I was pretty ecstatic when I found out that I’d been awarded third place in Etsy’s Upcycling contest, back in February. JackRabbit’s first place weiner bench and thimblescratch’s second place coat (made from an old comforter and shopping bags) were some of my absolute favorite entries, so I couldn’t have been happier to stand on the winner’s podium next to them (so to speak). I was doubly excited when I received an email from Etsy admin Vanessa informing me that thimblescratch wouldn’t be able to use her prize booth at San Francisco's Bazaar Bizarre — and that she’d offered it up to me.

How could I resist an offer like that? A chance to go to California, show off my crafty stuff and hang out with the Etsy gang? The only problem I could foresee was that I might not have time to make a ton of stuff to bring with me. (I have two jobs in addition to running my Etsy shop and writing for my Miss Malaprop blog, plus some freelance writing gigs. I'm quite a busy bee!) The solution that immediately came to mind? Go to the Bazaar Bizarre and represent not only myself, but my fellow members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia. We’re a team of crafty businesses, and we'd been wanting to start doing more out-of-town events together to get the word out about our group. The Bazaar Bizarre at the Maker Faire seemed like a perfect trial run.

Getting everything together to represent a group of different artists was quite the learning experience. First, how to physically get it all there? Most of our current members live full-time in New Orleans, but one business, art by mags!, is back and forth between New Orleans and Louisville, Kentucky ever since Hurricane Katrina. She had to ship her things separately to the hotel where I’d be staying, but the rest of us combined as much as we could and shipped it out.

Lesson Learned #1: Avoid shipping as much as possible, because the expense really adds up. For future out-of-state events, we’re trying to pick shows that we can drive to.

Lesson Learned #2: Have a way to market your Etsy shop & website, and better yet, have a way to track it. The Maker Faire was a huge, awesome, and often completely overwhelming event, both for us “Makers” and attendees alike. I’m so glad that we had special NOCM coupons to pass out. Each of our members has their own website and Etsy shop, but we also have an online group store, and we wanted to use the Bazaar Bizarre to market it. We ended up making some business cards made that listed a special event-specific coupon code for 10% off in our online store. We’ve already had some orders come in with that coupon code, and it’s nice to know how they found us.

Lesson Learned #3: Stay organized with an inventory list. With all sorts of different products being shipped from different places by different artists, it was absolutely necessary to have a good way to keep track of what we had, who made it and how much it was. My mom came with me to San Francisco to help out, and since she wasn’t familiar with the other members’ work beforehand, it was really useful to have a list on hand of everything we brought. Having an inventory list is good if you’re doing a show with just your own stuff, but it’s a total necessity if you’re representing a group of artists, like a Craft Mafia or a Street Team.

All in all, I’m so happy I got the chance to attend the Bazaar Bizarre and represent some of my favorite local artists. It’s been hard for many artists in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Many stores and galleries have closed and tourism just isn’t quite what it used to be. Most locals can’t afford to spend a lot on stuff like art now that they’re paying much higher insurance premiums and skyrocketing energy rates, as well as rebuilding their homes. Etsy has been a blessing for local artists, many of whom didn’t have websites before the storm. It’s given us a way to present our work to a much wider audience and keep the Gulf Coast in the minds of people all over the world. For the members of the New Orleans Craft Mafia, it helps us do the job we always intended to do: to network with other local crafters and share some of the expenses involved in getting the word out about our businesses.

Find a Craft Mafia in your area or start one of your own.

New Orleans Craft Mafia member Etsy shops:

dismantled.etsy.com

greenkangaroo.etsy.com

artbymags.etsy.com

uniqueproducts.etsy.com

claveriecrafts.etsy.com

The New Orleans Craft Mafia is always open to new members. Interested New Orleans-based Etsyians are welcome to convo me or check out our website for membership info & requirements.

NOTE: Mallory is interviewed in the Upcycling Contest Winners article.