Kress Emporium Upgrade

I've had space at the Kress Emporium for about 8 months now. I walked in one day to inquire about space and whaddya know, they had something available! They offered it to me that day and after some hemmin' and hawin' over it with friends (for all of about an hour) I decided to go for it.

It's been OK! Christmas time was the best time, but other months haven't been so great. So I've decided to upgrade my space with the hopes that a new, more professional look will bring more buyers. I mean, it can't be the Kress' fault I'm not getting sales! The space they have is beautiful and the quality of art has increased over the last 5 years, so I feel proud to be a part of it. Overall I have a pretty sweet space (go left and look in the first 'cubby'). I'm surrounded by a bunch of other jewelry, but my space is not locked up (thus easier to peruse) and it has great visibility as soon as you turn the corner.

cards on dowels in new frames

However! The display they provided for me is preeety preeeety preeety blah. An old frame of a window thing with screen to put the jewelry in. It gets messy, the screen comes loose and it looks completely unprofessional. Not to mention the hideous 5-minute hand-drawn sign that says "Gritgoods" above it. It must go.

So I put together my Buy Local brain and my Just Economics brain and found a local frame shop to make some frames for me, Frame it to a T. These were preeety expensive, but I like that I supported a local, living wage certified business.

side view

Well, with frames in hand I was excited but paralyzed! I was so afraid to drill them myself! Thank goodness for awesome business owners like Bert at the Citizens Hardware store! He drilled every hole for me and cut my dowels for free! We had a moment, thanking each other. I didn't quite understand why he was thanking me, and as it turns out he has 7 grandsons and it was a pleasure for him to help a young lady. Aww. We had a moment. It was beautiful.




Now I'm ready for all the incoming tourists, following Fodor's travel guide suggestion to make Asheville, NC their #1 travel destination this year. And may I so boldly suggest that these same tourists make the Kress Emporium their #1 downtown shopping destination. :)

4 frames, 20 dowels, will hold a total of 120 cards with earrings

Surprising Photography Set-up

I was once voted "most likely to surprise you." And I think you'll be surprised just how simple my photography set-up is. Paper, tape, table. Done.

I have tried building my own light box out of a big cardboard box. It was bulky and in the way, and the lighting was a huge hassle. I got eco-friendly light bulbs that would look like real daylight, I got 4 plug-in clip-on lamps, I got extension cords to plug in all my clip-on lamps, blah blah blah. The receipts had really big numbers on them. It was a hot mess (literally - those lamps heat up quick!).

I have tried building my own light box out of pvc pipe and sheets. First of all, just so ya know, you do not need a 2ft square light box.* :) That's too big! I tried sheer sheets, white sheets, a white shower curtain, all cut to size and attached to my huge pvc pipe frame with zip-ties. Again the project turned out to be expensive, bulky, and didn't improve my photographs.

Taken Outside (and yes it was cold)

So wouldn't you know it, big surprise, sometimes the best solution is the simplest solution. On overcast days I take photographs outside. I have a table, and I tape a sheet of gray matte paper to the banister as a backdrop. Done.

Taken Inside

On any other day I am inside next to a window. With my gray sheet of paper taped to a trash can on top of a table. On inside days I also make use of a mirror propped up to give some reflected light and/or a sheet of sheer tissue paper taped to the window to diffuse direct or bright sunlight.

I recommend a gray paper backdrop over white paper because white paper can be overpowering in its brightness. Gray is neutral and won't reflect the colors of your props like white paper will. Also, depending on your camera's metering settings, the white paper may cause the camera to adjust for a brighter setting. I learned this tidbit from my Dad, who now says that "gray paper is like the third bowl of porridge. Not too hot. Not too cold." He's a brilliant, deep thinker.

So there you have it. A surprisingly simple photography set-up = paper + tape. Mirror is optional.

The Importance of Planning, Friends, and a Well Balanced Life

Being a business woman is hard work! Especially when I rely on my brain to remember everything I need to do.

Planning is IMPORTANT. Unfortunately, planning is not a strength of mine. I enjoy doing things, I don't enjoy planning to do things. This goes for making art, traveling, meeting with friends, etc. Don't take it personally. I guess I'm just a person who prefers an organic lifestyle, one that manifests itself naturally, instead of being PLANNED. I could go on a real tangent here ...

Last week I took the time to write out what I would get done on a Friday because Friday is a good day to devote to my business and my friends (I work other jobs M-Th). So I made the cutest daily schedule EVER! I shared it with friends because I was so proud of it. Of course, the most interesting part of the list was that I had scheduled a snack. Not so unusual to artists - we forget to eat sometimes when we get 'in the groove'. So it made sense to me to schedule when to eat. Well, the great friends I have, who I currently PLAN to see as much as possible (to keep a well balanced life) thought it was so funny. And now I never hear the end of it.

Friends are IMPORTANT. If I were to devote as much time to the business as I'd like to I would never see my friends. Plus, now they remind me to eat snacks, publicly, on my facebook page.

:)

My new bio ... not B.O.

 I decided that my last bio stunk, like B.O. Here's the new one:

"Gritgoods" is a play on my real name, Margaret Goodson, but my tag line "get some Grit in your Goods" has multiple meanings! Literally the Grit is the gunmetal amidst the Goods - semi-precious stones and sterling. In addition to the unlikely pairing of gunmetal and silver, my designs also include pairings of natural materials with stones. As to the figurative translations ... there are many and I leave it up to the buyer to find their own meaning.

Gritgoods was born from the desire to create jewelry that brings flare to the traditional and good taste to the ordinary. You will find my designs to be versatile, for everyday wear and fancy nights out, affordable and practical. By hand forming most of my sterling silver ear wires, and using lever backs and kidney shaped ear wires, my earrings don't fall out! Lobster clasp closures, large gauge jump rings, and hand-formed double looped links also ensure a feeling of security while wearing my jewelry. I keep my jewelry affordable because I'm also a special education teacher and can appreciate those who want to support handmade, but may not have the deep pockets for 'fine art'. I have taken a metalsmithing class but prefer not to go that route because of the expenses to myself and my fans.

I have a long-time appreciation for handmade Goods that started with getting handmade Christmas ornaments every year from my family. My Grandma painted canvases and gourdes, made ornaments, small baskets and even did some wood working. My Mom paints silk, my sister is a photographer and web designer, and my aunts make jewelry, hand painted tiles, baskets, and pen and ink drawings. I draw inspiration from my artistic family and also from the area in which I live - western North Carolina is full of talent and beauty. I originally came here in 1998 to receive my BA in Art (concentration in ceramics! go figure) and have lived here since.

Gritgoods makes every effort to have a low impact on the environment and buy locally. My business cards, tissue paper, and gift boxes are all made of 100% recycled material. I have a local supplier for stones, buy many supplies from my neighboring state, Tennessee, and also support many Etsy supplies sellers. I buy less than 5% of my supplies overseas. I keep sterling bits for recycling and support local movements like the Asheville Grown Business Alliance and Just Economics. Gritgoods is also a member of the Asheville Etsy Street Team.

Grit Greatness

Just the other day at a friend's house I found myself a little sad. She said to me "it's so cool that you wanted to make jewelry and you're making it happen!" and I found myself thinking 'it's not going that well' and 'I haven't really done much lately'. Well, those thoughts whipped my but back in gear.

I am now back in the flow, feeling like things are going my way. I keep getting repeat customers at the shop, I was able to get into The Big Crafty, and starting next week I will have a small space at the Kress Emporium. Wow. It's amazing what I can get done when I put my mind to it!!

And now I can do one of my favorite things - shop for beads and make jewelry!!

Keep on keepin' on.

It's SHOW Time

Spring is here (though with today's 30 degree temps you'd never know), which marks the start of some big festivals, shows, shindigs, extravaganzas ... etc. It's time to spend time outdoors with friends and family eating ice cream, smelling flowers, listening to frogs croak, and buying handmade crafts! Applications for us vendors start early in the year, and some were even due at the end of last year, and now begins the reception of acceptance emails, rejection emails, and actual events. So far I have applied to several events. LEAF did not accept the Goods, but hopefully with this years new fancy white Caravan tent set-up, I can send them a better photo for next year's LEAF. I applied to Bele Chere in July, but have yet to hear back. The deadline for The Big Crafty was days ago and I just squeaked in under the wire with that application. AND the first actual event for Gritgoods this year will be the Durham Art Walk. It's in Durham. Duh. Downtown there will be 20-30 indoor vending areas for handmade goods. I will set up shop at Morgan Imports which is on the West side. This will be my first attempt at this show and I'm really looking forward to it. The DAW coincides with Duke's parents weekend, so we should have a lot of downtown foot traffic that weekend. So if you're in the vicinity, or would like to take a trip to explore what downtown Durham has to offer these days, come out on Saturday April 17th 10am-5pm, or Sunday April 18th 1-5pm.

Gritgoods is conquering the world ...

... one pair of earrings at a time. That is to say - I just sold a pair of earrings to someone in Australia!!! Aside from selling to my sister in Switzerland, sales out of the country happen ... never. Not only that, but the earrings are a gift for someone in her wedding. That just makes me want to hug myself and say "awwww" as if I just saw a baby bunny rabbit.

It just so happens that I'm celebrating with the man of my life, drinking limoncello bought overseas!!

My mantra of the month - "My life works beautifully" ... and it does.