Art Sales Success Story: Selling Art in a Cafe

One question I get a lot is:  "How have you sold most of your art so far?"  People want to know what sales avenue has worked best for me in this beginning phase of my art career.  While a lot of things have started to fall into place, one successful venue has been putting my artwork up in a cafe.  

When I started selling my art 7 months ago, one of my marketing/sales strategies was to get my work up in local cafes or shops to increase my visibility.  This last week I sold off all but 1 painting from a local cafe and I am pretty pleased.  I have been trying to analyze what went RIGHT to make this happen and I have a few ideas.  Here is what worked for me:

1.  I cold-called about 10-20 places that I thought would be a good fit for hanging my art.  I used a phone script and left a lot of voice messages.  Luckily I heard back from a bunch of shops.
2.  Of the people who got back to me, I made sure that the owners did not want to take any commission and I visited the cafes to see if there was a lot of traffic.  I also asked if prior artists had sold much artwork.
3.  Just Go For IT!  I was nervous for my first cafe set up being "perfect" but I knew I had to just get my stuff out there.  The first place I chose was a cute cafe with a lot of traffic but I didn't sell anything.  This was because of the cafe location - a student/younger adult neighborhood.  I don't think people at this particular cafe had money OR owned homes.  Definitely choose a place in a neighborhood filled with people who are 35 plus and own homes.
4.  Learning through trial and error:  I committed to staying at the first cafe for only 1 month.  This was a good decision since I didn't have any sales and was able to move on quickly.  I was able to learn a lot about how to display the art, the materials I would need and the time it takes.  (Email me if you want more info on the set up process.)
5.  Location is everything:  My second location was an Ice Cream Shop called The Daily Scoop.  Good things about this location:  in an artsy neighborhood, in a neighborhood with homes, (not apartments), shop has a retro/crafty vibe and is known for displaying local art.

Photo Credit: David Olender

6.  Self promotion on-site:  I bought a plastic business card/flyer display at Staples and used it to display cards and a personal flyer (with info on my blog, etsy site, website, and a photo). 

7.  Success!  Sure enough, at this new location, I have sold 7 out of 8 paintings that were displayed.  My prints did not sell but I am finding that people want original, affordable art for their homes.  

8.  Follow up - I have contacted all the people who purchased my art at The Daily Scoop and have received additional sales from these collectors!

All in all, finding a good location is KEY to sales success at a cafe.  The above steps worked for me and I'd love to hear what has worked for you!  If you have any questions about the steps, please email me for details!  Luckily I found a hot spot and I hope that it continues to be a profitable location.  If not, I'll be sure to chronicle what NOT to do in a future post.  :-)       

EVERYTHING ON SALE AT MY ETSY SHOP

Now that the street fair is over, I am having a sale at my etsy shop so I can make room for more inventory at home.  (Our office looks like a storage facility - not pretty).  I lowered the prices on everything from original artwork to prints.  Some of these paintings would make a great Mother's Day gift!  Please let me know if you have any questions!

 

Field Painting, Original Oil on Canvas

My First Street Fair Experience

I made it through my first street fair experience and I am happy that I did something new yet excited that it's over.  I did the street fair for a number of reasons - to sell art, to get my name out there, and to get experience with setting up and manning a booth.  While I didn't sell as much art as I'd like, I didn't bomb AND I definitely got great exposure and experience.

Here's the breakdown of the experience:

This street fair was a 2 day event in Encinitas, CA.  It is a HUGE fair with about 10 blocks of booths on both sides of the street.  I think the attendance was great - there was constant traffic and a lot of people stopped to talk about my artwork.  I got a great response.

I was hoping there would be more arts and crafts booths but this fair was mainly gifts, gadgets and (sorry) junk.  (SEE PICTURE BELOW) I called the booth next to me "The Dollar Store".  There was a non-stop, mad frenzy for plastic jewelry going on next door!  I mean really, how can I compete with $1???   People were not at this street fair to buy one piece of art for $40 - $150.  They were there to spend $5 on a doggie visor, $5 on jewelry, $5 on Kettle Korn and the rest at the beer garden.   I'm not trying to sound bitter - this was the reality and it's OK because I learned a lot!

My sales were ok.  I ended up making more $ than what I paid to be at the event, so that felt good.  I took notes and here is what I would do differently next time:

• Frame more canvas paintings and make more framed prints - It seemed that people could imagine hanging the framed pieces in their home.  My big framed print was the first thing to sell. 
• Take better care of my paintings in transit.  I noticed that some of the paintings had marks on them the second day.  Luckily I brought some baby wipes and got the marks off.  Baby wipes were a life saver!
• More variety in themes - I had a lot of my food paintings out and they attracted a lot of attention but people either loved them or said things like "that's just going to make me eat more!".  In fact, a lot of women made that comment!  I never thought of that and I bet they wouldn't say that if I had some fruit and veggie paintings.
• Send out more personalized notes to people who have told me they like a specific painting.  People who already have a vested interest in a painting will be more likely to make a large $ purchase than an impulse buyer.
• Another thing I would do differently would be to try a strictly ART fair.  My next door neighbor vendor told me that he had better luck selling art at art fairs where people knew they were coming to see and purchase art.  He said that people don't go to typical street fairs to make large purchases.  

On a side note, I owe a lot to my husband, Brad, who turned out to be a lot more than just a treasurer.  He basically set up and broke down the entire booth,  (the neighbors FOR SURE thought I was a prima donna) he got me food and kept me company the whole time!  That is love.  Thanks B!

In addition, it was AWESOME to see so many friends come by the booth.  Seeing friends really got me through the long days.  I am lucky to have so many nice people in my life!

So I'm on to my next art business adventure.  I can't wait.  There is something invigorating and amazing about doing something you've NEVER done before and getting your art OUT THERE.  It's scary but it's so worth it.

Prepping For The Encinitas Street Fair

EEEK!  The Encinitas Street Fair is this weekend and I am busy preparing my artwork and all the materials that go into setting up an art booth.  This is the first time I've ever set up a booth like this and it's definitely a learning experience.  I am nervous!  I hope it all comes together and you'll see me smiling calmly at my booth this Saturday and Sunday from 9am - 5pm.  Brad, my husband and treasurer will be there too so stop by to say hi!

Tooting My Own Horn...again

I just found out that my doughnut print, was featured on another COOL blog:  The Kitchn!
The Kitchn is a blog that I keep up with on my Blog Faves list.  It has amazing photos of food, great tips for the kitchen and even kitchen decor ideas.  I have always admired this blog and its sister blog, Apartment Therapy.  

It's exciting to get noticed by these great bloggers and I hope that it ultimately leads to sales!  

Dear Weekend Featured on Cuteable

Check it out:  Dear Weekend was featured on Cuteable - A daily blog with posts on cute apparel, jewelry, toys, home decor and more!  It's a great blog to follow if you are looking for fun and unique items to buy as gifts.  Thanks for the mention Cuteable!

Advertising Experiment and DISCOUNT for friends

Tomorrow is the day that my first paid banner ad will run on A Cup Of Jo - a VERY popular and cool blog about fashion, design & photography.  The ad will link to my Etsy Shop and I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will see some results.

Here is an added deal for my blog readers (family and maybe 1 or 2 more people) - if you email me directly at ebklos@gmail.com, I will give you free shipping on your purchase from my shop.  Just tell me that you read about this discount, let me know the item you want to purchase, and I'll take off the shipping charge.

Here are some new items in my shop:

     

Interview Series: Handmade Business Owners

Interview 1:  Jer's Handmade Chocolates
One thing that really motivates me is hearing real life success stories from entrepreneurs.  Especially men and women who have turned handcrafted products into successful brands and thriving businesses.
I am starting a monthly interview series on my blog as a way to educate myself AND anyone else who is reading (not many at this point but I'm keeping my fingers crossed), on the ups and downs of starting a handmade business.  I'll be focusing especially on the beginning phases of starting a business.
My first interviewee is my friendly neighbor and owner of Jer's Handmade Chocolates - Jerry Swain.  You might have seen his boxes of scrumptious chocolate covered peanut butter balls at Whole Foods, online or even featured on the Rachel Ray show!  Obviously I counldn't take too much of Jer's time so if you want to learn more about his chocolates and his company - visit his website.

   Jer's One Pound Gift Box 

Here is my interview with Jer:  

Name: Jerry Swain

Business: Jer’s Chocolates

Year business launched: 2001

Website:  www.jers.com

1.  What was the most important thing you did in the first year to establish yourself and gain enough momentum to persist?  [Jerry Swain]  spend time writing a plan and researching the industry.  Since I did not come from a food or chocolate industry (I came from high tech), there was a lot I needed to learn about the industry.  I spent a lot of time writing out a specific plan from which much of the data and ideas came from learning from industry trade shows and conferences. 

2.   Of the following 3 things, which has been the most important to your business and why?  [Jerry Swain]  C – for us, it is important for us to stay innovative.  Our goal is to create products that differentiate, not “me too” products. 

a.  networking

b.  putting in many, many hours

c.  coming up with innovative ideas

3.   What were you doing before you launched your business and why did you want to leave?[Jerry Swain]  I worked in high tech.  My career started with IBM and then I was in Telecom before I left to start on my own.  I was fortunate to gain great experience from my previous jobs and all of it led me to want to create a company from a concept/idea.  Since I was a young boy, I had always been motivated about “creating” business and opportunity from scratch and seemed to have the energy to see something through.  My first entrepreneurial love and experience was trading baseball cards from the time I was 9 years old. 

4.  What has been the most unexpected challenge that you’ve faced so far?  [Jerry Swain]  Wow, there are sooooo many.  Well one was during the week before I got married.  The Food Network aired a piece on our company and it turned me upside down.  We had expected it to air in October for the first time and it aired in April (week of my wedding).  I spent the week building 1100 boxes of chocolates, sending out internet orders and returning hundreds of calls (then made time to get married that Saturday -: ). 

5.  If you could go back to the beginning and do something differently, what would you do?[Jerry Swain]  Spend more time planning, researching and setting up the foundation for the company.  Although I thought I did significant due diligence, I would have spent more time seeking out individuals to interview to find out more.  However, if you asked me if I’d change anything, I’d say no!  I’ve loved the journey thus far! 

6.  How long did it take before you felt like your business was successful in terms of having a strong, recognized brand, and in feeling financially comfortable?   What helped you mentally persevere to get to that point?[Jerry Swain]  Probably over the past 3 years when our brand started showing up in more stores and we did not have too much of our business in just a few chains and customers.  Regarding what mentally helped, I surrounded myself with good friends who were positive, and my wife, Mariella, was and is very supportive. 

7.  Name 3 things that you think a creative business must have to be successful.  [Jerry Swain]  Good people, the ability to plan well and execute the plan, and be funded for growth

Thanks Jer!  

Get Ready For First Local Art Showing

On Monday, March 22nd, I'll be moving a bunch of my paintings into Cafe 976, in Pacific Beach.  This is my first public art display since Feb 1 when I started painting full time.  I am excited but a bit tense about all the things I need to get done in time.  The top 5 are:

1.  Get business cards done (in progress)
2.  Finish at least 5 more paintings
3.  Make signs about my artwork to post next to the paintings
4.  Email people to let them know that my art will be up
5.  Get frames/frame any prints that will be going up

I hope this is a step in the right direction.  The best things about Cafe 976: it's free and they don't take commission!  For a novice artist, free   exposure is the best!                                          
*Photo credit:  Lythia, Flickr