville Gawley

I'd like to thank  everyone who gave of their time to help man the shop, this couldn't have worked without the support of everyone. So please click on the links and visit their shops to show your appreciation.
Helen from Stained Glass Fayre
Rebecca from Lucky Rainbow Designs
Neville from Neville Gawley Photography
Jess from Bettyoctopus
Majella and her husband Bart from Delicious Art Glass
Mark from Marmot Art (not on etsy yet but I'll convince him to join soon!)
and
Me(Ruth) from Nice Day Designs and Nice Day Supplies


Noreen and partner Locky from Hanora.K.Designs(not on etsy but I'm helping her set up her shop this month)
Also thanks to Ann, Orla and Noreen for the tables. To Niall and all the staff of Bourkes Bar for their time,patience, and the space! To Michelle and Alice from Fonelifair for sponsoring our flyers. To Neville for taking pictures of the space for us. To Neville for doing the shop on my birthday so I could have a day off!

(A small note to sellers involved: Thanks for being understanding with my lack of emails sometimes.The project turned into something much bigger than the two day event that I originally took on. It's taken longer than expected to sort through all the work, but I'll be posting out the rest of it today. If you haven't heard from me yet I'll also be in touch today, I've about 6 people yet left to email.)

Crafty News Desk

Greetings from the Crafty News Desk
This weeks photo was taken at the Bloom Festival over the Bank Holiday weekend.  I just love this colour combination.....

Continued congrats to Ruth from  nicedaydesigns  and all the other volunteers who are working in the Pop Up Shop in Limerick.  Nice article in the Limerick Leader limerickleader  . 
Only one more weekend left to browse and buy in the shop so get on down to Bourke's Bar in Catherine St.  Closes next Sunday......

The Pop Up Shop and Etsy Ireland also were menetioned in the Irish Craft Supplement in the Irish Times last week.  Onwards and Upwards ladies and gents!!!!!!!

For those of you in Dublin, there is a series of weekend Craft Fairs in the Powerscourt Centre over the Summer.  The rates for the tables are reasonable.  Are there any Dublin crafters interested in being part of an Etsy Ireland corner?  If so, contract me through my etsy shop and leave your email address.  It could be interesting......

Print Block is a collective of textile artists and designers working predominantly in the field of screen print. Print Block originated in 2010 to collaborate on exhibitions, to share information, to gain access to printing facilities in Dublin, and to elevate the medium of textiles within Ireland. At present we are looking to expand our membership and are looking for new members.   For full information please visit printblock.tumblr.com.
Batik Techniques for Beginners at The Studio, Bennettsbridge, Co. Kilkenny, Sunday 3 July 2011, 10am – 5pm 
A one day workshop introducing basic and contemporary processes of batik – an ancient fabric dyeing and decorating technique where hot wax is used as a resist on cloth.
Fee: E75 – including all materials used during the day
For availability and bookings please contact Tunde: 087 2543362

21st Century Irish Craft Exhibition - The National Museum of Ireland's collection of Irish contemporary craft on display at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7, from 8 June to 08 December 2011   

Mary from QueenofCuffs  and I Huggleknits  will be at the Dancing Buffalo Art + Craft Fair at Spawell Dublin next Sunday 17 June from 12 to 5.  Mary will have a selection of her wonderful cuffs and other crafted items and, as well as my Tiny Chuus, Baby Cards, Knit Kits and knitting needles,  I will be offering a large range of craft books and magazines at a "never to be repeated" price.  It would be great to see you there......

Thats about it for this week.
As always, keep the information coming in.
Cheers,
Mo
Huggleknits

Crafty News Desk

Greetings from the Crafty News Desk - I am back in harness and rearing to go again......  Say hello to some of the crazy woolies I met over the weekend!!!!!!

Firstly can I say a very big THANK YOU  to Ruth  from nicedaydesigns who, along with other crafty people in the Limerick area, has successfully managed the Etsy Ireland Pop-Up shop in Limerick over the last month.  Check out the facebook page Limerick        Well done one and all.

Congratulations to Suzie from littlewhitedog who had some her amazing letters in one of the award winning gardens at the Bloom Festival over the weekend.  A lovely addition to the Alice in Wonderland garden.  Well done Suzie!!  And she is also going to have a slot in the Pop Up Shop at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Ely Place from 18 to 24 June so why not drop by and say hello if you are in the area.  Details are on her facebook page facebook.

Craft Market - Iveagh Grounds, Crumlin 12 

Places available     New Craft market opening in Guinness Athletic Union, Iveagh grounds in Crumlin Dublin 12 on 3 July next from 12 to 6pm.  They are looking for stall holders (full for Jewelry and cards)  for information contact  buttonsandbowscraftmarket@hotmail.com with details of what you would like to sell.

CraftWest is currently in the process of organising craft and food fairs in the west.  We are interested in you, whether you are a large or small trader, established or just a beginner.-We look forward to hearing from all who are interested in participating.   CraftWest has a strict policy of Irish made, hand made, or home made products only.
Contact  CraftWest@gmail.com

Designer Dublin was launched on 1st June in the Kilkenny Shop, Nassau Street. As part of Year of Craft 2011, Designer Dublin will showcase the very best of design and craft made in Dublin.   Some of our ETSY crafters are involved - meet Angela from  artysmarty  and Judith from ABoxForMyTreasure at the Open Craft Trail next Friday from 5 - 9 (nice snacks are promised)  more info here on   facebook    Good luck to all involved.

Exchange's Art+Craft Market is coming up this Saturday & as  they still have a few tables left they're offering them  for a special rate of €15 for 2 tables. That's 2 square metres to fill with your lovely wares [normally €10 for 1 table slot]. Get in touch with markets@exchangedublin.ie  quoting the word "connections" to make use of this offer. This 2 stalls worth of space can be shared between friends as well.  

That's about it for this week.  I know I have missed some items - sorry if I did - please add the details to the comments on this blog post.  For any events coming up please contact me through my Etsy site www.huggleknits.etsy.com

Cheers
Mo

Crafty News

 

A big hello from the Crafty News Desk - cant believe how quickly the time has flown.  This weeks photograph was taken just 2 weeks ago in Florida..... sunshine and sand mmmmmmm!!!!!!!
Enough of that.  

A big THANK YOU to Purls for holding the fort while I was away.


What a busy time we are having here in Etsy Ireland.  The big success story has to be the ETSY pop-up shop in Limerick  EtsyIrelandPopUpShop  I am in awe of what Ruth and her team of intrepid crafters have and are achieving in Limerick.  All I can say is WELL DONE ONE AND ALL .......
If you are in Limerick do call by and say hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ireland's first online craft website FONDELIFAIR has been officially launched today.    fondelifair
I wish Alice and Michelle and all of the crafters (including mise) all the very best of luck with this endeavour.  God bless all who sail in her  (champagne bottle smashes against the side.....)

A new Irish supplies website has also been launched sunflowertouchsupply   Stop by and have a look

The Glucksman gallery in Cork is taking applications for their craft fair which takes place at the beginning of November. You can download applications from their website  glucksman

The Ulster Festival of Art and Design is happening from June 1st to 12th.  Information here ulsterfestival

Next weekend, 5-6 June, is when all things woolie happen at the Wool Festival in Kilkenny.  Details  =  Wool Festival

The Design Tower Summer School is coming up in June - located in Dublin's  Grand Canal Basin - a perfect location to learn some new skills including Leather work, Paper making, Jewellery, Sculpture etc. 
Details =  thedesigntower

And finally there is a Art and Craft Market taking place at Darcy McGee's at the Spawell in Dublin on 19th June.  There are a few of us taking part and there are still a few stalls available.  Details =  spawell  There will also be live music happening on the day.  If you know of any musicians who would like to take part there are also some slots available.  Get in touch with Lynn. 

So that's about it for this week.  Now I know there are a lot of events happening all over the country with many of our team taking part.  It would be great if we knew where ye are going to be so we could call by and say hello.  So send me on your details and I will let everyone know where you're at.  Are any of you involved with the Bloom Festival in the Phoenix Park next week????? tell me, tell me........ please.

Bye for now
Mo
huggleknits

Crafty News

Our Etsy Ireland pop-up shop in Limerick is still going strong. Check out the shop's Facebook page for updates and opening times! And not only is Ruth from Nicedaydesigns doing a fabulous job with the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop, she was also recently featured in Prudence magazine! Congratulations!!!
Read all about it on Ruth's blog - and if my place ever looked as gorgeous, I'd die of shock!!!

Fi from Patchworkdelights is having a blog giveaway! If you want to be in to win some beautiful goodies, post a comment and follow her blog before 25 May midnight (GMT)!

Anne-Marie from byAmo'r recently drew our attention to the problem of the Etsy Shop Local defaulting to the UK for the Republic of Ireland. No, this has nothing to do with any Royal visits or visits of US Presidents who all have Irish ancestors, but according to Etsy it is a technical problem and they are working on it. My Shop Local regularly directs me to some interesting places in Scotland rather than Belfast, Northern Ireland.

If you are not showing up in local searches, try the following:

Check that you have set the location in your profile from the suggested list of locations that pops up. If you manually type in your location, it may not correctly be registered in the Shop Local section. To do this, sign in to your account and go to Your Account, Public Profile. Then in "city", begin typing your location. You should choose from the list that pops up the closest match to your location. This should correctly register your location in the Shop Local feature.

To be found in local searches is important so that Irish buyers as well as ex-pats and international customers with Irish heritage (like said US Presidents past and present) who look specifically for Irish or Celtic materials and items directly from Ireland will be able to find your shop.

Thanks to Anne-Marie for all the information and for getting in touch with the great and good from Etsy.

Congratulations to Alice and Michelle of Fondelifair. The new Irish online shop site and community has just welcomed its 101st member! The community is starting to thrive and hive, and I've already become addicted to the place...

I haven't received much information about markets, but this exhibition looks really interesting:

A Constant Thread
An exhibition celebrating older Irish craftspeople as part of the Bealtaine Festival, Rathfarnham Castle, Rathfarnham Road, Dublin 14, running until 29 May 2011, open 10:00 to 4.30, free entrance.

The 'Art of Craft' Fair, organised by Armagh City & District Council and The Craft & Design Collective, will take place from 27-29 May across the two sites of Armagh's Market Place Theatre and Saint Patrick’s Trian Visitor Complex. It includes craft workshops, demonstrations and performances.

And it's National Drawing Day on 28 May 2011, so you might want to put pencil to paper to honour the occasion!

Mo has just arrived back from her holidays, and will be back at the Crafty News desk next week! So please send any snippets of crafty information you have to http://www.etsy.com/shop/HuggleKnits
Welcome Back, Mo!

And for me, it is goodbye to Simon, the travelling gecko, who has been staying with me for the last three weeks! He'll be on his merry way towards the end of this week, and he'll be sadly missed here.

 Purls

Crafty News

This week's Crafty News is late and short, but then again, we just had the big news about the extension of the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop in Limerick, so if you've been awol from the Etsy Ireland bloggersphere or facebooksphere, now is the time to catch up and celebrate!

So what else is new?

• Our very own Designbirdie is having a Blog Giveaway with lovely prices! So don't miss your chance to win some goodies - and yes, also say hello to her new blog!

• “Latitudes” the new exhibition by Filament Fibre Artists is opening this Thursday the 19th at 6:30 pm at Airfield in Dundrum.
  If you can’t make it to the opening night you might be interested in coming to a tour of the exhibition on Sunday the 22nd at 3:00 pm or to join the Filament Fibre Artists as they celebrate National Drawing Day at Airfield on Saturday the 28th of May. Tours and drawing activities are included in the cost of entry to the Airfield Estate.

If you have any news about art and craft events, markets or National Drawing Day, please share! While Mo is hopefully enjoying some sunshine on her holidays, send your info to me, Purls, or post it in the comments.

Crafty News

Flowers at Malone House, South Belfast

Since our Mo is away on a well-deserved holiday and nobody has come forward to step into her shoes for these three weeks, you'll get me, Purls, once more.

And this leads me into the next subject, which is our blog. I am a bit thin on the ground for contributions, so unless you want to read Purls' yarnspinning every day, or have Jacob's growls and scowls for a week, I need to see paws up for the blog.

To show you all how effective our blog is, here is a link to an article by Alice on Fondelifair, which shows clearly that people are reading this blog and that articles translate into visitors to featured shops and author's websites.

This is very good news. Do you need any more persuasion, or do I have to send the bear in???


More crafty news:

• this weekend, Etsy Ireland's pop-up-shop, organised by Ruth from nicedaydesigns will dazzle visitors during the Cat Dig in Limerick. If you had the good intentions of sending some of your products down, but it went out of your head, check with Ruth whether or not it's too late to send things now.

• Some of our team members have joined Fondelifair, the new Irish online craft community and marketplace, and we're making ourselves quite at home there while getting to grips with the joys of Word Press. For those who would like to learn and brush up their Word Press skills, this might be the right course for you.

• The Home Souk and the Fashion Souk are on in Belfast this weekend. Both are taking place in the Europa Hotel from 11am to 5pm (Home Souk is on 14 May, Fashion Souk on 15th)
  

• Various Craft Fairs are happening in Cavan, Dundalk, Meath, Portarlington, and Athy during May and June
  

• Don't forget to put in for the Craft Guerrilla Designer Makers Competition to gain a stall space at one of the Knitting & Stitching shows in London, Harrogate and Dublin. The Deadline is 30 June 2011!
  

As always keep an eye on the Year of Craft website for updates countrywide, and tell me of any interesting crafty news happening in your area!

Are you ready to sell?

Yellow and Blue Heart Favour or Proposal Box by Nice Day Designs

Today I posted a packet with 8 Purls of Colour items to Limerick to be (hopefully sold) by Ruth from Nice Day Designs at the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop at the Catherine Street Cultural Dig on 13-15 May 2011. I am really excited about this fabulous opportunity to display my knitwear somewhere else in Ireland! It's also great to see something happening that we've talked about at team meetings and on the blog for some time, namely our own pop-up shop.

Thanks Ruth for not letting this opportunity slip by!

 You're amazing by Lucky Rainbow Designs

Of course it is scary to part with something I've worked on for some time and give it into somebody else's hands, but since I am not a natural-born seller and far too precious about my own creations, it was high time that I did send off a few of my pieces to be displayed and sold elsewhere. I am supposed to sell my knitwear, not just make them and then put them into a storage box!

However, this opportunity yet again makes me realise the question of being ready to sell. I haven't been blessed with many sales on Etsy - most of my sales and commissions happen through friends and family - so I somehow still haven't really managed the whole aspect of presentation and packaging.

 Brown paper package in red ribbon card by Paperpennies

Well, since my funds are lower than certain celebs' necklines, I never invested much money into wrapping paper, little gifts and packaging material - and on top of this just ran out of business cards. My parcels are created with cheerfully recycled materials, which suits me because I like doing my bit for the environment. But I am so unprepared - when a sale happens, then I start rushing around, looking for envelopes, looking for a Belfast card to add to the piece, scrambling for tissue paper and bits of yarn to wrap everything nicely - leaving my studio in total disarray and myself in a total frenzy. If there suddenly were a big rush on my shop, I think I'd run for the hills (and probably would have to collect leaves as wrapping material...).

Vintage cameo Grecian girl wall plate pin dish by Irish Bounty

Preparation is the key! You have to be prepared to sell, have envelopes, thank you cards and wrapping paper ready before a sale, and not end up in a frenzy once you get the lovely 'Etsy transactions' message. Maybe being prepared is sending a strong message to the sales fairy in the sky and she will whip out that cornucopia, overflowing with sales vibes...

 Heading to Limerick...

Somehow your head has to be in sales mode to be an Etsy Success! poster girl, so I need to tackle the aspect of getting ready and preparing for the sales, and also to stop clinging to my pieces as if my life depended on it. Sending the parcel off was a big step to do so. I had to be prepared, organised, think about the pieces I was going to send, write the descriptions and prices on sales tags and make sure that everything was included, because once the parcel was sent, I could not rely on a last-minute stroke of creativity to compensate for the fact that I had forgotten something. I also did for once not allow myself to be distracted by a sudden urge to knit another (and very special) item for the parcel.

Now the parcel is away and I feel inspired and ready to sell...


To send your own parcel to Ruth for the wonderful opportunity to show off and sell your pieces at the Etsy Ireland team pop up shop, check out the blog article on the Catherine Street Cultural Dig and email her at ruthcrean@yahoo.ie