Today we’d like to introduce you to Tania Cardenas.
Hi Tania, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi! My name is Tania and I have been running DFW Craft Shows for the last 12 years. It all started with my own crafting business, The Curious Cake Shoppe. I wanted to started doing craft shows, but trying to find local events was taking up a ton of my time. At each show, I met more and more vendors, and they all shared the same story: it was too hard to find local event information.
I decided I wanted to create a space where we could easily share local arts and crafts show information with each other. That space became DFW Craft Shows, and pretty soon my inbox was full of event coordinators looking for vendors, vendors looking for events, and shoppers trying to find unique gifts and support local businesses.
The website grew and grew until I knew it had outgrown the platform it was on. Tackling a new website design with new features on a new platform is no small task, especially when you are also trying to raise two young kiddos and life keeps throwing you lemons. Due to many major life events and a number of technical issues, the website was kept simmering on the back-burner for quite some time.
In November 2021, I was finally able to launch the brand-new site that I had tirelessly poured myself into over the last several years, and it has been such a treat to share it with everyone.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I wish I could say that it has been smooth sailing, but designing and building a new website has been anything but rainbows and sunshine. I discovered that world of web development can be a perilous place, and I lost a lot of time and funds trying to navigate it. In the end, I decided to fall back on my own programming experience and use those skill sets to build the website myself. I spent a lot of time researching, asking questions, making new contacts, and pretty soon things started to fall into place. Still, the process took a lot of time.
The internet has changed quite a bit since the last time I dipped my toes in web development, and those changes bring both new challenges and some pretty amazing advancements. I am really proud and excited about the new dfwcrafts.com. It has a lot of new, advanced features like our Events Calendar complete with detailed search filters. I especially love our new Vendor Directory that allows me to share and promote some pretty amazing local artists.
Now that the new site is live, I have been able to refocus my efforts on the things I love most about DFW Craft Shows: supporting local artists, local events, and helping to connect my local creative community.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
DFW Craft Shows is a hub for all things arts and crafts in the extended North Texas area (Dallas/Fort Worth/DFW area and beyond). We have resources to help local events find amazing, talented local artists, crafters, makers, bakers–you name it! We also have resources for all those local artisans to find nearby events to showcase their art and connect with their local community. But it’s not all about business-to-business relationships. Our Vendor Directory allows folks to discover and support all the unique and fantastic artists that North Texas has to offer. Our blog shares crafting tutorials, product reviews, featured artists across the world, and gift guides, in addition to resources about growing your business, marketing events, and more.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Perseverance and passion. I put in the hours because I believe in DFW Craft Shows, and I believe in our incredibly talented, creative community here in North Texas. I never gave up because I cannot deny the passion, I have for helping/lifting up others, especially small businesses in the arts and crafts community. It has driven me my entire life. I believe that every artist has a market out there somewhere. If they believe in their art, if they believe in themselves, they will find their people. It is my absolute pleasure to be a part of that journey and help in any way I can.
Pricing:
- VIP Membership – $9 / month when billed annually
- Basic Event Listing – Free
- Event Listing Upgrades starting at just $19
Contact Info:
- Email: info@dfwcrafts.com
- Website: https://dfwcrafts.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dfwcraftshows/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dfwcraftshows
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dfwcraftshows/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/dfwcraftshows
- Other: DFW Craft Shows Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DFWCScommunity Craft Vendor Community and Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftvendors
Image Credits
DFW Craft Shows
