New Artist: Mickie Winters

The Dandy Lion welcomes Mickie Winters, born and raised in Louisville, KY!

Mickie has a memorable uniqueness and beauty about her that you're not soon to forget. Her pieces follow suit.

Calming to the soul and provoking to the mind, they are full of grace.

She has an eye for movement and vivacity, while capturing the being that contains it. It's a stirring experience looking at the world through her eyes.

Come see a large variety of her pieces now at The Dandy Lion. There is something for every eye and for every pocket size, or just come and take a look and enjoy!

"I make because I was made. " - Mickie Winters

(minus the "x", just didn't want anyone to swipe her image)

For the original image and more of Mickie's works visit:http://www.mickiewintersart.com

Spotlight: New ARTIST!

We Lions are honored to welcome artist Robby Davis to our den!! He's mastered an amazingly unique juxtaposition via 'Cute' meets 'Gorey', and we really dig everything he's done.

As a young boy, Robby would draw any chance he had, usually copying comic book and cartoon characters that caught his eye. This went on for many years, but as a teenager Robby’s interest in computers grew. Eventually he decided to pursue his passion for art and technology, and enrolled in art school. After receiving a BFA in Graphic Design, Robby took a few months off and traveled throughout Europe. Upon his return, he went to work in advertising.

Although passionate about design, Robby is an artist at heart. Much of his personal work focuses on the characters he creates and the beauty he finds in imperfections. Art is his therapy, his hobby and his
job. It’s what makes him happy.

Robby currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky where
he is an Art Director by day and artist by night.

(via http://robbydavis.com/index.html)

check out his website for more unique and outstanding work! And pop in soon to check out his prints! Ranging from $15-$50!

RobbyDavis.COM

The Sandpaper Dolls

The Dandy Lion loves us some Sandpaper Dolls! Get you a lil bowl and add a cup of jazz, a pinch of blues, a dash of acapella, and a heap of charm... Suki Anderson, Amber Estes, and Rebecca Dennison mix it just right. Not to mention they represent independent unsigned artists and women entrepreneurs to boot.

They site their influences as "Sheila Chandra, the Andrews Sisters, Bjork, Tom Waits, the Beatles, Feist, Regina Spektor, The Bulgarian Woman's Choir, Walter Wanterly". Interests include "the near collision of three distinct notes, and chords that make the room vibrate".

They are definitely a sound you've never laid ears on- soul moving and memorizing. Classy and angelic the way Billy Holiday rang through, they send you back in time. Honest to goodness, a refreshing step away from the overload of redundant parroting out in the music realm.

Their cd "Live at 21c" is available for sale here at The Dandy Lion. $10. And now, take a listen for yourself!

NEW IN-STORE

Hello, honey child, here is a sweet treat... All things smitten and 'deer' to the heart.

Liese Chavez prints are going FAST! Glad you love them! Now get your hands on her dainty sweet picture pendants!

Antique Door Cover Clock with Victorian hands

Smitten kittens by Zapol Designs

Soft sweet scent of Bergamot Pink Grapefruit by The Poplar Cottage

Deer little brass post earrings by Lindsay Lou

Wood print by The Kinship Gallery

Brass lace, dainty chain, and soft feathers necklace by Gem Tuesday

NEW IN-STORE!

The Dandy Lion welcomes Meatbagz from New York. Unique vintage totes with a "wicked sense of humor"! We love love love these!

... And from our neck of the woods... The oh so esthetically pleasing Weird & Woolly Designs!

... New artists and pieces in weekly, so stop by and check us out.

xoxo - The Dandy Lions

Lovely Ms. Jessie

We just received an email from the talented Ms. Jessie! She's all the way from Pennsylvania and has been watching the progress of our shop and enjoying all the handmade pieces we have featured.

She got inspired and made this adorable pink plaid platypus named Onyx.

*** Now say that five times fast! "PINK PLAID PLATYPUS!" ***

This made our day! Amazing work by a very talented maker!

Thanks so much for sharing this with us. You are rather dandy, Ms. Jessie!

... And that, folks... Is what it's all about!

FAQ by Makers

Hello, fellow makers! I have been getting a lot of requests from artists wanting to know what the dos and don'ts of selling in shops are.

While, I am not the ultimate guru on the matter... I have been on both sides of wholesale/consignment arrangements. So I snagged a few really great questions in an effort to put together a sort of FAQ.

How do I contact a shop about possibly selling through them? Follow shop policy. If they have certain routes of communication in regard to new artists, there's probably a reason... It works best! Call and ask if you're not sure. Call ahead if you are dropping off inventory, sometimes a shop owner will prefer you come in at a time that doesn't interfere with their service to their customers. This also gives you a better chance to get to talk with the owner, rather at a time when they are busy assisting customers.

If a shop declines your pieces, it's not as personal as you think. They may even be looking out for you. They know their customers well, and they wouldn't waste your time if they didn't think your work fit well. Just because your pieces don't fit well in one shop, doesn't mean there aren't 100 more shops that they would fit perfectly in. Also it may just be an issue of the shop not having enough space, they are already overstocked with similar pieces, etc.

Be prepared. Have or know your suggested retail pricing. If you are leaving your pieces with a shop, don't ask the shop to price them for you. We don't know what your supplies and time cost you. If you made an inventory sheet in advance, it'll help you and the shop make the process smoother. It will also speed up the time it takes to get your pieces out on display and available for purchase.

Is there a dollar amount of total pieces you would recommend sending? It's not really a dollar amount as much as quantity. I will say two things... 1. send what you are comfortable with trying out, the quantity is inevitably up to you, unless a shop requests specific items. 2. our artists/designers do best when they send a small collection (10+ pieces). It tends to draw more attention to their work than if they had just a few pieces in shop. We set up mini displays throughout the shop and keep artists' collections together to promote sales. People love having choices and love variations in a collection of an artist's work. It's the "which one is most "me" " factor.

Would I just send stock that I chose? Yes, unless a shop owner request specific items. If they are into your work, chances are you are consistent, and they trust you to send them quality pieces. Some shops, including ours, will sometimes send you sample pictures or a list of pieces from your portfolio which they feel work best in the atmosphere of their shop. Trust a shop owner, they work in a face to face relationship with their customers daily.

* If you are not sure from a shop's website or blog (for out of town shops), don't hesitate to ask the shop owner for more details about their customer base/demographic. This could help you send the right pieces.

I read your bio and saw that you have sold your jewelry into boutiques...Is this how you have worked it and
what advice can you offer? For awhile there I was pretty spread thin selling in boutiques. I think there were 7 shops and 3-4 online ventures/sites. I just honestly felt like I was mass producing pieces that were supposed to be anti-mass production. That's why I backed off and sell in-store at The Dandy Lion and do custom orders (which is making me about the same money as I was making before with 1/2 the hassle). It just gives me more time to do one-of-a-kind pieces and do more of my other arts and crafts.

I guess as you start selling at shops, keep the ones that feel right and that are pretty consistent in communication and hassle free. ALWAYS have an inventory sheet... I had a shop actually "lose"/keep 5 of my pieces before, and I misplaced my inventory sheet and had no consignment agreement. I've had shops that were 2 mo. behind paying me... I've also had shops that I really loved and really learned from my interactions with them. So there are good and bad artist/shop relationships for sure.

Love what you do and do what you love... This also includes the people that you work with, directly or indirectly.

Don't cut yourself short, but don't over price. Mark your pieces up a bit if you have to so that you cover your supplies and time (especially if you have to factor in a shop's consignment %). Don't mark your pieces up so high that they aren't comparable to pieces that use similar styles and materials, because that will hinder how fast they sell, no matter how hard the shop tries to sell them. Don't send pieces that are not selling well for you online. Some artists do that to test new shops out... If that particular style isn't selling for you, you'd be setting a shop up for failure to send those pieces that aren't as popular with your customer base.

Tags help. You can use tags like business cards, send people to your website where you make all the profit. Plus people start to associate your logo/or style of tags with your pieces and your business's name. I used to have people go into one of the shops I sold at and say "has any new Withering Elm Jewelry come in?" People love following designers/artists, and if you can snag repeat customers, do it! Repeat customers give the best feedback, and word of mouth from these customers is more powerful than any advertising.

Communicate. Open communication with a shop will give you the best feedback. I cannot list the amount of daily tasks and responsibilities a shop owner has. We cannot know how each artist is doing with the sales relationship, and we cannot pop in and chat randomly. We'd like to... but we run out of time at the end of the day. Most issues or questions are easily addressed.

Have a question? Send it to us! TheDandyLion.Shop@gmail.com

Oh, Hey! Did You Know...

We do custom orders?

Special day coming up? Everyday a special day? Don't get stuck with mass produced clothing and accessories, only to find out someone else is wearing the same thing. Snag the attention and get them talking with a dandy custom piece. Everyday wear, semi-formal, or formal we've got your covered... literally.

Custom Wedding Dress by Ani Tucker

Custom Wedding Piece by Withering Elm Jewelry

Withering Elm Jewelry

One-of-a-kind Dress by Ani Tucker

by Ani Tucker

Event: HallowedFest 2010

The Dandy Lion and Sacred Sorrow present:
HallowedFest 2010

For 7 years HallowedFest has been a tradition of the community; a free, all ages, costume themed concert! Join us this year as we celebrate Halloween in historic downtown New Albany with a street party on Bank Street right infront of the city's newest boutique showcasing one-of-a-kind art, handmade and vintage shop, The Dandy Lion!!

The Delicates

Aquaventure

Uh Huh Baby Yeah

Sacred Sorrow

The Dandy Lion Festival

Here it goes! The start of our the First Annual Dandy Lion Festival!

The Dandy Lion is shutting down Bank Street Friday April 1st and Saturday April 2nd 2011 for two days of art, music, beer, and local eats! 64 artists' booths, 20+ bands, and NABC beer tent are all coming together to bring Southern Indiana and Louisville a full weekend of anti-mass production. Viva la independent music, art, and business!

Local artist, Bobby Barbour, is in the midst of designing our event flyer! We will be updating you as the event builds. Please feel free to contact us if you'd like to be involved in bringing a taste of the handmade culture to downtown New Albany.

If you are interested in a 10' by 10' booth or a spot in our music line up, please email us at TheDandyLion.Shop@gmail.com.

Dandy Eats & Treats (New Albany part 3)

Habana Blues! Tapas & live Cuban music!

Outside seating and amazing interior design.

Antique's Attic right around the corner from our shop! I have never seen so many treasures in one place, and they have an upstairs! Antique's Attic has done a lot to promote The Dandy Lion, we consider ourselves lucky to be neighbors... Plus they have unmatched taste in all things antique.

Patticakes & Pies! A short hop from The Dandy Lion, amazing prices and amazing ingredients! Try the California Club or A.C.E. It! sandwiches... and of course the desserts!

New Albany part (2)

This town has an old soul. We will be posting photo sets of the characters, events, favorite spots, history, and architecture that puzzle piece this town together.

This set surrounds our shop.

Old Time inspired smoke shop- Kaisers

Preston Art Center

River City Winery

Endris & Son Jewelers

Rookie's Cookies

Dave at The Art Store's newest installation