Participated in the SFMade Pop Up Shop yesterday. 20 companies all had their wares displayed in the Data I/O space on Valencia street in the Mission. We each had a 4’table and chair for our use. There was a steady stream of people walking through and I did sell $100. worth of cards plus one of my new necklaces. I’ve got mixed feelings about the day however. I can see the importance about being in the right target market of people. Young, urban, hip SF folk are not as likely to twirl the spinner of a card rack as they are try on funky plaid shirts, try smoking a new type of “cigarette” that is flavored and not smoke, or try some yummy taste treats that were available. All in all it was good and I love getting great feedback which came from a variety of folk but I’m thinking if I could find some garden clubs I’d be a huge hit! Therein lies the importance of target marketing.
One very cool thing from yesterday…in the morning when I checked my email I had an order from my website. Now that doesn’t seem necessarily like something to write home about but I did, in fact, send an email to Sarah to tell her that “I got an order from someone I don’t know!”. The order was from a woman in Ames, IA! She had “bought a bundle” the buy 10 for $30 option on the website but had only listed 8 cards. I emailed back and told her she had 2 more to choose plus asked how she found me. It was through this great write up in the Bayview Footprints newsletter that gets emailed to I’m not sure how many people. From this I can see the power of the web. Perfect timing as I’m about to embark on more social media campaigning. Here’s the article:
Creative businesses, local flavor
Scrappy artists have made work and lived in Bayview Hunters Point home for decades, enriching the neighborhood with every creation. So Peg Conley and Rika Kruze must feel right at home. They share the entrepreneurial bug, are talented artists, and have chosen Bayview Hunters Point as the place to live and work.
Peg lives on Palou, is active with Art 94124, and has been found in the Quesada Gardens with pad and watercolor brush in hand. Rika lives on Hudson, and regularly volunteers in the gardens while keeping an eye out for a good photo opportunity.
What they produce feeds their souls, and communicates personal stories about the place they live. Both are happy to share the results.
Peg Conley’s transportational watercolor paintings and textual messages have found their ways to a set of cards for all occasions. The colorful, muted-here-bold-there images of nature she finds close to home and heart are lush and unmistakablely her own.
Rika Kruse moved to the neighborhood recently, and originally was a native of Germany. She makes cards and other items that communicate what she sees through the lens of a camera when she is in nature or with friends. The positive messages she pairs with the resulting images are drawn thoughtfully, through her international sensibility.
Ask Rika about her images and handcrafted cards and other items by email or by calling (415) 821-1732. The image (above left) is of “Nisha’s Rose,” a blossom from the rose bush Antwanisha Morgan’s family and friends planted at the Quesada Gardens in Antwanisha’s memory.