Allisa Jacobs: Open For Business- My Experience & Tips for a Successful Open House

After hosting a very fun, exciting, & successful Open House event this weekend, I thought I'd share my experience because I would really encourage everyone making handmade to try something like this! (no need for tips? scroll down for the pics :) Also, let me just say that I am so thankful to everyone who came & supported me on this...I feel like I put myself out there & it was just an amazing experience to see my friends-old & new- come & share this with me!

Things That Were Successful (though folks in attendance can add comments if they like ;)

Studio - After much reorganizing, I used my actual sewing room to display my goods- guests seemed to really enjoy seeing this room- I heard a lot of "oh, wow, so this is where you do everything!" and answered questions about my process- which was so exciting to share. Having my fabric on display also helped people think about different items to order - I loved seeing my guests start talking about fabric to each other!
Catalog - I created a mini-book that featured some of my best work & variety - I am so proud of this! I would encourage others to make one too (what a great thing to share & show off!) but really it was rewarding for me just to see my stuff on paper like that. I was like, wow!, I did all this. This would be a great thing to show folks who missed the Open House but wanted to come.
Order Forms - Seems obvious but I nearly missed this one. This allowed people to buy multiples of items, change fabric, or order what I'd run out of.
Mood - I invited mostly moms & held my event on a Saturday night so I really wanted it to feel like a 'night out.' I had music, drinks, food, sparkly lights...I thought a lot about my "audience" & what kind of event they would like....I know it's hard for moms to get away so I wanted to make it worth it!
Display - I'm super proud of my branch tree display which I used to show off my new felt ornaments- I tried to think of something that would show how great they looked when hung from a tree to give people an idea.
Raffle - this was a good icebreaker & allowed me to share more of the handmade world & Etsy since I gave away soaps & crayons from two other Etsy shops (Kitty Baby Love & Sun Basil Garden)
Reveal - I held back from sharing items on my blog or Etsy so that people would get a chance to see some very new items....this added to a little excitement & interest I think because it might've been like "Oh, I saw this on your site. And that. This too."
Timing: I really analyzed this one. Ha. I picked a date that was good for gift buying...
Invites: well the invites themselves coulda (and shoulda) been snazzier than just an email, I did invite neighbors & people I didn't know very well...this was a wonderful way of showing the neighborhood just what I'm up to at 4am with the lights on & I think I made a few new friends!

What I Would Do Differently: I'm such a reflectionist (new word?) and always looking for ways to improve....here's my list- I'm sure it will keep growing!

Check -Out: Not sure what I was thinking here. I had bags & my calculator ready but I missed some important things here: paper to assist in adding up items, tissue paper & ribbon to wrap up purchases (which is my online signature!), and, uh, including my business cards. eeks. just hadn't thought this step through....
Display: Since this was a great time for people to buy gifts, I wish I would have displayed or talked more about gift ideas (my raffle did this a bit, but not enough). I could've showed my wash cloth sets with a bar of handmade soap....
Details: well, I planned this in two weeks so I'll cut myself some slack but in the future I would a) plan in farther in advance (like July!) b) think of the little things-> I really wanted to do include a small "thank-you" item (such as fabric covered magnets) but ran out of time, add my name & shop info to the bags, etc.....
Discount: Next time I'm including an incentive for re-order, like 10% off your next purchase on a lovely card with my info...because, well, just because.
Delegate: Many thanks to my hubby & my brother's girlfriend who really pitched in to help me... I did end up asking them for help but I think I definitely could've asked earlier & doled out the tasks better to prevent panic & me puttingmy make-up on only 5 minutes before people showed up.
Photos: I wish, oh how I wish I would've taken photos of the actual event instead of just before & after. This might've been a task I could delegate (and pay in goods :)