My First Trade Show with Pippin Prints
Happy Tuesday and welcome to the latest catch up blog post with Pippin Prints. A moment for me to reflect on the most recent chapter in our year, the nature inspired art that I’ve been creating in my studio and the progress I’ve made on current projects. I’ll also likely share some of the little joys of life from the outdoors, home and the comforts of the current season. In August I attended my first trade show with Pippin Prints.
My First Trade Show with Pippin Prints
Back in May I spoke about my plans to expand into the world of wholesale with my products. As an artist, diversity is important as there are always seasons of both feast and famine. The more variety I have in my business, the more stability I have. It was a big goal of mine and an important step for Pippin Prints.
Well, after a lot of planning, painting and preparation, I did it. This month I attended my first trade show. I’m so pleased to say it was a big success. Just two weeks have passed and I have already secured three new stockists with potential for two or three more on the horizon.
Having been unsure what to expect from the weekend I’m pleased to say that I left feeling more confident in my business. The visitors were few, but each conversation I had was full of value. So much advice was exchanged and many compliments came my way, which I’m getting better at receiving over time.
For those of you who love a little shopping trip, you can now shop Pippin Prints in Billingtons of Lenzie, the Woodland Florist just outside of Dunoon, 17 Reasons in Moffat and Comrie Croft Farmshop near Crieff.
In the Studio
The paint brushes have been set to one side this month as I prepared for the trade show and built up my stores of new collections ready to share with potential stockists. I have introduced over twenty new card, bookmark and print designs and all of that wonderful stationery has taken a lot of organisation!
A day spent with my label maker in the studio helped to pull things into order thankfully. I now have a system that allows me to pick and pack orders quickly saving me a lot of time and stress.
I have made a point of bringing in a lot of new packaging too. Focusing specifically on eco friendly options, my studio is now well prepped with everything I need for future orders. It also helps me to align with the priorities of my customers, many of whom require compostable options for their shops.
Whilst it hasn’t been the most creative month I have ever had, but certainly a productive one.
Little Joys of Every Day Life
As those of you in Scotland and the rest of the UK will know, August has been a month of rain. Whilst normally my small joys come from the outdoors, we’ve been forced indoors far more recently.
Cosy days on the sofa have been plentiful. They have even been necessary as our little one has been doing longer hours at nursery and rest has been well received. Add to this my busy days preparing for the trade show and we’ve all been exhausted. Being forced to slow down has perhaps been a blessing.
At the very end of the month however, between showers, we managed to sneak out to the woodland behind our house with a basket. The plan was to see if we could find a few blackberries. In fact, we foraged enough for us to make a crumble. One of my favourite moments in all of August and it made my daughter so happy too. Plus, we all know how expensive blackberries are. Finding them for free is such a win in my books.
Looking forward to catching up with you again at the end of September, a month which will hold a little less chaos and a lot more floral painting. I’ve been getting into a nice rhythm of working with a new flower each month and I have something very…sunny ready for the next chapter.
Emma x
If you own a shop and would like to view my wholesale price list and catalogue please reach out to me at hello@pippinprints.com and I’ll send them over.
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