New craft vs. old craft

Two weekends ago, I trekked up to NYC to do some prospecting at two retail craft shows, the Renegade Craft Fair and Crafts at Lincoln Center. To say the least, it was an interesting juxtaposition of the emerging craft world and the old school version.

Despite its hard-to-find location in an abandoned swimming pool at McCarren Park (to be fair, it probably wasn't so hard to find if you live in Brooklyn, but three out four Manhattan cab drivers had no idea how to get there), there were literally thousands of visitors at the Renegade show. Until the skies opened and vast amounts of rain poured down later in the afternoon, it was HOT (a situation not improved by having a show in a giant concrete hole), but the crowds were buying nonetheless.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I spent Sunday morning at Crafts at Lincoln Center, held outdoors on the plaza at - you guessed it - Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in Manhattan, an easy to get to, easy to find, well-known location. The work on display was lovely and well-made contemporary craft work -- jewelry, ceramics, wearable fiber, mixed media and a small number of glass artists. Price points were varied; you could certainly take home any number of items at a reasonable price (I purchased an adorable handmade dress for my daughter for only $20). The weather was fair, with a small rain shower in mid-morning. The crowds, however, were thin, especially as compared to what I had seen in Brooklyn the day before.

I don't have access to the financial information of the two shows, but I would guess that booth fees in Brooklyn were less expensive than Lincoln Center and that Renegade's marketing and advertising budget was quite a bit smaller than that of Crafts at Lincoln Center.

The one thing I can point to is the power of the internet and word-of-mouth -- virtually every artist at the Renegade show has a blog. Linked to other blogs. All of which had postings about the show. Most of those artists also have websites with the ability to sign up for email updates -- I received at least ten messages the week before Renegade reminding me about the show.

Obviously, the new craft world is doing something right. It's time to start thinking about how you could do things differently -- get started by taking a look at some of their blogs and websites:

12 Linden
Freshie & Zero
Happy Owl Glassworks
Figs & Ginger (a Buyers Market exhibitor!)
Buzz Jewelry
Sofia Masri
Megan Auman
Messenger Bird Press

 

Comments

[freshie]

Thanks for mentioning Freshie & Zero!

I have to say - one of my favorite things about being an "indie" crafter is the networking. It is so fun to go to shows and meet people you've been blogging about or emailing or just giving each other virtual high-fives across the internet. There is such a positive group mentality!

It's definitely a different environment than compared with the more traditional craft shows I have attended where people tend to stick to their own booths and complain about the management of the show or the slow sales or the weather or anything really. At the indie shows like Renegade, the vendors are running around to each others' booths, telling them how awesome their product is and swapping stories and trading product. It's a big crafty party and it is so awesome to be a part of!