I went to another Art show as the assistant to the Founder/Owner of Creativ*Bee Designs. Man does she have some good taste, and I am not the only one who thinks so.
The show was part of a larger festival in Columbia, SC so there were a lot of people. Many couples, some older ladies, a few families, and of all shapes and sizes. There was music playing in the background, inflatable jumping play areas, BBQ ribs, and many vendors. Brandi was in the Crafty Feast part which included about 30 other vendors each on an 8ft folding table under 3 tents. It was a juried show, so only the top of the top could attend. It was part of a revival of downtown Columbia so they wanted to make it a quality show. This was great because everyone there had quality things and everyone walking around was loving it.
They were loving it almost as much as they loved Brandi’s work. She was showcasing jewelery, scarfs, ink paintings, necklaces, earings, and she even did some more work there to help draw people in and convey her authenticity.
It started off slow as far as people spending money but we believed this was normal at a craft show. You want to see everything before you make your choice. And other vendors were feeling the same. But, this did not stop the compliments, the great conversations and the emails of future customers who want to see more. It was amazing how so many were giving up some of their privacy to receive updates on her stuff and taking her business cards. And of course there were some that were “tire kicker” but most were not and later in the day it showed.
As the day carried on people continued to come back to her table, they looked at more pieces, they were really enjoying being around. And the. They started buying, for themselves, for others, for friends, for daughters. It was really fun to see and a great way to end the long day. After 8 hours of being outside under a tent selling and sitting it was all worth it to see people start picking up her stuff, buying it, and walking off to wear it.
And I have a feeling this will continue, Brandi is opening up a space dedicated to her stuff at a shop called KnockAbout in downtown Raleigh. This is a great opportunity to sell her things and have access to it whenever she wants to do more work and get her face out there more.
Her opening night is this Friday, the night I get back from Amsterdam which sucks, but I can’t wait to see how this goes. This is her passion, almost her dream of owning her own space. It’s so amazing and fun to watch someone you care about go through this, she is working and has worked so hard to get here.
I can’t wait!
http://www.creativbeedesigns.com
