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The Victorian Heart Shoppe's fifth year has been a bustle of activity with a blast of media recognition. From our page one article in the much acclaimed online Victoriana Magazine, to our Vendor Spotlight in the world's largest online flea market, Qflea, the word is getting out that we are the place to shop Victorian. Please join us as we celebrate the 2008 successes supplied by several of our enthusiastic members.
12 Tips for a Successful Christmas Bazaar Tableby Victoria OttoThe following tips are recommended for a small retail shop participating in an arts & crafts holiday fair or a Christmas bazaar. Up to 6 weeks in advance: 1. Make a list and check it twice; more often if a tendency to misplace lists exists. 2. Brand your booth with the following items: (These can be purchased "free" at www.vistaprint.com for only the cost of shipping) banners, business cards, calendar magnets, rack cards, etc. 3. Invite friends and recruit plenty of help for the actual sale day. 4. Inventory your products (something old, something new): ordering too late could cost a sale so make sure to have plenty of that "most popular"' and "brand new" item on hand for the big day. 5. Print out a readable price list, stickers and tags get lost in the shuffle: whole dollar amounts (round $4.95 to $5) will make it much easier to make change at the actual event. 6. Get in the spirit of the event with tablecloths, decorations, centerpieces, etc. that reflect the holiday theme. At the event: 7. Provide a sample to all interested traffic (if you are selling perfume, spray a business card "to go", free recipe cards for a food booth, etc.). 8. A sale isn't a sale unless there is a discount: offer 20% or more off the regular price and be sure to bring a calculator. 9. Feed the impulse buyer: the 'five and dime' has acquired dollar signs so be sure to have at least one $5-$10 item for the impulse buyers, perhaps no higher than $30 unless you are prepared to take checks or credit cards. 10. Stage your products: the most expensive jewelry looks better on a hand, the most beautiful scarf around a neck, an exquisite 'wine charm' dressing a crystal goblet, the idea is to show off the goods (baskets, boxes, bags)! 11. Have an appropriate cash drawer, money bag, or register, with plenty of change (makes both dollars and sense). 12. Remember the true meaning of the event: Christmas is a celebration of the Christ child's birth. Arrive early, have fun, be of good cheer, suggest appropriate gifts, and be thankful for all blessings from Above. Author: Victoria Otto from Victorian Laurels: Visit Victorian Laurels Contributors: Linda from Charmed Victorian: Visit Charmed Victorian Debbie from Cozy Cottage: Visit Cozy Cottage All of the above shops can be found in one place: Victorian Heart Shoppe About the Author Victoria Otto is the owner and CEO of the retail website, Victorian Laurels, and the membership mall, Victorian Heart Shoppe. She has a BS in Mathematics and is a retired school teacher of twenty-five years. Victoria lives in New Mexico with her husband, Jeff, and their dog, Dukey. This summer two of our members collaborated efforts with an unparalleled love for paper filigree in the July/August issue of the Victorian afternoon tea publication, The Tea House Times. You can join them below for tea, shopping, and just plain olde-fashioned fun! In September we were pleased to be a corporate sponsor of the first Make Mine Pink, “Getting Down to Business” retreat in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia! This included the following invitation to all of our members: "We would love to extend an invitation to you and all of the boutiques at the Victorian Heart Shoppe. Registration has just recently opened to the public. It is going to be lots of fun and very informative...it will be a very safe and friendly environment." 
Contact: Victoria Otto - 505-342-1565, E-mail: info@victorianheartshoppe.com Website: Victorian Heart Shoppe, www.victorianheartshoppe.com 170 Years of Unbridled Passion: The Women of the Victorian Heart ShoppeRanging in age from 35 to 70, their bios read like the pages of a 19th Century romance novel. Meet the women of the Victorian Heart Shoppe and take a walk into history through their passionate dreams fulfilled. They came from all walks of life as their paths crossed, from shopkeepers to innkeepers, from artists to teachers, from homeschoolers to thoroughbred race horse trainers, from writers to illustrators, from secretaries to classical musicians, from "Cookie Queens" to runway models. Let these women weave you into their lives, but beware, as you will become entwined in the common thread of all things Victorian. Although they own boutiques, galleries, home studios, bed & breakfast inns, gift shops, and booths in antique malls; most of them have created their "Somewhere in Time" moments in a virtual reality known as the "web". Diane, who lives in upstate New York, described her 15 minutes of fame as "having the courage and faith to start my own business and to do what I always dreamed of doing!" And, they have all shared a passion to create and collect! Our women's online Victorian businesses gathered at a quaint little "town square" website appropriately named Victorian Heart Shoppe. Since January of 2004, when Victoria's dream of coordinating a "window shopping" Victorian mall was realized, she mused: "With the help of my husband and webmaster, we built it and they came!" The women of the Victorian Heart Shoppe have been modest when it comes to their accomplishments. Their shops and products have been featured in magazines such as Romantic Homes, Romantic Country, Country Victorian, Elle, Greetings Etc. and more. Their artwork has been incorporated into books and even on puzzles, such as Shelley's "Please Mr. Postman" done by Ravensburger in Germany. Darna had 36 of her amazing hats worn at the Kentucky Derby this year. Lisa had her children's book Matilda Private Eye: The Case of the Missing Socks published, and Galia had a book of inspirational poems published. Nancy and Julie are in the process of expanding their Broken to Beautiful program, an outreach to women in domestic violence situations. They love every minute they spend volunteering for many organizations. These women are an inspiration to young women everywhere. Nancy, an interior decorator said, "I am semi-retired…very ill with Lupus and Sjogrens Syndrome…in pain 24/7, and it's not over till I win." For the most part, they would rather talk about their husbands, children, grandchildren, and pets than themselves. Linda's pride shone when she spoke of her "daughter Tara and her husband Derrick [who] are both active duty Air Force", and Eve spoke of her teenage children who "have been and are the light of my life; they have awarded me with all richness of the world. It couldn't get any better than that." There is an overwhelming sense of contentment as Debra suggested, "I love all I do and wouldn't trade a thing", or as Elizabeth described, "My life is very full and blessed." Michelle reflected, "I am looking forward to a bright and prosperous future, by God's grace." Visit the women of the Victorian Heart Shoppe and take a walk through a secret garden, to a haven, to a simpler time, to another era, to their Victorian world. ------------------------------- Visit our Photo Gallery and learn more about these amazing women at: www.victorianheartshoppe.com/about.html Thanks to my husband, Jeff Otto for transforming a pretty pink box into the Victorian Heart Shoppe of my dreams. Thanks to Barbara Salazar Jaynes for lending her literary expertise to the proofing and editing of this piece. Thanks to all of the women of the Victorian Heart Shoppe for their friendship and encouragement with this undertaking. Thanks to SitePro News for their helpful articles, "The 10 Commandments of Press Releases" from 6/15/2007 and "How to Write a Media Release" from 9/14/2007. |
