Makers Socials!

One of the highlights of 2024 was the fantastic success of our Makers Socials—bringing together makers in a welcoming space.

We’re excited to build on this momentum in 2025 with even more opportunities to connect. This year, we’re planning a mix of brunches and evening get-togethers in Brighton, giving makers an opportunity to come together and chat outside of fair days.

First Meet-Up: Lost & Found Taproom – Saturday, 1st March at 6:30 PM

Our first Makers Social of 2025 will take place at Lost & Found Taproom (Ditchling Road, Fiveways) on Saturday, 1st March from 6:30 PM. If you’d like to join us, please RSVP so we can ensure there’s enough space for everyone.

Brunch Meet-Ups – Dates Coming Soon

In addition to our evening gatherings, we’ll also be hosting brunch meet-ups in Brighton, offering a more relaxed, daytime opportunity to connect. Keep an eye out for upcoming dates and locations.

Kicking Off 2025: Makers Fair Season Begins!

Master potter, Roberto Gagliano, demonstrating at the Standen Makers Fair 2024.

After a couple of months of well-earned rest, we’re back and gearing up for an exciting year of Makers Fairs! We hope you’ve all had a wonderful start to 2025 and are feeling as energised as we are for the events ahead.

Standen House & Gardens – May 16-18

First up on our calendar is the three-day Makers Fair at Standen House & Gardens. This stunning National Trust venue proved to be a fantastic setting for our fair last year, and we can’t wait to return in May! Expect an inspiring weekend filled with exceptional handmade work and live demonstrations. More details will follow soon, so stay tuned!

Applications Opening: Stanmer House Summer Makers Fair – July 5-6

We’re thrilled to announce that applications for our Big Summer Makers Fair at Stanmer House will open on Saturday, 8th February, at 10:00 am. This event will take place across the gardens and ground floor of Stanmer House, providing a picturesque setting for a weekend of creativity and community.

The Summer Fair will feature a diverse range of makers, live demonstrations, delicious food and drink, and plenty of space for visitors to explore and enjoy. We have both indoor and outdoor stall options available.

If you’re a maker looking to be part of this exciting event, mark your calendars and get ready to apply. Spaces will be limited, and we expect a high level of interest, so don’t miss your chance to be involved!

Keep an eye on our website and socials for more updates, and we’ll see you soon!

How to Prepare for Success as a Maker at a Craft Fair

Participating in a craft fair can be an exciting opportunity to showcase your work, connect with customers, and grow your creative business. But as any experienced maker will tell you, success at a fair is all about preparation. Whether it’s your first event or you’re a seasoned exhibitor, these tips will help you make the most of your time at the next Maker’s Fair.

1. Perfect Your Display

Your stall is the first thing visitors see, so creating an attractive, inviting display is key. Make sure your setup reflects your brand and the quality of your work. Here are some tips:

- Use Levels: Create visual interest by using different heights to display your items. Consider stands, crates, or shelves.

- Branding Matters: Make sure your logo, business name, and contact details are easy to spot. A professional-looking banner or sign can help draw attention.

- Lighting: Good lighting can make all the difference, especially if the venue is indoors or if it’s an evening event. Portable LED lights can highlight your products beautifully if plug-ins aren’t an option!

Communication: If you have a particular display set up that requires extra space around your table, check first with the events organiser. This information can be useful to them when putting together the floor plan.

2. Stock Up (but Don’t Overwhelm)

It's always tricky to gauge how much stock to bring, but as a general rule, it's better to have a little extra than to sell out too early. Think about a variety of price points as well:

- Hero Pieces and Small Items: Have a few higher-priced, standout items to grab attention, but do consider more affordable price-point items too.

-Limited Editions: If you have limited-edition pieces, let your customers know. Exclusivity can drive sales and interest.

3. Be Ready to Engage

One of the biggest advantages of fairs is the opportunity to meet your customers face-to-face. Here’s how to make a great impression:

- Tell Your Story: Be prepared to talk about your creative process, inspiration, and the story behind your brand. Customers love knowing the backstory of what they’re buying.

- Have Business Cards Handy: Not everyone will make a purchase on the day, but they may want to follow up with you later. Make sure your business cards or flyers are easily accessible.

- Accept Multiple Payment Methods: Offering card payments as well as cash is essential these days. Consider investing in a mobile card reader like Square or SumUp.

4. Price with Confidence

Pricing can be one of the trickiest parts of selling your work, but it’s important to feel confident in the value of what you’ve created. Consider:

- Pricing Strategy: Take into account your materials, time, and any other costs, and make sure you’re pricing for profit.

- Clear signs: Have clear, easy-to-read price tags on every item. Avoid making people ask for prices—it can put potential buyers off.

5. Promote Yourself Before the Event

Maximise your reach by promoting your participation in the fair ahead of time. Here’s how:

- Social Media: Share photos of what you’re working on and let your followers know you’ll be at the fair. Tag the event’s social pages for more visibility.

- Send out a newsletter: If you have a mailing list, send out a newsletter inviting people to come see you. Include details like the venue, date etc.

6. Prepare for the Day

You’ve worked hard to get here, so make sure you’re comfortable and ready to enjoy the event:

- Check your route to the venue: The set up can often feel stressful. Plan your route to the venue beforehand to avoid arriving late. Set off with plenty of time to ensure a smooth set-up.

- Familiarise yourself with parking arrangements. Each venue will have its own parking options.

- - Comfortable clothes: Wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers—you never know if the venue will be too hot or too cold!

- Bring Essentials: Pack snacks, water, and any tools you might need to create your display. Basics like scissors, ties, string, tape are very useful.

7. Follow Up

After the fair, it’s time to follow up on the connections you made:

Reach Out to New Contacts: Email or message those who took business cards, and thank customers for their purchases. A small gesture like this can help build long-term relationships.

Reflect and Improve: Take note of what worked well and what could be improved for your next fair. This could be anything from display tweaks to a new product idea based on customer feedback.

A Spectacular Debut at Standen House & Gardens

Our very first Makers Fair at Standen House and Gardens was an incredible success! Over three days, from Friday through Sunday, we welcomed a large and enthusiastic crowd, and the event surpassed our expectations in every way.

Friday: A Surprising Start

Friday caught us all off guard as visitors began arriving early and in high numbers. The turnout exceeded what we had prepared for, but it was a wonderful surprise, showcasing the strong interest in our makers and their stunning work. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect—glorious sunshine bathed the venue in warmth, a real gift for September!

A Marquee with a View

For the first time, we erected a large marquee on the croquet lawn, just below the grand Standen House. The marquee overlooked the rolling hills of the High Weald, providing a truly breathtaking backdrop for the event. Watching the marquee go up on Wednesday was an exciting moment, as we worked with a fantastic new supplier who ensured everything went smoothly. Over the weekend, the marquee filled up with an array of beautifully curated stalls, each one showcasing the incredible talent of our makers.

Goose Green: A Hub of Activity

We also expanded to Goose Green, where gazebos were set up to host more stalls and live demonstrations. This area bustled with activity, drawing in crowds eager to watch makers in action and learn more about their craft. Demonstrations by talented individuals like Gordon, Dan, Julie, Juliet, Jing & Roberto were a huge hit, with visitors marvelling at the skill and artistry on display.

Feedback from Our Visitors

One of the best aspects of the weekend was the fantastic feedback we received from visitors. Many commented on the high quality of the work exhibited—everything from handcrafted jewellery to intricate textiles and stunning ceramics. The attention to detail and passion from our makers shone through, leaving a lasting impression on everyone who attended.

A Weekend to Remember

This Makers Fair marked a significant milestone for us, as it was our first time venturing outside the Brighton & Hove area into wider Sussex. The picturesque setting of Standen House and Gardens, coupled with the incredible talent of our exhibitors, made it a weekend to remember. We’re already excited for future fairs and can’t wait to return to this beautiful venue.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support us, from the visitors to the makers, and to the team at Standen House for making this event such a success. We shall be returning in May & September 2025!

Artist Spotlight…Patrick Edgeley

Brighton & Hove based screen printer Patrick Edgeley cre­ates limited edition screen prints that employ bold, hand drawn text and imagery. Americana, signs, packaging and pop culture are a great influence in these hand printed works.

A love for all things typographical can be seen through out his screen prints, something that stems from his many years work as a graphic designer. The screen prints are produced in short, limited edition runs and are available from his website, various galleries and exhibitions around the world.

“My work has changed direction in recent years to now include collaging of imagery mixed with panels of colour. As always I’m inspired by the 20th century, especially Americana. It’s optimism for space travel, the latest gadget or quirky packaging promoting artificial flavours and radiation and of course not forgetting its fantastic colourful, kitsch packaging.

I have moved away from somewhat purposeful naive drawings to utilising more vintage images from the 40s to 80s, incorporating them into carefully balanced, thought out collages that are then transformed into hand printed silkscreen images.”- Patrick

Screen printing reached great popularity in Europe in 18th & 19th centuries and is still used today in a vast array of products, from motifs on cardboard boxes, printed circuit boards and was of course utilised by artists and made popular by the likes of Eduardo Paolozzi, Peter Blake, Peter Phillips and Andy Warhol.

Print by Patrick Edgeley

“I love the whole sequence of actions when producing a print. I tend to push myself to see just what I can achieve, either in number of colours I use, complexity of design or experimenting with techniques. It can be a slow, frustrating process at times when the result doesn’t quite match your expectation, but these moments can also be a positive, steering you into a another direction with the print, helping to shape it like a painting. You simply don’t get with a press of a button on a inkjet printer, each screen print, although subtle, has it’s own uniqueness!”

You can see Patrick’s work at The Maker’s Fair at The Old Market Theatre on 24th-25th June.

 

Making in action

Fancy the opportunity to demonstrate your creative process?

At The Summer Weekender at One Garden Brighton (Aug 12-13), we invite some of our exhibitors to demonstrate their artistic practice, whether it be throwing pottery on a wheel, painting, carving or basketry. Our visitors always find it fascinating to see how things are made and it opens up interesting conversations with the artists. It is also an excellent opportunity to shout about creative workshops and classes.

There will be opportunities for workshop leaders to put on activities for our younger visitors. We are hoping to utilise the garden space for fun, creative and immersive activities. If this is of any interest to you, please get in touch!

When applications for The Summer Weekender open on April 16th, there will be a section on the form to request to be a Demo Artist. We are really looking forward to seeing what you have to offer!

Artist spotlight…Frances Bloomfield

Frances Bloomfield is a Brighton based artist who frequently exhibits at the Maker’s Fair events. Her work can best be described as a series of fascinating dreamscapes exquisitely created in three-dimensional collage. Each piece is like a small theatre set which plays with space and perspective to draw the viewer into the curious worlds she creates. The subject matter varies from the domestic to the industrial to the natural but there are recurrent themes throughout her body of work. Notably there is always a suggestion of parallel realities – it might be a juxtaposition of what is considered ‘real’ and what is imagined or desired or the conflict between the façade and what might be really occurring behind or beyond it. However the meanings are not prescriptive and it is for the viewer to contemplate and reflect upon these scenarios. Her smaller pieces are playful and experimental and it is often from these sketches and mini worlds that she will go on to make larger and more complex pieces.

Frances will be part of The Makers Residency at 358 Ditchling Road, open every Saturday and Sunday in May 11-5.

The Makers Residency @ 358

I remember my childhood home being turned upside down in the month of May during the my mum’s Artists Open House exhibition. The three-piece suite would be crammed into my bedroom which as a child was a real novelty! My mum; a painter, used to curate her own open house exhibition inviting a few of her friends as guest artists. She had a love/hate relationship with it. Working full time and having your house open for the weekend definitely took its toll. One year, I offered to help out and take over the organisation of our open house. It was at this point that I realised how much I loved organising exhibitions and art events. I then started to think about organising the first fair, bringing together artists and makers on a larger scale. 4 years later….here we are!

This year, we’ve decided to bring some of our fair exhibitors to show with us here at 358 Ditchling Road (where it all began). The house is on the Fiveways Trail, close to the Fiveways shops. We hope to see you there!

What’s new for 2023?

What a year we’ve had! We have enjoyed 7 fabulous fairs and welcomed lots of new faces to the Maker’s Fair events. It’s been very encouraging to see so many people getting out and supporting local Artists, Makers & small businesses.

As we wrap up the last fairs of 2022, we have been busy booking in next year! There are some exciting additions to the calendar for 2023. We will be continuing to host events at our much-loved venues, One Garden Brighton, All Saints in Hove and St. George’s in Kemptown. We are pleased to announce two new weekend events at the Old Market Theatre. We visited this venue back in June of this year and felt an instant connection to the place. The Old Market Theatre is a creative hub for live music, film, boundary breaking theatre, dance, cabaret, comedy, literature, workshops and performances. We are really excited to be using the space to bring together some of the top Artists, Designers and Makers in the South.

Another first for 2023…..The Maker’s Residency! We will be doing a pop-up as part of the Brighton Artists Open Houses. We will be showcasing the work of a selection of Maker’s Fair exhibitors at 358 Ditchling Road Open House during the May Festival.

More info on that to come soon so stay tuned!