Heading to the Nashville Needlework Market

A few of our Kreinik staff members are heading to Nasvhille, Tennessee, later this week for a needlework trade show—that is, a buying event open only to wholesalers and licensed businesses. This is one of the ways needlework shops get new products in their stores so you can shop the latest designs, see threads first-hand, and discover new fabrics. We get to meet new designers, and network with amazing shop owners. A trade show is a lot of work, but also pretty fun.

What goes into prepping for a trade show like this? We will have at least ten new needlework kits featuring our silk floss, our Chevron Ribbon, Copper Canvas fabric, plus scissors, needles, tools, 10 other kits, silk gauze, and more. Here's a quick glimpse into Kreinik show prep:

• Our design/marketing department works on design ideas, stitching and writing to make sure the projects are pretty and easy. Sometimes we hire outside designers to create the projects, and sometimes we design them. We do the charting, instructions, photography, and package designing in-house. 
• Janice and Rebecca in our customer service department keep things running smoothly, making sure all staff have their lists and whatever they need for the show order, manage all printing, plus handling the usual (and some unusual) daily orders, not-to-mention making sure we are already working on the next show (which is only four weeks away…).
• Brenda heads up our kitting department as well as our silk department, so this is a busy show for her. She will do the silk prep, cutting, winding, skeining, instruction folding, and packaging for the ten new kits (24 of each), the other kits we're bringing, plus daily orders. That's a lot of organizing, making, compiling, and producing in a short amount of time.
• Our production manager Rodney and his team keep our machines making Kreinik Braids, then labeling and packaging the spools or cones. In addition to making threads for daily orders, we will make extra stock to take to this cash-and-carry show. At Nashville, we will have three-rack assortments (that's five spools each of 162 colors) in Kreinik Blending Filament, Very Fine #4 Braid, and Fine #8 Braid. Our team puts the thread on the racks at the factory, so all we have to do at the show is unwrap the trays and hang up the racks (a huge timesaver on set-up day).
• There are certain machines dedicated to making the new Chevron Ribbon, designed to "braid" Kreinik base fibers into a chevron pattern in our 1/16" Ribbon size. We will bring plenty of spools of the five colors in this fun ribbon, which can be used for satin stitches, ribbon embroidery, crazy quilting, needlepoint, and any other surface embroidery stitch.

There's so much going on behind the scenes of an industry trade show, but this gives you a glimpse. Big thanks to all of the Kreinik team members working hard on this show and on daily operations, and big thanks to you for buying Kreinik thread and making beautiful creations with it.

Shop owners and designers going to the Nashville show, come see us! Kreinik will be in room 308. Visit http://www.needleworkretailer.com/nashville2015/index.htm for show registration information.