By Shasta Mclaughlin
1. Good Communication between people sharing a booth is key. Know who is signing up (double check that they actually did), who is paying, and what times people are working. If you are sharing a booth call them before the show to be certain they have registered and paid for the booth. Inform show promoters of the names of the people you are sharing a booth with.
2. Get registered early and pay early so your name can be included in all advertising. Budgets for advertising may depend on how many vendors are registered. Tell anyone you know who crafts how to contact show promoters. The more vendors shows have, the more public interest the show will have, the more word of mouth advertising the show will have and the budget for advertising will usually be bigger!
3. Tell everyone family, friends, at school, church, work, play groups, and at the park to bring a friend and come see you at the show. Your word of mouth advertising benefits everyone, as theirs benefits you. Send out postcards or newsletters with your regular advertising mention the show, place, date, time and your booth location (if known). Tell promoters if your workplace has a public bulletin board, offer to hang an ad there.
4. Bring your own table and chair unless you have specifically asked to rent one. You also need your own table cloth.
5. Make plans to use the space above and below a table to show/hide merchandise. Put a small bookcase or shelves on the table to put more merchandise on the table. Put a long table cloth on the table to hide extra merchandise that can be taken out as needed. Display merchandise at different heights, don't lay it flat on the table. Spread up to eye level instead of out.
6. Offer a door prize or drawing. This way you collect a name and phone number to call potential customers back. The easiest customer to sell to is one you've already sold to. Offer a special such as a percent off or two for one deal, everyone loves a deal. Inform promoters of any drawings or sales in advance.
7. Talk to people about your merchandise, or about the show. Be friendly & outgoing, they are here to see your merchandise so encourage them to stop and look. Don't try for the hard sell approach.
8. If you have problems with the show or with another vendor, please don't hesitate to tell promoters in private.
Copyright The Extravaganza Craft Productions 2007
Shasta has always been an artist and crafter. She was always drawing on the walls, making crafts with her mom, and selling them at craft shows. She attended Denver Institute of Technology (now Westwood College) for Graphic Design. She has both attended craft shows as a vendor and promoted them. Now she publishes a newsletter for artists, crafters, antique dealers, trade show vendors, and farmers market vendors. She finds show listings for 9 states of the Northwest so that you don't have to.
Visit her site at http://www.extravaganzacrafts.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shasta_Mclaughlin
Model Steam Trains - The History Of Model Steam Trains
By Adam M Fletcher
Steam trains were the first mechanical form of transport which first hit the United States soon after the civil war. These amazing machines were are turnaround for people everywhere making it so much easier for people to travel as well as making it easier to ship goods and services across the country.
Most people are aware of the train's history and the significance of the train and how it has helped build today's society. Know body is more interested about the steam trains history than railway enthusiasts and model steam train collectors.
Trains were traditionally powered by coal, the kinetic energy created after burning the coal powered the trains forward. This was a very simple design that was used in hundreds of trains, some of which are still in use today.
After the steam train dominated travel for such a long time the much faster, much cheaper electric train was introduced and today has almost replaced the traditional steam trains. These trains continue to be very cheap to run and much faster than old traditional trains. The old steam trains were replaced and much of our history was lost forever.
There were so many people who were sad to see the steam trains go. People soon began building and buying model steam trains. Today these are very popular and model train collecting is a hobby that lots of people are very passionate about.
Many of these model steam trains are exact replicas of those that were used all those years ago. Model steam train collectors spend hours and hours making sure that there model trains are exact replicas - it is amazing the amount of time these collectors spend making sure there model steam trains are perfect!
Classic steam trains look very stylish and this can be seen in most model steam train collections, books as well as images online. Some of these trains are fascinating and are a job to look at. The traditional trains are ideally what you are looking to buy, the main parts of these trains are the wheels, firebox, cab and also the chimney. They are also usually black or green in color.
Model steam trains can be expensive to buy from specialist stores however there are other options such as discount stores and online shops where you can also browse and buy model trains. I highly recommend that you don't spend a lot of money right away buying the model train of your dreams.
For more information about steam trains as well as Model Steam Trains, I highly recommend that you check out my model train collecting website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_M_Fletcher
Steam trains were the first mechanical form of transport which first hit the United States soon after the civil war. These amazing machines were are turnaround for people everywhere making it so much easier for people to travel as well as making it easier to ship goods and services across the country.
Most people are aware of the train's history and the significance of the train and how it has helped build today's society. Know body is more interested about the steam trains history than railway enthusiasts and model steam train collectors.
Trains were traditionally powered by coal, the kinetic energy created after burning the coal powered the trains forward. This was a very simple design that was used in hundreds of trains, some of which are still in use today.
After the steam train dominated travel for such a long time the much faster, much cheaper electric train was introduced and today has almost replaced the traditional steam trains. These trains continue to be very cheap to run and much faster than old traditional trains. The old steam trains were replaced and much of our history was lost forever.
There were so many people who were sad to see the steam trains go. People soon began building and buying model steam trains. Today these are very popular and model train collecting is a hobby that lots of people are very passionate about.
Many of these model steam trains are exact replicas of those that were used all those years ago. Model steam train collectors spend hours and hours making sure that there model trains are exact replicas - it is amazing the amount of time these collectors spend making sure there model steam trains are perfect!
Classic steam trains look very stylish and this can be seen in most model steam train collections, books as well as images online. Some of these trains are fascinating and are a job to look at. The traditional trains are ideally what you are looking to buy, the main parts of these trains are the wheels, firebox, cab and also the chimney. They are also usually black or green in color.
Model steam trains can be expensive to buy from specialist stores however there are other options such as discount stores and online shops where you can also browse and buy model trains. I highly recommend that you don't spend a lot of money right away buying the model train of your dreams.
For more information about steam trains as well as Model Steam Trains, I highly recommend that you check out my model train collecting website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_M_Fletcher
Selling Your Crafts
Crafting can be an enjoyable hobby for many people. Sometimes, you can even earn some extra money by crafting, or even turn it into a small business. If you are thinking about selling your crafts, you need to explore the different avenues of where you can actually sell them.
Craft Shows: This is the first place that comes to mind for most people when they want to get started selling their handmade items. Craft shows can vary in their size, entry fee, jury process and how successful they are. Before you actually participate in a show, visit many in your area first. Talk to the other vendors there and ask them how this particular show is. They will tell you if the show is worth doing or not. Look for established shows that have been in the same location for years. That means that the show is successful enough to be around for that length of time and a healthy customer base that comes to the same location year after year.
Notice the types of crafts sold at a particular show. Are they all handmade? Some promoters will allow in anyone selling anything, so you could have a unique pottery booth next to one selling cheap imports. Customers notice these things and will avoid shows that clearly aren't displaying quality handmade crafts.
Once you find a show you would like to participate in, contact the promoter. Depending on the show, the vendors can be booked as far as one year in advance. There will usually be an application to fill out, be prepared to send photographs of your work to be juried. Make a list of the shows you want to apply to, placing them in order of preference. Then get out your applications as soon as you can, that way if one is full or you are rejected, then you can quickly apply to the next one on the list.
Home Parties: If you have a craft that demonstrates well, you can consider a home party. This would involve either hosting one in your own home, or have a host/hostess do one for you - and he/she would invite the guests. You would bring your items, set them up and do a demonstration or talk on the process of making the items. Then you would either take orders or have stock there to sell. You can work out a hostess gift or incentive for sales and certainly book another party through any of the attending guests.
Wholesale: If the idea of going to craft shows or home parties does not appeal to you, then consider wholesaling your crafts to small boutiques or other types of stores that specialize in the items that you make. You need to make sure that you price your items high enough for you to make a profit on them, yet at a price that the store owner can mark up and make a profit for themselves. Also, a well priced craft will move quickly, making more sales for you and the store owner. To wholesale well, you need to have a supply of your craft items ready to go. Store owners do not want to wait for an order, as they have short seasonal times to sell items and need to maximize that time. For wholesaling, you will need a very good accounting system for invoices.
Internet Sales: Don't neglect the internet. There are many people who shop for crafts online. Hosting a website can be quite inexpensive. The most important thing is to have excellent photographs. Invest in a good digital camera, or have someone qualified take pictures of your items for you. Remember that the photo is all the shopper will see; they cannot pick up, touch or smell the items. There are some people who sell exclusively online and having a website can capture extra sales for you, even if you do other means of selling.
Trying one or all of the above ways to sell your crafts will help you find the niche to succeed. You may find that a combination of several of these will give you the best results. Keep good records and you will learn which avenues are the most profitable for you.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Crafts.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell
The American Flyer Model Train
By John Vanse
Although The American Flyer model trains were at their peak of popularity between the 1940s and the 1960s, they actually had a long history before that, and their popularity seems to be on the increase again today.
William Hafner, working as a toymaker in Chicago, developed a clockwork motor for use in toy cars in the very early part of the 19th Century and by 1905 was making toy trains using that clockwork motor.
With a friend, William Coleman, and using a small hardware manufacturing business known as the Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, Hafner began producing toy clockwork trains during 1906-7. These Edmond-Metzel trains were sold so successfully through some major retailers that the brand name The American Flyer was adopted for marketing purposes and by 1910, the name of the hardware company had been changed to American Flyer Manufacturing Company.
The American Flyer trains proved very popular, in part because they were lower priced than other makes popular at that time, and also because their detailing made them more realistic than other low budget model trains.
Hafner left the partnership in 1913 to start up his own company and Coleman's American Flyer trains did extremely well during the First World War as they had no competition in the US from the German companies. By 1918, the first of the American Flyer electric trains were in production and business boomed during the 1920s but declined sharply during the Great Depression.
In 1938, William Coleman Jr, son of the company's founder, who had taken over the business following his father's death in 1918, sold the American Flyer to the A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert had been manufacturing and selling an extensive range of toys but not toy trains. He moved the company from Chicago to New Haven, Connecticut and immediately began to re-design the trains. He re-developed the American Flyer as S-scale in 1939 , a scale which was a modification of the very popular O gauge model trains then on the market. The S scale, which scales trains to the 1:64 ratio and made them smaller than the O scale trains, had a number of major advantages in terms of the track and track layouts.
In 1946 Gilbert made another major change to the American Flyer. Until that stage model electric trains had run on three rails, with the centre rail carrying the current. Gilbert developed a two rail system for running the American Flyer. This two-rail track, which had seven-eighths inches between the rails, made the track layout, and hence train operation, more realistic as the track now looked like 'real train track'.
With the advent of television - to distract both younger people and older people from their regular hobbies - together with the rise of the discount chain stores which undercut prices and demanded lower wholesale prices, A C Gilbert Company ran into trouble and in 1962 was sold to Wrather Group. The new owners produced lines of toys, including model trains, which were of very poor quality and sales dropped sharply until in 1966 production of the American Flyer ceased. By 1967 the Company was bankrupt.
At this time, Lionel Corporation, which was itself in financial trouble although it had been the leading model train manufacturer for many decades, bought the rights to the American Flyer. However, by 1969 Lionel Corporation itself was bankrupt and sold the rights to the manufacture of its model trains, including the American Flyer, to General Mills.
General Mills began selling some of the original Gilbert designed American Flyer trains by 1979 but in 1984 sold its Lionel Company section to a toy manufacturer, Kenner who on-sold the company to Richard Kughn in 1985.
Kughn was very successful for over 10 years with the Lionel and American Flyer trains but sold in 1996 to Wellspring Partners who set up the company Lionel LLC, which operates today selling a range of model trains, including the S-scale American Flyer. Initially Lionel LLC concentrated on promoting the O and O27 scale model trains of its original lines but since 2002 has been releasing more and more American Flyer models.
The American Flyer then, is now more that 100 years old, and has gone though a number of ownerships and fluctuations in popularity. Dedicated S-scale enthusiasts now believe that this renowned model train is once again making a resurgence.
Author: John Vanse, a model train enthusiast, has a number of websites concerned with model trains.
These sites can be accessed through the hub site: The Model Train Guide
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Vanse
Although The American Flyer model trains were at their peak of popularity between the 1940s and the 1960s, they actually had a long history before that, and their popularity seems to be on the increase again today.
William Hafner, working as a toymaker in Chicago, developed a clockwork motor for use in toy cars in the very early part of the 19th Century and by 1905 was making toy trains using that clockwork motor.
With a friend, William Coleman, and using a small hardware manufacturing business known as the Edmonds-Metzel Hardware Company, Hafner began producing toy clockwork trains during 1906-7. These Edmond-Metzel trains were sold so successfully through some major retailers that the brand name The American Flyer was adopted for marketing purposes and by 1910, the name of the hardware company had been changed to American Flyer Manufacturing Company.
The American Flyer trains proved very popular, in part because they were lower priced than other makes popular at that time, and also because their detailing made them more realistic than other low budget model trains.
Hafner left the partnership in 1913 to start up his own company and Coleman's American Flyer trains did extremely well during the First World War as they had no competition in the US from the German companies. By 1918, the first of the American Flyer electric trains were in production and business boomed during the 1920s but declined sharply during the Great Depression.
In 1938, William Coleman Jr, son of the company's founder, who had taken over the business following his father's death in 1918, sold the American Flyer to the A C Gilbert Company. Gilbert had been manufacturing and selling an extensive range of toys but not toy trains. He moved the company from Chicago to New Haven, Connecticut and immediately began to re-design the trains. He re-developed the American Flyer as S-scale in 1939 , a scale which was a modification of the very popular O gauge model trains then on the market. The S scale, which scales trains to the 1:64 ratio and made them smaller than the O scale trains, had a number of major advantages in terms of the track and track layouts.
In 1946 Gilbert made another major change to the American Flyer. Until that stage model electric trains had run on three rails, with the centre rail carrying the current. Gilbert developed a two rail system for running the American Flyer. This two-rail track, which had seven-eighths inches between the rails, made the track layout, and hence train operation, more realistic as the track now looked like 'real train track'.
With the advent of television - to distract both younger people and older people from their regular hobbies - together with the rise of the discount chain stores which undercut prices and demanded lower wholesale prices, A C Gilbert Company ran into trouble and in 1962 was sold to Wrather Group. The new owners produced lines of toys, including model trains, which were of very poor quality and sales dropped sharply until in 1966 production of the American Flyer ceased. By 1967 the Company was bankrupt.
At this time, Lionel Corporation, which was itself in financial trouble although it had been the leading model train manufacturer for many decades, bought the rights to the American Flyer. However, by 1969 Lionel Corporation itself was bankrupt and sold the rights to the manufacture of its model trains, including the American Flyer, to General Mills.
General Mills began selling some of the original Gilbert designed American Flyer trains by 1979 but in 1984 sold its Lionel Company section to a toy manufacturer, Kenner who on-sold the company to Richard Kughn in 1985.
Kughn was very successful for over 10 years with the Lionel and American Flyer trains but sold in 1996 to Wellspring Partners who set up the company Lionel LLC, which operates today selling a range of model trains, including the S-scale American Flyer. Initially Lionel LLC concentrated on promoting the O and O27 scale model trains of its original lines but since 2002 has been releasing more and more American Flyer models.
The American Flyer then, is now more that 100 years old, and has gone though a number of ownerships and fluctuations in popularity. Dedicated S-scale enthusiasts now believe that this renowned model train is once again making a resurgence.
Author: John Vanse, a model train enthusiast, has a number of websites concerned with model trains.
These sites can be accessed through the hub site: The Model Train Guide
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Vanse
RC Model Boats
By Rob David Stone
There is a thrill experienced when you buy a model RC boat and able to control it skimming across the water as though you were controlling the real thing. Age is irrelevant as the rc model boat hobby is for people of all ages young to old, male or female. You can either buy a boat or build one from scratch, either way they are fantastic fun.
Due to this thrill and self pride its always good to build a RC boat yourself, many local model shops sell all the parts you will need and the glue and other connection materials as well as craft places offering all sorts of transfers and stick ons. If you have never built your own model, you may think it sounds very complicated but infact it is much easier than you would think with the instructions being very user friendly.
It is obvious though that building your own rc model boat will bring you hurdles that you would not normally come across if you purchased a boat but there are so many helpful forums online and the local shops who are always willing to help. They aren't just there to sell, it is their hobby to. The hard work that goes into building your rc boat does come across as well worth it even before the boat is finished as the different stages soon start to look like the final product.
You may find down the line that your boat suffers a few setbacks such as parts falling off or worse case scenario, sinks in the water. This all leads to experience though and not to be look at as a negative thing. If everything worked first time, then learning would not be as much fun.
Many people who do build their own RC boats have no had any guidance from experience people so magazines, websites and talking to others can leave you gathering much more information than you realised was initially involved and does give confidence.
Being patient is a good quality as reading instructions, putting small parts together requires a steady hand and patience of character. Even the final touches require a little skill which builds over time, and that's the application of the glossy coat of paint required to seal the unit and give it a professional look, and even more importantly make it water tight as well as using water sealant.
Other RC Models can be built by your self but the engine in a rc boat requires more attention to detail than the others. Get one drop of water inside the hull or engine and the whole project can come to an abrupt end. The radio equipment is just as important so take your time and ask question instead of guessing if need be.
At the end of the day, to build a RC Model Boats are a time consuming process but well worth it when you see what you have achieved. With patience and a sense of imagination, to see the final product in your mind before you have finished, will stead you on your way.
http://www.petrolrccars.co.uk/rcmodelboats.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_David_Stone
There is a thrill experienced when you buy a model RC boat and able to control it skimming across the water as though you were controlling the real thing. Age is irrelevant as the rc model boat hobby is for people of all ages young to old, male or female. You can either buy a boat or build one from scratch, either way they are fantastic fun.
Due to this thrill and self pride its always good to build a RC boat yourself, many local model shops sell all the parts you will need and the glue and other connection materials as well as craft places offering all sorts of transfers and stick ons. If you have never built your own model, you may think it sounds very complicated but infact it is much easier than you would think with the instructions being very user friendly.
It is obvious though that building your own rc model boat will bring you hurdles that you would not normally come across if you purchased a boat but there are so many helpful forums online and the local shops who are always willing to help. They aren't just there to sell, it is their hobby to. The hard work that goes into building your rc boat does come across as well worth it even before the boat is finished as the different stages soon start to look like the final product.
You may find down the line that your boat suffers a few setbacks such as parts falling off or worse case scenario, sinks in the water. This all leads to experience though and not to be look at as a negative thing. If everything worked first time, then learning would not be as much fun.
Many people who do build their own RC boats have no had any guidance from experience people so magazines, websites and talking to others can leave you gathering much more information than you realised was initially involved and does give confidence.
Being patient is a good quality as reading instructions, putting small parts together requires a steady hand and patience of character. Even the final touches require a little skill which builds over time, and that's the application of the glossy coat of paint required to seal the unit and give it a professional look, and even more importantly make it water tight as well as using water sealant.
Other RC Models can be built by your self but the engine in a rc boat requires more attention to detail than the others. Get one drop of water inside the hull or engine and the whole project can come to an abrupt end. The radio equipment is just as important so take your time and ask question instead of guessing if need be.
At the end of the day, to build a RC Model Boats are a time consuming process but well worth it when you see what you have achieved. With patience and a sense of imagination, to see the final product in your mind before you have finished, will stead you on your way.
http://www.petrolrccars.co.uk/rcmodelboats.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_David_Stone
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