Hello bow makers! Well, we're back from the NY Women's Expo in Troy, NY. And no disasters befell us such as tornadoes or hurricanes. Gee, maybe my luck is changing! This could be a long post, so bear with me.
In any case, I'd first like to say that the promoters of this event were par excellence. They outdid themselves with the set-up, venue, and advertising. They were there on the spot if you needed them for anything and couldn't do enough to help this event be a success. Well, we did have one little glitch in the three day show -- on day 2 the promoters entered to find no electricity in the building! They made a mad scramble to contact the building's manager who told them they don't have an electrician on retainer, so the promoter had to get her own electrician and have the work done. We were up and running within an hour of the show's opening. The promoter (Suzette Anthony) spent over $40,000 in advertising alone for this show -- now that's a promoter!
Sadly, for whatever reason, the show did not generate much traffic -- do you believe my luck? But we had a grand time for ourselves and were able to do our own shopping (pssst! great Christmas gifts!) at the many (150) booths. We met some terrific vendors and swapped lots of ideas and garnered tons of advice for future shows.
I brought hubby and daughter with me as well as our dear friend, Priscilla. Priscilla got a little crazy and bought this adorable hat very first thing and proudly wore it the first day of the show. She said it matched her shoes -- you'll just have to take my word for it, it did. Here's our la-di-da Queen showing off her finery.
Here's a look at Dina and Priscilla practicing their bow making. They actually came up with even more great ideas for the Craft-Dee BowZ that I hope to share with you very soon. Mind you, Priscilla had never even seen the Craft-Dee BowZ, but that sharp little mind of hers was clicking away. She and Dina came up with a very clever way of making even bigger bows -- stay tuned!
Hubby got all dressed up for the occasion -- he had to look like part of the team, didn't he? Since we girls were wearing our glittzy corsages, hubby needed to look the part as well, so I made him a bow tie (thanks for the suggestion, Regina!). Here he is in all his glory. He got more attention at the show than anyone! Everyone loved his tie and commented on it. (Keep this in mind, bow makers!) As we say, "the Craft-Dee BowZ ain't just for card making anymore!"
I do have to tell you this one other story. An adorable young lady, Victoria, entered our booth and we demonstrated the Craft-Dee BowZ with her. As we were talking, we were admiring some of her jewelry. She told us she makes a lot of it herself. She promptly set about making a bow into a ring. Here are two examples of the new Craft-DeeBowZ ring. Isn't this great? I love it! Hmmm, do I see Craft-Dee BowZ earrings in the near future? I'm modelling the one Victoria made.
And here's one I made using the double loop bow. Don't these give you great ideas - maybe for little girls' parties, a special nite out with a bit of dare and flair?
While at the show, my friend Carol from Albany dropped by the booth. I hadn't seen Carol in about 10 years, so we caught up on family life and such. She was telling me that she couldn't believe the amount of advertising that went into this show. Hi Carol! I hope it won't be another 10 years before we see one another!
So I left this show with ideas buzzing in my brain which I hope to pass on to all you bow makers. Drop me a line - I'd love to hear from you.
Donna
