Charm and Strange Crochet: comin' at ya in person!

With the holidays fast approaching, I want to be sure to have some in-person sales, but I don't feel ready to do a holiday market. Like, stock-wise or mentally. Renting a table at a weekend or even a one-day craft fair feels like something I'm really gonna have to psych myself up for, rather than try to find so close to last minute. That's a whole separate blog post ;)

So instead of finding markets, I reached out in my local community Facebook group and I got a list of several different stores in the Metro Detroit area that stock local artists' goods! I spent an afternoon making a spreadsheet because that's the kind of person I am. Then I ended up contacting seven of them, and so far I have gotten a response from three!

The first was Insp!re Marketplace, located in Twelve Oaks Mall. This store is juried, which means a panel of people decides whether or not to sell the goods. This is usually to ensure that the store is not flooded with a lot of the same types of items. I was so, so honored that the jury gave me a "resounding yes"! However, I ended up turning them down because of the high rent. I get it, Twelve Oaks can NOT be a cheap place for them. As a new business owner with a history of about four sales a year on Etsy, I wasn't ready to sign the contract that they were offering. Looks like Insp!re will have to be a growth goal for me! ;)

I DID accept the offer to sell some of my items at McPherson Local in Saline! Starting THIS WEEK you can find my produce bags, market bags, and Swiffer mop covers IN STORE! I am so excited about this. Saline is a really cute little town with several small shops and cafes, and apparently a fantastic farmer's market just around the corner from McPherson.


The third response has been from The Artsy Umbrella in my hometown of Berkley. They are also juried, so that's a big win for me emotionally just to be accepted! I have a meeting with them tomorrow to discuss their contract options and fees. Something just feels so right about selling my craft in my hometown!

 

In case this list would help anyone else in the Metro Detroit area looking to sell their craft goods, and/or looking for ways to support local artists, here are the other shops I was pointed to! (listed in no particular order - nothing is ranked)

If you live near any of these cities in Michigan, I highly recommend you check them out - particularly as you shop for gifts this holiday season. Your purchase at any of these stores will mean so much more for the business owners and your community than a purchase made at big box stores like Amazon, Target, or Barnes & Noble. :)

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