i made it! market: nomadic indie crafts marketplace: Page 2

Party with a Purpose

By Carrie on March 8, 2013

Community Post from the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse

Party with a Purpose

[eats, drinks and good conversation]

“The Fine Art of Creative Reuse”

We all know the three “R’s”—reduce, reduce, recycle. But recently, it seems the possibilities have expanded to include new creative activities. Artists and artisans as well as enthusiastic crafters are exploring the possibilities of vintage, DIY, upcycling, recovered materials, and more. These “new media” include discarded bike chains, vinyl records, wine barrels, seatbelts and virtually every other used material. And increasingly, such practices are affirmed as ethical and necessary, as our planet is ravaged by increased production, endless consumption and truly monumental waste.

Inspired by the activities at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative reuse, we invite artists of all backgrounds and practices to join us in rethinking creative reuse.

People we want to meet:

artists or artisans working with trash, scraps, found objects, vintage stuff, discarded, recovered, recycled or upcycled materials,
practitioners of appropriation art;
artists working in any medium dealing with themes of consumption, trash, recycling, landfills, the ecology more generally, etc.;
eco-activists working on the border between aesthetics and politics;

Questions to explore:

do artists engage in “creative reuse” for aesthetic or political reasons—or both?
can reusing old objects be a source of creative freedom, or are old objects always weighed down by the histories and contexts they bring with them?
in a society where consumption is equivalent to social engagement, does reuse become a radical act of counter-cultural refusal?
where is the line between “use” and “resuse”?
is reuse a form of originality and creativity or repetition and appropriation?

Interested? Join us for eats, drinks and good conversation!

Saturday, March 23

Alex’s Place, 5615 Melvin Street, at Wightman, Sq. Hill 15217

RSVP by March 18 to alexandra.oliver@gmail.com or 412 512 3860

Posted in I Made It, resources, reuse | Tagged craft, materials, PCCR, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, recycle, reduce, repurpose, reuse | Leave a response

Self-Employment Taxes 101 (or, “Hello Schedule C!”)

By Carrie on March 6, 2013

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Self-Employment Taxes 101 (or, “Hello Schedule C!”)

This guest post is brought to you by Outright.com. Sign up today, import your Etsy, PayPal and other financial accounts, and enjoy a less taxing tax time!

Most working-age people go through their lives without ever seeing the Schedule C “Income from Self-Employment” tax form. So congratulations! You’re part of an exclusive club that’s set out to make their own path when it comes to making money. Whether you’re an online seller full-time or supplementing your income, it’s a bold choice.

However, if you’re used to dealing with W-2 forms come tax time, switching gears can be a challenge. In fact, it can be outright terrifying when you see how much work is involved paying taxes as a solo professional. Here are some things you need to look out for before you get started.

Tax Time Just Got Crazier

Remember doing taxes as a salary or wage employee? You get a W-2 (or three) in the mail, maybe a few forms having to do with interest or investments, enter that info into a program online or take it to a tax preparer and you’re all set. It was a little painful, but usually not terribly bad.

You won’t believe it, but you’re going to be reminiscing about those days here soon. Becoming self-employed means you’ll be dealing with new tax forms – the aforementioned Schedule C and also the Schedule SE, to calculate your self-employment taxes. (Yep, you owe those now, too.)

It also means that you need to keep track of our income and expenses. Nobody is going to do it for you! If you made some money here and there on Etsy, another bit through eBay and another chunk through craft fairs, you must declare all that income with the IRS and your state’s taxing authority, but nobody will hand you a W-2 at the end of the year letting you know your income totals.

One of the good things about self-employment is that you get to deduct any business expenses – cost to make your goods, advertising, mileage, home office, storage, Etsy fees, etc. – from your taxes. But it’s up to you to keep track of all of your deductions and hang on to any receipts proving that they are really business expenses.

It’s All You Now

How so? When you were a wage or salary worker, your employer took out taxes for you. You likely remember when you had to inform your boss how many dependents you had so they knew how much to take out of your check each period. Although you didn’t like having less money on your paycheck it was nice not having to do your own paperwork.

Or at least that’s what you’ll think now that you’re tracking your own numbers instead of receiving W-2s! Seriously, your entire financial life is dependent on you now. Since you don’t have taxes taken out of your paycheck anymore, it’s up to you to pay what you owe to the government.

This involves sending in quarterly estimated tax payments in every few months, starting with April. It seems a little unfair to make you pull double duty filing for both quarterly taxes and April “big time” taxes, but it actually can help you get your business and paperwork organized.

It Can Be More Expensive

Back when you were on salary or wage you probably felt like you were paying through the nose. Unfortunately it may feel like that even more now that you see just how much your employer was helping you!

Stuff like FICA and Medicare are much more complicated than ever before because not only was your employer sending the payment in for you but they were actually paying half of what you owed. Plus, sending in quarterly estimated taxes every few months can really get you down if you don’t figure out a schedule fairly quickly.

Keep this in mind, though: millions of people pull it off every year and you can too. If you stay organized, keep a clear head, and ask for help when you need it, you’ll be just fine upon your switch over to self-employment.

Overwhelmed? This short read from Outright will get you oriented in your new tax-filled world. Download the Online Sellers Guide to Taxes.

And if you have more questions, Outright will be hosting two tax Q&A sessions on Thursday, 3/7/13 at 10am PT/1pm ET and 1pm PT/4pm ET. Sign up here!

Posted in business | Tagged business, crafter, entrepreneur, etsy, outright, paypal, self employed, solo professional, taxes | Leave a response

IMI WorkShop: Creating Healthy Habits

By Carrie on February 26, 2013

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Craft Supply SWAP!

By Carrie on February 20, 2013

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Thank so much to everyone who braved the cold and snow to SWAP with us last Sunday. We had a great time and we even raised $350 for our host, Assemble. AND – all of the left over supplies were donated to Little House Big Art and The Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.

We’ve heard from you that you want more so we’ll pencil in a SWAP in September. So keep a box handy to collect any items you’d like to contribute next time.

Posted in craft, reuse, social event | Tagged assemble, craft supply swap, diy, Little House Big Art, PCCR, repurpose, reuse | Leave a response

Thanks for making I Made It! Mine – Yours!

By Carrie on February 11, 2013

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We had such a fantastic time celebrating the LOVE of handmade & local craft at I Made It! Mine on February 2nd at the SouthSide Works.

View our photo album on Facebook or Flickr to get another look at all of the LOVELY wares made especially for you by talented Pittsburgh artists.

You can still visit our Artist page to link to each artist’s website or online store for last minute gifts or that one item you WISHED you had picked up. Isn’t it SWEET that these artists are here in the community and can work with you to source last minute custom items!

Did you pick up something that you cannot get enough of? We are still enjoying jellies and jams, dips, jewelry, awesome cards, illustrations, and warm accessories all picked up at this last market. Tell us what you enjoyed here in the comments or on our Facebook page. Did you take pics? Tweet ‘em if you have ‘em. @imadeitmarket #imadeitmarket.

Posted in events, holiday, I Made It | Leave a response

Sales Tax 101 for Handmade Sellers

By Carrie on February 6, 2013

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Sales Tax 101 for Handmade Sellers

A guest post from Outright

This guest post is brought to you by Outright.com, an alternative to Mint for business. Sign up today for an Outright Plus account and make tax time less taxing!

Creative types like handmade sellers usually don’t get into business to deal with all the financial stuff that comes with the territory. However, it’s a necessary evil if you want to run a successful company, no matter the size and scope. Ignoring it in hopes it all just goes away rarely works for anything!

One financial issue you must deal with is sales tax. Even if you live in a state that doesn’t have sales tax you still must deal with it if you sell online at all. If you don’t deal with it, your state, county, or even city will come collecting one day and you’ll be in a heap of trouble.

To help you out, we thought we’d give you a Sales Tax 101 heads up on what you need to know. For more information and any questions you may have, visit our Outright Tax Center.

What is Sales Tax, Anyway?

Sales tax is like any other form of tax in that it’s collected by a government to help pay for certain things like schools, firefighters and roads. It’s not a definite thing it exists in your area, as some states and/or local areas don’t have a sales tax. Similarly, just because your state has sales tax doesn’t mean your city or county does (though you’d still pay state sales tax) – it all depends on how they run things there.

Basically, there’s a set price for an item at the store. When you take it up to the cash register to purchase the item, if there’s a separate charge for the item, that’s the sales tax. The store has to collect that to pay into their local governments. The rate they’re charging you is how much their governments told them to collect or face penalty.

The same thing goes for you. After you figure out what you’re supposed to charge and collect, you have to make sure you’re keeping proper track of everything. Eventually, you’ll have to remit all the sales tax you collected back to the state.

What do I do?

One of the first things you should do before collecting any sales tax is to set your business up as, well, a business. This involves registering your company as a business through state and local governments. This way you’re not only a legitimate entity you can also properly work with whatever sales tax you must deal with. For more information on registering for a sales tax permit, visit Outright’s Sales Tax Resources for Online Sellers in Every State.

Next is a step many new business owners like to skip. You should set up a totally separate account for your business instead of using your personal account. While this may seem like a huge headache but it will actually save you a ton of time and pain. The last thing you want to do is totally goof up your sales tax totals because you confused a deposit as a sale.

Now comes potentially the hardest part – research! Every city, state etc. is different and you have to know exactly how much you’re going to collect. If you get it wrong all your efforts may be for naught. Plus, if you sell online, don’t forget many states are demanding sales tax payments, so stay on top of the news.

Another part of this research is finding out how often you have to pay. Again depending on where you operate your business you may have to pay out every month, quarter, half-year, year, or some other period of time. Some areas let you choose dependent on how much you’re making through your store, which can be helpful for a business owner trying to figure all this out!

To get started collecting and remitting sales tax, find your state on this list and apply for a sales tax permit. And if you have any questions about sales tax, be sure to ask the finance pros over at the Outright Community!

Posted in business, diy, guest blog post | Tagged handmade sellers, outright, sales tax | Leave a response

How to Sell Wholesale: 4 Foolproof Steps

By Carrie on February 4, 2013

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How to Sell Wholesale: 4 Foolproof Steps

by Brandon Levey of Stitch Labs

Before founding Stitch Labs, I developed a 100% organic t-shirt line. Creating the line involved trips to cotton growers, interviews with dyers, and hunts for weavers based in the U.S. It was a lot of work, but I wanted the most sustainable, earth-friendly product possible.

When I was ready to wholesale, I applied the same tenacity to finding retailers. That is, I grabbed my portfolio and visited 20 different retailers on my first day. Over the course of the day, I learned a lot about buyers and how seasonality affected their buying strategy. Out of the 20, I got one bite at a yoga studio. While it was a long day, I went to bed with a lot more knowledge and one more sales channel than I started with that morning.

I’ve learned much more about wholesaling since that time, both from my own experience and the experiences of our customers. If you’ve been thinking about wholesale, let me offer these steps:

Step 1: Figure out where you want your products sold

Consider these aspects when narrowing your options:

Where does your audience shop? – What businesses share the same kinds of customers? Check your sales data to identify similarities among your repeat customers. Or even better, ask your repeat customers where they could imagine seeing your product.
Where would your product’s price fit in? – Look for retailers who recognize the value of your product and offer other products of matching caliber. You don’t want your product to be the most expensive item in the store. You also want a store that can push your product for a price you deserve.
What’s the best mix geographically? – If you identify several prospects in close proximity to each other, try to cherry pick your favorite first. Neighbors won’t want to carry identical goods.
Are there creative options? – It’s easy to get stuck on stores dedicated to the type of product you sell. Keep in mind that options may exist beyond what’s obvious. For example, an organic clothing line might be appealing to a yoga studio or a collection of ceramics might find prominent shelf space at a local cafe.

Step 2: Understand your target’s buying strategy and timing of purchases

Buying strategies will vary by retailer, especially when it comes to the retailer’s size. At an independent boutique, the owner may serve as the buyer and make all the purchasing decisions. However, a larger store, like Whole Foods, may have buying strategies per city, region, or country.

In addition to understanding what different retailers will want to buy, it’s also important to appreciate the when and how much aspects. Seasonality affects many products and buyers have limited windows throughout the year that they’re looking to buy.

Large stores may have an appetite for your product that exceeds what you can produce at this point. Prepare yourself with an honest understanding of your timing and what you’re able to commit.

Step 3: Schedule a meeting with the buyer

Identifying the buyer for a store may require homework and a bit of investigative journalism. For a local boutique, you may be able to find out who the buyer is and schedule an appointment with a brief phone call or an in-person visit.

Larger retailers and chains may require a bit more digging. Some will give individual stores a bit of autonomy in choosing what to carry, but others will have buyers for a region or a group of stores. It may require some tenacity to hunt down the right person.

Talk to local managers, tap into your network, consult the company website for contact info, and investigate by job title on LinkedIn. Keep in mind that being referred will net better results than cold contact.

Step 4: Follow best practices to close the account

Once you garner time with a buyer, keep these often overlooked, but critical points in mind:

Be extremely professional - Promptly respond to all communications and always be on time for scheduled appointments. Use professionally generated line sheets and invoices. Be sure to have quantity and pricing prepared before meeting with a buyer.
Know how to get paid – Credit cards can be an expensive form of payment due to fees. Be prepared to accept checks or know how to conduct a wire transfer with your bank. The more options you’re fluent in, the less chance logistical friction will delay deposits and payments.
Price fairly – A wholesale buyer should never feel or see a potential conflict with how they will price the product and a small business’ retail price. Here, perception matters far more than the actual number of units that would be affected.

Final thoughts

Tenacity is key to identifying retailers and getting face time with their buyers. Do your homework to learn what potential retailers want and to save yourself from wasting time with bad matches. While often overlooked, professionalism, fluency in payment methods, and fair pricing are critical to closing the account.

This guest post is brought to you by Brandon Levey, Thinker Upper at Stitch Labs, an online application for simple inventory management, order fulfillment, invoicing, expense reporting and business analytics.

Posted in business, craft, guest blog post | Tagged craft, diy, guest post, sales, Stitch Labs, wholesale | Leave a response

Upcoming Events!

By Carrie on January 30, 2013

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It’s time for the first Craft Market of the year! This Saturday, February 2nd we bring you:

I Made It! Mine at SouthSide Works

Saturday, February 2nd, 12 – 5 pm

Shop for Valentine’s Day goodies for your sweetheart at 510 S. 27th Street (inside the space formerly Joseph Beth Bookseller and Z Gallerie). We will have lots of fun and lovely items for everyone in your life who deserves a little something sweet on Valentine’s Day. All items are handmade by regional artists! Learn more and meet our artists here.

It’s time to SWAP!

The first I Made It! Market CRAFT SUPPLY SWAP will take place on
Sunday, February 17th from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
at Assemble located at 5125 Penn Avenue in Garfield.
We’ll have punch and cookies to keep you fueled in your craft supply wrangling.

IMI WorkShop: Creating Healthy Habits

So, how do you prepare yourself to make change?

Fee: $20 Pay via PayPal.

I Made It! Market at Tanger Outlets

Saturday, April 13th and Sunday, April 14th from 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Tanger is holding a food truck meet-up and I Made It! will be there. Find I Made It! Market artists among the shops at Washington County’s Tanger Outlets.

More information coming soon.

Applications coming soon. Sign up for Maker Mail to get notice when applications open.

I Made It! Market at BakerySquare

(combo I Made It! Jr. + Healthy Living)

Saturday, April 20th from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Join us for a fun afternoon of celebrating healthy living along with our third I Made It! Jr. (items geared toward kids)

Applications coming soon. Sign up for Maker Mail to get notice when applications open.

I Made It! at Wigle Whiskey & Marty’s Market

Sunday, May 19th from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, join us for a day of food and spirit exploration in the Strip District at Wigle Whiskey & Marty’s Market.
Tour Wigle Whiskey (handcrafted local whiskey and other spirits), and explore the wonderful and unique market, cafe and coffee bar, Marty’s Market.

Applications coming soon. Sign up for Maker Mail to get notice when applications open.

Posted in events | Tagged art, assemble, Bakery Square, craft, gifts, handcrafted, handmade, I Made It! Market, local, marty's market, Quiet Storm, southside works, tanger outlets, wigle whiskey | 4 Responses

Erra Creations: From Gears to Glamour

By Olivia on January 26, 2013

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Browsing around our most recent market, I came upon Nicole Bloch and her display of what can only be described as true funkiness. Like many of our vendors, she repurposes old materials and gives them new life, saving such hidden treasures from an eternity in a landfill. What makes Bloch unique is her medium of craft. Indeed, this unconventionally inspired craft enthusiast makes many of her pieces from old shotgun shells, used bicycle chains and gears, and the occasional eye-catching swathe of fabric. Her quirky jewelry and household decorations constitute Bloch’s business, known to the experienced IMI! shopper as Erra Creations . Though Nicole remained resolutely humble as I wracked her brain, her pieces may very well give expression to a new meaning of ‘upcycling.’

The large majority of the world doesn’t think about bicycle gears very often. In fact, I’m willing to bet that even the most eccentric artists don’t meditate upon the artistic potential of a greasy metal chain with any regularity. Nicole is different, and explains her attraction to crafting as an inherited trait to some extent, saying “I grew up with the mentality ‘waste not- want not’ by way of my grandma…and now, whenever something isn’t able to be fixed, my brain and hands just always seemed to make it into something new.” She grew up “Totally immersed in and surrounded by art,” as her family owned an arts and crafts supply shop. As many young people do, she attempted to get away from her roots and rebel, but eventually she came back to the visual arts world, explaining, “you can’t deny what you really love and what makes you happy in the end.”

The Erra creator prides herself on the spontaneity of her vision. “Inspiration is a complex grey area…when I was in school, I was required to analyze and re-analyze everything,” Bloch reflects. She believes that such focused attention on the minutiae of a piece can put a damper on creativity. Her materials are in keeping with her lighthearted philosophy of following her own inspiration, and their past life as mechanical tools only adds to their appeal. The Erra Creations entrepreneur finds joy in the manufacture of her jewelry and house wares, admitting that her favorite part of the job is that she “get[s] to play with power tools, get dirty, and then clean up and make awesome wearable and other art.”

She identifies strongly with her I Made It! co-vendors, and seeks to give them due credit for their work, acknowledging that “we are all the same in that we all love what we do and happily pour countless hours perfecting and fine tuning our trade.” One distinguishing quality of this innovative crafter is her deference to those who have supported her work–specifically her friends and loyal customers, of which she has many. This comes as no surprise, considering her humor, excitability, and passion for her work.

Nicole Bloch’s zest for life, and its expression as Erra Creations are forces to be reckoned with. We are incredibly lucky to have her in the I Made It! and Pittsburgh community. Erra Creations is blooming–it is sold in twelve stores and counting–and thanks to her loyal Pittsburgh fan-base (“they rock!”) the entrepreneur is seeing growing success. The next time you’re at one of our markets, make sure to stop by the Erra Creations display and pick up a quirky bike gear clock or an eccentric typewriter key ring, or stop by the Erra Creations website or Etsy page. You can be assured that your purchase is a unique piece fashioned by a unique and passionate crafter.

Posted in accessories, awesome, craft, design, green, I Made It, reuse | Tagged accessories, craft, design, diy, eco friendly, handmade, I Made It! Market, reuse, upcycling | 1 Response

Accept Payments With or Without a Website Using WePay

By Carrie on January 17, 2013

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A Better Way to Accept Payments On Your Own Website

Do you need a better way of getting paid on your independent online store? PayPal, after all, has issues with freezing your funds if you get a sudden rush of sales (like say, the holidays). And signing up with a credit card processor can quickly eat up all of your profits. Have you ever tried? They have everything from application fees, to monthly fees, to fees to stop using them. Who can afford that?

Fortunately, WePay has recently introduced a payment button with the independent seller in mind.

Saves You Money

We know this is what you want to hear about first – how much does this cost? WePay’s payment pricing is absolutely transparent at 1% + $0.30 for bank account payments, 2.9% + $0.30 for credit card payments. There are no hidden fees, and no fees for things that should be free, like transferring money to your bank account.

Respects Your Customers’ Time

You want your customers to have a great experience on your website so they come back. If they’re forced to spend more time than they need on your site they most likely will not return, nor will they recommend your store to anyone else.

A payment button saves them time by immediately giving them the option to click and buy the product. We’ve all been to a website where you had to go to your profile, then go to the shopping cart, then click on “checkout now, “ then create an account, enter demographic information.. you get the picture.

Something for Each Page

One of the benefits of having a payment button like the one WePay offers is it can follow your customers around the site as they click. No matter what page they’re on, the ability to immediately buy something and move on with their life is there. This allows them the freedom to move around your website without feeling like they’re going to get lost.

There’s also room for expansion. Your free WePay account entitles you to accept donations, sell tickets, and register people for events. As your business grows and expands, your payment process is already there with you.

Not Married to Your Site

One really great things about payment buttons – you don’t have to just use them on your own website! You can literally use payment buttons anywhere on the web as long as they have the right links.

What does this mean? If you have products listed elsewhere, like on a guest blog post for instance, you can include a “Buy Now” button for the product so readers of the blog can instantly pick it up. Installing the payment button is as easy as embedding a YouTube post, so you can most likely slap them up anywhere!

What payment options do you currently use on your site? Are you looking for something better?

This guest post is brought to you by WePay.com, the easiest way to accept payments online. Sign up today for a free account.

Posted in finance, sponsor | Tagged I Made It! Market, payment, small business, solution, wepay | Leave a response