Tips for a Successful Craft Fair
I am the classic overthinker/over-researcher. I google, Pinterest, Facebook, encyclopedia pretty much everything before I dive on in. So when I decided I wanted to do a craft fair I read about every article out there and felt like I was pretty prepared. There was a lot of great and invaluable advice! But doing a craft fair is kind of like having kids. You just don’t know what it is REALLY like until you have one. So here are my tips and tricks that no one told me- So I am telling you! What to expect, what to prepare for… and what advice to take with a grain of salt.
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1. A good display is important- but no need to go overboard!
I really stressed about my display for the first few fairs- that is in every craft fair tip article on the internet!! I wanted it to look amazing, like an actual storefront! And maybe you will get to a point where that is feasible. But I wasted a lot of time worrying about that when I could have been making actual things to sell. My best advice?? Make stuff that is awesome and make sure people can see it! Sound over simplified? Well it kind of is! But I have seen A TON of booths with things in baskets, boxes, piled, small things lying flat…. You can’t see them unless you are right in front of them! And if people have to rifle through items to see them all that is a serious problem. Most people are walker stalkers. They will walk through booths to check them out but any more serious effort? NOPE.
Have at least a few displays that are VERTICAL. Your best sellers should be VISIBLE from the aisle! For my crochet hats I had them on hat stands and a big hanging display. This is the draw. Then when they are closer have your other items easily visible on a table or such. If you have smaller things that are variations of one thing and want to put them in a basket I think that is fine. I recommend that you have a display item easily visible so they know what they are looking for in the basket.
Along with your display, you want people to see prices! A lot of people don’t want to ask… But want to know! I have used these tags and they were perfect.
2. Put on your happy face, folks!
I am an introvert. I like people, but small doses really does it for me. Usually my Sunday church attendance sets me up for a week. So when I get ready for a craft fair I mentally put my cheerful game face on. You need to be helpful, engaging, smart, funny, personable… Things I like to think I am (ha!) but you got to be that ALL DAY LONG. Be prepared for crazy comments, rude comments, incredibly sweet rewarding comments, and some cheek hurt. Because you got to have that smile on! As much as you are selling your product, you are selling YOU! If this comes naturally to you then great! If you are like me just fake it til you make it. And it’s not as hard as I am making it sound. You are selling something that you are passionate about, that you love to make! Remember that and it makes it much easier. For today you are a Salesman (woman) first and a maker second.
3. People be Crazy
There are some great people that make it all worth it, but there are a few that will say some nasty things. My biggest advice is to KILL THEM WITH KINDNESS. Your first reaction may be to snap something back, but if you are overly kind and encouraging then it will make a huge difference. Want an example? I had one lady tell me that my hats were way overpriced, snapped a picture of one and told me she knew someone who could make it cheaper. I was burning (literally, I have a horrible blushing habit when I am flustered.) I said I was so sorry she felt that way but was so glad that she liked my work to take a picture of it! She stomped off. Another woman who was also looking at the hats was super indignant on my behalf, bought two hats and brought back another friend who also bought another hat. A couple of hours later the earlier woman came back and bought the hat she took a picture of and apologized. Apparently her friend quoted her the same price! Not every story will have such a happy ending (I have had many, many more that did not!) but I will always be grateful that I came off professional in that encounter of the weird kind.
4. Bring Snacks
What??? Seriously. Snacks and drinks will be a saving force. Like I said I am not a huge people person so it really wears me out and I get tired. You will be standing most of the day. It will be hard to leave the booth (what if you miss a sale!) and you will get HUNGRY. I always pack a few granola or protein bars and some water bottles.
5. Bring a Person
Like I said, it will be hard to leave the booth but you will need to sometimes (hmm hmm. bathroom.) If you can’t have a person there all day, somebody who can come spell you for a little bit is seriously a life saver!
6. Have a Paying Station
This is a big one that I didn’t do for the first few fairs and then figured out… I was so intent on using every inch of space for my product that I didn’t think to set up a place for the actual exchanging of funds for goods! It is hard to do this standing up. If you have to juggle change, your phone or ipad, and whatever you are selling it becomes awkward fast. Have one little section with your cash box and a little chair and things will go sooooo much easier. It is more comfortable for both you and the buyer. You can have your cash box, some bags for your product (I use these and think they were a great deal!) and maybe your receipt book.
7. Get an Actual Cash Box
You CAN get by without one… but when you are taking money people like to be reassured they are dealing with a professional person. My first fair I just used an envelope and accidentally pulled everything out. Umm… excuse me, potential buyer, while I pick some twenties off the floor. NO. Not professional. I like THIS ONE if you are in the market. In the same line, make sure you have some change! At one fair my first purchase was with a hundred and I was so grateful that at the last minute I got some change made!
8. Make sure you are not one in a million
One fair I went to had a TON of similar crochet items. Like 6-7 booths out of 40. People still liked my stuff but they had “just got a hat from over there.” Gag, blegh, sigh! From then on I checked and double-checked that there were not going to be a lot of the same items that I was selling. MOST fairs don’t want this and won’t allow duplicates but be sure to check!
9. Bigger is not Always Better
If you are heart broken that you weren’t accepted to sell in a large fair, or can’t afford the booth fee do not despair! I used to always do the craft fair in my very small hometown and consistently did better than the larger fairs! Why? I am not sure. My small town is remote so the fair is a bigger deal than larger places that have them more often. People liked buying my stuff because they knew me. And there wasn’t as much of what I was selling (see number 8!). What I am trying to say is you can make it work in a smaller area! Look at all the factors that go into a fair, not just size! Another thing that helps is going to the same fair year after year. People start to remember you and say “I was looking forward to seeing what you made this year!” BEST FEELING EVER.
10. Plan Ahead
Don’t decide a week before that you want to do a craft fair UNLESS you already have a ton of inventory. It will be bad on your health and stress levels and maybe your marriage. Haha! Seriously, though, a fair is hard enough work that you don’t want to be so worried about making inventory that you don’t have the time to do all the other stuff that comes with it. You may walk away disappointed. The ideal is to work at it all year long and be ready to go! I say ideal… but I know I have let it sneak up on me! But I was always happier and more successful when I gave myself plenty of time!
11. Have Pictures or display only pieces
With my crochet hats, lots of people want to try them on. Uhhhh… that is a little iffy. What if they have lice? Or are just dirty? Or something crazy happens and they damage it? and then don’t buy it!! Ahh! MOST of the time it will be fine.. But what if it isn’t? I think most people try it on for 2 reasons. They want to see what it looks like on and to make sure it fits. So I recommend having a few pictures displayed of the hats being modeled and make the time to have a few display only hats that are in the different sizes you offer. (or whatever you are selling- I just think in hats!) Offer them that hat and point them to the pictures. Most people will be understanding!
12. Make things in different price ranges
This is one that I saw often through my perusal of craft tips but I really found it valuable! A lot of the time the big ticket items are what draw people in and they leave with a cheaper item. Or they will add on a cheaper item! Keep making your big ticket items because sometimes that is where it is at. But have options because for some reason those smaller things will be what makes you more money overall. It may differ on where you are at, too!
This is a good example of a smaller thing to make! Free Octopus Baby Toy
And some bigger ticket items! You can find these The Friendly Dolls patterns HERE
13. Don’t go overboard with inventory!Â
One year I just wanted to make all the hats! I had like 35 different hats, all kinds of styles! And there were a lot of people that loved them… but wanted it in a different size. Or color. And I didn’t have it. I have learned its best to stick to what you love and what sells well and then offer options. Oh you like this Tiger hat? Great I have it in 4 sizes! You like these headbands? I have 6 different colors! It helps you because you will get good at a certain thing (less making time) and more people will buy (more money!) CHA-CHING!
14. Do you offer custom orders? Let them know!
A lot of the time people like what they see but want something a little different. Maybe a scarf in the one color you didn’t make, or a hat in the one size you just ran out of! If you take custom orders let them know and then (this is the biggie!!) have a way to let them contact you! Business cards are great, but a printed-off paper invoice where they pay you THERE with all of THEIR contact info is gold!
15. Have fun with it!Â
If this seems like the cliche go to for every other article conclusion, I want to tell you this is my number one tip! I got to the point where it was so stressful on me and my family that I had to take a big step back. I had to ask myself some hard questions like: how much time am I putting in this? what is the return? and the BIG
one… is it worth it? To me it wasn’t. So I am way more picky and way more choosy and let it become FUN again. I make more and I like it better (and my kids and husband like ME better!) It shows when you are burned out. So don’t let it ever get NOT FUN.
That is it for my best tips and tricks for craft fairs! Do you have any you would add?
If you have any questions, pop over to The Friendly Crochet Club! This is the best place if you have any questions!!
Thank you for the great tips!
I just did my first showing of my soaps and bath products. I was not prepared in many ways, like my displays were haphazard and it looked messy. I sold a ton of products but was still disappointed in my ability to get it just right. People were lined up at times to see my tables, so maybe next time I will set them up so the line can flow in and out without a lot of thought on the shopper’s part. Layered displays are very important so people can scan levels and children can see certain areas better so make sure you have something at their level to keep them occupied. I really cannot stress enough how necessary it is to make the children happy in your space. Mom or Dad will stay longer if the child is busy and happy. I put my toddler hand soaps at a low level, you must be okay with your product being handled on this though. So, I make a few “demo” soaps, shrink wrap them and put them right where the toddler can touch. As the day wound down, I out the remaining soaps in that basket “on sale” and they were all gone. I had a very mean and aggressive woman on this my first attempt, she would not be swayed, she threw items, swore and was quite terrifying. I simply pulled my cell phone out of my vendor’s apron and started to dial 911 and she left. I am also not sure about your cash box, I have seen them stolen, I made my own vendor’s apron with 9 pockets. 2 have zippers and are for bills in one, change in the other. The money pockets are reinforced and shallow so it is easy to find what I need. My calculator, phone, some business cards, notepad, pen, etc are all on those pockets. Your advice is all excellent, I appreciate your work in this!
Thanks for the awesome tips! My first craft fair is coming in a few weeks…I am trying to create items but also be okay with not having a thousand items for sale. I want to be organized and helpful not stressed so your tips were awesome!
Thank you for this. I have my first Christmas fair in a couple of weeks and am busy making things to sell. This was very helpful and informative.
Great advice, so nice of you to share. You also do beautiful work!
Great tips, thank you! We are off to our first fair next weekend and will try and implement your advice 🙂
love what you do. I am looking forward to seeing more of your crafts.
These are great tips! Thank you for your expertise and encouragement.
I’ve been reading vending blogs all morning on tips, tricks, hacks, display layouts. & Your blog is the most authentically real, and helpful. Felt like a real artist who vends wrote this with their experience. Thank you!
Wonderful suggestions. Thank you!
Thank you! This is awesome. I’m also an introvert/maker/overthinker. I love the invoice idea!
The little octopus is so very cute! I dabble in crochet and can appreciate the work you put into it.
Loved your advice on preparing for craft fairs. I agree with all of your suggestions. I had a booth for the first time last year at a small holiday craft fair. What fun! I do not crochet. I made vintage Christmas decor with vintage items. I would add to your advice –
1. Have a sign – Have a fairly large sign made with the name of your business in a prominent place in your booth so that across the room people can get an idea of what you sell. I had a small bookcase that I put on my top of my table for height and on top I perched on a plate stand a simple foam board sign that I designed through VistaPrint’s website. I had wood houses on each side. So across the room people could see “Tinsel Town Treasures – Vintage Christmas”. It helps if you have a fun name for your business like…The Mad Hatter…Cuddle Stuff…
2. Display small items on your check out table – When buyers are getting ready to pay they may grab a last minute small item. I used a 3-foot Christmas tree with ornaments. You could use a basket of goodies…cute key chains maybe?
3. Displays at eye level – I use table top Christmas trees, my bookcase, small shelves on risers (I use white metal shelves from Target used for your kitchen cabinets). Use a shoe box covered neatly with a solid color cloth napkin or small tablecloth, wooden crates, a small wooden ladder propped against the wall. Search your pantry and attic. I used my large iron bowl stands and centerpiece 15 inch tall obelisks to display small tinsel wreaths. Just make sure that they are plain enough not to compete with your products or your color scheme.
4. Make more small inexpensive items – They may cover your booth fee and bring more people into your booth. Last year a women brought her 100-year-old mother to shop for small gifts for her 9 grandchildren. She bought them all from me. I am so glad a made a few small Christmas ornaments.
5. Seize the opportunity to go the extra mile – I sell fragile items. I volunteered to pack an item for shipping for one buyer. Buyers will remember and come again to see you. I bought a few large one dollar vinyl shopping bags with cute designs from a craft store to give to buyers who made large purchases and needed a way to transport a large item.
6. Consider attaching your colorful business card to a bag at purchase. I had leftover white lunch bags from our neighborhood luminaries. Small purchases went in those bags. I neatly folded down the tops and stapled my card in the middle at the top.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLOG. CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THE NEXT CRAFT FAIR!
Really good tips,a few I never thought of. I make wreaths and the competition is huge,so you really have to be creative. I love what I do,my problem is I really could give the things away! Thanks for your ideas , have a good day☺
I have done craft/art shows for over 35 years and manage a major art festival. You have given the best advice I have read. Good realistic advice. But for cash box. Never leave it open, or shut with just the lever. It is too easy for someone to pick it up and run! Seen it happen. Also when u are leaving and carrying a cash box. U make a good target
Thank you and good times ahead
Tre
All of this is wonderful! I’ve done several craft fairs over the years. and each time you learn something to do differently to always improve. I got another show in a couple of weeks. thank you!
I too have been doing shows for over 35 years. You have some good advice for beginners. I use a fanny pack for my cash, so it never leaves me. i use my scrap fabric to make bags for customer purchases. they love it, as they are all unique. Instead of business cards, I make a list of my inventory and a thank you note with my phone and email, so they can contact me anytime and glue to the inside of Christmas cards, on the outside of envelope is a list of the shows I will be showing at this season with dates, times and adressess, as several are out of town. My small items sell so well, it pays for my space and lunch and gas!!! Good Luck selling everyone.