Savvy Entrepreneur: Bazaar Bizarre 2011 Recap

This past weekend was the beginning of the Holiday Craft Fair season and many of us were at Bazaar Bizarre, including myself. I had the opportunity to be there all day Saturday in the Etsy booth representing both Etsy and SF Etsy. I have never been on that side of a craft fair for the whole day, surprising I know, but I don't sell products. I've spent time helping out friends for a few hours here and there, but have never been there from setup to break down before. I have to say the morning set up energy was my favorite part of the day. It was great to see everyone loading in boxes, structures and tables and making them into their own little storefronts.

We got set up quickly and then our morning volunteer, Claire, started heading out to find each of the SF Etsy team members that we knew of to get a sample for our booth. She made 3 or 4 trips to gather everything. Both of us were really impressed by the talent of the group.

We also had the opportunity to offer up a table for some of the team members to have a few hours of vending time. I must say I enjoyed having the company all day and the chance to get to know a few of the team members much better.

Moment of Focus

Scene, Not Heard

Jen Oaks

Bunnycone

In addition to the selling and making friends we also got the chance to talk to a lot of people about Etsy and the SF Etsy Street Team. I remember one gentleman in particular that was asking on behalf of his wife, how to set up a shop and get involved in the local team. Our afternoon volunteer, Stephanie, also got to talk to a lot of folks about how supportive the local team is.

All in all it was an amazing day of handmade and great people. I loved being surrounded by all the talent. Thank you Etsy and Bazaar Bizarre for making it happen!

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I encourage comments directly to this post, but also feel free to email me directly with questions, reactions, struggles, etc. genevieve [at] lightboxsf [dot] com

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

SF Etsy at Bazaar Bizarre This Weekend!

We are so exicted about the Bazaar Bizarre craft festival this weekend! As you may know, the show has become so popular that they have moved to a larger location at the Concourse Exhibition Center East Hall -- now in its fifth year, the Bazaar Bizarre Holiday Fair is one of the best in the area!

You'll find lots of SF Etsy favorites as vendors at the fair (for a complete list, go here) and we're especially delighted to let you know that SF Etsy will be staffing the Etsy booth this year. On Saturday and Sunday you can come and chat with team leaders and volunteers all day long -- in addition to many other folks, on Saturday you'll find SF Etsy's Savvy Entrepreneur, Genevieve of Lightbox SF, and on Sunday you'll find SF Etsy's team captain, Jen from Mama's Magic Studio. The Etsy booth is booth 138, right by the main East Entrance, so please come by and say hello!


Will you be at Bazaar Bizarre this weekend? Leave us a comment so we know to come give your booth a visit!

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

SF Etsy Artist Snapshot: Kevin Clarke from Bug Under Glass

It takes a pretty rad person to be able to work towards preserving insects in a way like Kevin does. And he's a busy man, too! Our very own Kevin Clarke will be showing at a few shows in the next few weeks! Find out a little more about the man behind artful maps in shadowboxes and read on...

• Who are you? And what drives to you create!?

My name is Kevin from BugUnderGlass and learning about all the fascinating stories, strategies and designs in the natural world really drives me to create.  I studied ants in Grad. School and I believe they are one of the most creative animals around – they are my inspiration. 

• When & why did you start your Etsy shop?

I started my ETSY store in January 2009 and wanted an online outlet that had lots of eyes.  EBAY seemed too generic for me and not really for artists.

Awesome items in the "Flea Circus" can be found here.

A few of Kevin's Favourites: 

BOOKS

Travels with Charley – John Steinbeck

A Journey of the Ants – E.O. Wilson

Where Does the Money Go – Scott Bittle (everyone should read this – I love macro economics)

Guns, Germs Steel – Jarad Diamond

 MOVIES

Microcosmos

Shawshank Redemption

Murderball

Nature Documentaries

Baraka

Nowhere in Africa

• How did you come up with your business name?

A fun acronym for B.U.G. – Bug Under Glass

• What does a day in your life look like?

I wake up at 6 a.m mainly because my wife is a teacher and then start  answering emails.  Next, I start packing and sending orders until 9am and take a break by walking my dog.  Then it is bugs all day, usually until 8 or 9 o’clock.  I work way too much.

• How do you promote your work? Do you have any best tips & tricks of the trade?

My work is very easy to promote because the insects pretty much sell themselves.  A products story is a biggest selling point and if you can tell that well you should do okay.

To find out more about Kevin & his wonderful wares, feel free to click on the links:

ETSY // WEBSITE // FB // TWITTER

Kevin will be showing his works from Bug Under Glass at Winter Wonderland Craft Bazaar on Saturday, December 4th from 1PM to 9 PM at Urban Bazaar in the Inner Sunset! Come check out more of his works on display and find out a little more about the process that goes into his work while shopping for a unique gift.

RSVP for WWCB on Facebook!

And since we can never get enough awesomeness, he'll also be at Bazaar Bizaare's Holiday Show at Fort Mason Center in the Marina on Saturday & Sunday, December 11th & 12th!

For more info on BazBiz, click here!

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!

Kawaii!!! - Bazaar Bizarre's J-Pop Summit

V is for Violet makes super colorful plush toys & accessories that'll tickle you all over with cuteness!

It's no secret that Japanese pop culture embraces all that is cool, colorful & cute, and no one knows this better than those who attended the J-POP Summit this weekend in Japantown!

Strolling in Japantown's plaza on a delightfully sunny Saturday afternoon, familes, friends & vendors get a chance to check out local talent & learn more about the Japanese pop culture aesthetic.

This year marked the second time Bazaar Bizarre hand-picked 50 vendors to exhibit their awesomeness in a wonderful outdoor plaza setting. The morning started out foggy & even had a few scattered misty showers, but ended up warming up into a full blow gorgeous event with blue skies & hot pink hair styles.

Jen Rowan displayed her neon-hued assortment of her plastic kitsch divine collection from Beebalalou. I even ended up trading a few items with her to get an awesome Green Owl Necklace with fantastic vintage pieces much like this one.

Tons of cute accessories for Harujuku lovers & cosplay fans were featured at the bright & delightful vendor displays. The day was filled with events that ranged from costume contests to "Not Enough Pocky" - a Pocky eating contest in which you won MORE Pocky.

Jill K. in LA displayed her gorgeous block-printed cards all day. Her collection included everything from Grilled Cheez prints to Werewolf Scratch & Sniff!

Lots of great sellers made their way up from LA to rock their wares with the locals from 11 AM until 6 PM. Everything from imported craft supplies to sushi robot t-shirts were on display all day.

I shared a booth with a fellow soft sculpture artist, Andrew from A Plush Plush. My bandmate, Matt, helped me keep up with the rushes at the nerd JERK booth. [Photo by Stuart Russell]

Since New People had decided to make J-Pop Summit a giant annual event, I had my first experience at what a show with over 35,000 attendees was like. *gulp* I was sure glad that I had a rad booth mate & a couple of good friends to help with sales. It was also a fantastic help to have Blas & Jamie from Urban Fauna helping promote the vendors by featuring their items & business cards at the main Bazaar Bizarre table in the front of Peace Plaza along Post St.

This event was a ton of fun: music from local bands & girl bands all the way from Japan, artists with their limited edition vinyl toys & fantastic food vendors. If you didn't get a chance to come this year, look forward to next year's show! I know I will.

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Steph Cortés from nerd JERK is the Roving Reporter, one of the newest members of the SF Etsy Blog Team. She enjoys going out to new crafting events and supporting the handmade movement. Look forward to more reports on her artsy shenanigans in weeks to come. Feel free to email her comments & tips on shows anytime.

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If you're an Etsy seller in the San Francisco Bay Area, contact Jen from Mama's Magic Studio about joining SFEtsy!