Well, the show's over and we're exhausted in every way possible. I really want to thank everyone for the amazing amount of support and love shown to Ben and I. It means more than you'll ever know! I apologize for my lack of returned phone calls, text messages, emails, facebook and twitter messages. Again, you've all been amazingly supportive and loving! I will be taking a little break from the blog (and probably from my phone, email, twitter and facebook) to catch up on work that I had to put on hold, sleep that is very much missed, and overall reflection. I will do my best to get back to all of you in the coming weeks. But for now . . . I'm pooped! :)
**I'd like to do a quick explanation of the NSS, as I think some people may be a bit confused.**
The National Stationery Show is not a flea market or craft fair of any kind. It is a wholesale market of stationery, invitation and gift companies. I was an exhibitor, and therefore selling my stationery to retail store owners at wholesale prices (without tax) and wholesale quantities (large quantities of single designs). You can not attend the show unless you are a buyer with a resale license or a member of the press. Nothing can be individually sold at this market. All orders must be shipped to the client in the weeks following the show. Retailers can NOT take any product from the show. The NSS is open to retailers from all over the world . . . not just NYC. We spoke with buyers from states as far away as Texas and California, as well as buyers from Brazil and Paris. Since this is such a huge show (around 900 exhibitors, 10,000 buyers, and 300 members of the press), retailers may wait to go home and internet research new sellers before placing orders. This is why I was constantly reminded that I may not get orders at the actual show. With all of that said, I will give it a few months before I make my final assessment on the NSS and decide whether to attend again next year. I'll keep you posted! Thanks for following our progress at the NSS!
5/20/2010
NSS EX : day 7 ~ LAST SHOW DAY!
The last show day goes by quick! It's only from 9 - 12, and the few retailers that are still there are in a hurry. I honestly wasn't expecting anything on the last day, but was pleasantly surprised by the 10 or so interested retailers I spoke to. Again, no orders . . . but I was finally starting to feel like I may actually get some after the show.
They are not kidding when they say breakdown starts at noon. By 12:30 the bright green carpets were up and most walls were down. It was crazy!
Leaving was a little bitter sweet. It was sad saying goodbye to new friends and not knowing if we'll be back next year. I'm going to allow myself a good 3 - 6 months to digest everything and see what orders follow. I know a million things I'd do differently and better if we do come back. And I know I'd like to be in the exact booth near the exact same awesome peeps we met!
They are not kidding when they say breakdown starts at noon. By 12:30 the bright green carpets were up and most walls were down. It was crazy!
5/19/2010
NSS EX : day 6 ~ THIRD SHOW DAY
I was worried this morning when I realized it was raining . . .
It rained ALL day. Sadly, it even rained inside of Javits which was really bad for a lot of booths. Some people literally had to shut down to keep their products from being destroyed. This is yet another reason I'm in love with our booth location. We are not only by the coolest neighbors EVER . . . **Hard Cards and Tiselle** . . . but we are also one of 3 rows in the entire center that have an extra low ceiling. This helped a ton with lighting! We didn't even need extra lights in the booth. And now, the low ceiling was sheltering us from a very leaky roof!
Considering the rain issues, the third show day was a pretty positive day for us. We got to the booth to see that the flowers were still kickin'. Awesome! Also, we were pleased to see that the rain didn't keep as many people away as feared. We met with several possible retailers and licensing companies. We gave out a lot more catalogs and price lists today as well.
The most exciting part of the day, however, was when Kristen from Paper Crave came by my booth! Her blog is my absolute favorite, so it was a huge honor that she came to see my stuff in person. **So nice to meet you, Kristen and Erin!**
At the end of the day, we had the chance to be the buyer for a bit. We went over to the supply-side for wine, beer and wholesale supplier shopping. This is something I was really looking forward to as a vendor at the NSS. Ben and I were able to meet with several printers, paper and envelope suppliers, and shipping companies. I can't wait to get home and really look into these possible new options.
We finally got a chance to go look through all the Best New Product Displays and take some pics. Just in case I didn't fully explain, the Best New Product Display is right when you walk into the Javits Convention Center and before you are able to walk into the actual show. It is a great way to get in the buyer's face before they become overwhelmed with the hundreds of vendors at the show. There are only 7 categories and only a certain amount of displays allowed in the showing. Though I did not win any of the categories, I was really excited to be in the display at all. I had several retailers say they came to the booth after seeing my items in the display!
Here you can see my Kid Stickers on display under the big sign.
Here are my 6 entries.
(Sorry for the terrible photos! The rainy and overcast day kept the sun from shining down on them.)
After the show, Ben and I ate a lovely dinner at an awesome little restaurant across from the hotel. Two glasses of wine . . . and night-night time shortly followed.
It rained ALL day. Sadly, it even rained inside of Javits which was really bad for a lot of booths. Some people literally had to shut down to keep their products from being destroyed. This is yet another reason I'm in love with our booth location. We are not only by the coolest neighbors EVER . . . **Hard Cards and Tiselle** . . . but we are also one of 3 rows in the entire center that have an extra low ceiling. This helped a ton with lighting! We didn't even need extra lights in the booth. And now, the low ceiling was sheltering us from a very leaky roof!
Considering the rain issues, the third show day was a pretty positive day for us. We got to the booth to see that the flowers were still kickin'. Awesome! Also, we were pleased to see that the rain didn't keep as many people away as feared. We met with several possible retailers and licensing companies. We gave out a lot more catalogs and price lists today as well.
The most exciting part of the day, however, was when Kristen from Paper Crave came by my booth! Her blog is my absolute favorite, so it was a huge honor that she came to see my stuff in person. **So nice to meet you, Kristen and Erin!**
At the end of the day, we had the chance to be the buyer for a bit. We went over to the supply-side for wine, beer and wholesale supplier shopping. This is something I was really looking forward to as a vendor at the NSS. Ben and I were able to meet with several printers, paper and envelope suppliers, and shipping companies. I can't wait to get home and really look into these possible new options.
We finally got a chance to go look through all the Best New Product Displays and take some pics. Just in case I didn't fully explain, the Best New Product Display is right when you walk into the Javits Convention Center and before you are able to walk into the actual show. It is a great way to get in the buyer's face before they become overwhelmed with the hundreds of vendors at the show. There are only 7 categories and only a certain amount of displays allowed in the showing. Though I did not win any of the categories, I was really excited to be in the display at all. I had several retailers say they came to the booth after seeing my items in the display!
Here you can see my Kid Stickers on display under the big sign.
Here are my 6 entries.
(Sorry for the terrible photos! The rainy and overcast day kept the sun from shining down on them.)
After the show, Ben and I ate a lovely dinner at an awesome little restaurant across from the hotel. Two glasses of wine . . . and night-night time shortly followed.
5/18/2010
NSS EX : day 5 ~ SECOND SHOW DAY
We decided to make a few edits to the booth for the 2nd show day. We got some beautiful peonies roses as well as a metal stand to clip on additional cards. We also added a string of cards to the martini girl wall. I think it was a big improvement.
Today I got a ton of requests for art licensing and custom illustrations. We also got a ton of compliments on the booth design again. And again, we got a ton of feedback and good leads . . . but NO orders! All of our booth neighbors keep reminding me not to be discouraged and that orders and contacts should follow after the show. (We'll see . . . I guess.)
After the show, Ben and I walked a couple of blocks to meet a friend and his wife for dinner and drinks in Hell's Kitchen. It was a great evening and exactly what we needed.
5/17/2010
NSS Extravaganza: day 4 ~ FIRST SHOW DAY
This was the earliest day so far. I got up around 5:30 am to be sure we were ready to be out the door at 7:30. We got to the center around 7:45 to drop off press kits and tweak anything in the booth necessary. It was exciting to see the finished product set and ready to go!
Soon after we got the booth all set up, Greetings Etc. Magazine came around and gave every booth their Spring Magazine. I was SO excited to see at the Kid Stickers were in the mag! YEAH!
Retailers and Press started rolling in right at 9:00 am. For the first 3 hours, it seemed as though we had a lot of good feedback and leads. Several people said they saw us in the New Product Display and came looking for us. GREAT! The afternoon was a bit slower and then seemed to pick back up an hour or so before closing.
Though I have been dreading it, the show was actually pretty fun. We were constantly entertained by our awesome booth neighbors from Hard Cards. Those gals are as funny as their cards...maybe even funnier! They are crazy helpful and kind to us too. **Thank you so much, Stacey, Randi and Steve! We love being across form you guys!**
We also really enjoyed hanging with our Australian neighbor, Sarah. Besides loving her accent, she was so fun! We even thought she looked like our martini girl. **We caught someone from the press snapping a photo of Sarah and our girl!**
It was really fun overall, but I was a bit disappointed today. We got a ton of positive feedback and some legit leads, but no real orders placed. I have read that new exhibitors should get orders in the weeks following the show and should NOT expect to write orders at the actual show (especially on the first day), but I can't help but hope for more from tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!
Soon after we got the booth all set up, Greetings Etc. Magazine came around and gave every booth their Spring Magazine. I was SO excited to see at the Kid Stickers were in the mag! YEAH!
Retailers and Press started rolling in right at 9:00 am. For the first 3 hours, it seemed as though we had a lot of good feedback and leads. Several people said they saw us in the New Product Display and came looking for us. GREAT! The afternoon was a bit slower and then seemed to pick back up an hour or so before closing.
Though I have been dreading it, the show was actually pretty fun. We were constantly entertained by our awesome booth neighbors from Hard Cards. Those gals are as funny as their cards...maybe even funnier! They are crazy helpful and kind to us too. **Thank you so much, Stacey, Randi and Steve! We love being across form you guys!**
We also really enjoyed hanging with our Australian neighbor, Sarah. Besides loving her accent, she was so fun! We even thought she looked like our martini girl. **We caught someone from the press snapping a photo of Sarah and our girl!**
It was really fun overall, but I was a bit disappointed today. We got a ton of positive feedback and some legit leads, but no real orders placed. I have read that new exhibitors should get orders in the weeks following the show and should NOT expect to write orders at the actual show (especially on the first day), but I can't help but hope for more from tomorrow. I'll keep you posted!
5/16/2010
NSS Extravaganza: day 3
Day 3 started early...yet again. I was up at 7:00 am putting together display boards for the Best New Product Display Awards. I was accepted to enter 6 of the 7 categories for the contest. The boards were due by 11:00 am. Nothing like the last minute, huh?? **Win or lose, this contest is great because boards are displayed at the entrance of the show and are the first things the retailers see.**
We managed to turn the boards in and get back to booth setup by 11:00 am. All we had left to do was to apply the vinyl coffee cup to the back wall of the booth and display the cards. We were a bit nervous about applying the vinyl to the already standing wall, but it went smoothly and looks great! The booth was totally done by 1:30. Sweet!
Since we had a few hours to kill, Ben and I grabbed a burger in the Hell's Kitchen area (and near our hotel) at an awesome little place called Burgers & Cupcakes. They literally have hamburgers and cupcakes. Both were delicious!
Ben's cousin, Josh, and his family came into the city to have dinner with us. It was great to see them! **Josh, Sally, Chase and Kayla - Thanks for driving in to see us!**
We managed to turn the boards in and get back to booth setup by 11:00 am. All we had left to do was to apply the vinyl coffee cup to the back wall of the booth and display the cards. We were a bit nervous about applying the vinyl to the already standing wall, but it went smoothly and looks great! The booth was totally done by 1:30. Sweet!
Since we had a few hours to kill, Ben and I grabbed a burger in the Hell's Kitchen area (and near our hotel) at an awesome little place called Burgers & Cupcakes. They literally have hamburgers and cupcakes. Both were delicious!
Ben's cousin, Josh, and his family came into the city to have dinner with us. It was great to see them! **Josh, Sally, Chase and Kayla - Thanks for driving in to see us!**
5/15/2010
NSS EX : day 2
Day 2 started early and ended late. Good news is, it was crazy productive! We also met the coolest people who were quick to help us in every way possible.
First we walked to the Javits Center to check things out. There we met up with Edward and Paul from Suburban Silk who hooked us up with super cheap foamcore to build our walls. There they gave us a little demo on how to put the walls up. Awesome! Paul then even helped Ben carry all 7 pieces across the center to our booth. **Thanks again, Edward and Paul! **
Once we got bank to our booth we were ready to start laying down the floor which is interlocking foam tiles from SoftTiles. **SoftTiles has the BEST customer service. We noticed around 4:30pm that we had the wrong shade of yellow on the edge pieces! EKK! I emailed Christine at SoftTiles right then. She wrote me back within minutes with a UPS tracking number for the new tiles she had overnighted and Saturday delivered to our hotel. FABULOUS!**
After the floor was down, we were ready to lay the big vinyl girl stickers onto the foamcore. **Thanks, Ed and Matt from Signs By Tommorw Jax! They look awesome!** We were terrified about laying down the huge stickers since it was a one shot situation. But by the end of the day, Ben and I were experts! They turned out great, and we've gotten lots of compliments from other vendors.
Next, the walls went up. This we literally could NOT have done without our lovely booth neighbors from Tiselle. Not only did they totally guide us with our first wall, but they gave us a ton of zip ties. These are crucial to the hanging process, and I forgot our entire box at the hotel! **Thank you so much for everything, Tianyi and Dan!**
Ben and I are a great team! Once we got that first wall up, we were on a roll and totally knew what we were doing. We got all vinyl on and all walls up by 11:30 pm. We were tired but really proud of the outcome. Only displaying the actual cards would be left for the next day! Yeah!
First we walked to the Javits Center to check things out. There we met up with Edward and Paul from Suburban Silk who hooked us up with super cheap foamcore to build our walls. There they gave us a little demo on how to put the walls up. Awesome! Paul then even helped Ben carry all 7 pieces across the center to our booth. **Thanks again, Edward and Paul! **
Once we got bank to our booth we were ready to start laying down the floor which is interlocking foam tiles from SoftTiles. **SoftTiles has the BEST customer service. We noticed around 4:30pm that we had the wrong shade of yellow on the edge pieces! EKK! I emailed Christine at SoftTiles right then. She wrote me back within minutes with a UPS tracking number for the new tiles she had overnighted and Saturday delivered to our hotel. FABULOUS!**
After the floor was down, we were ready to lay the big vinyl girl stickers onto the foamcore. **Thanks, Ed and Matt from Signs By Tommorw Jax! They look awesome!** We were terrified about laying down the huge stickers since it was a one shot situation. But by the end of the day, Ben and I were experts! They turned out great, and we've gotten lots of compliments from other vendors.
Next, the walls went up. This we literally could NOT have done without our lovely booth neighbors from Tiselle. Not only did they totally guide us with our first wall, but they gave us a ton of zip ties. These are crucial to the hanging process, and I forgot our entire box at the hotel! **Thank you so much for everything, Tianyi and Dan!**
Ben and I are a great team! Once we got that first wall up, we were on a roll and totally knew what we were doing. We got all vinyl on and all walls up by 11:30 pm. We were tired but really proud of the outcome. Only displaying the actual cards would be left for the next day! Yeah!
5/14/2010
NSS Extravaganza: day 1
I'll be posting daily about our adventures at the National Stationery Show (I'm calling it our NSS Extravaganza!). We both will be pretty hard to reach via phone for the next week. (THANK YOU for all the calls, emails and posts thus far. I really appreciate the love and support!) Please check here at my blog, Facebook or Twitter for updates.
Day 1:
We made it to NYC yesterday afternoon safely and overall pretty easily. I used the afternoon to squeeze in some work. I can't seem to relax! We then went to a wonderfully tiny little Italian Restaurant a couple streets over for dinner where the very Italian owner greeted us in Italian. (Dad would have LOVED it!) A delicious dinner and a few glasses of wine made for a great first day of our NSS Extravaganza.
**We are very aware of the Times Square bombing threats. Though our hotel is fairly close to Times Square, we will do our best to avoid the area. Thank you for all of your concerns.**
Day 1:
We made it to NYC yesterday afternoon safely and overall pretty easily. I used the afternoon to squeeze in some work. I can't seem to relax! We then went to a wonderfully tiny little Italian Restaurant a couple streets over for dinner where the very Italian owner greeted us in Italian. (Dad would have LOVED it!) A delicious dinner and a few glasses of wine made for a great first day of our NSS Extravaganza.
**We are very aware of the Times Square bombing threats. Though our hotel is fairly close to Times Square, we will do our best to avoid the area. Thank you for all of your concerns.**
5/13/2010
we made the list!
Beyond excited to have made Paper Crave's 2010 National Stationery Show Must See List! Yeah!!
http://papercrave.com/my-2010-national-stationery-booth-list/
http://papercrave.com/my-2010-national-stationery-booth-list/
5/01/2010
bright lights, big city
We are currently not accepting new design projects as we head to New York City for our debut at the National Stationery Show. Be sure to follow our progress at the show on our blog!
If you are in the New York area, please be sure to stop by and say hi!
If you are in the New York area, please be sure to stop by and say hi!
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