NI Craft Fairs 2011

pepper75

hi i have been looking in to opening a pop up shop for approx a month trial selling local handmade arts and crafts i just have a few quiestions it would be great if some of you could answer to help.
1. would £15 per week plus 20% commission seem reasonable
2 would you like do set up your own displays or have your items merchandised for you
3.would you consider inshops in belfast
4.what else would you like to see in the shop
5.how often would you like paid ie weekly or at end of trial.
6.would you like the option of just taking a week or booking the whole month
7.would you like the option of working in the shop promoting your items

i have tried to keep the costs as low as possible and found £15 to be cheaper than alot of craft fair tables.
as a fellow crafter i would be staffing the shop i have 18 years retail experience in sales and management
thanks in advance for you help

Rach39

Hi Pepper75 - great idea, but I'm not clear on the details (sorry, bit thick!) Are you planning to get a short term lease of an empty unit for approx a month, then invite fellow crafters to stock the shop with their items and pay you £15 per week plus 20% commission? If so I don't see it being all that attractive since quite a few shops will take hand made goods on trial for comission only. Another option (one which I've been thinking about doing myself since saw it at work in Dingle over the summer) is to take lease of a unit as a 'craft collective' split the rent and overheads then take it in turns to work shifts in the shop so everyone has a hand in selling everyone else's stuff and EITHER all profits split evenly between the collective, or everyone's sales are kept separate and everyone keeps their own sale proceeds. I think with so many empty units around it's a great idea to consider approaching landlords with ideas for short term lets - please keep us posted on how you are getting on

pepper75

hi sorry if its all a bit vague im still trying to figure out the best way to sell the crafts but keep it affordable i know alot of shops will sell on a commission basis only but im sure it is alot higher than 20%.
The reason for the basic fee (which would depend on the rent and number of crafters) is purely to cover the rent and utiliies carrier bags etc the commission then would cover the cost of staffing the shop, i had thought of having the crafters take shifts but sometimes thats just not possible and then not fair on the individuals who do. i am meeting with a landlord on monday just to see what they think so i will feedback how it goes.
thanks for the feedback its all welcomed as this is all new and i really want to be sure it will work for everyone involved.
the reason for the short lease was really as a trial to see if the business plan would work.

smokiewater

Years ago there was a shop like this is Colemans Garden Centre, over Christmas - we paid a weekly rent, and workded a shift a week, or you could put stuff in on commission only, but the commission was quite high.

I am amazed that a shop would be available in Belfast to allow us to spend as little as £15 per week, I am guessing it is not in the City Centre? How many crafters are you thinking of having, and is it all handmade only, is there any sort of quality control, or will any craft be accepted? How much space is available per person?

From memory I think we paid something like £50 per week in Colemans but had at least an 8foot table, so that was quite a lot of space, more than most of us would need, as we could put shelf units and things on top of the tables - in the fee was rent, electric, bags etc, and at the end of the 6 weeks any money left over was split between us.

Personally I would be interested, depending on the shop location, but would prefer to pay a little bit more rent for a good location.

pepper75

hi ive been in belfast today loads of empty shop but also high rents but i did have a look in The In Shops they have quite a large unit at the back facing a new hairdressers and nail bar which was quite busy and close to the food court, it would easily fit possibly 15 different crafts (just judging on the size and average table size)
the unit its self is in good condition with a wooden floor and painted walls so wouldnt need much done to look the part ive made an appointment to see the center manager on monday to get an idea of costs etc at a guess im thinking £150 a week about £10 each.
i was thinking this could be a good trial possibly for a week to see how it works, rents are low so wouldnt cost us all a fortune and if we got enough interest and support then could look at a better postion for next month and christmas maybe longer periods.
i think it would have to be handmade only depending on what the items are and limited to one or 2 of each type to try to get a varity and possibly asking people to apply.
still all a work in progress but i will keep you all updated

smokiewater

Is inshops not a bit bargain basement? Run by one of the big Market Companies, is it not supposed to be a step up from an indoor market.

Having said that, the wickerman, one of the biggest craft shops in Belfast is just across the road!

What about Rates, Service Charge, Electricity etc???

pepper75

hi it is a bit although the unit i looked at is surrounded by a nice nail bar which was really busy and a hairdressers and then the food court, everything in included in the weekly rent so thought it might be a good trial run so we arent all forking out a load of cash for something which may not work out, i thought wicker man being just across the street may work to our favour if we done some leaflets advertising the shop we can hand them out right across the street from our biggest competition.

smokiewater

Umm, if you are looking at Wickerman as competition are you going to have some form of quality control on the standard of craft?

Wickerman is a very long established shop, with a great following, would it not be better to enhance them, not compete with them? I think a shop run by craftspeople would beat them on price, but at the same time would not like to do their trade any harm as they are the main outlet for Craft in the City which has to be good for the industry as a whole!

Rant over

pepper75

hi i probably phrased that badly what i meant was wicker man already has a craft following so our target customers would hopefully already be in that area which can only be a good thing.
Quality control would have to be a major part of selecting crafters and also getting a good selection of products . i was thinking of speaking to the crafters at stormount next week as i think most of them are experienced crafters and have a good reputation, i had hoped to show there myself but due to circumstances cant but will be there on the day with my daughter.Are you showing there smokiewater it would be good to get a chat
thanks

glassact

good luck to all those involved in AUTUMNFEST at STORMONT this SAT 1ST OCT. sorry cant make it but hope weather holds and you all have a great day!!!