The hard work of the past few weeks came to fruition last weekend when I participated in the Atlantic Craft Trade Show, my very first wholesale tradeshow, here in Halifax. I had been very nervous about my first foray into that world, and then I had so much fun! It was fantastic to get so much feedback, both from retailers and colleagues.
I had great conversations with my (more or less) local colleagues, my heros really, who have been doing what I do for so much longer: Trudy Gallagher of Bejewel, Lynda of Constantine Design , and Allyson Simmie of Canadian Lanscapes. Allyson stayed with me for the weekend, and we had lots of tired fun in the few remaining minutes at the end of every day. We also took the early morning workshops that ACTS offers for craft producers, which were very helpful. One of them was presented by Wendy Diltz of Atlantic Tradewinds, who has helped so many craft producers with their export needs. It was very nice to see Wendy again. She was my ‘on-the-ground’ person when I went on the trip searching out new leads in Boston.
I also really enjoyed my ‘booth neighbours’: the guys of Maritime Madness with their amazingly named selection of hotsauces, and Canoe Cove Designs, who are off to the big and scary Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia (I am seriously considering going down to check this out, just to ‘walk the show’, as many have suggested my work would fit there very well). And my artist friend Paul Hannon was near me, too, so we got to catch up a little, as well.
I loved seeing my trusted gallery owners where my work is already represented: Doreen from The Moorings in Mahone Bay, Megan Lafrenière of The Lafrenière & Pai Gallery in Ottawa, and last but not least the lovely Rob Buckland-Nicks of The Flight of Fancy, in Bear River, NS. Here are a couple of shots of Rob checking out my new work:
(yes, I will post close-ups of the new work very soon, I promise!)
Later that day, Rob was honoured with the prestigious “Craft Retailer of the Year” award. Talking about his experiences in, and love for, his store, he gave a genuine and heartfelt acceptance speech that moved some to tears. What a great supporter of the crafts, and what a gentle(-)man!
Congratulations Rob!