Fraser Valley Bead Show – Handmade Beads & Jewelry Making Supplies
Local Bead Shows – A Great Place To Pick Up Some New Polymer Clay Tools:
On Sunday I went to the Fraser Valley Bead Show held in Langley, British Columbia (very close to my home here in Canada). With only 50 vendors, this one isn't the biggest of shows. But hey it's a bead show and it only comes once a year… so I had to go.
This years Fraser Valley Bead Show was a little smaller than previous ones. Although I thoroughly enjoyed myself, it was a bit disappointing not to see the fellow from Saskatchewan that sells the Niobium wire. Can't remember his name off the top of my head. I was really hoping to get some colored wire and the ear wire gadget he was selling last year.
However, I did have the opportunity to meet some really great bead artists and another guy that makes a neat bracelet bending tool that I would like to demo for you sometime.
My husband Doug and the kids usually come with me to this bead show, but Doug is working on getting the new polymer clay tutorial library ready for opening, and needed to keep working on that.
So this time my Mom came along and she loved it… blew her entire wad of cash on presents for her friends (exactly the type of guest any show promoter loves to have come by :-).
I picked up a couple of precision jewelry making tools. One was a quality flush cutter since the one I've been using up until now was more of a 'wire squasher'. My other purchase was a chain nose pliers. Let me know if you would like me to create demo videos of the tools I buy and use. Product reviews and ratings might be a fun (and useful) thing to do!
One of my other goals this year in going to the bead show was to really observe the vendors. As with every show, some booths were crowded and some were like ghost towns! Why does this happen? Well I took some notes which I'll share with you in another post later this week.
Have you been to any bead shows or craft fairs lately? What are some of your observations about what makes a booth successful or not? This discussion could be very helpful for those of you who are planning to set up your own show booths during the upcoming Christmas Craft and Gift Show season.
Filed Under: 13: Musings-News, 16: Sell Your Stuff by Comment. 
Leave a Comment
Comments on Fraser Valley Bead Show – Handmade Beads & Jewelry Making Supplies
4:51 am
Cindy….I would love to see a few videos about tools…I think that would be very helpful!!!
We have a small bead show here in Western NC at the National Guard Armory every summer and I like you have to go. It probably has 50 or fewer vendors and some do have more people than others. I think the biggest reason is the display. If it is done in an artful way with lots of explosions of color, that really draws my eye. Some of the booths are rather bland and look ho hum…but the ones that have so much going on I have to stop and really look, those are the ones I favor.
I am really excited about the new courses and new site…can't wait for the grand unveiling!!!
Pamela
6:24 pm
Thanks Pamela for the great comment! You're totally right about the importance of a great display. I'm going to write about some of the good ones I saw and some of the bad ones because they can make or break your success at a show. I'm looking forward to getting things done so I can show you too!
5:23 am
Display is key in success of your sale. I would love some extra info as I am currently experimenting for a couple of fairs i have to attend in June and July plus a lot more in coming months.
5:40 pm
Thanks for your feedback inka! I hope you have great success in your fair! I have written about a craft fair I did in a previous post. To read it, click the link by my name.