How to use this pageA Quick Weekly Review Will Help To Boost Your Profits !This feature of the website is for our Vendors only, it is password protected. If you forget the password, or cannot access, call Ann at the Gallery for the current password. The password will be changed occasionally. Please get into the habit of checking this "Vendor News" page weekly. Content will be updated frequently, and this serves as replacement for the emailed newsletters we used before the website existed. Doing so allows fresher information to reach you whenever you wish to review it, and eliminated the really long newsletter emails that went out every 6-8 weeks. On this page, information exclusively for our Vendors will be posted. Please, do not share the password with others. It will be freely provided to all current Vendors in good standing.
Essential Checklist For All VendorsA TOP TEN (Check-) LIST TO BOOST YOUR SALES... Early each month (e.g. at the First Friday's Reception) is a good time to review your Exhibit, and to be sure that you are making the very best possible use of the many Marketing Opportunities that are included in your space lease with Gallery La Crosse... 1. If you have a website, even if just on eBay or Etsy, be sure that you have provided the COMPLETE & CORRECT ADDRESS for creating a Link from the Gallery La Crosse website. We have established many mutual links in the community (not just local) which bring a wide range of visitors to our website. 2. Be sure to always have signage in your space indicating ALL of the other locations where your wares may be found. I try to remember where everyone is exhibiting, but as we are growing, it is getting much harder for me to track everyone in my head. 3. Keep your exhibit well-stocked... you can't sell out of an empty wagon. Customers usually want to buy something "NOW", when gift-shopping rather than have to come back later to see if you've brought more in. 4. ALWAYS have your Business Cards present in your space. Many of you have run out this week & though I am very willing to provide your contact information to customers; a card is the easiest way to do so, & provides a much more professional image for you. 4. Have you created at least a simple Binder, of a few pages about you & your work, yet, for the front reference shelves ?? Customers do OFTEN look in the Binders that are there now, & some Vendors with Binders on display have received Commissions because of having the Binder available. 5. Have you done a set of two facing Pages for the group binder of "Artists Statements & Vendor Contact Information" ?? All you need to do is two simple facing pages; prehaps pasting on pictures of some of your work, with your Contact Information & maybe your statement. Most of you should be able to put something together in a half-hour or so. With this, PLEASE, take the Five Minutes needed to send me your current 3 lines of text for the website Description of what you offer here. 6. Dust & re-arrange your space at least once each month. I don't know how to express strongly enough how IMPORTAMT this is for getting your things sold... Customers are VERY tuned-in to evidence of neglect! If you do not value your work enough to keep your display nice & fresh, customers will not value it enough to purchase what you have to offer !!!!!!!!!! 7. Be sure to bring in the things that have sold well for you in other venues. This will certainly help boost your sales here. 8. Look at your price-point mixture. If you do not offer a full range of prices from very affordable to very "special", you are probably missing out on many potential sales. 9. Consider occasional movement from one space to another within the Gallery. Several of our Vendors have created a very fresh new appearance for their exhibit by doing so, resulting in better sales. The paperwork involved is minimal, so if interested in doing so, don't be afraid to approach me about the options. 10. Finally, even if you have done "the challenge" a couple of times; resolve to do it AGAIN at least once a month, perhaps twice a month in the winter. This will benefit everyone greatly. * * * * * *
Important Dates For 2010Friday & Saturday, July 16 & 17 8 - 6 Both Days DOWNTOWN KRAZY DAZE... A great event to enjoy, be sure to send your friends & family Downtown to enjoy all of the activities & some really good bargain shopping. Extra eyes in the Gallery will be greatly appreciated, pop in for a while, any time on either day.
We will be listing "Live Artist Demos" as our activity, please try to sign up to do something that people can watch for a couple of hours (longer is very much OK). Attire is "Krazy", with funky costumes encouraged. Live Demos would be delightful !!
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Friday, September 3, 2010 5 - 8 PM SECOND ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION Please, attend for two hours. This will be a Celebration with Chocolate Cake & other treats. Starting the Reception at 5 PM, hope to see more of the Downtown workers linger a while longer than on most of our First Fridays (many just pop in briefly after work and leave before things really get started). Live Demos would be delightful !! Attire is casually Dressy to Elegant.
We will also be having a week-long 10% off Sale, Aug. 27-Sept. 4
* * * * * * Saturday, October 9, 2010 9 - 6 HISTORIC DOWNTOWN DAY
We will be listing "Live Artist Demos" as our activity, please try to sign up to do something that people can watch for a couple of hours (longer is very much OK). Olde-tyme costumes are wonderful, but not required. * * * * * * Saturday, October 30, 2010 Times not yet set... DOWNTOWN TRICK OR TREAT... This was a new event in 2009, with more than 150 families visiting inside our Gallery, and dozens of the parents coming back to make purchases since then. A very effective event for building goodwill & new (several repeating) customers for our Vendors. If a couple of you could hang around for a while, it would be very helpful to have more Vendors here to help with customers' questions - we were sort of overwhelmed with the turn-out in 2009! Live Demos would be delightful !! Costumes are very strongly encouraged.
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Friday, November 12, 2010 5 - 9 PM
Reserve the date for this year's DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Mark this on your calendar !!! Please, remember that you are expected to be here for 2 of the 4 hours, & it is not too soon to be planning for doing some sort of live demo during the Open House. Please, pan on bringing a small plate of something for our treats tables. Attire is casually Dressy to Elegant. See further down the page for the list of First Fridays dates in 2010. Plan on being here for one hour to promote yourself & your work. Our customers really want to meet you. So, put the dates on your Calendar, today. Thank you.
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Dated UpdatesJuly 6VERY IMPORTANT ...!!!!!...When you hang your work here... Be sure that you have SECURELY attached your hanging device. Over the past 2 weeks, 3 pieces have come crashing down; fortunately, only the individual artists' own works sustained damage, and that was minimal. One had one of those cheap tapered hammer-on sawtooth hangers. (Sawtooth hangers are OK, if the are the screw-on or properly applied nail-on styles.) Another had only a single staple holding one side of the wire to the frame. The other had a screw-eye that was not turned into the frame more than about one twist. CALL FOR ARTISTS... By tomorrow afternoon (maybe today), the Call For Artists will be posted for the Motorcycle-themed show in August. Please, send out information about it to everyone you can think of who would be interested in showing or in viewing/purchasing. This is another Benefit Show... BENEFIT SHOW... The August Motorcycle-themed show will be a benefit for the Pine Ridge Reservation at Porcupine, SD. Show dates are: Intake of Entries - Tuesday, August 3, Noon to 7 PM Show Open Dates - August 4th through August 21st Opening Reception Date - Friday, August 6th, 6 - 8 PM * * * * * This show will benefit two important needs on the Pine Ridge Reservation at Porcupine, SD. One is their community health clinic, the second is their effort to establish a community garden. WOODLANDERS GATHERING... This weekend is my annual "pilgrimage" to the Woodlanders' Gathering at Mineral Point, WI. Beside the workshops & classes, it is a great opportunity to get the word out to the greater region about all of your exhibits here. While I'm gone (Friday & Saturday), my son (Peder) and artist Sherry Michaelsen will cover the Gallery. Please, do not ask them to handle any space changes or other more complex things that I usually take care of here. I will return on Monday evening to La Crosse, and plan to spend some time at the Gallery on Tuesday. If you have a genuine Emergency need to contact me, my cellular phone # is 797-1831; please, be aware that cellphone service is spotty in the Mineral Point area, and that in some of the classes we are required to turn cellphones off. You could also try to reach my husband, Dan, at 797-1822. JUNE SALES CHECKS... June sales were good, but not outstanding. The frequent rains certainly didinot help us out. Your checks for June sales will be available to you when we open on Friday morning, the 9th of July. As you normally have access to them on the 10th of the month, I will be doing them tomorrow afternoon so that they are done before I leave for Woodlanders. KRAZY DAZE... Be ready for Krazy Daze, July 16 & 17. We will be open 8 AM to 6 PM both days, with the Reception for Clyde & Mary Greves from 2 - 5 on Saturday. Will be offering 10% off Everything, both days, and will have a drawing for buyer "Thank you" Gift Certificates (one entry per each full $10 spent). Price tage are here & ready for your Swap Sale items. We still need lots of Artists &Artisans to do demos for the event, the sign-up sheet is on the 'Vendor news & info" bulletin board in the Gallery. You may do demos indoors or out on the sidewalk. Tables & chairs are available. This is a huge event, bringing thousands of people Downtown to shop. This year it will include the closing of vehicle traffic on our block of Main St, to create more of a festival feeling. Music & other entertainments are included. SWAP SALE... Remember the next "Artists' Surplus Supplies Swap Sale" is coming up soon, starting just 2 days ahead of the Krazy Daze, on July 14th, and continuing through July 31st. As in the past, this is for supplies & equipment you no longer need. Commission is only 10 %, if you use the correct price tags (free & available here, just ask). Items may be added to the sale table(s) up until July 30th. CLEARANCE... For the 2 days of Krazy Daze, only... We will have a space set for your "Clearance" finished works. To be in this Clearance, the price must be at least 40% Off your original price. Please, bring in your Clearance items by closing time on Thursday, July 15th. This will allow me to have them all in place before leaving that evening (we will open at 8 AM, & I don't want to have to mess with things in the midst of the Krazy Daze event). You may check with me between 4 & 6 PM on Friday about bringing in more items for Saturday. June 25SIDEWALK SALES JUNE 30 TO JULY 5... As part of Krazy Daze, we received permission from the City to allow sidewalk sales from June 30-July 5 for Riverfest. Krazy Daze sidewalk sales are also still a “go.” Feel free to put out your wares while many are in town for Riverfest! This was made possible by DMI, just another reason why we pay a couple hundred dolars each year for membership & the downtown book listing. To take advantage of this, just pick a day or a few hours to come set up a table & be here to sell, watch, & represent your wares. Doing a live demo would be delightful. I do have some folding chairs & card tables for you to use (first come, first use). SWAP SALE... Is coming up real soon. Will have the special tags for you to use so that your commission rate is only 10% on the swap sale items. Remember that this is only for materials & equipment, not for completed items. CLEARANCE ART TABLE... Just for the two days of Downtown Krazy Daze... If there is enough interest expressed by Vendors in response to this update, we will set up a table of "Incredible Savings" in the main gallery area for a limited amount of clearance items. This would be where you could feature a couple of items at significant markdown, such as 40% off, or better, pricing. If there is enough response by July 5th, I will set this up, with special tags & we will do it with only a 10% commission on the table items, same as swap sale. WEBSITE... Do you have your own website ??? Even a Facebook, Myspace, or Etsy ?? Be sure to get your website address to me so that we can link to it from our website. This could be a very good thing for you folks who have set up for sales 24/7 on Etsy or Ebay. The website for Gallery La Crossse continues to get a lot of visits every day. Don't miss out on your chance to have our visitors explore your on-line presence. June 11MAY SALES... We ended the month with almost $1900 in sales, & several of you have checks here for over $100. June is starting out well, but not quite as well as May did, so if you haven't yet done "the Challenge" this month, please do. All Vendors who have done so have seen nice improvements in their sales in the weeks following it. MARKETING... We have, through the end of next week, a nice & prominent display in place in the Lobby of Associated Bank's main downtown location. They have told me that we can expect several hundred people to view it each day. If you pop in to see it, please, express thanks to MaryPat at the Reception desk for our wonderful opportunity to use the space to promote our Vendors. Feel free to take a bunch of Brochures with you when doing portable shows & Farmers' Markets. (I just bought 1500 more last week.) Simply offer one to your visitors & say "you can find me year-round at Gallery La Crosse". Be sure to give them one of your business cards, too, or write your name on the brochure for them, to make it easier to find you when they come in here.
We will be again in the Country Register magazine for their July/August issue. Very nice ad, and the May/June issue has brought in a few visitors in the past week or so.
PORTAL WISCONSIN... Had a very enlightening conversation with the staff at Portal Wisconsin recently... We will have a presence on their website before the end of June, with a link from them to our website. So, if you have been thinking of getting set up with your own website, do so ASAP, as your website will be available via ours in linkage to theirs. (Etsy is a quick way to set up to sell on-line, or use one of the "social media" sites like Facebook, etc.) Whatever your on-line link is, as a current Vendor here you get a free link posted on our webpage as one of the benefits of your space lease, so please don't let the opportunity go un-used. OUT FRONT... We now have a planter in front of the Gallery, provided by the City, which I am permitted to plant as desired. Really dresses up the sidewalk, & will help to keep people from tripping on the low spot by the water shut-off. I am working on a small Gallery sign to place into the planter, hoping the City will not object. GARDENFEST... Was very good in spite of the sporatic rainstorms. I put our brochures into about 500 peoples' hands who were willing to take them. We have had a few visitors in the Gallery this week following up from that event, & hope to see more soon. RUSTIC CELLAR... A new look, still a work in progress, but filling in nicely. Please, help to get the word out that Good Handcrafters are very welcome & the spaces down there are all $10, $20, or $30. BEADING-STYLE JEWELRY... We have established a Juried waiting list for this media/style. (We also have a list for Photography, with 2 prospective Vendors on it.) MIDSUMMER AT NORSKEDALEN... Both Jensine & I will be out at Norskedalen doing demos of Norske arts & crafts the weekend of June 19 & 20. (I can only be there on Sunday.) We will be distributing brochures for the Gallery while there. NEW DOWNTOWN, SOME NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS... There are a number of new businesses in the Downtown, please, check them out. Some will sell work by Local Arts & Crafts people on various arrangements. Next door to us, Louise Keenan is opening a little boutique in which Vendors may have their own "store" for $150 per month, & work one day per month (& some other arrangements are available on a similar cost basis). The Violet Flame on Pearl is continuing to change their mix of wares, Robert & Mary are now asking Artisans to provide a list of items with what the Artisan needs to get out of the item, & then they will set their own prices. At the Painted Porch in Powell Place the focus is on Shabby Chic, & Peggy will consider items primarily made by local women, I don't know her arrangements, though after the Midsummer event I'm going to visit with her about my peg racks & get the info on commission % & etc.. Also, there is a new boutique up in the 500 or 600 block of Main that will sell your Jewelry & Vintage things on a 60/40 basis (they get the 60). SALES UPDATE... As of today, we're over $1500 in sales for the month, with what should be the best week for sales still ahead of us. Please, be sure to keep your space fully stocked, dusted, & tidy.
MONDAY MORNING CLEAN-UP CREW... Our DMI group has initiated a Monday morning clean-up crew to keep the downtown area clean & tidy. Each week we'll meet at a different part of downtown, this coming Monday, will start at the corner of 2nd & Pearl. Volunteers are VERY welcome. THe crew gathers at 7:00 a.m. & is done at 9:00 a.m., you are welcome to join in early or late , for a little while or for the full 2 hours. May 19FIRST FRIDAYS... Some improvements...
More businesses are open now on Friday evenings in the downtown, and the Friday evening Cameron Park Farmers' Market is back in operation for the season. This should help with the number of visitors for these Friday events. Some very constructive comments have been received about how we appear to our visitors when holding the First Fridays (& other) Receptions. There is a bit of a feeling that it is a private party, due to all of us artists just hanging out together in the front of the Gallery & munching on the treats as we visit among ourselves. To lessen this perception, chairs will now be dispersed about the gallery for Receptions, with just the sofas remaining in their "usual" locations. Please, nibble/graze in passing, or take a little plate to where you are set up for a demo. Remember, the treats are primarily here to help our guests to feel welcome & a bit pampered. And, most importantly, we need to focus on our visiting guests. Please, greet them, even if someone else has already done so, at least say "hello" &/or "welcome" & introduce yourself and offer to show them your work. Please, plan to spend most of the Reception time somewhere near your own space, both to represent your work to our guests, and to assist in answering their questions about your work. Please, also be a good ambassador for our other exhibitors by leading guests to the artists (if present) or to me for more assistance. Also suggested was that each exhibitor should be in contact with their established customers & personally invite those customers to view your exhibit here & enjoy the Receptions. Demos are always welcome & always generate very positive interest from our guests. We now have several tables about 3 feet square that are quick & easy to set up. Ideally, you should be set up somewhere near your exhibit space for demos, too. JUNE SUPER OFFICE PARTY... June 7th, Monday, you must RSVP by May 26th This is happening aboard the La Crosse Queen, boarding from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., & the boat leaves the dock promptly at 5:30 p.m. Cost is only $ 1.00 per person. Therewill be food, prizes, networking & fun. A cash bar will be open as well. If interested, contact Clarissa at 782-2220 to RSVP by May 26th.
SALES... Here we are, just half way through May, & our sales for the month are already well over $900 !! Continuing to see returning customers (some of our Vendors have established a group of Fans), and lots of new faces. All of the new downtown businesses & the new promotional activities by the DMI group (we are members) are bringing more people downtown every week. I've established cooperative marketing arrangements with two other downtown businesses on Pearl St., which are helping to bring visitors in from around the block. THE CHALLENGE... Even if you've done it before... Please, do it this week ! (Not "maybe next week", but today! And, again next month, too!) More details further down the page. A few have done it & have seen nice increases in sales in the weeks following their efforts. If everyone would do it, our sales would see serious increases. GARDEN FEST... Still looking for a couple of artists who do "garden-related, non-2-D" work to join me in my Deciduous Designs Studio booth at the Garden Fest this year. You will need to be there to sell your works, using your own display, on Saturday &/or Sunday, cost is $30 each day. I have a 10 Ft X 20 Ft space (with electricity), so lots of room to share. RUSTIC CELLAR... Still room for you to bring in a few Vintage &/or Antique items to help it be lushly filled pending the spaces getting leased. We are not charging you for using the space, but the 25%commission still applies, & I will be arranging all of the items in the space. As spaces get leased out, will need to pull things, so if you wish to take advantage of this opportunity, please step up & do so while you still can.
FUTURE FIRE MOUNTAIN GEMS ORDERS... Dates Changed... Please, note that some changes have been made to the list of dates for future orders (further down the page). Instead of every 7-9 weeks, we will be doing these at 9-11 week intervals. Feedback from several who join in on these orders indicated that we were too close together, and that 3 months would be too far apart... so adjustments have been made to the calendar of Order Dates all the way out to the end of 2011. WRAP SHOW... Is coming up fast... Entry date is May 28th. We have information here at the Gallery, or contact Carol Witt-Smith directly at 779-5966. NORSKEDALEN JULY... Just over the hills, this side of Coon Valley, just off of Hwy 14, they are holding their Second Annual Arts Show & Sale event on July 3rd. Contact them via www.norskedalen.org for application information, or call to 608-452-3424.
OPPORTUNITIES... Will be creating a list further down the page of "Outside Opportunities" - that is locations where you may inquire about selling your wares... will provide the essential info & leave it to you to follow-up with the various entities. April 24FIRE MOUNTAIN GEMS ORDER... Date Change... May 15...Hope this won't ruin anyone's plans... we need to move back the order date by two weeks, to May 15. A variety of factors have come together to push back the date, hope that the change will allow for enough items to be ordered to make a group order happen. Thank you for your understanding. APRIL SALES... As expected, April has seen a really nice increase in our sales over "the winter months". We continue to see a lot of our Spring Fling visitors retuning, many with friends as they visit downtown to enjoy the great weather. OPPORTUNITIES... HERE - If you are doing embellished purses or elegant smallish textiles, we now have a spot just for them. Also, if you have some cool Vintage or Antique things for the Rustic Cellar, we are creating a sort of "Granny's Kitchen" area. These are a part of my space sharing philosophy, so just bring in a couple of pieces & I'll arrange them within the spaces as space allows. This is a FREE courtesy for our Vendors. As long as the spaces remain unleased, will welcome items to fill them abundantly. AWAY - We've become aware of several outside opportunities for our Vendors to check out. A Season of Art - Outdoor summer monthly Art Shows on first Saturdays, held on Brice Prairie. Join the La Crosse Society of Arts & Crafts & join in on the fun one Saturday each in June, July, August, & September. Violet Flame - A limited number of Jewelry Artists & people who make small items in keeping with their themes are sought, speak with Robert, Mary, or Tina, in their shop in the 300 block of Pearl St. Painted Porch - Peggy is taking a limited selection of re-purposed goods for her new shop in the 200 block of Main St. Please, visit there sometime to get a good idea of what her style is. Galesville - There is a big "Craft Barn" with about 200 Vendors in Galesville. They are still taking a limited number of new Vendors for the summer season, looking for things unlike anything they already have, especially items in the under $30 price range. Farmers' Markets - This is the time of the year to get geared-up for your visits. The Cameron Park Friday evening market is especially great for Arts & Crafts sellers. Remember to check out the Arts Info boards & posters along the stairwell for other new opportunities posted as they arise. RUSTIC CELLAR SPACES... Finally... all of the spaces have been re-mapped & re-priced. They are all now at either $10, $20, or $30. Some really nice new shelving is in place, ideal for offering smaller items. Over the next couple of weeks we will see the basement floor painting project make serious progress, as leaves are again available. RECRUITMENT BONUS... It is scheduled to end on April 30. With several new Vendors recently juried-in & planning to set up in May or June, the Bonus Offer will expire as scheduled. We've had one Vendor gain a FREE month by bringing in a new Vendor. CLASSES... Please, do hold Classes. A great way to turn a couple of hours into cash money... We are now scheduling classes out to the end of the year. The longer your class is on the website, the more enrollments you are likely to have. As soon as the Registration Form is available, we can start selling enrollments (please, do call your students to remind them close to the class date). Several of you have approached me recently about getting classes on the Calendar for the summer months. Please, remember that we really need about 6 weeks to market them successfully (No one will be able to schedule any classes at less than 3 weeks out!) When you schedule a class, please, be also thinking of a secondary date to re-offer the class if it doesn't hold on the first date due to lack of enrollment. We've many times had potential students inquire after a class's date has passed about when it will next be held. April 14SPRING FLING... It was a great success !!! Many huge & sincere thanks to all of you who attended & created the wonderful energy for us to present to the public. Over the course of the day, from the early shoppers who starte coming by during their lunch breaks to the last who wandered in after 9, we had roughly 700 visitors to our Gallery. While it was really nice to have been a new awareness for a couple of hundred people, it was also really nice to hear many of our new customers state that they'd heard of us & were glad to have finally seen the inside of our Gallery. Lots of wonderful comments where made about our live demos. So, an extra big thank you to all of you who provided that special experience for our visitors !!! We had roughly the same number of purchases as last year, but off slightly in the dollars. However, many new shoppers have returned on Saturday & today, & some have brought friends along. MARKETING... We've continued to market the Gallery through the slow months, and it has paid off. More often, new customers have been commenting that they've heard of us. As of very recently, we've been maximizing the benefit of membership in the LACVB with their weekly email "What's Happening in the La Crosse Area". The weekly email goes out to many thousands of businesses & individuals, & copies of the listing are posted at the LACVB & in dozens of other locations around the region. Along with our Upcoming Events & New Exhibits, they are also now listing our Classes (a week or so ahead of the Registration closing dates). Another new exposure for us is in the Country Register, May/June edition. This is the newspaper-style booklet that is distributed statewide at various businesses & many community visitor centers, as well as by subscription, totaling about 75000 copies per issue. We have seen many tourists carrying it with them, & Margie at the StampNHand has had really good results in advertising with them. Planning on a return to the Visitor magazine for July... Targeting the locals during the winter months, and visitors in the tourist season.
"NEW EXHIBITS"... For our weekly emails to Geri at the Tribune & to Clarissa at the LACVB, I will now be relying upon you for what to feature. In the past, I just went around the Gallery & wrote down 5 names & what is currently offered to send to Geri for the LIVE! feature, trying to rotate fairly among exhibitors. Constructive feedback on this has been received, all indicating that truely "new" exhibits should be the focus of the feature listings. Our new system provides incentives for all of you to keep your exhibits fresh. Basically, if you never freshen your exhibit, you won't get those featured listings for new exhibits. If you are freshening often, you will maximize your listings potential.
So, here's what you need to do: 1. When you change out items, refreshing your exhibit; allow a couple of minutes to list your changes on the "New Exhibits List" posted in the Gallery. 2. Write well enough on the List for me to be able to read it. **** Generally, the 5 most recent on the list will be submitted for publication each week; except that if someone is on the list every week, they will have to wait at 4 to 7 weeks between being re-featured in the Tribune LIVE! & the LACVB What's Happening email. MARCH SALES... This March, we had sales of $767.15, an increase of roughly 40% from last year in March, when we had only $448.53 for the entire month.
Best sellers were Cards, Jewelry, Small Prints, & other "functional" art, with summer images being especially popular. Plus, we had income from classes held (people really do look for creative things to do during that dreary month).
RECRUITMENT BONUS... Remains in place only through the end of April. Don't miss out on your chance for this. See details above. April 3SPRING FLING... It is happening NEXT FRIDAY, and we expect to see several hundred people visit in our Gallery over the course of the 4 hours. Please, consider doing a demo. And we need lots of extra eyes & personalities to assist customers. Remember that those who take the time to meet & greet with the public very often are rewarded with immediate sales of their works. Please, plan on attending for at least 2 of the 4 hours for this event, and please, also, bring some little something for the treats table. This event will see roughly 50 businesses participating, and it has been receiving a lot of radio, & newspaper, & television coverage. GETTING READY... About 15 of you have been in over the past 2 weeks to re-stock, tidy, & several have done a complete over haul of spaces with moves to new locations. If you haven't yet attended to your space, please, do so on Wed. or Thur., as I very strongly prefer not to have changes going on during all of the final Friday prep & Event. Be sure to have plenty of your best-selling items on hand. March 25SPRING FLING... Only two weeks away !! Be sure to get your space into tip-top shape at least a week ahead, as some shoppers "pre-shop" downtown ahead of the event, to plan where to seek out specials. We will be offering 10 % off everything for Friday & Saturday. We really do NEED to have some of you sign up to do "Live Demos" during the event (5 - 9 PM). Please, plan also to bring a simple little plate of treats to add to the treats table for our many guests. Last year, we had several hundred visitors into the gallery for this event. (OK, I did just copy this from the last posting, but it is SO VERY IMPORTANT for all of us to have a really successful evening...) SPACE CHANGES... Several of our current exhibitors have already taken advantage of the re-setting of main level Gallery spaces to achieve a fresh new look for their exhibits by moving into a new space. If you are thinking of making a change, this is the time to do so, as we have several new vendors already juried in & planning to be set up "in time for the tourist season". For you who have stayed with us through the tough winter months, this is your chance to have first pick, before the new folks step into our open spaces. Haven't yet finished the re-mapping of the Rustic Cellar, will be done before April 1st. NEW VENDORS... Take time to attend the Spring Fling & meet some of your new neighbors in the Gallery. We have several new vendors already in place, & more juried & planning to be set up in their spaces between April & June. CLASSES... Remember the price cut (see below) on teaching classes here. Income from classes has really helped out this winter, and most of the students have also made purchases of someone else's works while here. The calendar is wide open for spring & summer offerings, so be creative & teach something sometime... soon. Would especially like to see a series of classes for Kids in the summer months. Getting them onto the claendar by early May would be ideal. SALES... Haven't started to tally the March sales, but looks to be better than last year. We've had quite a few days with sales over $50 this month, so for March we're looking good... Update - as of 03-26, we're over $600 for March, & about $200 above last March. MARKETING... We've been in the Peoples' Food Co-op bulletin for the past 2 months, will be in this Saturday's Logan Craft Show brochure, continue to be on the radio daily via the WLFN Radio Mart, & every 3 weeks we're live on the air for the Blarney Party. We hosted an AAUW group this week for an evening gathering. Coming up, will be in the May/June Country Register, the Freedom Honor Brochures for June & September, will be doing a cooperative event with The Purple Pig & tThe Golden Possum in May, and am exploring a few more options for new exposures both in & out of our locla region. Please, if you haven't done "the Challenge" yet this month, do it this week. March 10LATE WINTER SALES... We're having a very typical March, off to a really slow start, yet pretty good response to Classes as people look for things to keep their minds off of the weather. Many visitors have been commenting about returning when they get their tax returns. Last year a lot of them followed-through & made April one of our "best ever" months for sales. February wasn't quite as bad as expected. Our best sellers were those individuals who made efforts to bring customers in to take a look around. Once in the door, some of them did make multiple purchases. Our total sales for February were $ 899.55, + $ 90 in class fees collected, putting us about 10 % better than last February. SPRING FLING... Is only 4 short weeks away. Be sure to get your space into tip-top shape at least a week ahead, as some shoppers "pre-shop" downtown ahead of the event, to plan where to seek out specials. We will be offering 10 % off everything for Friday & Saturday. We really do NEED to have some of you sign up to do "live demos" during the event (5 - 9 PM). Please, plan also to bring a simple little plate of treats to add to the treats table for our many guests. Last year, we had several hundred visitors into the gallery for this event. NEW VENDORS... We have several new vendors joining us in March. Please, try to attend the Spring Fling & get acquainted with them.
NEW NEIGHBORS... Several new businesses in Downtown... On Main St. Today, the new "3RO Trading Company" opened across the street. Before the end of the month "Lark" will be open across in the Batavian building, and "The Painted Porch" will be open in Powell Place. A couple of months ago, "Cutey Patootie" opened just up the street near May's Photo. On Pearl St. "The Violet Flame" owners have opened "The Heartsong Center" just up from TJ & Michele's set of shops, and a Pottery sutdio & retail shop will open next to Heartsong in the old "Bronze" site. RENEWALS... My sincere thanks to all of you who have stayed with us through the tough winter months, & have faithfully paid your leases on time!! Several of you have fallen behind in your lease payments. For everyone who gets paid fully & up to date before Saturday, March 20th, I will waive your late fees. After that date, the Contractual Late Fees will not be waived. Please, remember that your payments are always DUE to be paid in full ON or BEFORE the FIRST of the month. Today, I have several bills due to be paid for which the budgeted cash flow has not arrived. This is a very awkward position for me, as our advertising is essential for our continued success!!
NEW SPACES... Finally, the entire re-setting process has been completed for the main level gallery. If you are thinking of making a switch to a different area for a new fresh look... NOW is the time to make your selections, ahead of the expected influx of new & returning Vendors in April & May. You who have stuck with us in the tough times deserve the first chance to select from the new opportunities. (At this point, looks like we'll add about a dozen between April & June, between folks who've juried in over the winter & those who "pulled out for the winter" with plans to be set up "in time for the tourist season".) By the way, several of you have had your spaces re-priced downward as the re-setting has been completed, so be sure to double-check your space price tag when you pay your next renewal. The Rustic Cellar spaces aren't yet all re-marked, but here's the plan... No spaces over $30 (a few $10, most $20, & a few $30), many of them being re-drawn, and several involve the use of some really nice shelves we recently acquired. And, I am bringing in a bunch of Vintage & Primitive & Garden items of my own from storage, to continue to build the number of customers who come to Gallery La Crosse looking for those things (& who then also hang around to view & buy the Fine things in our main-level). CHOCOLATES & CHATTER PARTY... It was really fun getting to visit with each other, with lots of chocolates (& a little bit of "joy juice") consumed in the process. With the Main St. Stroll, many of us walked off some of the calories checking out what's new in the neighborhood. So very many wonderful comments on the evening... will most certainly do this again next March. Date will be set & posted no later than September, so you can plan ahead. Will also add a second Stroll, to check out what's up on Pearl Street, too. February 24RECEPTIONS... This Friday, 5 - 7, for Dale Montgomery of the La Crosse Society of Arts & Crafts. Next Friday, 6 - 8, our "First Fridays" for March. CHOCOLATES & CHATTER... March 8th, 5 - 8 PM, all current & former Vendors & personal guests. More info below SPRING CLEANING... The "Spring Fling" event is only 5 weeks away. Last year we had really good sales during & after the event. This year, will be around 40 businesses participating. This will include the 4 new shops on the 200, 300, & 400 blocks of Main St., all will be open in time for the Spring Fling. We are situated in the midst of a lot of great new retail energy on Main St. (There are also several new businesses on the 200 & 300 blocks of Pearl St.that will be open by then.) Be sure that your space is really sparkling & well stocked. SPACES RE-SET... This week am finishing up with the space re-setting on the main level. Will have the new spaces & new pricing structure set & ready down in the Rustic Cellar by the end of next week. RUSTIC CELLAR... If you haven't been down there recently, take a look - it is looking better every week. And, every week customers are spending longer exploring it. February 17CHOCOLATES & CHATTER PARTY... March 8th 5 – 8 PM Vendors Invitation Only Party (Vendors are encouraged to bring an Arts & Crafts, or Antiques, friend.) “Chocolates & Chatter” You must bring something Chocolate !! & Your beverage of choice. (Because this event is not open to the public, we can serve up whatever beverages we wish to ourselves.) Get acquainted & exchange inspirational art ideas & network with other Local artists. If the weather cooperates, we will do a half-hour Main Street Stroll at 6:00, to take a peak at a ll of the new businesses that have opened recently near us.
BENEFIT SHOW... Was moderately successful. Many thanks to all of you who participated !! Unsold works are still in place, & until we clear the area, will continue the Red Cross benefit sales of remaining items in the sale. Please, do try to pick up items going home with you, and re-tag your others sometime this week. After Saturday, I will be sending the proceeds to the Red Cross, and writing the checks to artists for sold items to be available on Feb. 24th.
February 11WINTER (SALES)... Winter is so very here !! Our January sales dropped of when the ice hit, followed by the sub-zero temps, so the great start we had ended with only $ 835.29 for the month. After hitting $ 3507.02 in December, January has felt like a bit of a let-down. HOWEVER, when compared to last January, we see an increase of about 25 % over last year. And, foot traffic has picked up quite a bit over the past week since the weather has moderated a bit & the sun is shining a little longer every day. We've had many Valentine's gifts sold recently, hoping February stays on track to show continued growth over last year. CLASSES... Customers are often asking about when we will have some painting classes, and also for a variety of childrens' programs. We now have a display in our window for upcoming classes, please, consider coming up with an idea for something that you can offer. DEMOS... If any of you are looking for something to do "in the dead of winter", how about scheduling a live Demo for sometime this month?? Would love to be able to add a few to the Upcoming Events webpage. Or, just pop in & we'll put out the sign to let the world know that you're here & there's something fun going on inside our doors. FIRE MOUNTAIN... Just 3 weeks until our next order will go in. Any questions, check the instructions on this webpage, and if still unsure about anything, just speak with Ann for more info. MARKETING... Lately, I haven't done much listing of our marketing on this page, so just wanted to give you a quick update on some recent directions we've gone in marketing Gallery La Crosse to the widest possible range of the public. Today, there is a brief article about us in the "Second Supper" newspaper, reaching a young & "hip" demographic. We continue to be given mentions on the WLFN Radio Mart every weekday, and we're on the Blarney Party radio program for a "live" advertisment of 2 to 5 minutes every 3 weeks. March will be the 4th month out of 6 that we'll be in the Peoples' Food Co-op newsletter with a print ad. Almost every week we're getting a nice write-up in the LIVE section of the Tribune, and we were in the article about the Red Cross & other relief efforts for Haiti. RETENTION & RECRUITMENT... We've only had a couple of exhibitors pull out for the winter months, and I wish to express sincere thanks to all of you who are staying with us. This is why we've been able to continue to pay for a nice range of advertising through the winter. Please note that the Recruitment Bonus is still in effect through the end of April. We have several vendors pending coming in during April & May, so the Bonus may not be available after March. And, remember that really good hand-crafters (& folks who make good Primitives) are also welcome here, especially in the Rustic Cellar. MORE RUSTIC CELLAR IMPROVEMENTS... We very recently obtained some very nice display shelving for use in the Rustic Cellar. To make best use of the space, the option for a studio space is no longer available, and that part of the Rustic Cellar will be completely re-mapped as soon as the Swap Sale ends. SWAP SALE... The Artists' Surplus Supplies Swap Sale is continuing until the 20th. Sales from the tables have been good thus far, with both other artists & the general public buying from the sale. Future Swap Sales will follow this same format: 3 weeks, additions welcome throughout the sale. With this longer & more relaxed format, seems we've done much better, & may finally have gotten it right this time. Please, remember to pick up your leftovers in a timely manner, as I have a lot of work to do in that space in the days following the Swap Sale's close on the 20th.
Looking Ahead To August...Yes, it is just the start of February as I write this... This year will be the 70th Annual Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD. While I personally don't ever plan on attending one of these events, many folks do visit overnights in La Crosse on the way to & from it. With so very many of the Harley owners who stop over in La Crosse being higher-income "baby-boomers" who do shop for things related to their "bike" hobby... And already two of our exhibitors interested in doing a Harley-related special exhibit... I've set the dates for a show, just need to come up with a title before listing it on our Upcoming Events webpage. Figured giving you this very advance notice, will give you time to create items that would fit the theme. Think of motorcycle parts, jewelry, other wearable artforms, local vistas, colors of orange & black, etc. For ideas, you could search eBay or other on-line sites to see what is out there. It may be wise to consider size to fit in luggage or on a "bike", though I do plan to have shipping services information available for the travelling customers. Important Details...ECOPARK...
The Myrick-Hixon EcoPark Gift Shop is still looking for artists to sell on commission. Information available in the gallery, or call Michelle Nelson at the EcoPark, or check out the EcoPark's website.
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SALES... Continuing to climb gradually, we did better than just repeat the wonderful surge of last year's late November & all of December, we surpassed it by almost twice last year's sales for the same months. Remember, you can't sell out of an empty wagon, so do re-stock! Anything that has sold well for you at portable shows should help to boost your sales here as well. It will be worthwhile to unpack them & bring them in. Be sure to include great quantities of your under $20 items along with some of your best pieces. Some customers are justifying the purchase of higher-end items for gifts, others are picking up multiple smaller purchases also for gifts & just to treat themselves.
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GETTING FOUND...
Recent months have seen an increase in people coming back for a second or third visit, with many of them bringing in friends, relatives, and vistiors from out-of-town. Comments about your exhibits here indicate that we are getting to be known as an interesting place to look and to shop. Well done!! Without all of your beautiful presentations here, this gallery would still be only a dream.
We also continue to see many new local customers. Many of them either heard about us on the radio or were refered by friends who already knew about us, or were here for one of the recent Receptions. Many new faces have simply wandered in off the street while out on the town. Almost all expressed VERY positive compliments on the gallery's contents & displays. Positive comments on: quality & variety of items available, nicely displayed items, and the broad range of prices. Currently, we have items in place ranging from bookmarks under a dollar to original art at over a thousand. We are marketing as "the place" to find locally created wares ranging from Heirloom Quality fine art, to affordable really nice unique things, to those "just for fun" impulse items. Don't hesitate to include some of your very best, this is one very effective way to market yourself to the public between shows, and to drive future buyers to your personal websites.
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NEW EXTENDED-TERM RATES ARE NOW AVAILABLE... For all Renewals coming due on or after January 1, 2010, the new rates will apply. These changes are not retroactive, and were not available until January 1, 2010. While the single Monthly rates will remain as they have always been, rates for 4, 7, & especially 12 months have seen further reductions, to promote as many 4 & 7 & 12 month terms as possible. They work out to roughly equivilents of: in the 4 months term, 1 week free; in the 7 months term, 3 weeks free; in the 12 months term, 2 months free.
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NEW EXHIBITORS & First Fridays... We have several new exhibitors in over these past couple of months. It would be really nice if all of you could try to be present for the First Fridays Receptions (for at least an hour anyway) to get acquainted with one-another. Please, also, invite friends to these Receptions, which are held to benefit all of our Vendors. When almost no exhibitors show up, our attending visitors from the general public really do express disappointment, and it reflects poorly on our absent exhibitors as well as on the Gallery in whole. Both Customers & other Vendors are disappointed when we have poor turn-outs, and delighted with the activities & energy when the turn-outs are good. Some of our First Fridays have been well-attended, seems more people walk in off the street when we have more people (exhibitors) already visible in the Gallery, and especially when we have someone doing a demo.
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CLASSES... Customers continue to ask about taking classes. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE... Consider setting a date now for a class or two in the next few months... The calendar is pretty wide open, use your imagination ! Up & Down the Page... keeping it FRESH...Check this page WEEKLY for important updates !!Much of what has been posted for a long time will be deleted or sections simply updated, keeping the most recent information in place. Please, do (at your leisure) check this page WEEKLY for new & important information to help your sales improve, and to help make all of our events as beneficial as possible for all of our exhibitors, & for our customers. Misc. Stuff to Know AboutNAPKINS...Some very usable used napkins rescued from potential trip to the landfill. Jim Bohonek brought in a big bag of them to share, they are in the cellar, just ask & you may have all that you need. Just please do put them to good use.
RECRUITING "CRAFTERS" FOR THE RUSTIC CELLAR... Since we haven't had much response from the Antiques community, and pretty much all of our Fine Arts & Fine Crafts exhibitors haven't been interested in placing work down in the Rustic Cellar, and we hadn't yet approached the Handmade Crafts community; we will now offer Rustic Cellar exhibit opportunities to Crafters. Even though the Rustic Cellar is very casual, Crafters will be held to some standards. Items will need to be their own original handwork. All items need to be clean & in good condition, and presented in a professional manner. As always, if a Crafter has "Fine Crafts" to exhibit, those will continue to be a part of the mix in the Juried main level Gallery. Over the next few months, we will be making a concerted effort to recruit good Crafters to exhibit here. Our hope is that welcoming Crafters will lead to increased sales for everyone, as we begin to bring in another demographic of customers.
WHAT'S BEHIND THE CHANGES... Most of the changes are being made with the hope that it will be much easier for you to remain in place here, marketing (& hopefully selling) your work to the public year-round. Working within the cooperative spirit upon which Gallery La Crosse is founded, your many suggestions are listened to, and many of them are now being utilized to assure that the opportunity to exhibit your own artwork in your own way will continue. Especially with the availablity of more spaces priced at & under $30, we need to keep enough Vendors in place to meet expenses. At this point, we are just meeting the lease, utilities, basic supplies, and very limited budget for marketing, with every penny accounted for and no "wiggle room". Just SURVIVAL is not enough. It would be very nice to be able to afford more advertising, more lighting upgrades, and eventually the ability to pay our staff (I hope to acheive Minimum Wage status here before the end of 2010).
CATALOGS... We are building a nice little library of supplies catalogs, thanks to many of you who have brought in extras to share. Please, feel free to peruse them here at any time, and leave them for others to share.
"SHOP LOCAL" PROMOTIONAL BOARDS... Watch for the "Shop Local" promotional boards apprearing in local businesses. This campaighn was started by Penny of Visions of Light Stained Glass. Each business buys into the boards, for one of 22 slots. There is a booklet with the current special listed for each business, & a write-up about the business. Shoppers take the special business card from the board to the business for their "special". The idea is to cross-promote among people already tuned into shopping local small businesses, especially in the downtown.
INVENTORY & PRICING... We have been discovered by the country club & Mount La Crosse sets, & many of the Courthouse employees. Tourists continue to visit daily from all over the USA, and several foreign countries. You'll want to be sure that your inventory is ready for our full range of customers. For youth, students, & impulse buyers of all ages; some very affordable items (under $20). For most of our customers, including middleclass tourists; a wide selection across a moderate range ($20 to $350). For the high-end crowd; selections from your finest pieces, and more frequent rotation of your wares ($50 to $7000). La Crosse area scenery in all price ranges is sought by a high percentage of our customers. These folks are not just tourists, often locals are looking for something to send to family & friends elsewhere. Some of you are in several times a month, others only every couple of months. All of our best sellers are those who tidy, re-stock, and re-arrange their spaces at least once a month. Best selling items continue to be a wide range of items under $50. We've had several people in already buying for Holiday Gift Giving.
TRAVEL GREEN WISCONSIN... I am still in the process of getting the gallery certified as a Travel Green Wisconsin destination. This will provide us linkage for our website through theirs to the State of Wisconsin's main tourism webpage. Currently, only one other "shop" is certified in our region (The Driftless Angler in Viroqua), and a just a few other lodging and tourism businesses in our region are also listed. Green travel is currently the fastest growing segment of the travel industry, and attracts a rather affluent mix of customers. Still trying to get this done, hope to have this process finished very soon. It got put "on the back burner", have it on the essential tasks list for January. Sundays & other odd hours... & DemosSince August we have been open on many Sundays, with mixed results. Have found that getting open as soon as possible after church means more people coming in. The most productive Sundays were in December. As most other downtown businesses that are open on Sundays close at 2:00 or 3:00 PM, have found almost no visitors in the gallery after 2:30pm. Lots of people are downtown to shop, do coffee, brunch or late lunch until about 2:00pm.
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Having the "Live Artist Demo Today" sign out seemed to roughly triple the number of passersby who actually walked into the gallery on our open Sundays. So, give me a call any Saturday afternoon to see if we'll be open on Sunday, and feel very free and welcome to plan to do a very casual demo then.
Any day we are open, you are welcome just to pop in & do a demo. It isn't just on Sundays that we see more visitors with the demo sign out, works just about every time. If you haven't done one yet, please understand that you can do this very easily. Just bring in a current project & set up to work on it. Use the front window, or a table elsewhere to do your thing, and converse with folks who come in to watch what you're doing. If ever you wish to plan ahead a few days or a week or so to do your demo, that will give me time to list it on the website.
Just be sure you won't change your plans once it is listed there.
* * * * * * As my Nursing job & family needs allow, will try to be open at least one Sunday per month. Have also been lingering Open Late many evenings, sometimes to 7 or 8 pm, finding mixed results... mostly just getting found by locals out for dinner, still good exposure, & some of them have been back on a later date & made purchases. More of the other Downtown stores have been adding limited extra hours after 5 PM, which is helping bring more early evening shoppers downtown. Opening early has had mixed results, ranging from no customers before 10:30 a.m. to being steadily very busy from 9:30 a.m. onward. Upcoming Receptions ~ First FridaysCasual reception to promote your work to the public, every month on the first Friday. Live demos are very welcome and encouraged. Please, try to attend for at least one of the two hours. Whether dolled up for an evening on the town, or fresh from the garden in jeans & tennies, come on in. Remember, if you show up for these events when you are not a "featured" exhibitor, others are more likely to return the favor by showing up when you are.
If you attend for half of each First Fridays event, it is ONLY ONE HOUR out of your month spent PROMOTING YOUR WORK to the public. "The Challenge"A Challenge For YouTHIS WEEK...Approach just FIVE people whom you know have not yet been into the Gallery... Put one of our brochures into their hands... Ask them to visit in the Gallery "this week"... And to tell you sometime "early next week" what they thought of your artwork &/or vintage wares, or of your method of display or something similar... whatever question you think will get them to actually come in to view your goodies & everyone else's. IF... Every exhibitor does this, we could see well over 200 new faces in the Gallery in the next week or so !!! AND IF... You do this one day every month... very good things should happen... RenewalsRenewals for this month & beyond...Many thanks to all of you! For those of you who haven't yet paid your nest month's renewals, be sure to get them into the mail for postmark by the 1st. It is always a relief (& a joy) for me to get past the 15th of each month without receiving notices of non-renewal. Many renewals recently have been for 7 or 12 months, taking advantage of the new reduced costs for longer-term commitments, & assuring a very nice selection of wares will be available through-out the coming year. LATE PAYMENTS... Thank you. Almost everyone is now current on lease renewal payments, which are always due on or before the first of each month.
To help you all avoid the unpleasantness of having to pay the Contractural Late Fees, I will be calling each month to everyone who is due for renewal payment. These calls will happen after the 15th and before the end of the month. Keeping everyone current will make it much easier for me to keep the budgeted Gallery expenses paid on time. In order to keep Gallery expenses paid, the Late Fee provision will continue to be strictly observed.
Each month optional expenses, such as various advertising options & more improvements to the Gallery, are planned based upon an exhibitor & space census done right after the 15th of the month.
BE AWARE, NO LATE PAYMENT FEES WILL BE WAIVED IN 2010 !!
Please, remember... Even if you have opted to use your space for little or no work currently showing, we are mutually under contract for the space, & it is not available for anyone else to use, until you have given your contracual notice to withdraw from your space. Along with this, Gallery La Crosse provides ongoing marketing services for you as one of our exhibitors, as long as you are still under contract here. Be sure to get your renewal payments in OR postmarked by the 1st of the month.
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Reflecting on my experience at the Odin, the yearly Dues worked out to just over $30 per month, we also paid a 20 or 30 % Commission (depending on membership type) on work sold, AND we had to Work shifts every month (& serve on Committees, too). With single-day & weekend Portable Shows running anywhere from $20 to $225 (PLUS Meals, Lodging, Staffing Time, Transportation, etc.), being able to present your work to the public every day, and utilize all of the Marketing Services of Gallery La Crosse, we remain a very good deal even these tough economic times. Renewal RemindersContinuing to work out a more streamlined process for getting your renewals taken care of in a timely manner, and Helping you to avoid being charged the Contractual Late Fees...Most of our Vendors are very good at getting their renewals taken care of on or before the first of the month. Some do sometimes forget... Beginning with this month, I will try contacting Vendors who will have payment due in on (or before) the 1st, sometime between the 15th & the last few days of the month.
This is being done as a Courtesy to you, to help you avoid those Late Fees, and each of you will receive only one notification. Market Yourself !!!You've Paid for the Opportunities here ~ Choose to Use them...Customers contine to view Artist's binders, and to express disappointment when an artist whose work they are interested in does not have one available. If you have other outlets for your wares, please, be sure to have something in your space to indicate where else your wares are available. Refer to your copy of the Contract for details about how to do this. I try to remember, but tracking where else in the region everyone's wares are available really needs your input & the simple act of posting something in your space. We often have customers asking to see more of what vendors have to offer. I do often send customers to find more work by an artist at other locations, and am finding that those other galleries return the favor. Will continue to try to keep up with who is where, but with 50 vendors in place, I can't be expected to remember all of those for all of you. Guidelines for these are in your Contract, please don't waste this opportunity that is an important part of what you are paying for when leasing space. If you are uncertain, ask Ann for guidance. The Calendar is wide open for anyone who wishes to present a Special Exhibit. Just pop in or call & we'll get this going. Would love to have about 3 per month. This allows our Gallery to have a short article in the LIVE! section of the Tribune, and brings in fresh faces to view everyone's exhibited items. This is a FREE service available to all of our regular exhibitors.
All it takes is your chosing to do so. If you have a website of your own to be linked from here, please, provide a COMPLETE address in writing, & be sure to proof-read for accuracy what you provide. WebsiteNEW LOOK...If you've been visiting weekly (as we would love to see you do to keep current), you will have noticed a new and different, and more complete look & content. Since the late summer months of 2009, we have seen our website hits continue to increase greatly. Recents stats are available to view on our Vendor News & Information Board in the Gallery. Please, check how your work available in the gallery is described. I want this to be as accurate as possible, and will write in up to 3 lines of description for each Vendor. If you have a website of your own, please let me know, so that we can put in a link to it from the Current Vendors page. Links to vendor websites will only be provided for our current vendors. Please, provide a COMPLETE website address in writing, & be sure to proof-read for accuracy what you provide. Many hours of my time have been spent over the past months trying to make flawed addresses function. As a courtesy to our former exhibitors who are in good standing and welcome back, they are listed with their emails and just a few words about their wares.
However, LINKING to a personal website is one of the benefits EXCLUSIVE to our CURRENT vendors at Gallery La Crosse. The Slideshow page features a variety of views of gallery exhibits, will need to keep it down to under 20 views, and will do our best to include a peek at everyone's spaces. As we get better at doing these website features, will do more frequent rotation of photos. COOPERATIVE LINKS... You may have noticed that there is now a page for Favorite Links on the website. These are for entities with which Ann has connections, many of them have already done very nice things toward promoting Gallery La Crosse and most of them will be adding links on their websites for Gallery La Crosse in return.
INTERNET SELLING... We are currently exploring a couple of options for selling on-line from the Gallery. As these options are fully checked out, each of you will be asked for permission to market your work. There will not be any hard feelings if you do not elect to participate in this option, it will just be another service that we plan to offer for you, to help increase sales. Hoping it will also allow our exhibitors to get better prices than the La Crosse market can provide. Fire Mountain Gems Group OrdersWith the past couple of group orders, we've gotten better at organizing the process, and have learned a few ways to avoid errors... To help everyone to better anticipate the order placements, dates have been set, every 9 to 11 weeks, throughout all of 2010 & 2011. This should help everyone get their needs met without delaying the order for everyone else with last-minute requests to await additions. To be sure that enough items are ordered each time, please, feel free to invite an artist friend or two to join in now & then (please, be sure they have the instructions to follow). For example, if we have 8 people ordering, we need to average 25 items each, if 10 people, then only 20 items... Most of the orders have been running about 300-500 items in total.
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On (or before) the Order Date... 1. Have your detailed order information for all of your items, in a neat & organized manner, on our simple form (available in the Gallery). Be sure to enter ALL of the information needed. Having a single form in use does make the process easier for those of us who are actually calling in the order to FMG. If you are getting your item #'s from the FMG catalogs, the page # lets us check it if you didn't write down the item # correctly. Having the Item Description is essential! Creating an order printout from the FMG website also works well. 2. Figure your item cost at the 200+ item cost listed by FMG. Check your prices on-line at the FMG website a day or two ahead of doing your final tally (especially important with orders containing anything in silver, sterling silver, gold, & gold-filled, as these prices fluctuate almost daily with world-wide markets).
3. Have your full order cost, with additional $ 1 for your share of the shipping, securely attached to your order, in cash*. Deliver these to Gallery La Crosse on or before the Order Date. *Sorry, because we are all "sort-of-starving artists", and can't afford to carry credit for you; you will need to have full CASH payment for your items by the Order Date, or your items will not be ordered (personal checks take several days to clear, so will not be acceptable for these orders). * * * * *
ORDER WILL BE PLACED WITH FMG 1 - 3 DAYS AFTER ORDER DATE. YOU WILL BE CALLED WHEN THE ORDER IS HERE & HAS BEEN SORTED.
Normally, it takes about 6 days for the items to arrive in La Crosse. Then they are sorted & prices marked on each package, then re-checked agianst your order. When fully sorted & checked you will be called. Please, be aware that this all means about 10 days from order placement to when your items are ready to pick up. Please, be patient, as every time we've tried to short-cut the process we've had problems with somebody not getting their correct things. Please, try to pick up your ordered items within 5 days of getting called about its arrival. Items are clearly marked with your name & placed in a box in the Gallery's storage space downstairs. Any later-arriving Back-ordered items will also be placed there.
* * * * * UPCOMING SCHEDULED ORDER DATES...
August 7, 2010 (Saturday) October 9, 2010 (Saturday) December 11, 2010 (Saturday) February 19, 2011 (Saturday) April 23, 2011 (Saturday) June 25, 2011 (Saturday) September 3, 2011 (Saturday) November 5, 2011 (Saturday)
* * * * * Please, be aware that as the new 2010 &2011 dates have been
posted since May 19, 2010, the "deadlines" are absolute. If you miss the savings oppportunity of joining in on a group order, you will just need to plan ahead & await the next opportunity - the rest of the group cannot await you. We have 2-5 volunteers coordinating dates to process the orders. Lack of planning on your part will not constitute an emergency on our part.
* * * * *
Ann usually keeps her copies of the big catalog & the most recent smaller catalogs by the copy machine in the Gallery. You are welcome to use them here anytime (just please, do not make any marks in them, or take them home with you). Portable ShowsVery Important Information, Contractual Obligation...Many of you will be doing week-end or one-day shows... Please, review your Contract for information on how to maximize your space at Gallery La Crosse as a Marketing Tool for your wares exhibited here & elsewhere. Most importantly, 1... you need to Leave a few token Samples of your work, 2... information on Where you can be found (show location & other local outlets), and 3... When you will be returning to Gallery La Crosse. (Remember, by Contract, you cannot just completely strip your space bare of wares for these events!) You'll also want to be sure that your business cards are available. "Outside Opportunities"AWAY - We've become aware of several outside opportunities for our Vendors to check out.A Season of Art - Outdoor summer monthly Art Shows on first Saturdays, held on Brice Prairie. Join the La Crosse Society of Arts & Crafts & join in on the fun one Saturday each in June, July, August, & September. Violet Flame - A limited number of Jewelry Artists & people who make small items in keeping with their themes are sought, speak with Robert, Mary, or Tina, in their shop in the 300 block of Pearl St. They prefer to have your items with a list of what amount of money you need to have from the sale of each, and they set their own retail prices Painted Porch - Peggy is taking a very limited selection of re-purposed goods for her new shop in the 200 block of Main St. Please, visit there sometime to get a good idea of what her style is. Lark - just across the street, Andrea is selling a very limited selection of jewelry & other accessories created by local Artists & Artisans, items that coordinate with her handmade clothing. De'ja' Vu REsale Boutique - newly opened at 410 Main St, they are ready & eager to take your Jewelry creations to sell in their shop, 90 day contracts, 60%/40% split on selling price (they take the 60, you get the 40). Galesville - There is a big "Craft Barn" with about 200 Vendors in Galesville. They are still taking a limited number of new Vendors for the summer season, looking for things unlike anything they already have, especially items in the under $30 price range. Farmers' Markets - Spring through Fall is the time of the year to be geared-up for your visits. The Cameron Park Friday evening market is especially great for Arts & Crafts sellers. Saturday morning in the County parking lot is another. Sunday in La Crescent & also by Festival out by the Mall are 2 more. Remember to check out the Arts Info boards & posters along the stairwell for other new opportunities posted as they arise.
ClassesSee the Classes webpage for more details.Classes are a great opportunity to bring new faces in the door, and to market your own work. Also, a good way to turn your skills & spare time into $$ income. Please, review your Contract for details on holding classes, and feel free to contact Ann for answers to any questions you may have. The calendar is currently wide open, dates & times will be allotted on a "first come, first served" basis. Shirley has given some easels, bulk powdered paint, and scissors; all are freely available to anyone wishing to use them. These supplies are ideal for use in childrens' classes. Classes that would not soil or otherwise harm the carpet & tile flooring in the main level gallery are encouraged to be held there. Messier classes may be held in the Rustic Cellar area or in the back basement workshop area. If you have not been down there lately, you'll be pleasantly surprised with how much brighter it all is now. (Workshop area can be made tidy with just a few days notice.) Important Change In Contract RE: Classes FeesEffective today, August 22, 2009:The rate for holding classes at Gallery La Crosse is being reduced, by half !! Please, print out this section & attach it to your copy of the Contract... In Paragraph #33 the Sentence regarding rates will now be; "Instructor will pay to the Gallery $ 10 per hour for use of space during regular Gallery open hours, $ 20 per hour for before or after normal normal Gallery hours." This is being done in recognition of current tough economic times, and of the mutual benefit to all exhibitors when classes are held here. Please enter the Password. |