We are excited to support you as you prepare to participate in the region’s largest handmade holiday market! Our goal is to see you succeed. To do that, we need to work together.

This page will be updated regularly and have all the information on it that we will share at the meeting. It includes links to milestone documents (homework) that are crucial to your success.

All meetings are held at Construction Junction at 214 N Lexington St, Pittsburgh, PA 15208 (Directions), from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM in their back classroom. To find the back classroom, walk in the front door and go straight to the back. There is a wall with a wood sculpture are a hallway. There will be a rope across the hallway to keep shoppers out. Lift the rope, walk down the hallway, and the classroom is on your left.

Meeting Dates and Details

Saturday, September 30 Meeting Agenda

Saturday, October 21 Meeting Agenda 

  • Picture day! Bring your photo-ready self and products for us to take pictures of for press and social media.
  • Payment Presentation: Cash + Credit Cards + Electronic Payment
  • Pricing Your Work Presentation
  • Booth Display Presentation: Images, items, and more.
  • Material Orders: Progress update
  • Product Conversations: Progress on inventory check-in, questions about inventory, pricing, and more
  • Questions & Answers

Saturday, November 18 Meeting Agenda

Tools to help you plan:

Inventory  Worksheet:

Use this sheet to list everything you want to sell at the Holiday Market. This is a planning document only. You do not need to return it to us.

Consider:

  • Each product individually and how long it takes you to make it. 
  • How many of each product do you want to have at the event? Include in this thought process different sizes, colors, etc. If you make clothes, name each design separately. If you make jewelry – do you make a bunch of the same products, are they all a little different? Do you have patterns that are the same for knitters? 
  • Use this exercise to narrow down what you plan to bring, how many of each, the costs to create each product, and the time involved. It will help you stay organized.

Downloadable documents include:


Production Calendars:

Due to Val, no later than Sunday, October 8.

Consider:

  • After you work through the Inventory Worksheet, decide your product and inventory goals for the Holiday Market. It should also help you determine how long each item’s production will take.
  • Work backward from the Holiday Event and put your goals, production days, and times on the blank calendar. 
  • Add time to the calendar to add the inventory to your point of sale system (credit card application) or time to get your inventory to Handmade Arcade so we can add it to our system.
  • Add time for packaging, adding price tags, and planning your display.

Downloadable documents include:


Materials Order Form:

Due to Val, no later than Sunday, October 8.

NOTE: Include all costs, such as shipping and taxes, to see what it will cost you in a ‘real world’ scenario. We have sales tax exemptions in PA and Amazon Prime and will do our best to get free shipping and taxes excluded from all orders. This may bump you up over the $500 limit. That is OK. Keep your materials to $500. The rest we will get covered or cover for you as needed.

Downloadable documents include: