I have never done anything close to a craft fair and am really worried that I will not have enough time to prepare. The craft fair is on Nov. 21st. I have some items worked up already, you can see from my shop, but I don't know how much I will need. It is a MOPS craft fair so if I go I will be focusing mostly on baby items and items for mom.
Here are my questions:
Fellow crafters:
- If you have gone to a craft fair before, what items did you bring, and how much merchandise did you bring?
- How much variety did you have? Did you bring lots of 1 design, or did you bring lots of different designs?
- What do you usually buy from craft fairs?
- Would you go to a seller's online site if you could not find what you wanted at their booth?
I found this post on what to bring to a craft fair. It is helpful, but I still have questions.
Let me know what you think!
Congratulations - that's so exciting! I haven't done a craft fair before, but I'd think you might like to bring a few each of the same design. Maybe bring a "portfolio" of your work - a little scrapbook showing previous design work in case someone finds something that you don't have at the craft show. Have plenty of business cards with you, perhaps with a special coupon offer on the back.
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of hard to gauge what kind of crowd there will be and what kind of response you'll get. Have you attended this craft show before? You might then be able to get a handle on the kind of traffic you would receive. I always find, too, that I tend to linger and purchase more from the booths where the people are really friendly - like they WANT you to come over to the booth! Maybe offer some free candy.
Good luck on whatever you choose to do! If you pass this time, there will always be more craft fairs next year. :) But it must feel really awesome to have been invited.
Sincerely, Theresa
Let me preface by saying I've only done a few shows. I tried to bring a large variety to see what sells. Sometimes I think having too many different kinds of things makes it difficult for the buyer to see the items on a small table. You can get creative with your display. I'm amazed at what the pros bring - but even something like a clothes tree helped me. I did ok, but I'm fairly new to Etsy and am still trying to build up inventory. I'd say, if it doesn't cost too much, it might be worth trying it out. You really don't lose anything but your time. I don't really go to craft fairs to buy. I look, but frankly, much doesn't interest me. I'm not big on decor items and there is a lot of that out there. Your items are adorable!
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