Confessions of a Craft Show Organizer

I just had an opportunity to read the greatest article published in the Minnesota Post.com entitled "Confessions of a Craft Show Organizer" by Patricia Hoskins. This wonderful article discusses the different types of craft shows, the pros and cons of each, what you should expect from a craft show and how you can get involved. I'm definitely filing this one away for future use!

The author, Patricia Hoskins, owns Crafty Planet in Minneapolis and is one of the founders of the hugely successful annual craft show, No-Coast-Craft-O-Rama. Crafty Planet is an independent craft store dedicated to fiber crafts - knitting, sewing, fabrics, patterns, etc. Their brick and mortar location holds classes for beginners and advanced crafters alike. Not to mention the online store offers a wide variety of items to satisfy all of your shopping needs.

After reading the article, I found the list of resources contained at the end to be extremely helpful. For your reading pleasure, I have inserted that section below. To read the article in its entirety, follow this link: http://www.minnpost.com/from_our_partners/2008/03/18/1189/mnartistsorg_confessions_of_a_craft_show_organizer

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A SHORT INDEX OF CRAFT RESOURCES

Craft show directories

ACE Guide: Predominantly "traditional" craft fairs; good commentary on the included shows (fees, what price ranges sell best, etc).
FestivalNet: A bit more comprehensive, but full access requires a subscription.
Midwest Art Fairs: Focused exclusively on the Midwest region; quite comprehensive. Full access requires a subscription, but your local library may carry the print version.
Indie Craft Shows: Specifically limited to listings of "indie"/alternative craft fairs.
Sunshine Artist Magazine Directory: In addition to the listings, there's a nice archive of articles on topics of interest to craft vendors.

Local indie craft shows (the Minnesota area)

These are my favorites, but of course there are lots of other opportunities locally and regionally:

No Coast Craft-o-rama (typically in December)
Craftstravaganza (typically in April)
Handmaiden Minneapolis (quarterly)
Crafted Together (first annual in May 2008)

Craft business information & networking

The Switchboards: forum for "creative women" to discuss all kinds of business and creative topics.
American Crafts Council: An association promoting fine and contemporary craft.
Crafts Report: a trade journal targeted to the fine craft artisan, but chockfull of business tips and information

To discover additional resources, read the article in its entirety, by following this link: http://www.minnpost.com/from_our_partners/2008/03/18/1189/mnartistsorg_confessions_of_a_craft_show_organizer