CALL FOR ARTISTS AND FINE CRAFTERS FOR NEW MISSOURI LIFE MERCANTILE OPENING SOON

Missouri Life magazine is in the process of opening Missouri Life Mercantile, using available space in the office for our magazine in Rocheport, Missouri, a quaint little river town about 15 miles west of Columbia. We hope to be open by April 8 but aren’t on a hard deadline. Rocheport already caters to tourists, with about a dozen other unique boutiques and a dozen B&Bs or inns. About 300,000 people pass through Rocheport annually via the Katy Trail, and many of these travelers stay over and shop and dine. Our Mercantile’s theme would be Missouri-made goods, aligned with the mission of our magazine, of course.

In addition to the physical shop, we are remodeling our online shop, which will contain every item also in the store, so both Rocheport walk-ins and our online visitors can purchase products.

How we will promote Missouri Life Mercantile

●  Every issue (eight/year) will have at least a page promoting 5-9 items/artists/collectionsin the shop. 116,000 readers/issue.

●  Every Missouri LifeLines (two free e-newsletters/week) will showcase oneitem/artist/collection. (20,000 subscribers)

●  Missouri Life TV will also promote the Mercantile in new season segments. (Available onour site, on YouTube, and on Roku, and a few other television stations).

●  Missouri Net’s Show-Me Today program (on radio stations in 40 communities throughoutthe state) features a 10-minute segment with Missouri Life every week. We will includeMissouri Life Mercantile at least once/month.

●  On Social Media, Facebook and Instagram (43,396 average weekly users)  

Here’s our offer to you:

●  To start up, we are trading advertising for inventory. So, for example, for $500 of your artwork at your retail price, (this equates to a $250 wholesale order), we will trade either two 1/12th ads or one 1/6th ad in the issue of your choice ($878 value; see our media kit). (We typically recommend frequency over size, so we recommend two 1/12ths in the October and November 2023 issues, which will have a gift guide section.) You may use the ads for whatever you prefer, including promoting your own website for direct sales, or some people intend to donate them to charitable organizations they’re associated with.

●  In addition, every product/artist/collection will have a story in Missouri LifeLines.

●  Every Missouri LifeLines will also have a banner ad promoting our Missouri LifeMercantile.

●  If you’re an emerging artist or business and are concerned because of any provisions above, let’s talk anyway. Perhaps we can figure something out.

●  We plan to open March 10, 2023 but may be flexible with that date. 

About Missouri Life:

●  116,000 readers/issue, on average

●  31,500 visitors to MissouriLife.com per month, on average

●  20,000 Missouri LifeLines subscribers

●  2,700 YouTube followers, and over 308,000 views

●  43,396 average weekly users across Social Media platforms

QUESTIONS? Contact DANITA ALLEN WOOD, 660-537-2522 or danita@missourilife.com

Other Considerations

●  We ask for a price guarantee that our customers won’t find your goods for less cost elsewhere, such as on your website, at other galleries or shops, and such. (Shows are an exception, where clearly, you can discount if desired.)

●  We would like to be the only place within Rocheport carrying your product, and of course, if you already sell somewhere else in Rocheport, we do not wish to compete with our good neighbors.

●  In the future, we will order from you to restock at your wholesale rates, or continue bartering for advertising, if preferred. We understand the wholesale rate to be 50% off your retail pricing.

●  If you believe we need more inventory to showcase your work properly, we can consider trade for larger ads.

●  If you have specialized packaging, please provide that as part of our arrangement.

●  We will make special tags, promoting your business, your location, and one other specialfact about you to enhance the Made-in-Missouri theme, but in addition, we will display your own artist cards with your work.

SIGN ME UP  Please include 4 images of your artwork/product, a brief description, retail price range, a link to your website or social media platform and the best way to contact you to Amy Stapleton 573-514-5453 amy@MissouriLife.com  Sign this document, which can serve as our letter of agreement, scan and send in an email or you can snail mail back to Amy Stapleton along with the above information. Mailing address is 208 Columbia Street, PO Box 57 Rocheport MO 65279.  Danita will be in touch with you to talk about your artwork or product for consideration.  If selected to be a part of the Mercantile, Amy will be in touch with you for your advertising preferences.

Thank you.

Danita and Amy