When They Couldn’t Find Any
Good Shows ... They Started One

herrill Lewis was frustrated by exhibiting in “craft” shows that featured more buy/sell booths than anything that resembled fine craft. At one show the bead artist found herself set up next to a Mary Kay Cosmetics representative!

What started as a phone call to lament the decreasing quality of craft shows and the inability or unwillingness of show promoters to stop it became a pivotal moment in her craft career. That fateful conversation between Lewis and silversmith Tori Mitchell-Vaughan led to the first Feathered Fish Artisans Craft Show, held in Stillwater, Okla., just three months later in December 2002.

The show’s quirky name came from the idea that, as fine craft artists, the shows they were both doing never seemed to be the right place for their work. They joked that on the craft show circuit, they were “neither fish nor fowl” and they needed to create a show where their work would fit. Hence the name “Feathered Fish Artisans.”

From the outset, the mission was to create a show that presents fine craft, sold by the artisans who make it, to customers who appreciate it. The idea was to be “selective, but not snooty” as Lewis puts it. It’s an invitational show — all exhibitors are people Lewis has met, and she’s seen all the work or it’s been highly recommended by another artist already in the show.

“Exodus Necklace,” by show co-founder Sherrill Lewis.

Lewis set out immediately to find a venue for the show and to start spreading the word. Luckily, her husband, Gene, is active in the local Elks Lodge and was able to secure the space. Then she started contacting artists to exhibit in the show. As this was the first show she’d ever organized, she limited the list to 12 artists to keep it manageable. Each artist she contacted said “yes” right away. Then she set about spreading the word. Having had prior experience in the advertising field before she started her craft business, Lewis knew what she had to do. She positioned the event as a grassroots show of fine craft, handmade by the artists.

Lewis targeted local media, including newspapers, magazines, and a local radio station to sell that message. “I’m not shy,” laughs Lewis, “especially when it comes to this.”

When she noticed a local newspaper writer shopping in a bakery, she asked if she’d be interested in writing a story about Feathered Fish Artisans. It just so happened that the writer was looking for ideas for her next article. “The next thing I knew,” Lewis says, “There was a half-page spread about us in the newspaper.”

Lewis walked into the local radio station to try to get some coverage and the reporter arranged an on-air interview. “It was wonderful,” she says. “We got a lot of free publicity.”

She also made up fliers about the show on bright purple paper for all exhibitors to hand out around town. She even passed them out while exhibiting at another local craft show held just one month prior to her own.

Lewis says she had to invest some money out of pocket, such as the deposit for renting the Elks Lodge, paper for the fliers and some business stationery, but with each exhibitor’s fee of $40, she wound up with $107 left over to start planning this year’s show.

The show was held Dec. 14, 2002, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and considering that the Elks Lodge is not in a conspicuous location, the turnout was good. “We didn’t count the attendees, but traffic was steady all day long,” says Lewis. “Some exhibitors did really well, but all of us were pleasantly surprised by the turnout. For a first-time, one-day show, it exceeded all of our expectations.”

This year, the group plans to add artists to the roster, but will cap the exhibitor list at 25. The show will be held at a local Best Western Hotel, which is in a well-trafficked location. Lewis says the cost to exhibitors will likely increase, but she also says she plans to pay for some advertising to get the word out, and to give back to the local media outlets that were so instrumental in helping her get the show off the ground.

-Bernadette Finnerty is a contributing editor of The Crafts Report.