Behind the Scenes of Needlepoint Market Q&A!

This Thursday, we're headed to Atlanta, Georgia for our first Spring Needlepoint Market! Tell your Local Needlepoint Store to visit us in Room 623!

We attended our first ever market this past fall in Frisco, Texas & can't wait to be back with everyone. If you're on Instagram, you may have seen that Market Weekends are super fun to follow along since artists are showing behind the scenes content & releasing tons of new products. 

We received so many questions about what market is like so we wanted to do a little Q&A and show you what we'll be launching at market this year! 

What is Market? 

• There are 2 main Needlepoint Markets that happen twice a year: once in the Spring in Atlanta and once in the Fall in Frisco, Texas. 
• Market is where needlepoint artists rent out a hotel room and set up a little shop for the weekend. Wholesale stores walk through the hotel and shop from each room. It gives us a chance to connect with everyone face to face and to show off new products! It also gives stores a chance to walk out with new products. 
• Below is Meghan from Novella Needlepoint - one of my faves in the industry!

Is Market a lot of Work? 

• Yes! I compare it to college finals week. It's stressful to pack all of our inventory, travel there, and set up. 
• It takes a lot of lead & prep time that you don't often see - I created these new designs last summer (Summer 2022) to launch in Spring of 2023. 
• However, it's so rewarding because you get to see some of your best friends in the industry and form close connections! 

Is Market Open to the Public/Can Anyone Attend?

• No, Market is not open to the public! It's closed to the industry only. 
• You must be a registered vendor or wholesale buyer with a tax ID to attend market. 
• While we wish we could meet everyone, it's important that these rules are respected.

Why do you have to bring all of your inventory with you?

• These markets are what are referred to as "cash and carry" - so that wholesale stores can physically shop new items in person and take them with them to their stores back home! 
• Some artists will drive to market, some will ship their inventory, and some will fly. We choose to fly Southwest because of their 2 free checked bag policy. It saves us a TON of money - especially since we bring 1,000+ canvases! 

How much stock do you take?

• We take 100s+ of accessories and 1,000s+ of canvases! 
• We take our whole line with us so we have at least a few of every design. 
• We are launching 9 NEW Canvases & 1 new accessory (as well as offering pre-orders to stores for some very exciting new products) 

What is your set-up like?

• Our room is set up in an Embassy Suites hotel room. We move all of the furniture out of the living area and push it into the bedroom. We rent tables and set them up in the living area and put out canvases & accessories on them!
• Here is a video that shows what our room looked like after it was set up in Frisco, Texas. It reminds me of Extreme Makeover Home Edition because of how fast it comes together!

What's the worst thing that could happen at market?

• I choose to fly to market with all of our inventory since I feel it's the safest way to get inventory there. 
• However, I think the worst thing that could happen in my opinion is a suitcase going missing. 
• We carry-on 1 Master Copy of each canvas as well as our finishing so if something were to happen, we could take pre-orders from our masters.
• We also drop an airtag in each suitcase! 
• Please pray that everything arrives safely lol!!!

If you have any other questions, feel free to comment on this post and I'll add them as they come in!! 

We'll be posting behind the scenes content on @MorganJuliaDesigns on Instagram on our stories all weekend long so feel free to follow along there for the fun!