Tag Archives: craft show

Expedited Shipping, More Bitcoin Options, and an Alaska Gift Shop Map!

What Christmas celebration would be complete without moose poop artwork? Since Christmas is only nine days away, The Winking Moose has decided to offer an expedited shipping option. Our products can now be shipped from orders made on our website or eBay account via USPS Priority Mail to beat the busy holiday shipping rush!

Over the past few months, The Winking Moose has been exploring options to make our products available for purchase with Bitcoin. The “Currency of the Internet” is sometimes difficult to actually spend compared to US dollars when it comes to holiday shopping. To offer Bitcoiners more holiday variety, The Winking Moose has now listed many of our products on “The Etsy of Bitcoin” website Bitdazzle.

Our Bitdazzle Store

The Alaska Moosquito Christmas Ornament

The Alaska Mooseltoe Christmas Ornament

Our artwork is now in five stores in Alaska and the list continues to grow. I mentioned four of these stores in last week’s article and last weekend during the North Pole Plaza Craft Bazaar the Alaska Moosquito and Mooseltoe Magnet both found their way into Way Up In Alaska in North Pole. Burnt Paw Cabins Gift Shop & Cabins is the next store looking to sell our products so we decided to make a map of Moose Poop in Alaska Gifts Shops. Pinterest’s new map board provided a slick interactive map option:

That’s it for this week. The Winking Moose is still hard at work filling the holiday demand for moose nugget gifts and we will be at the Winter Solstice Celebration in Downtown Fairbanks this weekend at Arctic Traveler’s Gift Shop from 4-8 pm on the shortest day of the year!

Online Versus Offline Sales: Initial Thoughts

As Christmas quickly approaches, both online and offline sales have been on the rise for The Winking Moose. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and holiday bazaars have given me a good chance to compare selling moose poop gifts in these two sales venues.

Last weekend, I participated in The Winking Moose’s fourth holiday bazaar of the 2013 season at the Pioneer Park Holiday Celebration. Since moose poop is an interesting subject here in Alaska, shoppers often have a lot of questions. In person I have the opportunity to answer these questions and tell interesting stories related to my business. It’s hard to say if my stories actually help make sales, but the customers seem to find them interesting and I believe this communication is positive. Communication online is left to my written descriptions and pictures. Sometimes I receive questions via email or Facebook and Etsy messages, but often a sale is made online without any communication from the customer.

I learn different information about my customers in person than I do online. Most of the customers I have had in person are buying gifts for relatives and typically sending their moose poop artwork to the Lower 48. I have the opportunity to ask questions and hear their stories as well, often learning useful ideas for future projects and new directions to take my work. Online, I often have no idea what the customer plans to do with the moose nugget artwork he or she purchases. Is the customer ordering 5 items planning to deck out their house in a holiday moose poop display or obtaining gifts for 5 different people?

Another interesting bit of information I receive from an online order is the destination of the package. Perhaps it is being sent to a friend as a gift or maybe it will be mailed to another location upon arrival. One thing that has been evident, however, is that the most common destinations for The Winking Moose’s products have been California, Texas, and New York. Maine and Washington are also popular destinations.

Two products have risen to the top in both online and offline sales. The Alaska Moosquito (either as a figure or as an ornament) has been the top seller in person and a close second online. The Alaska Mooseltoe Christmas Ornament has been the most popular online product and has also sold well in person. Mooseltoe Magnets and Moose Nugget Necklaces have also been very popular. Christmas bazaars have given The Winking Moose a good opportunity to test the sales potential of new products before releasing them online.

The Alaska Moosquito Christmas Ornament

The Alaska Mooseltoe Christmas Ornament

The Winking Moose has products in a local gift shop here in Fairbanks and soon they should be in several other stores as well. I have yet to follow up with the owner of Alaska Raw Fur Company to find out how sales have gone and I am excited to hear her observations.

That about wraps up my initial thoughts regarding online versus offline moose poop artwork sales. I am excited for more in person events like First Friday coming up on December 6 at Jade Resale Boutique here in Fairbanks, sales in gift shops, and the final holiday bazaars of this season. Online sales are also very exciting and The Winking Moose even received an order as I was writing this article! Whether products are selling rapidly or not at all, there is always something to learn and adjustments to make which makes selling moose nugget artwork quite fascinating.

Fairbanks Holiday Bazaar Delivers Some Unexpected Results

Last weekend I participated in the Quota International of Fairbanks Holiday Bazaar. I had a lot of fun, learned some new things, and experienced several interesting developments for The Winking Moose that were unexpected.

I arrived at this bazaar with a large inventory, a few new products, and a beautiful slice of wood (pictured above) that had been given to me to help take my display to the next level. Being well-prepared and having gained a little experience in the world of bazaars gave me the opportunity to relax and have fun interacting with the people visiting my table. I think this bazaar was the most enjoyable event of the season thus far for The Winking Moose.

The first unexpected situation that occurred began when I realized my price tag displays were left at home. I upgraded most of my signs for this bazaar and I was so focused on the new signs that I forgot to bring the old pricing signs. This “mistake” may have led to more customer engagement because people had to ask me about prices. While the quiet type or introverted person may have disliked the lack of displayed prices, it didn’t seem to phase most people who visited my booth and may have led to more moose nugget artwork conversations, which I enjoyed.

At my first bazaar, a woman admiring the Alaska Mooseltoe Magnet informed me that she was interested, but would prefer the moose poop product as a pin that she could wear. I took her suggestion and designed a pin lacking the glittery mistletoe (which I assumed would end up all over a person’s clothing). The Alaska Moose Nugget Christmas Pin debuted at the last bazaar and its sales increased during this most recent event. Her suggestion was a good one which led me to include the Alaska Moose Nugget Christmas Pin in my online artwork collection.

Recently, I have become very interested in the Chaga Mushroom which grows on birch trees in many parts of Alaska. I remember noticing this black bulge growing on trees as a kid thinking that maybe it was from a fire that had passed through my parent’s property before I was born. After learning about its potential healing properties and discovering society’s growing interest in Chaga, I decided to process some to put on my table at the bazaar.

Customers were more interested in the Alaska Chaga Mushroom than I expected and several people purchased some of the packaged portions from my table. The Winking Moose now offers the Wild Alaska Chaga Mushroom online and I plan to bring it to future bazaars this season.

The final unexpected opportunity arose when a fellow artist approached my table. She introduced herself and mentioned that she operates Jade Resale Boutique, a local clothing store here in Fairbanks. She was very nice and invited The Winking Moose to participate in her store’s First Friday event on December 6, 2013. I am excited to be part of a Fairbanks First Friday Event as an artist since I have always enjoyed these local art shows.

Well that about wraps it up. Thanks to the Quota International of Fairbanks for holding such a great holiday bazaar. I especially enjoyed it when they delivered free coffee to my table. Happy crafting and I look forward to the next holiday bazaar this Saturday November, 30 at Pioneer Park!

Obstacles and Solutions for a Moose Poop Craft Business

When I decided to embark on the moose poop project that eventually became The Winking Moose I knew the future would hold some obstacles. Today I would like to discuss a few of these challenges and the solutions I have found to deal with them.

The first difficulty that was evident from the beginning has to do with resource collection. At the beginning this only meant finding quality moose nuggets, which could be a bit tricky. Many deposits were of too low quality for artwork production and I discuss some of the other moose poop-related challenges in last week’s article. Spending more time collecting and processing nuggets was the obvious solution to this problem. What was unforeseen was the difficulty gathering many of the other materials necessary to complete production of my line of moose poop artwork.

Craft stores were overwhelming at first and there are a number of stores in Fairbanks, Alaska. Large chain stores to small family run businesses. Now add the vast selection of stores online and the choices seem limitless. When I have bought out a particular resource (like colored wire) at a local store, I have had to wait for more to arrive or order my own online. In one fortunate instance, the owner of Alaska Raw Fur Company offered to order the specific wire I was looking for which was very helpful.

I have been able to utilize a number of recycled materials during production. In fact, without many of the recycled resources this project probably would never have been possible. My graphic design computer, printer, glue, moose antler wire, mini wreaths, and many paper products are all examples of items I acquired as gifts or through scavenging. Without these and many other products, the costs to start The Winking Moose would have been much higher. Many people have also volunteered their help and there is no way this project would have been possible without it.

Another uncontrollable element that has had an interesting effect on craft production is the weather. Fairbanks had a very long fall with warm weather extending through most of October. This abnormality allowed me to continue processing moose nuggets outside for most of the month. Now that there is snow and temperatures below 0 degrees F, processing moose poop has to be done inside, decreasing the output and increasing the inconvenience.

Keeping my craft room organized has also been a challenge. After preparations for my first craft bazaar it looked like a complete disaster. Learning to keep things clean and organized has been essential to sustain consistent production almost like working in a laboratory.

Overall, I am very happy with both the speed and direction at which this project has continued to move. Learning how to deal with the smaller problems has been trying at times, but is necessary to complete my larger goals while providing an excellent opportunity for acquiring new knowledge.

The Popularity of Moose Poop at My Second Holiday Craft Bazaar

Last weekend I had the opportunity to sell my moose nugget artwork at my second Christmas craft bazaar of the 2013 holiday season. The location was Fairbanks Lutheran Church and the customer response was quite a bit different than what I observed at my first holiday bazaar, in a very positive way.

While I learned a lot and had fun at the bazaar the previous weekend, this time I actually sold a significant amount of my moose nugget artwork. My supply of Alaska Moosquitos has been severely depleted and they were easily my most popular product. There were also more people at this bazaar, but more importantly there was a higher concentration of customers interested in moose nugget products. Even joking around with the non-buyers was more fun. The lesson I learned is that my products fill a buyer-niche that depends on the attitudes of the customer, something I must be very mindful of if I want to make more sales.

In college I learned a bit about nuclear physics and an interesting purchasing pattern I observed reminded me of a nuclear chain reaction. It seemed like customers would appear out of nowhere looking to buy multiple products before they had even seen my table or talked to me. The chain reaction I am talking about can best be explained by one customer proudly showing their moose poop artwork to other craft bazaar patrons who see it and must purchase some of their own. This “buzz” pattern accounted for a significant percent of the purchases at this bazaar.

Often times after I talked to a customer and answered some of their questions, they became interested in making a purchase especially as a gift for a relative or friend. The majority of moose dropping art that was purchased was probably as a gift for an out-of-state relative. Although I originally wore my Moose Nugget Necklace as an advertisement, I found it quite enjoyable to wear and I think some customers were also purchasing items for their own personal use.

I use Square to run credit and debit cards with my iPhone. I figured this might come in handy from time to time, but I was again surprised at how useful it really was. Around half of my sales were actually made using the Square reader and people buying larger numbers of products wanted to use a credit card most of the time.

Now it’s time to talk some real poop. I spend a lot of time working by myself with moose nuggets. Sometimes I find myself caught up in the moment where I am psyched to work with the medium that is a moose dropping. Other times, as I drill into these moose deposits, I find myself thinking “what in the world am I doing?” Either way, working with moose poop can be both thrilling and weird.

I found a family several tables down from mine who had worked with moose nuggets in the past. We began sharing stories and I finally found people who understood the real trials and tribulations of a moose poop artist. The jokes, the details, and the friendly family made for a great experience that I was not expecting. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one out there who finds working with moose droppings to be both strange and enjoyable.

Since I am new to the crafting scene I often learn a lot from veteran crafters at these events. I must send out a thank you to my craft table neighbor Denise who operates Goldstream Valley Arts. She was very friendly and gave me some great advice and ideas for future craft production.

Finally, I used to joke a lot with my friends about different experiments or funny things we could do. Now, in reality I get the chance to try some of these silly experiments and that’s exactly what I had the grateful opportunity to do at this bazaar. My early attempts to coat moose nuggets left me with some poop that wasn’t high-quality enough to use for the final products. I put some of these subpar nuggets in a bowl next to my business cards. On the other side of the business cards I put out another bowl filled with candy whoppers (pictured above). Watching people’s reactions to this setup was hilarious. Most were great and lead to some really funny interactions that I won’t forget. even the upsetting reactions were something I couldn’t help but laugh at.

I would like to thank Fairbanks Lutheran Church for putting on such a fun event and all the people who stopped by The Winking Moose’s table. I plan to participate in several more holiday craft bazaars before Christmas and after this past weekend I am even more than excited to do so. Choosing the right ones with the demographics interested in moose poop gifts will be an enjoyable challenge and now that I have the basics down, I am really looking forward to selling more moose nugget artwork and having a lot more fun!

Reflecting on My First Holiday Craft Bazaar

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of participating in the Holiday Craft Bazaar at Fairhill Christian School in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was a great opportunity to sell some of my products to the local community and provided with many interesting learning experiences.

The Alaska Moosquito was definitely the most popular item I had for sale. Customers, especially children were interested in an insect made from moose poop. When it came to earrings and necklaces, I found that the customers frequenting this bazaar were a little hesitant to have moose nuggets so close to their face (even though they are dipped in polyurethane twice!). Christmas-related products were also a favorite for a number of bazaar-goers especially the Alaska Moose Nugget Christmas Ornament.

One of the most interesting things I learned was that The Winking Moose’s art was of interest to people who were trying to find Alaska-related gifts for their relatives in the lower 48. What better Christmas gift is there for that hard-to-gift friend or relative than a trinket made from an Alaska moose nugget?

A number of customers gave me some excellent ideas to modify some of my moose poop gifts. Making The Alaska Moosquito into a Christmas ornament and turning the Mooseltoe Magnet into a pin or broach were two of my favorite suggestions.

The staff was very nice and accommodating and it was fun showcasing my items to people in real life instead of only on the internet. Interacting with customers and answering their questions was quite enjoyable. While it was nice making some sales, the learning experiences were invaluable and I look forward to participating in the holiday bazaar next weekend at Fairbanks Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 2.

Special thanks to my amazing girlfriend for her help and support with the bazaar!