The Plan

New year.
New plan.

I'm going to expand on the Contessa Party concept and market a few products individually.

For instance ...

Real Estate agents can thank their clients by gifting them with placemats, napkins or table runners for their new home. The usual bottle of wine will be gone in a few days, so why not give something that people will use often? When their friends ask where they got the beautiful pieces, they can say they got it from their real estate agent. Which, in turn, will garner more business.

Dentists can hand out Tooth Fairy Pillows to their little patients.

I'm planning on sending out letters in the new year to a few local real estate agents and dentists specializing in children to drum up some business.

I also have plans to market rosary bracelets to Funeral Homes. As soon as I make a few more, I'll post them on our website.

Cross your fingers for me!

Contessa Parties

The idea behind Urban Contessa was to sell my creations at home parties. Kinda like Tupperware ... sans plastic. I call them Contessa Parties (I know, not very imaginative).

I come to your home and set out my wares. You invite your friends to drop by any time between, say, 2 and 4. They shop to their heart's content and go home with their goodies.

It soon became apparent that people were not quite seeing everything. Inevitably someone would see something that their Hostess had purchased and say "Hey! I didn't see that!"

So the Contessa Party evolved to include an actual demonstration. Followed by shopping. I didn't really want to go this route, thinking that people get bored, don't really care about the spiel.

But it turns out that this is what women expect when they go to a home party. They expect to sit down with a wee cuppa, listen to a complete stranger pitch their goods then take time to pick and choose what they want. It's a bonding moment with their friends.

I also discovered they spend more this way.

Alright. Whatever works. Who am I to argue?

However, I do have some ideas on expanding my clientele. More on that later ...

In the Beginning

Urban Contessa is a bit of a pipe dream for me. I have visions of grandeur that will probably never be achieved, and yet I continue to dream.

The dream began a couple of years ago. I had just bought a house and needed to pretty it up. So I went to work making placemats and whatnot. One day a flyer came in the mail for a new bead shop opening up. So I went and took a class. Then began making pieces for myself.

Friends and family started commenting on my jewellery and home decor. "Can you make me one?" Sure, why not? I mean really, how many placemats and necklaces can one girl have?

Then, one day, someone offered to pay me.

And a light bulb went on above my head.

I could make money doing this. Wow!

And Urban Contessa was born.

I have ideas floating around in my head all the time ... which probably explains my chronic insomnia. I hope to use this blog to get my ideas on paper (so to speak), get some feedback, hear some constructive criticism and perhaps make a name for myself.

Who knows, maybe one day I'll be famous!