With the economy being stalled most businesses are looking for ways to increase their sales and not spend money from their own pocketbook.

A shop could designate a corner for a small table and chair and allow you to set up for a trunk show.

The concept has been around a long time...traveling salesman and their 1 suitcase was very popular. That is how they made their living by stopping and opening up their case of wares along the way.

I could see us doing the same thing. Why not contact a few of the consignment stores with the concept of having a show in their shop.

You could print out some flyers and pass them around, or hire an high school student to put them under the wiperblade of autos in the parking lot for just a few dollars.

If you had 4 shops lined up you could list them all on one sheet with the dates and times where you would be - lets say on a first Saturday you would be....here; and the remaining 3 Saturdays your location and time.

You could offer a drawing to those who showed up and completed a ticket for the raffle to be held at the end of each Saturday.

If they signed your guest book they get an extra ticket.

You could have a picture of a piece of jewelry that will be the prize.

Those who purchase a piece of jewelry could get a extra tickets or two depending on the dollar value spent.

Winners need not to be present to win, so you would not take up a whole lot of their time.

The store gets the extra traffic, you get the opporunity to sell your wares and have your name put out there.

Each shop could also promote that day by including a flyer in the customers purchase stating when the upcoming show will be.

Since it would be indoors you don't have to worry about the weather or having a tent/canopy.

This setup would work with a folding table and chair and a basic cloth to cover the table to make your items stand out to their best view.

People love to enter raffles and have the opportunity to win something and your guest book would now have their name, address, phone number and email address for a possible future contact from you.

So you would need a folding table, chair, cloth, guest book and pen/pencil, a roll of raffle tickets, fish bowl or other suitable container for the tickets, a mirror, an order book, extra pens as they walk away, business cards, custom order form, sign up for a home jewelry party sheet, the raffle item and your jewelry for sale.

All quite doable and fairly easy to manage.

I would suggest it be for about 3-4 hours, say 1-5pm with you arriving an hour before to set up. You could even make jewelry in the down time when it is slow.

What should your flyer say?

You’re invited to...
Gypsy Woman Caravan Designer Jewelry Spring 2011
Trunk Show

Your Name,
Your Town, State
Your Telephone Number
Your Web address ( Artfire, Etsy, or other)