Month: April 2011

At my last show (the One of a Kind spring show April 2011) several people came in looking for “teacher gifts” for June. This is a phenomena that I’m not that familiar with as I don’t have little kids and my school days are way behind me. It was one of those “Aha!” moments for me. Marketing is easy when it’s Christmas, or Valentines Day or Mother’s Day. It’s all those in-between times that can lead to a sales drought. Now I’m going to find something interesting, I’m going to give my customers a reason to shop, I’m going to …

It’s Inspiration Friday, and for the first time in two weeks, extenuating circumstances are not preventing me from having something to post. I know we have some talented readers out there. Show me what you’ve got. If you can send me a pic of your eye candy before say 7pm? Please send to info@beadfx.com – subject line inspiration friday. Happy Friday everyone!

Clasp me! Come on now, everybody – clasp your hands together. Or, more to the point, clasp your strands! We have a boat load of those handsome, decorative clasps that are either the perfect finishing touch, or the jumping off point for a fabulous design. Perhaps you are starting to plan some wedding jewelry (what with June barreling down on us like a loaded donkey) and are thinking about pearls? A pearl clasp would surely look most awesome. We have a traditional style, or you can go for baroque. These clasps with molded glass cabochons are made with glass buttons …

If you’re wondering what’s in store for the month of May at beadFX, here’s a recap. There are two bead shows, a few new classes, and even more classes. The much anticipated Toronto Bead Society Fair is April 30th & May 1st. You can drop by at the store to pick up a $2 off the admission fee flyer. If you can’t make it to the store, you can print the flyer online here. Also, there is the Lampwork Trunk Show. The Lampwork Trunk Show is taking place at beadFX Sat May 14 10 – 5pm. There will be lots …

Sometimes it happens. Sometimes it isn’t you, it’s them, they are just plain old miserable people who aren’t going to be happy with anything and now they’re your customer and you have to deal with them. Oh joy, lucky you. It’s just a part of running a business, take a deep breath, deal with them nicely and they will go away. Here’s a couple of tips from someone who’s had her fair share of “fun” customers over the course of 150 craft shows and 3 years of online selling. First, always keep your cool. No matter what, never let them …