Craft Show Post Show

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Happy-Bungalow-art-craft-show-setup-2013-09-08-alt002-570

I’ve embraced the idea of being a toy-maker.  Initially I was hesitant for a two reasons.

One:  I thought I was excluding too much potential customers.  Ha!  It turns out there’s loads of adults out there who still want to have fun.  Also, developing a new product line is time consuming; perfecting the craft even more so.  It’s better to focus on what I know best and build upon it.

Two:  I wasn’t comfortable with being labeled a toy-maker, but I’m cool with it now.  It makes people happy.  What I do makes other people happy!  And I make a few bucks doing it.  It’s hard to beat that.  Though I still make business card holders, the occasional clock, and the coolest cabinet hardware you’ve seen.  And that gray area of toys:  miniature furniture.

So I’ve been growing the toy lines.  Adding more robots, many more animals, and unicorns.  I’ve also added completely new lines of cars/trucks, pirates/sea life, and aliens/monsters.  There’s plans on the horizon to create a line of boats and airplanes.  Just about something for everyone, and all within the toy umbrella.

So with all this new stuff I’ve been tweaking the show setup lately.  It’s no longer a matter of filling space, but trying to keep the space organized so people can find everything.

Happy-Bungalow-art-craft-show-setup-2013-09-08-alt001-570

This is my setup from the past week.  I’ve added another shelf to hold animals and I could use more space with all the animal requests coming in (just when I thought I had them all).  A revamped circus is back on display along with the play trees.  Gone is the very tall tree stand, though I’d love to get it back into the mix somehow, perhaps on a back table.

The robots, cars, and monsters are getting along well with each other.  I have a magnetic board that’s super-handy for switching around displays.  I’m planning on adding another shelf there for the old railroad town buildings and expanded dollhouse furniture display.

Beyond product I also want to add more fun to the booth. For the website, I’m working on a story that links all the different toy worlds together that I want to bring to the physical. You can see a piece of it in the air. To the left of the sign post is a kids floating away holding onto a bunch of balloons.  He couldn’t afford a hot-air balloon ride at the circus, but he could buy helium balloons on the cheap (in the story this sends him to fairy land).  So I’ll be working with the Kids to build more props.  Stay tuned everyone.

First Show of the Year

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The clouds are clearing, the ice is melting, and the flowers are poking out of the soil.  That means it’s time to leave the shop and take the Bungalow to the masses. Last year was our first year in business and the first year doing arts / crafts shows.  See pictures from the first show here.  We’ve learned a lot and we’re working to put together two show packages – small for local one day shows and big for multi-day shows (an effort to spread out the back breaking).

The first show of the year was a one-day local show so it was a good time to test out some the small show package.  First up is loading everything into the truck.  Boy, has this step greatly improved!  It’s quick and organized.  Also new this year is a checklist – no more forgetting signs.Packed truck with show materials

For the first show last year I built wood tables, but they’re heavy and take a some time to set up.  This year I’m trying out plastic tables with table cloths.  Much quicker to set up, but I need fitted table covers.  The standard “sheet” type don’t look 100% professional.

Happy Bungalow show display tablesYou can see the new small show sign as well.  The other sign is too big to find a spot on the small tables.  I only had an 8 foot x 6 foot space to work with – so there’s just enough room for me, none for a big sign.

For the next show I’m going to work on putting more height into the tables.  I want to step the products to give them more space and visibility.

Happy Bungalow display table

New Blog

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I’ve been working for a few weeks (eek, has it been THAT long?) on a new WordPress blog for happybungalow.com.  WordPress will give me more flexibility and capabilities than my previous blog software.  BUT – I had to learn some new web programming and remember some other programming I had forgotten.

Now you can comment on the posts you see here.  Go ahead, comment away.

I’ll have some new pictures and blogs up shortly.  Some exciting stuff is in the pipeline.

See all of our completed products for sale at our etsy shop

Happy Bungalow’s First Arts and Crafts Show

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Happy Bungalow’s first arts and crafts show was this past Saturday. The show was around the corner and down the street from my house. This allowed the whole Happy Bungalow crew to attend (my wife, the kids, and I). There was a good crowd turnout and a there was a full array of vendors to buy from. Here’s how my booth looked:

Happy Bungalows first show booth

Not only was it my first show, it was my first day selling to the public as well. I was super nervous and for the past few weeks I’ve been focused on little else than the show. Months ago I planned to buy folding tables, but a few weeks ago changed my mind. So I made four wood tables that I could take apart for easier transport. I also made a sign, stands for the clocks, and business card holders. I wasn’t happy with the greenish buckets at the corners, but they kept the awning from flying away (bonus). I thought I could make some (nice) plywood containers and fill them with sand or concrete. We’ll see.

Happy Bungalows show display table

At the finishing stage of the sign I had an accident and before I could do anything the accident dried. My wife couldn’t spot it, so maybe it’s not so bad. Along with the sign I put a sample of all the products on the table. Quite a few people stopped to look. Everyone loves the cute dollhouses and the animals. People liked the knobs too. The tables were unfinished (not enough time) so the rest of the unfinished wood products blended into the table. My wife had the idea to put paper on the table – sort of like butcher’s paper. This worked well as I wrote descriptions of the product and prices on the paper. I like the concept, but I’d like to find a different color paper.

Happy Bungalows first show animals and knobs table

You can get a closer look at the tables – the legs are planed lumber and the tops are birch veneered plywood. They’re lightweight and universally interchangeable. The animals were a big hit – especially the walnut animals. I’ll be making more of those soon. This is where Happy Bungalow’s first sale came from. Not a dollar, but a twenty – I’ll frame it anyway. A super sweet lady at the next booth came over to congratulate me. I made more sales later, handed out business cards, and talked to a lot of people. I can’t wait for the next show.

Happy Bungalow’s First Show

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Happy Bungalow’s public debut will be on August 20th (click shows above to learn more). Besides making things to sell, I’ve been busy making everything else I’ll need: tables, a nifty sign, display stands, and business card holders. I had a few sketches for complex holders, but opted for something less fussy. The holder is planed smooth lumber with an angled dado.  [edit:  we now sell business card holders, find them in out online shop by clicking here]

wooden business card holder