Stallholder Profile: Spotlight on "Little Mo and Friends"

Little Mo and Friends was the winner of our Best Stall Display for our November 2012 market. Not only did Helena win us over with her display, she also makes the sweetest things for young and old! Let's go behind the scenes...

Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m Helena, creator/illustrator of Little Mo and Friends.

What materials do you use?
Ink and paper mostly when I’m drawing. And if I am making products from my art, I like sourcing out recycled paper and vintage art frames or vintage pendants to frame my drawings.



What steps do you take to prepare for a market?
I try to at least have two or three new products to feature in my market, just to make it exciting for my return customers. When I style my stall, I usually make that new product my feature piece.



What is your favourite part of the creative process?
Getting lost in my drawings and observing my rough sketches evolve into physical products that are worn and cherished by my customers.

What’s been your most popular item or line to date?
For my online shop it’s been my mystery bag. If you’re unsure of what to buy in my shop, grab a mystery bag and I’ll fill it with art goodies; prints, notebooks and jewellery. When I first listed it in in my shop, my husband said nobody is going to buy it because they don’t know what’s inside it. But it’s been my most popular item, so I guess people do like surprises!

For my markets, it’s my illustrated jewellery. I think it’s an affordable way to collect my art and wear it everyday!



What is the most exciting thing that has come out of selling your designs through markets?
Meeting my online customers in person and meeting new friends and new customers! I’m always so grateful for their support and encouragement.



What advice would you give someone who wants to sell their crafts?
Make something totally unique and all about you. Don’t copy. Be original.



What goals do you have in store for the future?
Drawing and producing more artworks, drawing a book and having a small exhibition would be nice.

www.littlemoandfriends.com

www.facebook.com/littlemoandfriends

Stallholder Profile: Spotlight on "Christobel"

Christobel was the winner of our "Best Stall Display" at our Winter 2012 market. Here we find out what goes on behind the scenes.

The Christobel stall at Made on the Left market

Christine Lovitt of Christobel was born in Dublin, Ireland and migrated to Perth in 1988 with her husband and three small children. She has worked as a lawyer since arriving in Perth and only when she changed to part-time hours in 2007 did she find the time to pursue more creative activities.

What inspires you to create?

Sometimes an idea will just come to me – other times I will see something when I am out and about which will give me an idea.

What materials do you use? 

Almost everything I use is pre-loved. I make paper sculptures out of old books, sheet music and atlases, journals using old books covers, jewellery using old bakelite buckles and buttons, cushions out of vintage leather and any other treasures that I pick up from time to time which can be put to another use.

What steps do you take to prepare for a market? 

First I clear my workspace, then I think about what time of year my next market is going to be and what seasonal things I can make. Then I look at what new treasures I have collected and work out what to do with them. Because I am always making things, one market kind of rolls into the next fairly seamlessly without having to say up all night making enough stock.

What’s your number one market tip? 

Practice setting up your stall at home beforehand so that you can perfect the overall appearance and not be stressed on the day. How your stall looks can make a big difference to how shoppers perceive your products.

What is your favourite part of the creative process? 

Experimenting with new ideas. For every new thing that appears on my stall there will have been an equal number that didn’t work out and ended up in the bin. I love scouring church fetes, Sunday markets and op-shops for old treasures and then the challenge of making something new with them.

What’s been your most popular item or line to date? 

My paper sculptures and my tiny plants in vintage teacups.

What is the most exciting thing that has come out of selling your designs through markets? 

The most exciting thing was getting an order from overseas for some of my paper sculptures which had appeared in a Sydney Morning Herald article on craft markets.

What advice would you give someone who wants to sell their crafts? 

Think about your brand and where it fits in the marketplace, then just get out there and apply for stalls at markets like Made On The Left. It is the best way to test your ideas and to get feedback.

What goals do you have in store for the future? 
Ultimately I would love to have my own studio space from which I could sell my pieces. My husband loves finding and restoring old furniture and both my daughters are very creative so it could be a family venture!

Thanks Christine!
xx MOTL team

Stallholder Profile: Spotlight on "Little L"

Made on the Left first came across Lauren Mills at the KickstART Youth Markets in April of this year. We were so impressed with her display, we awarded her Best Stall Display with the prize being a free spot at the July Made on the Left market. Here we get the scoop on Lauren, her inspirations, creative processes and market tips!  

Lauren with her prize winning display at the KickstART Youth Markets

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Lauren Mills; I am 23 years old and currently finishing my final year of Interior Design at university. I started up my small business Little L at the beginning of this year and have loved every moment of it since.

What inspires you to create?

The materials I use are my main inspiration. I love repurposing old materials and giving them a new life, for example: my stamp collection from my childhood has now turned into necklace pendants and brooches, old books from the top shelf of a second hand store are now a myriad of ornaments and artwork, paper dress patterns are now mini and large bouquets of flowers.

Turning trash into treasure and just making beautiful things is what inspires me to keep on going.

What materials do you use?

As said above I like to reuse old items and repurpose used materials. Books, dress patterns, postage stamps, sheet music, lace, buttons, dominos and scrabble letters make up to main collection of my materials. I also use all recycled pieces of furniture for my market displays, all found at bulk rubbish collections or at second hand markets.

Little L at the Made on the Left July 2012 market

What steps do you take to prepare for a market?

A lot of preparation goes into the week prior to a market, usually I clear out a space in the house like the living room or garage and layout my whole display with all my furniture and pieces so I can get it just right. I get my whole family involved getting feedback and help with planning so everything runs smoothly on the day.

What’s your number one market tip?

Be prepared! I always pack a toolbox with everything I might need from masking tape to blue tack to safety pins to my pliers. You never know what might happen. For outdoors markets tarps are always a good idea especially in winter, and for indoor markets materials to fix your signage and displays with are a must.

Lauren's workspace

What is your favourite part of the creative process?

The best part of the creative process is that moment in the middle when you can finally see your ideas taking shape and coming to life. That point where whatever you’re working on starts to resemble the finished product you have pictured in your head. That’s such a rewarding moment to know you’ve overcome the difficulties of creating and things are finally turning out right!

What’s been your most popular item or line to date?

My most popular item has definitely been the handmade paper flowers from recycled dress patterns. They have consistently sold out and I can’t seem to make enough of them fast enough!

What is the most exciting thing that has come out of selling your designs through markets?

The interactions with all the other market organisers, stallholders and potential stockholders. The contacts and networking that can come from just one market is so inspirational it really keeps me eager to continue my hard work and keep pursuing this dream.

What advice would you give someone who wants to sell their crafts?

I think the best thing to do from the beginning is to research. Research the market, the product, the people you want to sell to and where you will be selling. The market scene in Perth is booming at the moment so now is definitely a good time to get involved, so have confidence in your products and take the chance. It’s a fantastic experience and the people in the Perth market scene are just lovely J

What goals do you have in store for the future?

Ideally I would like to open my own store selling refurbished furniture, and more of my handmade wares. I love what I am doing and love the creative process, but I also love the thought of the people of Perth wearing my wares and having them in their homes. For now I am just happy to get out there and keep holding stalls and enjoying every moment of it. 

Thanks Lauren!
xx MOTL Team

Great Market Stall Design

I was lucky enough to be in Melbourne for the recent Markit @ Fed Square and was astounded at the amazing and creative stall displays (not to mention the wonderful products)! Here are some of the best.
Note the use of colour, unusual and unique props, custom built displays, having height in the display, simplicity of materials, and most importantly having a stall design that works with your products. 

Little Lamb

Lavallier

Rabbit & the Duck

Herbert & Friends

Pigeonhole

Corky Saint Clair

Ask Alice

The Gently Unfurling Sneak

Write to me stationery

Pleaty Bunny

Jen Booth

So Little Time

LabThreeOFive

bRainbow

Stämpel Studio

Limedrop

Sandra Bowkett

Twisted Terrariums

I design things

And O Design

Bonnie Poplar

A Skulk of Foxes

Market tips

There are some great tips for preparing for markets on the internet and here a few we thought might be useful:

Top Five: Market Tips from so little time

Top 10 Tips: Market Stalls from Finders Keepers

Tips for Market Stall Holders from Handmade Canberra 

Selling at markets: some tips and advice from The Square: Bendigo's Handmade Market

Six useful tips from Craft Blog 

A Market Organiser’s insider tips on a successful market stall! from The Market Roll 

Top 10 tips - Visual merchandising for your market stall from Dance in my Garden 

Lessons learned from my first market from Emmaline 

The Contemporary Handmade Alliance's Market Week series:
Goals and Expectations
Visual Merchandising

Market Checklist

Top Tips with seller Sweet William 
Top Tips with seller Rabbit & the Duck

And some tips from our very own Made on the Left team:
What to bring to your craft fair 
Market Guide - Stock Levels 
Craft fair etiquette for stall holders 
So You've never had a Stall Before - Monday Hint 

What are your top market tips?

KickstART Youth Markets report & a winner!

Made on the Left spent Saturday perusing the KickstART Youth Markets which were being held at the Cultural Centre in Perth. A yearly event devoted to showcasing the best artists and crafters aged 12-25 once again proved West Australian art is in good hands.

There were a variety of stalls devoted to art, jewellery, home wares, vintage clothing and more. It was definitely an eclectic display and a feast for the eyes, not to mention a temptation for the wallet as we stumbled on yet another stall overflowing with gorgeous products we couldn't resist.

We were also there in an official capacity as Made on the Left was judging the best stall display. The winner will receive a write up in an upcoming newsletter as well as a stall at the July Made on the Left market in a coveted front door space. We discovered to our delight that what the vendors lacked in experience they more than made up for in imagination. Stalls were dressed up with repurposed furniture, banners of every kind and all made fantastic use of the space they had.

Some of the stalls were an explosion of colour and organised chaos while others were a study in minimalism and carefully thought out design. It was clear stall holders had put a lot of thought into how best to display their products and emphasise their unique talents.

All of us judging knew we had a clear winner after looking at all the stalls. The winner, Lauren Mills of Little L, had clearly put in an enormous effort to display her products to their best. Her display utilised multiple heights, complementing props, consistent labelling and signage and was perfectly suited to her brand - it was difficult to find any fault in it. Even her outfit matched!

Congratulations Lauren, you deserve it.

Honourable mentions go to:

Marika Moriyama and Linda Chan for their beautiful Autumn themed minimalist display which worked so perfectly with their brand and was a delight to see.

Laura Byrnes for her wonderful eclectic vintage display which felt so homely and welcoming.

Krissie Grech of Silhouette Workshop for an amazing display of handmade cupcakes stands and tempting display of jams and candles. 

Congratulations to all stallholders, we were very impressed!

So You've never had a Stall Before - Saturday Hint

Yes, yes I know its about two weeks late. :)

Saturday's Hint.
Hello My Name is...
Arrive at venue. Unpack. Set Up... what comes next? Introduce yourself to your stall neighbors. This not only gives you the opportunity to suggest covering each others toilet breaks, but could also get you a life-long friend! I always make a point of chatting to the designers either side of me at a market, and usually try and chat to others close to me too. You'll find the day much more enjoyable, you'll make great contacts, and hey, who knows, you might even make a sale from it! Attending meetup events is also a great way to network, make new friends and have a great time, and it just so happens MOTL teamed up with Etsy the weekend before last for a Etsy Birthday Craft Party.

Check out the pics below, and if you're interested in coming to our next one, sign up to this event, and you'll get notified when the next one is scheduled. :) Yay!

So You've never had a Stall Before - Friday Hint

Yay, so glad it's Friday!

Fridays Hint:
Label Me. Go On.
Two things that are really important and are the basic starting point for advertising your "label/brand" and ensuring that people who dont want to buy on th eday can find you later, either though a google search or email.
1. Business cards/postcards with your business details on them/etc. Even a half A4 design photocopied in black and white is an ok start. Just get something on the table that people can take away.
2. Your business/label sign. Even if it is as simple as an A4 printout pinned to the front of your table, but you can really go all out with this one, as it's a really important tool in telling people about your brand; what the style is, is it cute and quirky, or serious and refined? Make your business sign tell the story. I made my OSIER sign out of fabric, craft letters and a vintage frame (yes, I do have an unhealthy obsession with vintage frames), but you can sew, paint, graphic design, or professionally print yours, it's up to you. The front of your table is an ok place to put it, but I recommend eye height. I keep mine behind my table on the end of an old screw apart (so easy to transport) room lamp stand.

So You've never had a Stall Before - Tues, Wed, Thursday

Oh Dear.

Been having problems with my modem over the last few days, so havn't been nearly as organised as I would have liked. So here's the three tips from Tuesday to today, all in one hit!

Tuesday's Hint:
Stand Up and Smile.
This is standard knowledge amoungst the market regulars, but unless someone had told me, I would still have no idea. Standing up for as long as you can, instead of sitting in a chair behind your stall, as well as looking happy to be there and NOT letting on you've sold two things all day is one of the MOST effective way to increase sales. We're not 100% sure of why, but we KNOW it works. So show those pearly whites and wear comfy shoes folks.

Wednesday's Hint:
How Much?
Imagine you've got a shy, unassuming customer at your stall, who LOVES handmade but simply can't bring yourself to ask a seller how much that beautiful notebook is. Sure, if she REALLY wants it, she'll ask, but if she's maybe tossing that up with something also pretty cool, and she can't compare prices easily, she'll just go with the one that the other seller priced clearly. So make sure prices are large and easy visible, or each item is tagged individually so that if they pick it up, they know how much that item is. You'll also not have the challenge of having to know the prices of each one of your one-off, seperately priced handmade bags. Which has to be a good thing, right?

Thursday's Hint:
Love Yourself.
Have you ever gone into a phone shop and been thinking about what phone you're going to get, and the assistant comes up and recommends you a phone, and assures you that its the best one, and that she uses it all the time, its her favourite phone to date? Only to see her later on her lunchbreak chatting to her boyfriend on a completely different phone? Sure its great to talk about your items to buyers in a positive way, but if it's not the truth, people can smell insincerity from a mile off. And I for one would not want to buy handmade from someone who I don't believe or who doesn't believe in what they've made. I want to buy from someone who wears their work everywhere if they're a jewellery-maker, or who has her couches smothered in her custom-made cushions whenever I go over their house. So love what you do, and wear/use/show it, not just as advertising, but because you want to!

p.s. this hint was inspired by Sarah G (oddgirlout/MOTLteam member), who is always sporting her black polyclay earrings whenever I see her, and forgets she even has them on :)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's hint, the second last one for this series. Let us know if you have a request for something we should write about net, or even if you have an article you wrote and want to share.

So You've never had a Stall Before - Monday Hint

Hello Again,

Just a quick one before I hop off to bed!

Mondays's Hint:
Height, height, height.
Cast your mind back to the last car boot sale or swap meet you went to. As you were walking around, did you stop at some vendors more than others? Bets on you did. And bets also on the probability that they either had their stuff elevated on boxes or a table, rather than spread out over the ground.

Presentation is everything. We as humans like a little bit of interest in our visual world, and we also like to be close enough to things to be able to see clearly. You can capture the attention of "walker-bys", and turn them into "lookers" and maybe even change them to "buyers" (ka-ching!), simply by adding height to your display. As we've all got our trestle tables at Made on the Left already, you've already gotten to hip height with most of your customers, which is a great start. Below are a few starting ideas for adding even more height and visual interest to your display, which we've purposefully kept relatively inexpensive and easy for you, because not everyone can afford to outlay a massive amount on specialised stands and displays. And lets face it, something already pre-made and mass produced isn't always the best way to present your one-of-a-kind, amasing handmade items!

These ideas are just from looking at the last MOTL in November 2009!

1. Arranging covered boxes in cool ways and putting your stuff on them:

This can also be a space saver if you've brought your stock to the market in those same boxes!


2. Picking up some picture frames and making a stand or two, either vintage ones or some that caught your eye in a shop:

If you make clean/classic items, go for a clean/classic frame. If your items are wild and kooky, look for a frame that will complement (not compete with) your items. Dont forget spraypaint is your friend, and to take the glass out, as market stuff gets dropped ALL THE TIME. I will never forget when I held up one of my stands with a jar of tiny buttons... and I knocked it over and they tipped out all over the pub carpet! Eww!


3. Using things that wern't originally meant for display purposes in a cool and quirky way:

Heaps of things here, a covered box, a corkboard, a dish-drying rack, a chair, and a little suitcase!

Well thats Monday's hint. Let us know in the comments of any tips you have for sellers, or ideas for adding height, or maybe even you have a "oops" story like my jar of buttons! Do share, everyone loves a laugh!

xx Lauren & The Team