Destash
***WE RECOMMEND GETTING TICKETS IN ADVANCE**
EXPRESS SCAN LINES WILL MOVE MUCH FASTER THAN THE TICKET SALES LINE
TICKET SALES AT THE GATE ARE CASH OR CREDIT CARD ONLY
MAKE SURE TO CHECK TICKET TIME AVAILABILITY BEFORE ARRIVING
TICKET ENTRY TIMES WILL SELL OUT
STROLLERS ARE DISCOURAGED DURING EARLIER ENTRY TIMES
THREE TICKET ENTRY TIMES THIS YEAR TO HELP SPREAD OUT THE CROWD
WITH PERKS FOR LUCKY WINNERS AT EACH ENTRY TIME
11 AM - EARLY BIRD
This entry time enjoys a Complimentary Bloody Mary or Mimosa for the first 200 through the door along with a live sound experience from Renee Bebeau et al. Please arrive early to have your ticket scanned and be ready to enter the Fest Hall at your selected entry time. You’ll have about 2 hours to shop. No one will force you out if you stay longer — just know that 750 eager shoppers will be entering behind you.
1 PM - Scratch Off Surprise!
This entry time enjoys a Scratch Off Surprise for the first 150 through the door. Lucky winners will receive a scratch off ticket valued at $1 $5 $10 OR a special surprise from one of 50 participating vendors. Seek out their booth to claim your prize. Please arrive early to have your ticket scanned and be ready to enter the Fest Hall at your selected entry time. You’ll have about 2 hours to shop. No one will force you out if you stay longer — just know that 750 eager shoppers will be entering behind you.
3 PM - Power Hours!!
This entry time enjoys Additional Discounts on remaining items from participating makers. Please arrive early to have your ticket scanned and be ready to enter the Fest Hall at your selected entry time. You’ll have about 2 hours to shop. No one will force you out if you stay longer — just know that 750 eager shoppers will be entering behind you.
The Bavarian Bierhaus full restaurant and bar will be open for service until 8 PM.
BE SURE TO KEEP AN EYE ON OUR INSTAGRAM & FACEBOOK PAGES FOR Event Updates
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a different type of maker market
with different expectations
and a couple of rules
First, what is the MKE DESTASH Event? DESTASH started in 2016, as a humble, grass roots event, with about a dozen of us and our baby handmade businesses, looking to sell off our imperfect handmade items and supplies in order to support fresh new projects and aspirations for the new year. It also served as our annual Customer Appreciation Party! Tactile Craftworks brought fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, Cival brought the "potion" for the Bloody Mary bar, SilverWear by Misty brought the vodka, Big White Yeti brought the candles of course, I still have Zewing Girl's chip bowl (sorry!), everybody brought something and it was hosted at the Permanent Baggage studio/boutique. The brick & mortar is now closed but used to be located on Hamilton Street, a couple blocks north of Brady Street.
The event has continued to grow over the years with makers of all types coming together for a day of destashing our imperfect art and supplies, to nurture camaraderie among small businesses owners and to most genuinely thank our community for their support. Makers of all levels are encouraged to apply however we do give preference to those who are supporting themselves through the sale of their work either part or full-time.
**Note that "destashing" is different than just putting a sale on your normal handmade goods-that is a NO-NO, save those pieces for your shops or in person shows where you can get full price! The Destash event should be used as a TOOL to sell off -UNWANTED ITEMS- EVERYTHING IN YOUR BOOTH MUST BE DISCOUNTED, if not DEEPLY. This is what is advertised to our patrons and what is expected.
At Destash, you can sell off your slightly flawed or imperfect items, your out of season items, your experiments/prototypes, pieces you've become bored with, old branding, items nearing expiration (within 3 months), AND your EXCESS SUPPLIES. In the past some makers have created a product from their scrap that they only sell during Destash at this awesome price and put together surprise goodie bags.
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HOW DESTASH WORKS:
*Participants are required to have a social media presence on Instagram. We do advertise through Facebook, however, all post sharing is initiated from Instagram, so if you want your posts to be shared, an Instagram account is required.
The MKE Destash Event pages on Instagram and Facebook will serve as the central hubs for advertising the event where ALL participants work collectively to post their Destash offerings the weeks leading up to the event. I, Kamryn, your event coordinator (hi!) will be working in the background shuffling around and reposting everyone's deals and announcements.
*Each participant is asked to post a minimum of 3 posts (static post, story or reel-your choice). We suggest something like the timeline below - though most vendors post much more by sprinkling their deals into their stories.
Post 1.) I'm participating in Destash! You will be provided the event banner in early January to easily share and start amping up the event!
Post 2.) These are my deals! *Each Participant is encouraged to submit a Directory Listing, which is basically a post to your own feed, that leads with your logo and follows with the deals you'l be offering. That post will be shared to the Destash Instagram feed where it collectively becomes a juicy detailed roster for the event and patrons can easily scroll all your deals and connect with your business. In the past I had put a $5 ad behind each listing sadly, gone are the days where a $5 boost has much gravity. We'll need to combine the funds behind fewer posts moving forward. The stronger, more throought he listing, the more likely to have a paid ad put behind it. I also create one larger paid advertisements from as many peoples' posts as I can fit in it. Directory listings should be posted some time in February 2025 so I can get everyone listed to the roster in time. **You are not required to do a Directory listing but it does benefit you :)
Also, if you'd like to, many vendors sprinkle their deals to their stories, from which the Destash event, will share to our stories.
Post 3.) See you soon for all the fun! Post this some time the week before the event reminding people to attend.
***Then, best of all, we come together on event day to throw our community a big a$$ thank you party and DESTASH!!!
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