It’s officially craft fair season! Okay, I know there are craft fairs and markets and vendor’s events all year long…but THIS is our time to shine as crocheters. This is when the big craft fairs where people will be shopping for warm, snuggly things made with yarn happen. This is when people begin the hunt for unique gifts. I’m going to give you some tips and tricks to survive your cold weather (okay, cooler…slightly cooler?) craft fairs.
If you’re still searching for quick makes for your next market, check out my Blackbird Hot Coffee Cozy. It’s a great way to use up some scraps, works up quick, is a great low price item, and is super giftable.
What you should have done last year…
I can’t be the only one who didn’t attend any of the craft fairs I wanted to vend at, right? If you are ACHING to set up shop at this year’s events, I say GO FOR IT! Do it now…I promise you’ll be fine. If you’re a little more apprehensive, want to do some more planning, and maybe think about these events for NEXT year, I suggest attending any/all craft fairs, markets, etc that you’re interested in applying for next year. Get the lay of the land – what’s the event space like, parking situation, how are the booths laid out. You’re going to get a feel for what kind of vendors are there and how many people attend so you know if it’s going to be worth it for you. Try to find out who’s in charge and see if you can steal a few minutes of their time to chat about potentially applying next year and ask questions. What happens if it rains (if it’s an outdoor event)? If I sell out before the event is over, can I leave early, or do I need to stay the whole time? Do you limit the number of like vendors, and try not to put their booths too near each other?
Now, back to the antsy people like me who decided to just go for it and get a booth at an event they’ve never attended. That’s TOTALLY fine! I still recommend getting a hold of the event organizer ahead of the day of the event and asking those questions above so you’re at least armed with the information and can plan accordingly. Since you’ve never attended this event as a shopper, take a little notebook to jot down things you think about/notice during the event – crowd size, what you liked/didn’t like, what vendors within your line of sight were busiest, what booths did you hear shoppers talking about, what feedback did you get from shoppers. If you’re able to step away from your booth for a little while, I recommend walking around and seeing what other types of vendors there are and where similar vendors to you are located in comparison to your booth. All of these things will help you be better prepared to vend at this event in the future. Also, if the organizer puts on other events during the year, it will give you an idea of how those might run so you can also decide whether they’re worth your time and energy or not.
How much should you bring with you?
Truthfully…I don’t know and if I’m being honest, this isn’t the big thing I’m here to talk about. (WHAT?!) There are a lot of blog posts out there that touch on how to figure this out, and there are a LOT of different ways to go about it. I will say that I recommend narrowing down your product line to maybe 10 different types of items max. 1-2 sizes of each max, and 3-4 colors of each max. You can always take custom orders for sizes/colors you don’t have with you. The fewer choices you leave your shoppers with, the more likely they are to browse and buy. Try to stick to a fairly cohesive color palette so your booth is aesthetically pleasing. Set financial goals and make sure you have enough stock to meet those goals – remember to look at the PROFIT from each item, not the price, to determine if you’re going to hit your goals. You want to, at a bare minimum, make back your booth fee – that’s your low goal. Set a high, stretch goal – what would you absolutely LOVE to come home with? Then find a reasonable number somewhere in the middle for your mid-goal. Make AT LEAST enough stock to hit your mid-goal; ideally, make enough stock to hit your stretch goal. You want to bring items at different price points – maybe 30% of your inventory $10 and under; 40% between $10-$50; 20% over $50. Those are rough estimates on percentages, but you get the idea.
However much stock you take, I recommend making an Excel spreadsheet inventory sheet with each item you’re taking, the price, how many of each variation, and a place to mark how many you sell during the event. It will make it much easier to reconcile your books at the end of the event if you can mark down what sold as it sells, or take inventory a few times during the event to keep up to date. Also, if you have to remit sales tax to the organizer, you’ll need a way to figure out what’s owed. It’s an easy way to see what were best sellers, too. And make sure you know ahead of time what licenses/sales tax permits you need and get them taken care of!
Why are you even here if I’m not telling you how much stock to make?
Because I have other things to tell you! Have a little faith friend. J Truly, there are SO SO many resources on how to figure out how much stock to bring, and at the end of the day, only YOU can figure that out, because only you know what would make this a successful event for you and how much you can actually make with the time available to you. What I can make as a wife, mom of 2, and with a full-time job outside of crocheting is much different from a single person with no kids who crochets full-time. We’re going to have different goals.
Okay, so what I am here to tell you are the little things you might not think about. Like, did you know that cold air drains your phone battery faster than normal? I mean, maybe you DO know that, but are you going to remember that when you’re heading to an outdoor event in the middle of December and your phone has the card reader attachment for you to take card payments? Because I sure didn’t. I couldn’t figure out why my battery kept dying. If you’re vending an outdoor event and it’s cold, invest in some little hand warmers for your coat pockets and keep your phone in your pocket so it stays warm and preserves the battery life. Take extra battery pack chargers to keep your phone charged. And have cash on hand to take cash payments in case your card reader doesn’t work.
Dress in layers. Even outside in the winter, you can get warm. Comfy shoes are obviously a must. Bring snacks and drinks. Make friends with the vendors closest to you, so that if either of you need to step away for a bathroom/lunch break, they can help your customers or at least let them know you’ll be right back. Clearly label your products with the price. Now, I personally don’t think it matters if they’re individually tagged or if there’s a sign with a list of prices. They’re both great. But don’t make your customers ask you the price…because they won’t. If they can’t figure it out on their own, they’ll just leave.
Plan for wind, and other inclement weather. What’s your rain/snow plan? What’s your wind plan? Do you have walls on your pop-up tent that you can quickly drop down to block the wind? Do you have ways to weigh your tablecloth, props and items down? Are you able to set up and tear down your booth by yourself or do you need help? If you need help, is that person able to get there quickly in case the event ends early due to bad weather? Do you need electricity and does the event offer it?
Don’t put all your inventory out at once. Keep some back to replenish as you sell through things. You want your booth to look full, but not STUFFED. And you DO want people to see that items are selling so it prompts them to check out what you have. If you can make your items there, have some projects you can work on during the slow times. This will prompt interest from the customers…and also helps you replenish some stock during the day!
If you’re doing multiple events in a season, keep a plastic bin with a lid that’s full of the things you need to take to every show – tablecloths, shopping bags of some sort, business cards, order forms, card reader, cash box/envelope, first aid kid, ibuprofen, snacks, water bottles. Keep your tables, props/displays, signs, tent, and a chair to sit in all together if you can.
Practice your display beforehand so you have an idea of how you want it to look, and when it’s just right, take pictures so you can refer to it the morning of the event. This saves time setting up that morning. Take pictures of your booth during the event, too. Some events want photos of your setup when you apply, and having an actual set up at an event will make a bigger impact than your practice set up in your living room.
Last but not least, have fun!
I know you might have popped in here to learn how to set up your booth or what stock to bring. If you stayed and read through, I hope you found some valuable nuggets of information for your next craft fair. If you search on Pinterest, you’ll find a hundred blog posts on how to set up, what stock to bring, and how much to bring. I hope I’ve given you some extra tips that sometimes people forget to talk about. If you have any tips, tricks, or funny stories from a craft fair you’ve attended or vended at, share in the comments!
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