the importance of being seen...

I was wearing a headband like this that morning.

The week before I opened my shop I went to the park before work to eat breakfast and do some crocheting. It was a cold, crisp morning so I was wearing one of my headbands for cuteness and warmth. I was not the only one at the park that morning. It was crowded. Quite crowded. It wasn't full of parents with their kids like you'd think. No, it was full of professionals getting ready to shoot a commercial for Wal-Greens. I was not expecting this, but who wouldn't love to watch something interesting like this? Even cars passing by couldn't resist... resulting in at least one minor fender bender. I sat at a table atop a hill and enjoyed my bagel and the spectacle of it all. Not much later a man approached to invite me to join them all at the tables close to the action (I was in their shot). So I went. I go to chat with several people who were just hanging around waiting for their job to come up. It seemed like that was what a majority of them were doing. One man showed an interest in my crocheting. He would run off to do some work and then come back and ask me questions over and over. In the end I gave him my email address so he could contact me about a headband for his wife. I didn't hear from him for quite awhile and thought I had been forgotten but 2 days ago he became my 7th sale! And all because I was creating out in public and being a walking advertisement!

Knowing that being out and visible is such a great way to market your stuff for free (or the cost of a cup of coffee), I have been making it a point to crochet at coffee shops at least once a week and wear my items out whenever I can. When somebody stops at my table to say something is cute I say, "Thank you! I actually sell these online... Here's my card!" It is such a thrill to hand out a card to a stranger and have them actually thank you for it. If you don't have them already, I highly recommend getting some business cards! So exciting! <3