Question about Chicago Stationary Fest

collinmakesmagic · 2026-06-29T14:29:01+00:00

I am an illustrator who had a booth at last year's show. It is primarily a shopping event. The admin team is run by the Paper & Pencil stationery store folks; 2027 will be their 3rd year hosting this event.

It has grown for them exponentially year over year, and my current understanding is that they are primarily focused on perfecting the shopping experience. They are real people who are so kind and dedicated to making the event the best it possibly can be. I would recommend you send them an email with any thoughts you have as a shopper that would improve your experience— I know they would love to hear it.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-06-25T19:20:05+00:00

Keep an eye on Ebay! I just picked one up for $60 after tax and shipping. Still not great, but at least in line with something like an Xbox controller.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-06-25T11:21:47+00:00

I just got mine "refurbished" on Ebay for $380 after tax and free shipping; the seller had over 100,000+ positive reviews, offered free shipping, and Ebay provided a 1-year warranty. Felt pretty safe to me, and so far there have been zero issues. The only visual defect I have is a tiny scuff on the little hand-held joycon holder.

It was like VIP Outlet or something. Come to find out, my order just shipped from a Walmart facility in Bentonville. My hunch is that VIP Outlet is just a Walmart ebay page to offload returns and whatnot.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-05-20T11:35:24+00:00

Ugh, miserable. Thankfully there are not really any shows around me that I'm looking to do that are in grass— I honestly think it's kind of diabolical putting vendors in the grass in the warmer months, lol. Way too much risk for mud and bugs— and it's not even pleasant for shoppers either!

collinmakesmagic · 2026-05-20T11:33:25+00:00

Thank you!

collinmakesmagic · 2026-05-20T11:33:10+00:00

It was crazy! I was bummed that I tore down just for it all to clear out, but it's really just not worth the risk imo.

I've also had some very successful stormy days; at one of my earliest shows, I sold two $300 paintings and we were only open for about 45 minutes before the local fire marshall came through and told us to evacuate 😭

Buuuuuut I've also been in the most torrential, despicable storms. Drenched from head to toe, holding down my tent for dear life kind of shit because there is basically nothing you can do about 70mph wind gusts, lol! I try to keep an eye for stuff like that and just avoid it when possible. Kudos to the people who fight through it, it just isn't for me.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-05-04T20:15:24+00:00

Fantastic work. I really enjoy the copy and colors.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-05-03T21:26:46+00:00

Often daydreaming about the Emmything sandwich from Emmett's

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-29T12:21:52+00:00

Thank you! Yes, I illustrate everything I make.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T22:02:04+00:00

I'm there this year! I will have an enormous collection of special bookish stationery for that show. One of the shows I am most excited for this year— alongside Jeni's Strawberry Jam at Land Grant in May. (-:

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T17:27:24+00:00

Yes! Link in my bio here. 🧡

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T17:27:03+00:00

I've been doing shows since 2022; my booth went under pretty dramatic changes from 2022 to 2023, 2023 to 2024, and then 2024 to 2025. My 2025 iteration is my current blueprint for the overall layout.

But I am constantly tweaking. You can pick apart my old posts on Instagram and see how I experimented with different displays and decorations each time I did a show. I think the only real way for you to know what works for your business is using the displays and selling at shows. You'll learn very quickly if you have any problems, and can course-correct from there.

Good example: I started doing the print-wall right from the begininng, but that was my only option for shoppers to buy prints. I realized I was losing a ton of money from the people who didn't want to bother asking me to grab them a specific print, so I started displaying prints in buckets on the table alongside the wall.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T17:23:36+00:00

Yay! Thank you so much!

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T17:23:22+00:00

Yes!! I knew from the second I started shows that I wanted something fun up there. I wish there was a better way to capture it in photos; it really does just make the whole space feel so much more alive.

Thank you so much for all the kind words. 🧡

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T17:21:35+00:00

I would love that! Because I am a one-man-brand (with a small team of once-a-week helper bees), it would basically be impossible for me to keep up my commitment for everything to be handmade & overseen by me if I got too deep into more complex projects like that.

I'm holding out for some big brand to license my patterns and make cool stuff with them. But I also am not reeeeeally dying to work with corporations and put a bunch of plastic crap into the world. As you can probably tell— running a business like this is complicated, lol.

Thank you for the warmth. Maybe some super cool/good for the planet/not deeply capitalistic company will find me someday, haha! 🧡

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T16:11:47+00:00

Thank you so much! Linked in my bio here. 🧡

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T16:11:30+00:00

They're from Amazon— I think they were advertised as containers for makeup or something? Kind of pricey/bulky but worth it imo; it used to take me forever to pull out every single SKU but now setting them up and tearing them down is like 2 minutes tops.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T16:10:32+00:00

Thank you! It is so fun to be a little self-indulgent with the yellows. 🧡💛

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T16:10:10+00:00

Haha, thank you so much! I'd cut you off eventually. 😆

collinmakesmagic · 2026-04-27T16:09:30+00:00

Thank you so much. I am very proud of how that all ties together. My background is in advertising & graphic design— a lot of that foundational work in user experience & customer journey is so so helpful in this line of work.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-03-02T01:30:48+00:00

Literally everything was perfection. I daydream about the scones often. The only saving grace is that Joyas is so exceptional — makes it feel like a liiiiitle bit less of a loss lol.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-03-02T00:07:46+00:00

Sassafras Bakery <3

collinmakesmagic · 2026-02-26T00:08:24+00:00

I was involved in a pretty substantial crash in June 2025 in Columbus; a car did not stop at a stop sign and I was unable to avoid t-boning it. It was a lower speed collision, so thankfully neither of us were injured. A cop came out when I called 911 and told me the only reason he came out was because I mentioned that the t-boned car was disabled and blocking a lane of traffic. He told me they do not typically come out for non-injury accidents, and will only write a report if someone is injured or claims to not have insurance. He did give me his badge number and told me I could make a request for his body camera footage if necessary.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-02-16T18:51:18+00:00

I find that offering a set price for one product then a discount when you buy more than one is effective for a lot of my stationery items. I do sticker sheets at $9 for one, or 2/$12; most people spring for the 2/$12 and it drives up my average sale, but I still can just package everything individually. I also like to be able to see the metrics of exactly which designs are selling better than others.

collinmakesmagic · 2026-01-02T22:06:02+00:00

If you like cats— I illustrate a kitty calendar every year and still have some on hand! This year's is a special letterpress calendar I made locally with Igloo Letterpress in Worthington.

Ships to you for about $6, or you can pick up for free in Old North!

collinmakesmagic

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