New Avenues

I mentioned that I was thinking about donating some handmade items to some different charity auctions this year. I got an e-mail recently about donating to a cause that sounds worthwhile. Here is what the e-mail said: "Prison Performing Arts is seeking artists, graphic designers, architects and creative-types to donate a piece of locally-made art to be displayed at an event on August 14, 2009…. New Year's In August - St. Louis Style! The event – a benefit for Prison Performing Arts – will happen at MadArt Gallery. Your donation will be displayed as part of a silent auction during the evening’s festivities. We are looking for work that says St. Louis!"

I made the above scarf with some fun Budweiser beads and I have a matching little pouch. What could be more St. Louis than Budweiser, so I'm thinking about donating them.

One of my other goals for this year was to look into consignment/wholesale opportunities. I have been thinking about it for the past month because I know that shops are on a different cycle and they are likely planning their Fall merchandise right now. I am really intimidated by the thought of approaching boutiques to be honest. I found a good article on the Craft Marketer about selling crafts on consignment here. I know that I would want to start with a low key place that would be close so that I could check in on things regularly.

Last night I was stopping by the Italian deli on my way home from work and noticed a new shop right next door. The name really intrigued me, The Curvy Diva Boutique. It is a cute little shop specifically for plus size with new and resale clothes and accessories. I hit it off instantly with the shop owner and we visited while I shopped and tried things on. She had a small display of some funky handmade jewelry which I remarked on and that got us talking about consignment. We talked about me bringing in some pieces later in the year to see and we could look into setting something up. I think it would be a good first step for me into this world. I don't know how it will work until I try it as they say. The good thing about this place is I could stop by whenever I want and see what is selling and she would probably be willing to let me pull things out to take them to a craft show if I wanted to. The negative is that it doesn't have a really broad appeal and doesn't specialize in handmade. I would love to get into a relatively upscale boutique but I think that I probably need to take baby steps. Has anyone tried consignment before and if you have some words of wisdom I would be happy to hear them.