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.
New Year Checklist For All VendorsA TOP TEN (Check-) LIST TO BOOST YOUR SALES... Early in the New Year 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 at least once a month, perhaps twice a month in the winter. This will benefit everyone greatly. * * * * * *
"Chocolates & Chatter"Monday March 8th... 5 - 8 PMParty To Get Aquainted With Fellow VendorsThis will be a CLOSED event, for our Vendors, ONLY. Because it is closed to the Public, we can bring & enjoy whatever beverages we may desire. A crock of Hot Chocolate will be provided. You must bring something Chocolate to share. The Whole Point of the gathering is for all of you to get to meet each other, learn about the face & personality behind what you've seen here in the Gallery, and freely exchange ideas & inspirations. This is the first time we've held such a gathering since opening. If you know of someone who has been thinking of exhibiting here, feel free to bring them along as your personal guest. I will gladly answer their questions, but am not going to prep & present any recruiting rhetoric. The main thing is to relax, have fun, & get to know each other better. And, have fun !
I'm hoping to make this an Annual Event, to brighten the gloom of March. Important Dates For 2010Friday, April 9, 2010
5 - 9 PM DOWNTOWN SPRING FLING Please, attend for two hours to do the "meet & greet" and promote your work. This is a wonderful kick-off for getting people back into the Downtown for shopping & more after the cold of winter. Attire is Casual to casually Dressy. Live Demos would be delightful !! * * * * * * Friday & Saturday, July 16 & 17 8 - 8 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.
* * * * * * 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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Fire Mountain Gems Group OrdersWith the past couple of group orders, we've gotten better at organizing the process... To help everyone to better anticipate the order placements, dates have been set, roughly every 7 to 9 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 uniform form in use will 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. If from the FMG website, attaching a printout helps in the same way.
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 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. Please, 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...
March 6, 2010 (Saturday) May 1, 2010 (Saturday) July 17, 2010 (Saturday) August 28, 2010 (Saturday) October 9, 2010 (Saturday) December 4, 2010 (Saturday) January 8, 2011 (Saturday) March 5, 2011 (Saturday) May 7, 2011 (Saturday) July 2, 2011 (Saturday) September 3, 2011 (Saturday) November 5, 2011 (Saturday) * * * * *
You might notice that many of these dates are the day after a "First Fridays" Reception... this was done to save you a trip, just bring your order with you to the Reception.
* * * * * Please, be aware that as the 2010 dates have been posted since November of 2009 (& the 2011's since Jan. 2010), the "deadlines" are absolute. If you miss the savings oppportunity of joining in on a group order, you will just need to await the next opportunity - the rest of the group will not await you. We have three volunteers coordinating dates to process the orders. Lack of planning on your part will not constitute an emergency on our part.
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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 (just please, do not make any marks in them or take them home with you). Recruitment Bonus Is BackRECRUITING BONUS... Now, through the end of April... If you bring in a new Vendor (one who has never been a Vendor here), who signs a contract & pays for at least 4 months, for space(s) that lease for at least $20 per month, you will receive a FREE one MONTH extension of your existing contract. IF, they sign & pay for 12 Months, at $ 30 or more per month, you will receive TWO months FREE! This offer is available to all current Vendors.
It applies both to the Main Level Gallery & to the Rustic Cellar... so, think, too, about all the really Good Hand-Crafters you know. Dated UpdatesFebruary 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.
January 291099's... The most wonderful news, direct from the bureaucrat in Washington D.C. whose entire career in wrapped up in 1099 rules... We don't have to do them. Actually, learning this was a rather involved process. After several in-person visits to the IRS office in La Crosse, and multiple calls to various IRS phone #'s offered by various IRS staff as more expert sources over several days - the final answer was a very strong "maybe"... Finally, my huband got in touch by phone with "the 1099 guy", in Washington D.C. The response was essentially "Why would she even think that she needs to do 1099's with that sort of business!?!". So, after struggling with the paperwork for many hours a day for over a week... a huge relief. Wish I'd known this before all of the time spent working on the process, but learning good things late is better than not learning at all. If any of you have not kept track of your checks recieved this year for your own tax reporting, I will be happy to let you know what your total was. As I was almost done with the process of tallying, it will not take me long to finish up if you need to get the numbers from me. SWAP SALE... Lots of nifty stuff is already in place for the Swap Sale. It officially starts Wednesday, but early intake & sales will not be turned away. BENEFIT SALE... The benefit sale for Red Cross Earthquake Relief in Haiti starts on Wednesday. I will NOT turn away late entries, so if you are just now aware, go ahead & bring in things. Everything you need to know is in the Call For Artists on our "Benefit Shows" webpage. Some really nice things have come in. And, an amazing number of the items from several artists will send 100% of the selling price to Haiti Relief. RECEPTIONS... Next week: Wednesday for the Red Cross Benefit for Earthquake Relief in Haiti. Friday Our February "First Fridays" event. OVERALL SALES... January started out like a normal month, but with the onset of the thaw & cold wet icy conditions, followed by the sub-zero temps, things dropped off to a more normal January pattern. Hoping that the Swap Sale & the Red Cross Haiti Benefit will bring some new faces in over the next couple of weeks. CARD RACK... With all of the changes in Vendors over the past couple of months, several spaces are now available in the Main Card Rack. The west side has currently only one open, but the east side has three openings. Only two remain open on the curved end, and only one on the short south end. If you are interested in selecting a different location, now is the time to speak up. As always, these spaces are taken on a "first-come" basis.
Will set the show items into place on Wed., August 4th, & take it down on Sat., August 21st. So, plan to have your things ready & here late in the week before the 4th, or by 1 PM on the 4th (late entries might not be accepted). This will be marketed as a show for only our regular exhibitors to participate. NO Entry Fees will be charged, but you will be expected to attend the Reception on Friday, August 6th, & bring a plate of treats for the table. (Will be combined with our usual "1st Fridays", so you aren't required to come to an extra reception.) January 21stBENEFIT SALE... We are coordinating with the American Red Cross Scenic Bluffs Chapter in a fundraiser for Earthquake Relief in Haiti. Details are now posted on our website & through press releases will be out to the public. Dates are: Intake, Jan. 27-30; Sale, Feb. 3-13; Reception Feb. 3rd, 5 - 7 PM Artists, Artisans, & good Hand-Crafters may bring in pieces for the sale. We are hoping for a good range of prices on items, from $2 to $500, with most prefered in the $10 to $100 range. Basically, there will be a 10% donation from the maker based on the price of the work to enter (all goes to the Red Cross), and a 60/40% split of the selling price (60 to maker, 40 to Red Cross). Have firmed up all details with the Red Cross today, and posted the Call For Artists on the "Benefit Shows" page of our website. Will have the Intake Forms ready by Jan. 27. Please, wait until then to bring in work, as I need to have the forms ready & the space cleared (and am still working on the year-end taxes & other stuff that cannot wait). SALES... While January started out very strong, it is finishing up more like a typical winter month. If you have not yet done "the Challenge", please do so this week. DEMOS & JUST HANGING OUT TO BEAT THE WINTER BLAHS... Last winter we had a lot of you popping in for a few hours at a time to work on portable projects... The companionship was great for all of us who suffer the "winter blahs", and the creative energy was wonderful. And, the customers were delighted. The "Live Artist Demo Today" sign does bring in a lot of folks. Often sack lunches were brought along for a casual picnic effect. Please, do consider continuing this fun "tradition" here with us
SWAP SALE... Remember the Swap Sale is coming up in less than 2 weeks, see below... January 9thHAPPY NEW YEAR !!! SALES... For December, we hit an all-time monthly high of $ 3507.02 Though it slowed down some after Christmas, sales continue strong, with almost $ 400 already this month. We had a huge influx of completely new customers in December, and good return of regular customers both for Holiday Gifts & now picking up small treats for themselves. SWAP SALE... As you are hibernating in the cold of January, take a look around your studios & workshops for things you really don't need & would like to convert to cash. Our next "Artists' Surplus Supoplies Swap Sale" will be set up February 3rd to 20th See below for details, Call Ann with any questions. NEW PASSWORD... Beginning with this Wednesday, you will need the new password to access this page. Call or email to Ann to learn the new one, or if you've received it & then forgotten it. WINDOW... Will be changing the front window display entirely on Wednesday. Found a very "rich" deep Red crushed panne' velvet fabric to use. Tried to find a nice (& cheap) used wedding dress to use as a prop, but didn't have any luck in the search... So, will use some Gift Bags & Boxes with heart doillies to accent the work on display. NEW VENDORS... We have several new vendors pending set-up in February & March, & one who may yet be in for the remainder of January. Additionally, three prior exhibitors have inquired about getting set-up sometime before the end of March. We are still not able to accept any more photographers at this time. Will still Jury for future opportunities, based upon a waiting list.
WEBSITE VISITS... While slightly down in Nov. & Dec., visits are trending up significantly thus far this month. We did have many new customers in December who stated that they'd found us via the Internet, & our website. Some were specifically seeking locally created artwork to include in Holiday giving. Many of them treported that they were very pleased with the variety & quality that they found here. December 26SALES ... Continued good right up to about 2:00 on Christmas Eve Day. A very nice topping off of the major "shopping season". Being open last Sunday was very productive...
Most of you did have sales of your wares in December & will have checks on the 10th (available Wednesday, the 13th).
A little slow today, but have had many local folks find us for the first time today as they venture out in the warm sunshine to meet friends downtown and bring out-of-town guests to see the sights. WINDOW... Will stay with the Blue for about another week or two, then changing out to bright Red with a focus on romance for the end of January & into Valentine's Day. From there, will move on to bright Green for March, with first a nod to the Irish, then changing over to anticipation of Spring featuring lots of flowers and farms & such. * * * * * Since changing over from muted colors to bright primary colors, have noticed a strong increase in strolling folks stopping to look longer, with many of them popping for a closer look. NEXT SWAP SALE... Our next Artists' Surplus Supplies Swap Sale is coming up in February, 3rd to 20th. Same set up as the last two times we did this: Be sure to use the Special Price Tags so that the commission on your things sold in the swap will be only 10%. Any questions, please ask! Have had inquiries from customers about when we're doing it again... So, get an early start on your Spring cleaning, and bring things in. Remember, this is for supplies & tools only, no finished works allowed. December 19WOW !!! What more can I say about our sales this week ?!? Almost $1100 in one week, with about 3/4 of the people buying things this week being new customers !! Will be Open tomorrow, 11-2 (maybe later, as I won't close if we have happy warm bodies here). Please, do re-stock if your goodies are running low. (Going out to buy more gift-wrapping stuff this evening, running of of these is something that makes me very happy.) * * * * * * * 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 ! RenewalsContinuing 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. Up & Down the Page... keeping it FRESH...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 into 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 month or so, will be making a concerted effort to recruit good Crafters to exhibit here. Hoping that inviting 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 under $40, 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". It would be very nice to be able to afford more advertising, more lighting upgrades, and eventually the ability to pay for staff.
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. 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 ($30 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. 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 in a very simple manner. 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. 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 January & beyond...Many thanks to all of you! For those of you who haven't yet paid your end-of-December renewals into January & beyond, 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... Several of you are still overdue on your lease renewal payments for December, which is always due on or before the first of each month! This has made it very difficult for me to keep the budgeted gallery expenses paid on time. 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. Being a nice person, I had not previously been enforcing the Late Fee provisions in the Contract. However, the Late Fee provision will need to be strictly observed. PLEASE, BE AWARE, NO LATE PAYMENT FEES WILL BE WAIVED IN 2010 !! 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 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 shows running anywhere from $25 to $225 (plus meals, lodging, staffing time, transportation, etc.), with 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. Market Yourself !!!You've paid for the opportunities here - choose to use them...Customers contine to view Artist's binders, and 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 at least 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. Through the late summer & into the fall months of 2009, we have seen our website hits 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. 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. ClassesSee the Classes webpage for details.Classes are a great opportunity to bring new faces in the door, and to market your own work. 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. |