Summer Sales

By Shawna Kulpa

For some folks, summertime means lazy days at the beach. For many studio jewelers, however, it means long, hot weekends spent manning booths and selling their goods at summer art fairs. Show veterans recently shared advice on the Orchid forum (ganoksin.com/orchid) to help those new to the show circuit better plan for this summer pastime.

• With summer comes heat that can make even the busiest, most successful outdoor show feel unbearable. Beat the heat by bringing along an extra cooler filled with ice. “Whenever you or your feet get hot or tired, stick them in [the cooler] one at a time,” suggests Sessin Durgham of Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “Your feet are like a car radiator and will cool your engine right down."

• If you’re not comfortable selling, bring along a friend who is. Not everyone is cut out to be in sales, and the problem can be compounded at an outdoor show if you’re alone. When Janet Kofoed of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, does street...