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BUYERS MARKET: 160 New Artists Including 5 Merit Award Winners
PHILADELPHIA (February 13, 2013) – The Buyers Market of American Craft will open Saturday with nearly 800 exhibitors, including 160 artists whose gift, home and fashion products are new to this wholesale trade show.
The new artists include five winners of the Buyers Market Merit Award. This annual prize grants U.S. and Canadian artists their first opportunity to show designs to retailers in a national wholesale trade show. read more
Don’t Miss the Jewelry Preview on Feb. 15 in Philadelphia
BALTIMORE (January 24, 2013) — The Buyers Market of American Craft has assembled its largest Jewelry section in three years, trade show organizers announced today. Retailers who attend the Jewelry Preview at the Buyers Market on Friday, February 15, 2013, from 4-7pm at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, will get a first look at hundreds of new designs.
“We will have more than 300 designers and suppliers in our Jewelry section, plus another 60 jewelry makers in our glass, ceramic and mixed media sections – exclusively from U.S. and Canadian studios,” says Rebecca Mercado, show director. read more
Deadline extended to Friday, October 5, 2012, at 5 p.m.
Because we have received so many calls and e-mails from craft artists who want to apply, we will extend the submission deadline to Friday, Oct. 5, at 5 p.m. for the professional and student divisions.
Our distinguished jurors will begin their work on Oct. 7, so hurry and apply today!
Enter online at the NICHE Awards website, where you will also find contest guidelines and a link for paying the entry fee by credit card. Payment by check or money order is also permitted. read more
Please welcome and thank the 2013 NICHE Awards jurors:
NICHE magazine, the trade publication for retailers of fine craft and handmade-in-America products, is pleased to announce the names of its jurors for the 2013 NICHE Awards competition for craft artists. The NICHE Awards recognize innovation in fine craft produced by U.S. and Canadian artists and students of craft. read more
CEO Wendy Rosen Extends Her Leave
On Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, Wendy Rosen, our CEO and publisher, halted her campaign for U.S. Congress. Acknowledging the disappointment of her many supporters, friends and colleagues, Rosen issued an apology and thanked them for remaining committed to the mission of improving job opportunities for artists. She will continue to be on leave from managing The Rosen Group while she addresses matters associated with closing out her campaign. Additionally, Rosen is working on developing new projects to benefit entry-level artists, including a third edition of her book, “Crafting as a Business.” As always, she is available to consult privately with artists about their businesses. read more
In a brief letter to exhibitors, The Rosen Group announced the cancellation of NICHE: The Show, its three-year-old Las Vegas trade show, and invited past participants to move to the company’s flagship show, the Buyers Market of American Craft.
The Buyers Market will take place February 16-18, 2013, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
“After producing three respectable and gorgeous small shows during Jewelry Week in Las Vegas, we have decided not to repeat NICHE: The Show there,” wrote Rebecca Mercado, director of both shows. “Economic factors, including the cost of producing a show in Las Vegas, have contributed to our decision to research other alternatives. In the Jewelry Week marketplace, we encountered formidable challenges to growing our show to a size that could justify the investment required.” read more
NICHE: The Show 
returned to Jewelry Week in Las Vegas today with a carefully curated roster of award-winning small studios, making a big statement about contemporary American artistry.
NICHE: The Show, presented by the Buyers Market of American Craft, exclusively showcases studios from the U.S. and Canada, while other shows have only recently begun labeling their American manufacturers. Buyers will see cutting-edge designs and luxury gifts that are artist-crafted, not factory produced. As a result, the three-year-old NICHE: The Show has earned its “boutique” reputation as an intimate, glittering destination for buyers seeking American design and value.
“We may be a small show compared to other events this week, but we have certainly made a big impression with buyers,” says Rebecca Mercado, show director. “Many say it is a refreshing alternative to the giant shows, because here, they actually meet the people who design and make the products. The buyer can take their stories and passion for the work back to the store, to share with loyal customers, who become collectors.”
Award-winning designers at NICHE: The Show include:
• Chihiro Makio of 314 Studio, winner of multiple Saul Bell Design Awards for her silver jewelry and a finalist in this year’s competition. She is introducing new pave diamond designs at NICHE: The Show.
• Bree Richey, winner of the jewelry industry’s first Future of Design contest, a business incubator competition created by Cindy Edelstein of the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau and Andrea Hill of StrategyWerx.
• Christi Anderson of Elemental Adornments, a silver metal clay sculptor, Bead Dreams design award winner, and double finalist in this year’s Saul Bell Design Award competition.
At NICHE: The Show, buyers will also see products for gift registries and for visual merchandising: handcrafted jewelry boxes, bowls and trays to add a touch of elegance to display cases and delight customers as wedding or anniversary gifts.
NICHE: The Show continues Saturday and Sunday in the Celebrity Ballroom at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Mezzanine level. For buyers’ convenience, the show opens early. Show hours are Friday-Saturday, June 1-2, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 3, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Registration for qualified retailers is complimentary. Retailers badged by the other major Jewelry Week wholesale shows are welcome also at NICHE: The Show (open to the trade only).
Start the day at NICHE: The Show, then ride our new complimentary shuttle to other trade shows on the Strip.
In cooperation with the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, the shuttle stops daily at Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace and Paris Hotel. On Saturday and Sunday, the shuttle also stops at Mandalay Bay, in cooperation with JCK.
For NICHE: The Show information during show hours, and transportation schedules, please call 702.408.6291 or tweet to @nichetheshow. Our Twitter hashtag is #nichetheshow.
Find show details also at www.NICHEtheShow.com.
Attendance increase of 12 percent seen at the Buyers Market
BALTIMORE (March 7, 2012) — Strong attendance numbers buoyed spirits and sales at the winter Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia last month.
Attendance by buyers was up 12 percent over the last year’s wholesale trade show, according to Rebecca Mercado, show director.
“We are thrilled about the numbers,” Mercado said, “but we are even happier that the buyers who attended were able to find the high-quality, contemporary and fresh, new products they sought. Many of our artists are reporting that they will be busy in their studios filling orders for handmade work right through mid-year. We work hard to please our retailers and our exhibitors. The economy, the weather and many other factors do impact sales, and the experience is not going to be the same for each store or artist, but I can confidently report that this was a positive show.”
The Buyers Market, open wholesale to the trade only, recorded attendance by 1,300 stores. Each registration admits up to four buying representatives per store. They saw work by 735 experienced and emerging artists: about 133 of the artists were new to the show and presenting work not seen before by Buyers Market regular shoppers. In addition, more than 30 media companies — magazines and blogs, primarily — attended the show and have written positive coverage about Buyers Market exhibitors and events.
Media reports about the show and testimonials from many exhibiting artists are being posted online at the Buyers Market website.
Fine and art jewelry, fashion accessories and home furnishings made by artisan studios in America and Canada: Retailers will find the greatest selection of new and best-selling artists at the Buyers Market and NICHE: The Show, which are The Rosen Group’s two wholesale trade shows coming in 2012. Booth space is available: Artisans and suppliers may apply today. Registration dates for buyers are listed below.
Buyers Market of American Craft
- Dates: February 18-20, 2012, with Jewelry Preview on February 17
- Location: Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
- Buyers Registration: opens October 3, 2011, call 800-432-7238, ext. 272, or register online at www.buyersmarketofAmericancraft.com
- Exhibitor applications: Apply today at www.buyersmarketofAmericancraft.com or at www.zapplication.org. For details, call 800-432-7238, ext. 227 or ext. 203.
- Note: The Buyers Market will celebrate its 30th anniversary at the 2012 Winter show.
- Dates: June 1-3, 2012, during Jewelry Week
- Location: Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas
- Buyers Registration: opens late February. For details, call 800-432-7238, ext. 272, or register online at www.NICHEtheShow.com
- Exhibitor applications: Applications will be available beginning October 3 at www.zapplication.org. For details, dial 800-432-7238, ext. 202.
NICHE: The Show
The Rosen Group will not produce a summer Buyers Market in 2012. The Merit Awards program for emerging artists and the Buyers Market guild booth program, highlights of the summer show, will move to February.
“Our goal this coming year is to consolidate and focus our talents, strengths and energies on making the winter show and NICHE: The Show the very biggest and best they can be,” said Wendy Rosen, president and CEO of The Rosen Group. “When we survey our artists and buyers, they tell us they want us to grow these two shows, and continue working to expand the markets for American-made products to attract new buyers. We’re also taking steps this year to grow the Arts Business Institute, because it prepares emerging artists to succeed in wholesale.”
The Buyers Market and NICHE: The Show are wholesale to the trade only.
You’ll want to be the first to register for the 2012 Buyers Market of American Craft, celebrating its 30th anniversary at the winter show.
We’ll have a special anniversary gift for each of the first five companies to register their buyers on October 3, when our online registration system opens.
Mark your calendar today so you don’t forget!
"Love in every pot" is a slogan of Boyan Pottery, founded in 2008 in New Hampshire. For contemporary kitchens, Boyan makes fun creamers (above) and sugars.
The show dates are Feb. 18-20, 2012, with a Jewelry Preview on Feb. 17, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
The Buyers Market is the premier wholesale trade show of jewelry, home and fashion accessories, fine craft and gift products made in America and Canada by studio artists.
To register as a buyer or apply to be an exhibitor, see details here.
To contact us, send e-mail to info@rosengrp.com.
For retailer inquiries, please call 800-432-7238, ext. 272.
Want to exhibit with us? Call 800-432-7238, ext. 227
or download our application, available now on the BMAC website.
