Hi there and welcome to The Crafty Friends Network Blog! My name is Kirsten Cole and I am a fiber artist from Providence, Rhode Island. I make a number of items, including reusable coffee sleeves, recycled fabric brooches, and unique hand-appliquéd onesies. Through my company, it's sew you...by Kirsten Cole, I have been participating in open air and holiday markets for two years now.
Open market selling has been so much fun. I really enjoy interacting with my customers and have been lucky to find a great group of colleagues and peer supporters. However, open market selling can be difficult. It is such a unique forum and thus, has its own unique challenges. For me, the most challenging aspects have been finding new venues and the logistics of running my own self-contained shop.
I am constantly polling my crafty friends about their strategies and have learned so much from them, so, I decided to create a place where we can come together and discuss these important topics. This blog will be a place where my crafty friends, and their crafty friends, can discuss, review, or recommend art shows, craft markets, and other events in the New England area. We will share what events have worked best in the past, and what future events we're interested in.
The Crafty Friends Network Blog will also be a platform for vendors and market organizers/promoters to engage in open discussion about open market selling and organizing. My hope is that the CFN Blog will be useful to both vendors and organizers.
Please post any questions that you would like to ask The Network, as well as any topic suggestions.
