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PLANNING FOR A CRAFT SHOW

 

         So you've decided to sell at a craft fair. Good for you! Planned well, craft fairs can be a wonderful way to generate an income, plus gets you the exposure you need for your thriving business. It's important that you plan these things well.

Before you plan to vend at a craft fair, you need to think about what your target market is. Your target market is the person you see purchasing your product. From there, you can know what sort of craft fairs to sell at.

There are a few types of craft fairs, at least here in St. Louis. There are street fairs, which mostly sell brand new, factory manufactured products. Then there are flea markets, which sell a mixture of new and used items. There are craft fairs, which mostly sell hand made items. Lastly, there are higher end flea markets which sell high priced antiques and high end handmade products. You need to decide in which category your product lies in.

Once you've done this, you can narrow down the list of craft fairs in your neighborhood to a short list of fairs where you feel your product will do well. It may take some trial and error to find out what sort of person likes your product, but my advice is to keep it cheap. Don't spend too much money for a craft fair, as they are a lot of work, and for the exposure you get you can frankly do the same or better on line.  Having a partner is very helpful. Find a crafty friend who you get along well with, and is a good, positive person. This is needed when you have slow mornings, or lousy weather. Everyone needs a cheerleader now and then. A buddy will also split the cost of the table, allowing you to sell at more events.

You will need basic things, like a fold-up table and chairs. You'll need to think about packaging for your product and shopping bags to put your product in. You should also have a logo designed by this point . I suggest printing it out on sticker paper, and sticking it on the bags. Or, if you are a print maker, carve a stamp of your logo and shop URL and print them on the bags.

You'll need to think of your table display. I suggest saving shoe boxes and piling up hard cover books, and draping a table cloth over it, to add more levels. Remember signs, and a banner for your table! Make your presence known to everyone!

You also need to make sure you have enough product to sell. Make sure you have enough of each type of item you create. Remember to bring a calculator, and plenty of change. The amount of change depends on the cost of your product. Lots of singles and fives. You can get this at your local bank.

If you follow this sound advice, you should do well at your craft fair.