New Website and Blog

Hello!

Just wanted to post a note here about the blog "situation." I created this blog with the intention of keeping it updated regularly, which kinda fell by the wayside. However, with the creation of the new raptinmaille.com, you will see a blog feature built right into the website.

So, I'm keeping this old blog up for now in case anyone wants to read the previous posts, but please head over to the new blog to stay up to date on current news....which I will be posting regularly, mark my words!

And, hey - let me know what you think of the new site, K?

Thanks much,
Melissa

From the beginning: The history of Rapt in Maille...

Well folks, it's been a while since my last post. And I thought, to begin again, let's start from the very beginning. So, here's a little history of my venture into jewelry and creating a business...

I went to the University of Illinois in 1991 for Computer Science in the School of Engineering. I know - what was I thinking? In my naïve and simple, young mind, I did at one point envision myself getting dressed up in business gear and working in a cubicle every day. The only reason I can give for why this seemed good to me back then was that I was very shy and I liked the idea of not having a job where I had to interact with too many people. Ha! Silly, silly me.

Anyhow, during my 4th semester, as I hit Physics and my first Computer Science courses (somehow I had made it through Chem and Calc), I was failing for the first time in my life (I had never taken Physics in high school, unlike every other single person in my class). I remember crying in my dorm room, and my roommate said to me - "Hey, I know you like to make jewelry....there's a girl down the hall taking jewelry classes - why don't you do that?"

I have always been creative. It runs in my family. My mom is an artist, my dad played guitar, my sister was a hairdresser, another sister works creatively in advertising....so I just always gravitated towards making things or building things. I loved art class, I made things from crafts books, I loved building card houses, I made rag-rugs, friendship bracelets, you name it. In high school I started stringing beads and making simple bead earrings, which I brought to college and would give to friends. I had also started working with shaping wire, and I even brought some things I had made to a local consignment store. So when my roommate said those words to me, it was like my ears literally perked up, the sun came out, and the angels sang. Jewelry classes at the U of I? Who knew? I immediately changed my major. I was no longer an engineer - I was an art student.

Even though I was always drawn towards art, I had never voluntarily taken an art class. My high school classes were always geared towards the academics. So once again, I found myself behind everyone else who had previous experience with the subject at hand. Although this time it didn't bother me one bit - because I was loving it. I started my first jewelry class. I took ceramics, sculpture, glass, life drawing, design....most of which I found really challenging. It was really obvious that jewelry was my niche. As with every college program, you have your electives, and your requirements. It's kinda funny on my college transcript that my electives for an art degree include Chemistry 101 and 102, Calculus 1, 2, & 3, etc. (I had to do this to consolidate my time in school). It's too bad my electives for art were taken up by my engineering classes, otherwise I would have loved to take photography.

Anyhow, so here's where the chainmaille comes in: It was required in the jewelry program that we take 2 semesters of Independent Study. For the first semester I picked granulation (which I never really got the hang of). Now, my benchmate had been making some chainmaille, so one day I borrowed a piece of it to study, and ended up teaching myself how to do it by just looking at the weave (European 4-in-1). So I chose to study chainmaille for the second semester of Independent Study. I became so enamored with it, that I continued studying it for my senior thesis. I ended up making a long-sleeved shirt from blackened wire and washers, a long halter top/dress, a gauntlet, and a headpiece. I do have slides of these SOMEWHERE, which I really should digitize, eh? Project to come....

In the meantime, during my last semester in school, I also began working for my old benchmate, who had just graduated and was launching her own line. However, when it was graduation time for me, I did the proverbial packing up of my college days to head home to find a "real job." My sister got me a job working at a newspaper, which lasted a whole 8 months. It had its merits, (I did learn how to use Photoshop - a skill that has proved to be invaluable now), but I was just not happy.

My previous boss (now friend) who I worked for back in Champaign, called me up and proposed that I move back and work for her full time. I jumped at the chance to move back, since I missed it, and my freedom, so I packed up once again. I worked in the jewelry studio during the day, and at night I would come home and work on chainmaille designs of my own. After about a year and a half, my boss decided to move her business up to Chicago, and suggested I move up there to keep working for her, so I did! Big city, here I come...

In Chicago, I also started working at a bar that my friend hooked me up with. I started by checking ID's at the door (yes, I was a bouncer!), and eventually was taught how to bartend. So for a while, I was juggling the nightlife, my days in the studio, and other nights working on my own designs. My boss would have shows and events out of the studio and would let me set up my own jewelry, and the bar I worked at would let me bring in a jewelry case every once and a while to try and sell stuff. Humble beginnings!

Now, the big turning point was when my boss decided to sell her jewelry at the Bucktown Holiday Show in 1998. She asked me if I wanted to share the space with her, so I took her up on that opportunity. This was my first art fair, ever! At the show, I also met another emerging jewelry designer, Melissa Kolbusz, now of [wired] jewelry. It was also her first show, and she was also sharing a space with her boss - amazing coincidence. We loved each other's work, so we ended up trading and exchanging phone numbers.

I had caught the art fair bug, so I was researching some summer shows. I decided to give Melissa a call. We ended up deciding to join forces and try out some shows while sharing a booth space. Our first show was Northalsted Marketdays in 1999. And boy, did we learn some major lessons that weekend! There was a HUGE storm, including a mini twister, (we came with no weights, but our neighbor suggested at the beginning we go at least buy some gallons of water), everything got soaked - never again bring supplies in cardboard boxes...and we were also robbed at the end of the show. Typical 2-person theft where one distracts and the other walks off with the cash box. No more cash box at shows.

After several years of sharing booth spaces, we grew enough to have our own booths, although we still usually requested to be near each other for company and support ;) We also met a slew of AMAZING artist friends, who are some of the dearest people I know, and continued to gain knowledge of the art fair scene - what works, and what does not work. I finally feel like I'm pretty set with my booth and the whole scenario after 12 years, but I am STILL constantly learning. It has been a pretty big curve.

So now here I am! In my 12th year of doing shows, and my business has been growing steadily. (About 75% of my yearly sales are from art shows. The rest is wholesale and internet sales.) I quit working in the bar/restaurant industry about 2 years ago, and have been able to support myself, buy a condo, save money, and live comfortably. It's been absolutely amazing doing this full time. It is hard work. I am telling you - IT IS HARD. WORK. But it's my career now, and I LOVE IT - and I'm all grown up! Awwww.....

1st Annual East Nashville Arts Fest

Now that I'm back home and settling into the groove again, thought it would be a great time for a new blog post. It was a really nice weekend, so I thought it was well-deserving of one.

Some of you may be familiar with Chicago's Bucktown Arts Fest, Bucktown Bazaar, and the Spring and Holiday Shows at Architectural Artifacts. These shows are run with thanks to Maria Mariottini of Grazia Productions. (Note: another new show this year is Crafter's Round-Up). After seeing a need for an open-air art show in the Music City, Maria produced and ran the East Nashville Arts Fest (ENAF) this past weekend (with the help of Dolan Geiman, who designed the poster, and his wife, Ali). East Nashville was the perfect neighborhood. The show was set up near Five Points, among some hip businesses including a coffee shop (Bongo Java), a rocker bar (The Red Door, which Mike claims serves the largest whiskey on the rocks, ever. Shoot, we forgot to test that theory again), vintage clothing stores, (The Hip Zipper), a record store (The Groove), a cool salon (Chop Shop), an art gallery (Art & Invention), and a natural food store ala Trader Joe's called The Turnip Truck.

Did I mention Mike used to live there? Did I mention we met while he was living there? That's another cool story for a future post, perhaps :) So I had visited the city twice and was looking forward to going back. And I was happy to support Maria on her maiden voyage of ENAF.

It was about an 8 hr drive from Chicago, so we left Friday morning and arrived at a friend's house in the evening. I will fully admit I do not travel well (as far as mental and physical stresses - not so much during, but upon initial arrival), so I was quite out of it when we got there. But we were starving, so we had dinner at Eastland Cafe, which was very good.

The next morning we arrived and set up our booth (just on time, as usual) as the heat of the day was building. Temps on Saturday were relatively brutal, peaking in the high 80's with even higher heat indexes. But the sun was out, which is always great for the moods of both the artists and patrons as well. Being a first time show, I knew going in that the crowds would not be out in droves, as is expected with established shows that may have been around for decades. However, Maria, Dolan, and Ali did as much as they could with advertising, so I would say the crowds were good, considering! There were always people on the street, maybe with the exception of the last hour of Sunday, but I contribute that to the final episode of Lost, which I still have to watch tonight, btw :) The people watching was great too - lots of cool tattoos, haircuts, and outfits (cowboy boot envy!), and lots of super cute puppies! Since the neighborhood itself is hip, artistic, and forward-thinking, I believe this show will grow to be a fantastic event! Lots of neighborhood residents were happy to see us, and were appreciative that we were out there showing our work.

Sunday temps were even higher - at one point my phone weather app said the heat index was over 100! All we could do was keep drinking water, and try to stay cool by popping into nearby businesses for an AC break, which they were very nice about, Bongo Java :) Even the Nashvillians were commenting on the heat...I guess they weren't prepared either!

And speaking of, it seems that Nashville is hanging in there as best it can after the flooding. The water was gone, and we didn't see any visible damage while we were there (although I'm sure there was plenty). We did hear many people discussing their personal experiences with it, and another artist, Becky Quigley, lost everything in the flood and was set up at the show with borrowed equipment, and what little stock she had made or salvaged. I'd post her information, but doesn't seem she has a website. (She does jewelry and leatherwork). She did say she was overwhelmed with support, and she was very cool and in good spirits - go Becky! Hearing all the unfortunate stories does make one feel extremely grateful and humble. I wish Nashville the best!

I did do my part to contribute to Nashville's economy, of course, with my horrible shopping addiction, lol - as well as buying several things from the artists, which I LOVE. Check out my Facebook page to see some items I purchased, as well as a list of artists, below, whose business cards I was sure to pick up.....

So, the end of the show neared, and we packed up without a hitch. The first-time event was a success, and I left happy with the outcome, loving East Nashville. We went back to the hotel, unloaded, and went out for Mexican food - yum! Another high-point of our trip was seeing a picture of the "Margarona" on our menu. Apparently, it's a huge margarita served with an upside-down Corona dumped in it. I loved it so much I had to take a picture, although I wasn't adventurous enough to order one (more like I had no desire to walk around hungover the next day). I also had to ask the waiter how one drinks it, to which he replied that people just mix in the Corona as they drink the margarita....but then he admitted he really didn't know - lol.

Monday was a play-day in Nashville (we had decided to make this trip a mini-work/vacation), so we got up and moved to a fancier hotel for our last night. We spent the day cruising around, shopping, and eating. We visited another hip area, Hillsboro Village, where I got a cool pair of black leggings with fringe down the side - yeah, totally awesome. We also made a point to go back to Jack's BBQ, which is situated downtown in the Honky Tonk tourist-y area, which is super fun to see. Best BBQ sauce, in my opinion (the original, vinegar based one)....we bought a jar to bring home for this summer's grilling :) Then at night, Mike took me out for a fabulously rich and decadent dinner at Park Cafe. Just look at the pics on the website - yummy!

So, as promised, here are just a few artists at the show whose work I enjoyed (excluding the usual Chicago suspects, whom of course I love: Weener Ware, Dolan Geiman, Nancy Deal, and Olive Kraus)

Teresa Petersen - collage
Bryan Cunningham - mixed media
Tiffany Ownbey - papier mache sculpture
Sarah Collier - collage art
Fringe Lore - jewelry
White Cottage Design - sewn crafts (the deer, oh, the deer! - love)

Also - please visit the ENAF Facebook page for more information about the artists, and read other blog posts by exhibiting artists, etc.

See ya next year, East Nashville! Until then, keep on keepin' on.....

Dealing with the dreaded "P" word: Prioritizing.

Oh my, oh my, I'm not exactly keeping up on my new year's resolution to keep up with my blog, now, am I? *tisk, tisk* But here I am, so here we go!

Well, the Beckman's Wholesale show in January kept me relatively busy filling orders for the first few months of 2010. Of course, I also tried to fit in some relax-y time (which usually involves a home-cooked meal, wine, and a movie), so things did not go at the stressful pace of the summertime when I'm cranking out stock for the art fairs. However, I tried to keep reminding myself not to get too comfortable, as I had a ton of catching up to do with stock after the end of 2009, plus I have been really jonesing to design new stuff.

So now it's April...I've gotten my stock up to an acceptable, but not exactly ideal level to do a show, but at the beginning of the art fair season I try to have as much extra stock on top of that as I can. Right now, that's not looking too good, but I still have some quality time. I just have to focus. I know when the shows really kick in, my production will naturally go into over-drive, but right now, I'm having a hard time getting to that place in my head.

As far as having design time, this is crucial and also sometimes very difficult to fit in. Playing around with new ideas takes an artist many, many hours with no guaranteed outcome. So lately I've been struggling with...do I sit down and crank out stock for items I know will sell, set aside the night to try and design new pieces (which may or may not produce a hot item), or work on this wholesale order that needs to go out? Prioritizing is often an artist's biggest struggle because mostly we are a one-person show and the tasks are swirling around in our heads like a tornado. Don't forget we are also managing the bookkeeping, the marketing, social networking, show applications (which is very time consuming and deserves its own post), managing stock of materials, ordering, packing and shipping out orders....and the list goes on and on. Prioritize, Melissa, prioritize. I'm still not sure which direction my jewelry-making will go when I get to work right after I finish this post. But I can tell you, I will be enjoying myself. Not much makes me happier than sitting down with my pliers :)

The wholesale show: a totally different animal

My wholesale booth after set-up (minus the coats, bag, and my purse which of course were put away during the show)

It's been 2 days since the end of the 2010 Beckman's Handcrafted Gift Show and I think I'm still trying to regain my energy to work in the office again. I really should have scheduled a day off, but you know - hindsight ;) We set up the booth all day Thursday, then the show ran from Saturday-Tuesday. Long hours, little sleep, recycled air, and fluorescent lighting really makes for an exhausting (but valuable) experience.

It was my 3rd year exhibiting at the January show (they also have a July show that I can't make due to my summer art fair schedule), and my 3rd wholesale show, period. So I'm still kind of a novice, even though I've been in business for over 10 years and dealt with wholesale here and there. Actually doing a wholesale show and diving into that world is a completely different story.

Being a retail show (art fair) veteran, I can really say that the 2 are completely different in many ways (in almost every way, as a matter of fact). For those of you who aren't really familiar with the difference, I'll explain why.

For retail, before the show your goal is to make as much inventory as you can, because you'll be making sales on the spot, and doing volume, point of sale. For wholesale, you just need to make sure you have only one of every style (samples) because store buyers will come and decide which items they want to order for future delivery. You also must display your samples in an "easy to read" fashion, with item numbers and prices easily displayed. Store owners are often in a rush and most of the time won't even want to bother touching anything to see a price or to view things any closer, and you won't have the time to either.

Another big difference is the PACE of the show. Retail shows (if they are good!) are bustling and busy, often there really is no significant amount of time for breaks between sales and customer service - at least not for several hours, so it really can be a constant whirlwind of activity. A lot of time at a wholesale show is spent pacing the floor (but trying not to look like you're pacing the floor, ha ha) waiting for just the right buyer to come into your booth who will like your work, think it will sell well in their store, is the right price-point, etc, and then place an order. There could be hours between orders, and you really have to try and stay awake, focused, and on your game to sell your line to a buyer when they walk in. I personally struggle with this, having grown up as a painfully shy person. Sales are not necessarily my forte, but I'm getting better and better as I learn and my business grows.

Also, you can't let yourself fall into the trap of sitting down for too long and looking disinterested. All successful wholesalers will say to NEVER sit down in your booth. I completely agree and understand the reasoning for this, but I don't always practice it, as much as I try. Sometimes I just gotta take a load off, especially due to my chronic hip/back trouble. But I try not to let that be an excuse too often ;) It can also be discouraging when you're not doing business, or hearing critical feedback from buyers (most aren't shy about telling you what is "wrong" with your work!), but it's something you have to stay positive about.

Another thing I've heard from wholesale veterans - you should never really expect to make a profit or break even the first time you do a new wholesale show. You might not really see success until you have gone back several times. Buyers sometimes need to see you at a show year after year before they decide to take a chance on your product. Establishing a good working relationship with store owners and getting lots of re-orders are your bread and butter. This year, I got 9 re-orders and 3 new accounts. Although I wanted more new accounts, it made me feel great to have so many stores come back to see me. Without them, the show would not have been profitable.

You also have to have different materials and preparations for the wholesale show. When I was packing, I put away my credit card machine, my sales books, bags, packaging materials, etc. You may have people asking to buy your samples at the end of the show (a good way to make some extra cash if you want!), but you really won't be making sales on the spot much for "cash and carry." I had to add to my packing list my 3-part purchase order forms (larger for wholesale, and more information fields for the buyer to fill out), wholesale marketing materials, clipboards (you will need to fill out orders while you are standing), and other small items.

And then of course there are the logistics of the orders, and new terms to learn - wholesale jargon. "Net 30," "keystone," "as ready," etc. You should be prepared with how you will accept payment, and make sure you get that information from the buyer. Will you accept check and pre-paid only? Will you accept credit card, and if so - do you get the number now or call them when the order is ready to ship? Will you accept Net 30 (terms)? Some artists flat out do not accept Net 30 (that means stores have 30 days to pay after receiving the merchandise), and some stores refuse to do anything except Net 30, so this can be a point of contention and business can be lost. You must be smart about accepting Net 30 (it is typical to request credit references) because stores can be notorious for not paying on time, or not paying at all (god forbid). This is when networking with fellow exhibitors can be a great thing - word of mouth about the ease of dealing with certain buyers over others, etc.

And the last big difference is the customer you are dealing with. At retail shows, of course, you are interacting with the general public. You feel more in control, it's easier to feel confident and active (which goes along with the pace of the show), and you may get more praise and positive feedback in general. Dealing with buyers at a wholesale show is more intimidating, especially if you are just starting out and/or if it's not a regular venue for you. Buyers have their livelihoods at stake. What they decide to carry in their store is directly related to their income and their success. Therefore, there's no sugar-coating of opinions or whether they want your work or not, and it can be a much harder sell. And in this regard, the wholesale show is a much more professional atmosphere as well. No cut-off jeans and a t-shirt for your outfit - ahh, how I miss summer! ;)

So I hope that helped describe the world of wholesale - at least as seen from my eyes so far. I hope to keep gaining experience from that side of things, and expanding my exposure. Now it's time to fill the orders and ship them out in the next couple months, and get ready for the summer season!

Please post if you have anything to add to the wholesale experience. Thanks for reading!

~ Melissa

A resolution of sorts, and reflection.

Well, it's New Year's Eve, 2009, and I thought I'd finally give up on catching up with blogging. What I mean is, my mind keeps telling me that I can't write anything on here until I have time to start where I left off, which was really back in early August after the Minneapolis show. Since then, I'd have to report on Bucktown Arts Fest, Penrod, Starving Artists, Rockford, Lakeview East, St. James Court, and then all the holiday shows. What can I say? Things just got really, really busy, and that's excellent! But I can't just not write ANYTHING because I am not current with my show experiences, etc. Lost opportunities for writing, like my big October photo shoot with Audrey Keller Photography, slipped through the cracks. Ah well, I am still kinda new to this blogosphere, and I guess I have to allow myself some failures.

The good news is, things will slow down a bit here for late winter/spring, (I keep telling myself, anyway), and I might attempt to re-visit some lost opportunities. It just might be good for the soul to get back to reporting on summer during the cold winter months...

So now, as I sit here still in my pj's, I will reflect on 2009, and what a great year it was for Rapt in Maille. My best out of 11 art fair seasons. Awards won, sales records broken, and lots of new fans. I count myself very, very lucky...and grateful. Thanks to everyone who has supported my work past and present, and I look forward to an even more successful and adventurous 2010....

Autumn: switching gears from summer to holiday show season

Well, the summer '09 art fair season came to a close earlier this month with the St. James Court Art Show in Louisville. It was a great show all around, and a perfect way to end the season.

For the last few weeks I've been scrambling to re-stock for holiday shows and get some wholesale orders done. Still scramblin,' come to think of it....and also had a successful photo shoot of my new pieces, along with my new collection "Woven." I will be getting the edited photos from my photographer, Audrey Keller, in early November, so look for updated products, along with a website overhaul in mid-November - just in time for holiday shopping!

Gotta get back to the grindstone, but I'm also posting an image of my new business card. I just got them in the mail today, and I must say, I'm pleased! I'll have to get used to having a vertical business card, but it was the best way to fit all my information. I really wanted to put links to all my networking pages....whatcha think?

I promise I'll catch up on show reports next month! I've got a big 5-day event coming up next week in Milwaukee - The USM Christmas and Holiday Show. Hope to see all my Milwaukee peeps out to visit this one!

Later,
Melissa

Busy bee!

Hello everybody,

Just a quick blog note here to apologize for not writing in so long...my year has been absolutely crazy with busy and successful art fairs, so I am a bit behind on reporting. In 2 short days, I leave for my last outdoor show of 2009 - St. James Court Art Show (4th St. Section) in Louisville. This will be my 4th year exhibiting at this show, and it's always such a great way to end the season. Looking forward to reporting on it, as well as the lovely stay in our usual B&B, The Aleksander House. Also coming soon....reports for the Bucktown Arts Fest, Penrod/Starving Artists, Greenwich Village/Rockford, and Lakeview East. Wow! I am behind.....forgive, forgive!

Oh, also.....here is another picture of my fancy new stainless steel clasp. I'm still working on converting all my wide bracelets to accommodate this awesome finding! Until next time.....

Uptown Art Fair, Minneapolis

Well, the Uptown Art Fair came and went, and I never took any pictures there. I guess I was too distracted by the weather or something, whoops :(

Mike and I headed out to Minneapolis for the show, which was held Aug 7,8 & 9. This was my second year doing the show, and like last year, we also got a David Sedaris book on CD to listen to for the trip. I highly recommend this for long car rides, he's freakin' hilarous. The drive was about 7 hours - long, but not bad. We got to our hotel and had some dinner and crashed.

We set up the booth on Friday morning - in the rain. The worst! It wasn't pouring, but any rain is bad rain when you're trying to set up the tent while unloading and keeping your stuff dry. The show began at noon, and it was an OK day.

Saturday began pretty well, but it rained around 1pm and the humidity rolled in and made the air like pea soup. I felt like I could cut the air with a knife. Hot and unpleasant, yuck. Sales were pretty good, but were down from what I expected due to the weather. Later that night we decided to get sushi in Calhoun Square, and there were apparently tornado warnings going on while we were in the restaurant. They had passed by the time we left, but a couple had touched down outside of the city - yikes! Really scary. Our friends, Dolan and Ali, got caught outside during the all the warnings, and took shelter in the YMCA basement (read about it on Dolan Geiman's blog here).

Sunday the weather was actually very nice, and I was hoping for a big surge of customers who had stayed inside the previous 2 days, but that didn't necessarily happen. I can't complain though, I still sold a good amount even if it was a little below expectations for the weekend. I do have to say, I love this show for their organized load-out procedures, which is huge when at the end of the show, all you wanna do is get the F outta there - no offense, but we're exhausted, folks ;)

When we were all packed up, we met Dolan, Ali, and a few other artists for food at Namaste Cafe, and had a family-style dinner, passing around a ton of absolutely delicious Indian dishes. Such a great way to end a show - great company, great food, great conversation - and of course, some wine ;)

Getting ready now for the Bucktown Arts Fest in Chicago this weekend! This show is near and dear to my heart because I've been doing it so long, it's in a great neighborhood, the organizer is great (Maria!), and it's always falls on or near my silly birthday. This is my TENTH year in a row at the Bucktown Arts Fest - come celebrate with me!!!! See ya there.....

Better late than never...a shout-out to Zingerman's Deli

The Ann Arbor Art Fair seems forever ago now, but as promised, I will write a little love note here to Zingerman's Delicatessen.

A good friend of mine named Marie helped me out at the Ann Arbor show last year, and a co-worker of hers had highly recommended that we visit a place called Zingerman's. Marie, being the slave labor for the weekend, made daily trips there for lunch to pick us up some sandwiches. I ordered the #17 and was hooked, and ate it every day of the show. Called "Helen's Have Another," the sandwich consists of Stonington smoked salmon, scallion cream cheese, tomato & red onion on pumpernickel bread. Delish!

We decided to go there for breakfast on our way out of town on Sunday, but I could barely appreciate the glory of the deli since my back was out and I was in immense pain. However, I hobbled up to the coffee side of the joint to have some tea and a scone, which were amazing.

This year, Mike was able to come along for the slave labor, and even though my back was not out, it was tired, so he made the trip to the deli. I ordered the same sandwich, which was delicious, but I forgot to have him order the larger size, so my sandwich was too much bread, not enough filling. Oh well, we saved our next trip to the deli for Sunday morning before we hit the road.

When we arrived Sunday morning, there was a line inside that went to the door, but it was not bad, and it moved pretty quick. I was almost disappointed at how fast the line moved, because there was so much to look at and take in! It overwhelms the senses. The space is tiny, but packed with all kinds of fresh, delicious food - to your right is the bread counter, and to your left is the deli counter with tons of different cheeses and various other yummy things.


A young girl stood at the front of the line taking orders, who then gave you a receipt and instructed you to pay at the counter in the next room, the go to the next building to get any drinks you ordered, then sit at any table and someone will bring your order out. We crossed the outdoor patio to the "coffee" building, which also had lovely baked goods and many chocolate goodies for sale. We sat outside at a picnic table, where I had "The Special," which was almost just like my sandwich, but on a bagel. Mike ordered a Reuben sandwich, and holy crap, was it good. And I don't even like Reubens.

I am also a little curious about their mac & cheese, since the girl taking our order told us that people came from far away specifically for it...and one day they were out of it, and it drove a person to tears. That must be some amazing mac & cheese. I will have to make a point to try it next year.

After we finished our meal, I bought some ginger scones to take home, and Mike a bag of their house coffee (he loved it). By the time we left, the line was out the door and around the building. If I lived in this town, I'd be a regular for sure.


(Mike standing across the street from Zingerman's after we ate breakfast. The Deli building on the left, the coffee building - called "Zingerman's Next Door" - on the right)

The Michael Jackson guy, Ann Arbor

It seems like forever since the Ann Arbor art fair (only 2 weeks), but I am finally writing my post about "The Michael Jackson guy," as everyone called him....my entertainment for the entire 4 days of the show.
My booth was on Liberty Ave, and there was a walkway between my booth and my neighbor's, of about 7 feet or so. Behind our booths, beyond the sidewalk, was a long alley decorated with graffiti.

Near the beginning of the first day of the show, (Wed.), we heard a Michael Jackson song being played somewhere in the vicinity. There was a woman in my booth looking at my jewelry, who casually said "Oh yeah, that's the Michael Jackson guy, he's here all the time." Mike and I then took turns peering into the alley, where there was a small "boom box" on the ground at the entrance. At first I felt like a voyeur who should not be staring at this dancing man in the shadows, but soon realized that what I was doing was completely the norm. Several people gathered at the entrance of the alley with me, I snapped some pictures, and eventually I went back to my booth, satisfied that I'd seen my fill.


We soon learned from random people who came into my booth that this guy had been dancing, and going a pretty darn good impression of Michael Jackson, for years and years in this Ann Arbor alleyway. Most people who lived in town were completely unfazed by this unusual spectacle, because it was an everyday occurrence to them. But there were also many people who would excitedly run to the alleyway with their friends exclaiming - "There's the Michael Jackson guy!" or "Let's go watch the Micheal Jackson guy!"

Sometimes there were no people gathered at the alley to watch him, and sometimes he collected a crowd so big, they blocked the sidewalk. The entertainer seemed to have his slow and busy times, just as the artists did. However, the crowd did not seem to effect his performance one bit. When he was alone, he still danced like it was nobody's business, like he WAS in fact Michael Jackson - on stage performing for thousands of people. Sometimes, even when he had a large crowd, he would see someone he knew pass by and wave, then stop and talk to them like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. I noticed he did know many people who walked by, and would stop and talk to them casually. For some reason this kind of shocked me. Maybe because the real Michael Jackson would not just be able to do this on the street, or maybe because I thought he was just this crazy guy who thought he was Michael Jackson, and would only talk inane jibberish when he came back down to Earth.

However, this was not the case. As you can read on his Facebook fan page, this man's real name is Brian Woolridge, a 35 year-old man who works as a janitor at a local Meijer store. He has been dancing and lip-synching to Michael Jackson's hits in that alley since 1995, simply for the joy that Michael Jackson's music had given him since childhood.


Now, since he was there every single day of the art fair, I was able to observe a few things about this phenomenon. This alley was "his," although he was very humble and never put up a fight about it. Sometimes, when he would take a break, another street performer would sneak into his alley and begin their act. This was very jarring to me. Somehow, even though I had been listening to MJ all weekend, it never bothered me, and then when it was replaced with something else, I found myself annoyed. One time it was a violin player, one time it was a drummer, and another it was a saxophone player. But every time, I missed Michael Jackson. I think the reason for this was that this guy seemed to bring so much joy to the town - he seemed so beloved, and he exuded a great energy - and it didn't really matter whose music was playing. (Not to say that I dislike MJ - I loved him as a child, but I think we've all had our fill of his music lately.)


One time, while an "intruder" had taken over the alley, I went out of the booth to take a break, and saw the MJ guy walking back towards his alley/home, boom-box in hand, and I thought, "Oh man, sorry - that other dude is still over there." Later I realized that having his "home" taken over did not stop MJ. I spotted him performing on another street corner until his alley was available again, which made me feel a little better for him. And, I have to say, also a little jealous that others were enjoying his act, which seemed somehow wrong and out of context.

Another thing I found curious was that he did not play the entire Michael Jackson library throughout the weekend. One would think, doing this for 14 years, that you'd want to have the widest variety possible in the songs you danced to, right? So instead of having danced to "Beat It" say, 25,000 times, you'd only have danced to it say, 5,000 times. I don't know off hand how many MJ songs there are in existence, but I would guess there are hundreds. This guy played the same probably 25 songs over and over (although not in the same order), the highlights being "Billie Jean," "Rock With You," and "Thriller." Surprisingly, he also did some ballads, where he mostly stood in one spot, but still had the MJ body language going on. Most times, he picked an observing child to serenade.

The second thing I found curious, was that he did not try to LOOK like Michael Jackson. No makeup, no wig, no gloves or special clothes. He was just this plain-clothed guy in jeans and a t-shirt who just walked into an alley, plopped down his tunes, and turned into a dancing, singing fool.
Needless to say, I will request the same spot for next year's Ann Arbor show. Not only was it a successful spot for me business-wise, but I just don't think the show will ever be the same for me without "The Michael Jackson guy" in the background.

Ann Arbor '09 - July 15-18

It's been a week since I got back from the Ann Arbor show. It was slow getting back in the swing of things, for sure. A four-day show, plus one day for set-up, and another for travel, made this a 6-day excursion.

Just on the heels of the Krasl Art Fair - I was home for one full day, grabbed Mike, and headed out to Ann Arbor, MI. The drive was about 4 hours, but we had to allow an extra hour for the time change (I've been burned on forgetting the time change before, and I know I'm not alone). It was a pretty smooth, uneventful ride, with the exception of passing a long flat-bed truck carrying 4 of these HUGE bears. Pretty hilarious.

We drove into town in the early evening and set up the tent without a hitch. My location was pretty awesome - I was in the State Street Area of the show on Liberty Ave. (there are 4 different art fairs that make up the weekend, I heard nearly 1800 artists altogether). It was very near the Michigan Theater, which is an old, gorgeous movie palace, where the bathrooms and artist break area was. Also on my breaks, I could do some fun shopping (which I always thoroughly enjoy). There were many sidewalk sales (Urban Outfitters has a huge one - everyone knows about it), along with cute vintage stores, etc. I found an awesome ottoman/foot stool that I traded for.

But I get ahead of myself.....we headed over to the University Hotel for the artist's party after setting up the booth on Tuesday. They have an INCREDIBLE artist party. A large table of cheese, fruit, and veggies, a bar area, another large table of main courses, and even a carving station. The room was set up with large, round tables, and Mike and I took some empty seats at the nearest one we could find. Little did we know, we had sat down at the MAYOR's table, which had other interesting characters and a few of the show's directors (pretty funny). The mayor eventually got up and said a few words....interesting to know that Ann Arbor is one of the greenest cities in America, and he discussed current projects, etc. Anyhow, after having a blast, dessert, and maybe a little too much wine, we went back and checked into our hotel, Weber's Inn. This place is really awesome, and I'll stay here every time I do the show. It has pretty cool decor - stained glass windows, very German feel - great service - great restaurant. Our friends, Weener Ware, stayed in the room next to us, so we hung out with them every evening.


The crowds were out all four days in full force, didn't find there were any slow times. The show hours are brutal (10am-9pm). If you figure in waking up, getting to the show in time to set up, and also packing up at the end of each day, they were about 12 hour days. Thankfully, the weather was not too hot, and it was even chilly at times. This was a HUGE contrast to last year's show, when it was about 100 in the shade with dead, heavy air, and my darn back went out on the second day. I did most of the show in massive pain on top of dealing with the intense heat. Needless to say, this year's show seemed like a breeze to me.

Many, many of my artist friends were at the show too, so when I had time and the energy to fight the crowds, I tried visiting with them as well. One of them was Kathy Frey, who makes really intricate and stunning sculptural wire jewelry. She is from Chicago as well, but is making a big move out to Nevada City, California - actually probably as I type this! I wish her much luck and fun on her new life out west.....here is a picture of her in her booth at Ann Arbor, and be sure to check out her website.

Other highlights from the show include "The Michael Jackson Guy," and Zingerman's Delicatessen, but I will give them their own blog posts (they deserve it - check back soon!) All in all, I have to say, even though this show is probably the one of the hardest to do, it has been my most successful to date :) I end with a photo of break-down time, 6pm, Saturday evening - aahhhhhhh........

Krasl Art Fair, July 11-12: I love you.

I'm back at home and a little shell-shocked from the success of the Krasl and Ann Arbor Art Fairs, both in Michigan. I have finally dowloaded my pictures, so first I will write about my Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff experience in St. Joseph, MI.


This is only the second year I have been to Krasl, and this year was even more pleasant than last year. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the setting didn't hurt either - a view of Lake Michigan from my booth. This year I requested a corner spot, and they gave me a corner with a large paved walk-way next to it, which was VERY nice. First let me say that this show rocks for many reasons, but one being their booth spaces are about 14x12 (as opposed to the barely 10x10 spots most shows try to squeeze you into). So even if I didn't have a corner, I would have had plenty of space.


My good friend, Marie (pictured above working the booth), went with me this time because Mike stayed home to attend a librarian's conference at McCormick place. It was great to catch up with her because we never seem to spend enough time together due to busy schedules, so although the show was work, it was also kind of like a girlfriend getaway too. We stayed at the Silver Beach Hotel (which I stayed at last year with my intern, Erin), that was within walking distance - so nice! We left the car parked in the hotel parking lot the whole time. This is huge.

Patrons of the Krasl art fair come out in abundance, and are there to spend. Some are St. Joe residents, and many are Chicagoans on vacation at their summer homes. The Krasl Art Center runs the show, and they do a FANTASTIC job. They say they are here for the artists, and they want to be every artist's favorite show, and they seriously deliver on that (not like some other shows that will remain anonymous, ahem). Coffee and pastry stations in the morning, a great artist break room with food and water, an artist party (which I missed due to setting up late), and a nice artist round-table on Sunday morning with breakfast. Besides all that great stuff, they have a ton of friendly helpers, great promotion (billboard on I-94), great communication, and just sweet and concerned all around.



I had a great day for sales on Saturday, and we went to dinner at Schu's (where we also went last year), and I met my art fair friends Judy and Mimi at an outdoor table. During dinner, I checked my voicemail and had a message from someone at the art fair saying that they hoped I could come to the artist breakfast for the awards ceremony (hint, hint) - so needless to say I was ecstatic, and nervous, to be receiving an award the next day! We also took a walk after dinner through quaint, dowtown St. Joseph, where there are a lot of cute chocolate and coffee shops. We found a guy making fudge in a window.....


I got up Sunday earlier than usual, which is already way too early for me, but was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, as they would say, and hopped on down to the artist breakfast and round-table discussion. They had a large tent set up outside on the front patio of the art center, with a nice breakfast. The director of the show took the microphone and began the "round-table discussion," where she introduced all the helpers, did an overview of the show, and addressed any concerns. Then the artists where invited to pass the mic around and voice any questions/comments, which was very nice. Then they gave away the awards, which were by category, and I got a nice big ribbon for best of jewelry, non-precious, (and also a cash award, which was great)!

Sunday's sales ended up being good too, the weather was great again, and I also have to mention that my booth neighbor was super nice as well - Josh, a painter from Indianapolis - I forgot to get all his info, but his paintings were great. Can you tell yet by this post how I can't say one bad thing about this show? Anyhow, Marie and I packed up the booth, and were on our way home! Looked forward to seeing Mike, the new kitten, and had to get ready to leave in a day and a half for a 4-day show in Ann Arbor.......

F*** YEAH!

Can I have a drum roll please?

*********************************************

It's been YEARS working up to this - replacing my base metal hook and eye system with a stainless steel tube/slide clasp. I just got 3 samples Fed Exed to me today. The clasps are super strong and heavy, which keeps the ends of the bracelet at the bottom of your wrist, and the main part of the bracelet on the top of your wrist, where it belongs ;)

I don't want to hear any more complaints about my clasps, OK now? ;)

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROCKIN'!

Fountain Square Art Festival

Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday! I was able to relax for about a day, but I even brought work home with me when I visited my family. It's early July, and that means I'm prepping for 2 big shows back to back. I leave this Friday for the Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff in St. Joseph, MI, drive back Sunday night, then leave Tuesday morning for the Ann Arbor art fairs, which runs from Wed. the 15th to Sat. the 18th. It's a completely insane venture - 10 days on the road for 2 art fairs with one day at home in between.

But before all that craziness, I have to back up and report on the last show.....

Sat. and Sun. June 27-28 was the Fountain Square Art Festival in Evanston, IL. This show became somewhat infamous last year for having a microburst run through the show, destroying tents and artists' work, and causing some injuries....not to mention scaring the bejesus out of everyone there. It just so happened that I had applied for Highland Park and gotten accepted last year, so I was a few suburbs away when all this happened, dodging a MAJOR bullet, because my tent would have been in its usual spot at the intersection, where I hear most of the damage occurred. Highland Park got some high winds and scary clouds, but not nearly what Evanston did.

Needless to say, I was not so happy with how Highland Park had gone for me last year, so I decided to return to my Fountain Square, where I figured - what are the chances for lightning striking twice? (almost literally). Saturday was lovely - a bit hot, but not too bad. The crowds were good, had good sales, things were looking great for the weekend's outcome. However, towards the end of the day, the word on the street was that a possible storm was going to move in over night, so we decided to batten down the hatches. Tired as we were, we decided to lower the tent to discourage any wind from picking us up during the night. You can see in my pictures that I have 2 weights on each leg of the tent that are strapped to the top corner of the frame. In order to lower the tent, we had to detach each weight, adjust the length of the straps, and reattach the weights once the tent is dropped. The height of the tent is reduced by about half, and stays lower to the ground, therefore less chance of destruction (we all hope).


Walking from the parking garage to my tent Sunday morning, I saw a fair worker dragging a mangled tent frame along the ground. He must have seen the look of horror on my face, because he said "Yep, used to be a tent!" Thankfully, when we got to my booth, everything was intact. We set everything back up, and went about our day. The temp was a little more bearable, and it was still sunny, but the WIND. Ugh, the wind. The wind is my nemisis. Although I have about 55-60 lbs weighing each leg of the tent down, the wind still rocks the tent back and forth, which is very unsettling, and it can knock some of my displays over. I learned a few shows ago that I could C-clamp my tall bust necklace displays to my shelves/tabletop, so that is a GREAT feeling knowing they aren't going anywhere. But there are other things I haven't quite figured out how to secure.

Anyhow, probably about half-way through the day, a HUGE gust of wind came out of nowhere, and lifted the tent right in front of me straight up in the air, and it landed upside down on the tent 2 booths away. In the meantime, I grabbed the closest leg of my tent, while other random people grabbed the other legs (thank you!) to hold everything down, while you could hear chaos from other areas of the show - breaking glass, etc. A second huge gust happened about 30 seconds after the initial one - and I yelled "heads up!" because you never know what's going to fly and hit you in those situations, and I was fully expecting something to land on MY tent, since I had just seen it happen in front of my eyes. Now, I have heard many horror stories of booths being destroyed at shows, especially last year, but I have never seen anything in person (somehow I've been lucky), and I'll tell you - my heart was beating so fast, and my hands were shaking for about 5 minutes afterwards. I was going to take a picture, but my poor neighbors - they probably would have punched me in the face taking a picture of their misfortune. I felt so bad for them, their work was scattered everywhere.

So scary. There were various other wind issues - other tents blew over, friends of mine had their tents either destroyed or they simply couldn't use them....and lots of the ceramic/glass artists packed up early and left to prevent any breakage/loss of inventory.

All I can say is - I am so thankful my tent survived! Another bullet dodged....and the weekend, although a bit trying, ended up to be a successful one.

And so here are a couple more pics of my booth......

A friend said my tables looked like the bow of a big ship! I've never set up like this before - it was an unusual arrangement of booths, with a row down the middle (where I was), and since I was open on 3 sides instead of 1 or 2, I set up my tables more like a "V" instead of an "L" - I liked it!

My mom took this picture of Mike and I - her and my oldest sister, Jennifer, came out to visit for a few hours, and I took a break and went shoe shopping with them - nice!

A wrench in the works...

Two big shows have come and gone, finding me in need of ordering more supplies for my jewelry. Much to my disappointment (not to mention a big freak-out), two different suppliers of mine are out of stock on chain I often use; the slinky Deco gunmetal chain, and the hefty chain I use throughout my Glam Collection. What is an artist to do? Well, it's either wait (not so) patiently until they get it back in stock, or scramble to look for an alternative.

I've searched for the 3mm curb gunmetal (Deco) chain online, but with no luck. I can't really go with something that is similar because my designs dictate an exact match. I sent a sample to another great chain supplier of mine, who is able to replicate the gunmetal finish, but the links on the sample they sent back are too large. Only by about 1 mm, which is very small in the grand scheme of things, but in the Rapt in Maille scheme of things, this will not work.

I called back Rings & Things, which is my supplier for all things gunmetal, and got THE nicest salesperson on the phone (Ann - holla!), who informed me that they will be getting it back in stock early July. Have I mentioned how happy it makes me when I get a nice person on the phone?? Anyway, my plan is to have them overnight it, and hopefully I will have it in enough time to cut a mass amount of it, and assemble pieces to bring with me for the Krasl Art Fair, and Ann Arbor, which are big back-to back shows. Fingers crossed! I'll be on pins and needles until I get that chain back....it's killing me! I'm too "Type A" to accept not going to 2 big shows missing an entire collection in my stock. But I just may be forced to accept it.

Now about a week ago, I called to order my stainless "Glam" chain, when I was told it would be 2-3 weeks until it was back in stock. This week, I called to see if they had an exact ETA, and was told it would be 3-4 weeks - WHAAA? Damn! So now again, I am sending a sample to my other chain supplier to see if they can replicate it, which if they can, will probably take 2-3 weeks at best. So I just may have to accept that I could go to 2 big shows without TWO of my collections.

So, I just thought I'd share another aspect of running the biz here at Rapt in Maille. Problems arise, and you gotta juggle and deal with what you can. What I keep telling myself is that I have plenty other designs that I can stock up on for the shows, and maybe I'll design a few new things in the process. It won't be the end of the world, although it may drive me a little crazy ;)

Hope to see you out at the Fountain Square Art Festival in Evanston this weekend! We asked for it - we got it - hot, hot, hot weather to come! At least the sun will be out - no rain! Hooray!