Yep, that is right! This year I am hosting my second annual Holiday Bazaar and will be Christmas shopping in my own home with my neighbors and friends!! Not to mention, I will be earning hostess reward dollars that will help me in purchasing my gifts at a deep discount!

Do you want to shop in your own home while earning reward dollars towards gifts too?

If so, I have the secret to how:

How I got started:

Are you familiar with companies like, Scentsy Candles, Pampered Chef, Private Quarters or Homemade Gourmet??  Have you ever been approached to host your own party? Well, last December I was approached by several and decided to combine them all in one day and host a large Holiday Bazaar! I featured many different network marketing/direct sales vendors, including, Scentsy Candles, Pampered Chef, Dove Chocolate, Barefoot Books, Private Quarters, Homemade Gourmet and Shockey Clips!  It was a perfect winter morning and the house was filled with delightful scents from Scentsy, Christmas tunes and chitter chatter from all the holiday shoppers!! The vendors did a wonderful job showcasing their goodies and the shoppers enjoyed their time shopping! I, personally, had agreat morning sampling yummies with my friends and neighbors! I was also able to purchase many items at a discount for my family’s gift exchange! All in all, it was such a success that I am hosting another one this year!
What to do:

- Pick a day that works best for you to host your bazaar! I like Saturday mornings. Weeknights seem hard to get out of the house for busy moms. However, if a weeknight works best for you and your friends, reserve it then!

- Contact friends (or friends of friends) who are in network marketing or direct sales. If you do not have any contacts, most all vendors have websites with links that allow you to request a sales rep in your area to contact you.  The Pampered Chef hostess last year was no longer with the company, so I went online and requested someone to contact me. The girl who contacted me will be at my Bazaar this weekend! (It was easy!) My other vendors are neighbors, friends and friends of friends. Here is my list to get your started:

- Homemade Gourmet: www.homemadegourmet.com
- Barefoot Books: www.barefootbooks.com/shop/
- Gray Stitch Studio: www.etsy.com/shop/graystitchstudio
- Tick Tock Watches: Email: jrwfoster@cox.net
- Mary Kay: www.marykay.com
- Paper Blessings: www.paper-blessings.com
- My Vintage Baby: www.myvintagebaby.com

- Create your final list of vendors and guest, aka, shoppers, list: Once you have picked a date and contacted your vendors. Create a list of all your confirmed vendors along with their contact information and have it all on one sheet. Next, create your shoppers list. This can include your neighbors, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc.

- Send an invite: You have several options here. I used many!  The key is to send a save the date about 1 month out. Then, send the official invitation about 2 weeks out and a reminder about 1 week out.

- You can:
- Send an email with text.
- Send an online invite using: Evite.com, Mypunchbowl.com orPaperlessPost.com.
- Pass out flyers.
- Mail an invitation.
- Create a Facebook event and invite Facebook friends.
- Text or twitter your event! 

Regardless of your method to getting the word out, the Save the Date should include the title, “Holiday Bazaar”, the date and a small blurb about what your Holiday Bazaar is.
Mine said, “Save the date for my annual holiday bazaar. I am booking some great vendors this year. Everything from comfy blankets to great scents, yummy foods, cute hair bows, stylish accessories, unique furniture and more! Saturday, December 4th, 2010.”

The invitation should include the title, “Holiday Bazaar”, the date, time, location and list of your vendors.

Mine said,
Holiday Bazaar!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Come & Go: 9:30 till Noon
Location
** **
It’s that time of year again!
Please join me for my
ANNUAL HOLIDAY BAZAAR!
Experience a morning of leisurely shopping without fighting the mall crowds! I have a great line up for all your holiday entertaining and gift needs! (Lots of CUTE CUTE items!!)
Please bring a friend and join me for a cup of coffee and a delightful morning of holiday shopping!
Browse my party early @…
[Insert list of vendors & websites from above!]

…and the Reminder should just include the title, date and time.

What you need to provide:

- Nothing other than the location! You can provide drinks if you like. I will be providing coffee because I love coffee and my bazaar starts at 9:30am. You can also provide a few snacks if you like. Usually Homemade Gourmet and Pampered Chef will provide samples at their booths so extra is not necessary!

Other Tidbits:

- Raffles. I let my vendors know that raffles are a great way to gather contact information for future parties and newsletters. This also peaks shoppers interest to their booth! (Especially if they can win an item just for browsing!)

- Keep your vendors informed. Make sure you keep your vendors informed of all the invitations going out. It is nice to include them on the invite list. Also, keep them informed on when to arrive. I have my vendors arrive 30 minutes early to set up!

- Have vendors and friends invite friends. Of course you do not want too many guests in your home that you do not know, but this is a great way for you vendors to invite their close friends and will help you in your earning power.

- Expect about a 50% turnout. If you want to have 30 guests, you need to at least invite 60. 25, invite 50. 100, invite 200, etc!

- Other Themes. Holiday Bazaar (Christmas) ** Spring Market (March/April) ** Christmas in July (July) **Back to School (August)**Shop Till Ya Drop (Anytime)
Okay….Hope you can host a Bazaar too!
My Save the Date and Invitation have been sent. I will send my reminder on Thursday and hope for the best! I will keep you informed how my Second Annual Holiday Bazaar goes this Saturday the 4th! I think it should be a great one!

Pictures to follow!
Check out my 
First Annual Holiday Bazaar!
- Jennifer