ASLU 080: Creative Canadian - Jewellery Designer Louisa Hrennikoff and How to Prep for Market Season
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Louisa Hrennikoff is the designer and maker behind the handmade, Vancouver based jewellery brand, Luli Designs. She’s also a craft market veteran. You may have seen her at markets throughout BC from small, local arts council shows to some of Western Canada's biggest markets like Got Craft and Make It.
This week Louisa sits down with Melissa to share her best tips for prepping for market season including how to find markets to participate in, tips on booth or table displays, how much inventory to take, what's in her market emergency kit and much more! We also has a little side discussion on getting your work into local shops and some of the technical stuff behind figuring out how to sell on Facebook and Instagram!
Louisa has a background in design and fashion with a fine arts degree from Concordia and a fashion degree from Ryerson. She has always enjoyed being creative and started making jewelry as a child. Luli Designs was started when Louisa was living on the Sunshine Coast in 2005 and the business travelled with her to Toronto and then back to Vancouver where she and the company are now located. Her work is currently available on Etsy and in local shops throughout BC (you can find a full stockist listing here). Louisa juggles the life of a business owner with being a parent of two daughters and now also a sweet labrador puppy named Archie.
This Episode Is For…
anyone wondering why they should sell at markets and what some of the more intangible benefits are besides earning money
anyone who is new to the in person craft market scene and doesn’t know where to start
anyone who has done a few markets but need a little refresher after more than a year off
anyone who struggles with displaying their products at markets and needs some ideas
those who are comfortable selling at in person markets but who might be looking to pick up a new tip or two.
anyone looking to get their work into local shops
If you just want the links to the resources mentioned in this episode, scroll down to the bottom.
Listen To the Episode
Here’s a to this week’s episode. You can also listen via the player below or on your favourite podcast app (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, and more). Just search for And She Looked Up!
In This Episode We Talk About
In this episode we talk about:
Louisa’s creative journey as both a creative and an entrepreneur (she’s had multiple businesses since high school)
the evolution of Etsy since she joined in 2007
some of the challenges of balancing a business, parenthood and life without feeling like you’re failing on all three fronts
how you can continue running your business with very young children by pulling and pushing different levers and embracing seasons in your business where you dial down or dial back up
how leaning into markets and letting up on her Etsy shop for a few years when here daughters were really young allowed her to keep going and sustain her business and how she decided which to focus on
how she was able to get her jewellery into local shops in Toronto and then later in Vancouver when she moved (and how markets have played into that)
the difference between selling your work wholesale or consignment
how to find markets to participate in and why it’s important to try different types and sizes of markets to see which are a good fit for you and what you sell
fostering relationships with other artists, crafters and makers can help you find out about new places to sell and why fostering relationships in general is so important
why the smaller markets can be just as valuable (or even more valuable) than the bigger markets and shouldn’t be ignored.
Etsy Collective markets
how to take payment
what you can do to increase your likelihood of acceptance into juried shows (and what a juried show is)
the importance of being willing to evolve, learn and adapt with your business
pricing your work appropriately
the importance of good photography (yes… for markets)
small markets? Or big markets? Which are better?
how to evaluate if a market has been a success
how much inventory do you need for a craft market? And how do you pick which product to sell at a market
how early do you start making for a craft market?
do you need new items for each craft market?
what’s the best way to display your work at a craft market and where can you find fixtures and displays?
how to make sure you and your booth/table are approachable at a market (it can be easy to turn people off unintentionally!)
should you show your prices?
the importance of lighting in your booth
remember people like to use their senses at a market. They want to see how it looks on them (clothing/accessories), what it feels like, what something smells like etc.
signage - what to do and what not to do
be a good neighbour to your fellow vendors
how to eat, run to the bathroom etc at a craft market or show
why you need a craft market survival/emergency kit and what you want to put in it!
should you have a helper?
how to navigate the current online/in person market hybrid scenario during this pandemic and why online markets can still be valuable
show the world you are human
Mentioned in this episode
- Luli Designs
- @lulidesignsjewelry on Instagram
- Got Craft - Vancouver
- Make It Show - Vancouver and Edmonton
- Circle Craft Show - Vancouver
- One of a Kind Show - Toronto
- Vancouver Etsy Collective. Not in Vancouver - search for the Etsy collective near you. There are several of them
- Square - payment system
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