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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Laurie Carr, CEO P.O. Box 131194 Roseville, MN 55113 Work phone - 651-269-2340 Email - laurie@ctmventures.com www.midwestcraftfair.com 'After the Craft Fair' Roseville, Minnesota, May 1, 2004 - Has this ever happened to you? Your best friend loves the new item you just bought at a local craft fair. Her birthday is coming up and you'd like to get her something similar but you have no idea how to contact that artisan again. We've heard variations on this theme regularly from both artisans and customers. What can we do after the fair? Enter technology and the internet! Like Superman in his red cape, the internet is here to 'save the day'. Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year - it's a real shopper's hero and the great equalizer of giants and small businesses. The Financial Times and the U.S. Commerce Department have reported 2003's 4th quarter retail internet sales up 25% from the same period in 2002. They also predict this double-digit growth to continue! Wow! Does this mean craft fairs will be a thing of the past? No, craft fairs will continue, they're just too much fun to go out of style. Artisans tell us all the time how great it is to meet their customers and how good it feels to watch people admire their work. But the world is changing and the internet appears to be the architect of that change. Annette Magnuson, Midwest Craft Fair's head of Sales and Marketing offers this insight regarding how the internet is affecting the craft industry. "Since starting business in 2002, we have seen significant changes in the arts and crafts industry, particularly by its increased presence on the internet. More and more artisans are looking to build a presence on the internet as an additional outlet for their crafts." Midwest Craft Fair is enjoying the upsurge in retail sales on the internet. Annette adds that "the internet is one of the best ways the individual artisan can move beyond craft fairs to reach a larger audience. As an online craft fair, Midwest Craft Fair has two goals. First, we are providing craft fair enthusiasts a way to find the creations of their favorite artisans after the fair and second, we are making the advantages of the internet available to individual artisans." It sounds like everyone can benefit from the internet. Artisans can enjoy greater visibility and consumers get unparalleled shopping choices and convenience. So, next time you find yourself in an 'After the craft fair' situation, check the internet and visit us at www.MidwestCraftFair.com. See you at the Fair!

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