*** Okay I'm a day late, but here it is...***
Find
Part 1 here.
6. Make & bring way more inventory than you think will sell.
Every single time I have been a vendor at a craft fair
I have felt like I've had a ton of inventory,
because it's usually all over my little studio
& my living room & my garage.
It feels like it's going to take over.
But once I get there, and spread it out
in a 10x10 space, it doesn't look like that much.
I usually end up trying to make it look like more.
Which brings me back to
Step 1.
How you display your items will make the inventory look really full or sparse.
7. Be familiar with your money stuff.
ack. ugh. yuck.
Can I just complain for a little bit?
Can we just skip the money stuff and have it
magically appear in my bank account, please?
We are artists, not accountants, right?
Um, wrong.
I hate money stuff, but it's reality, right?
Okay, I'll justy get on with it...
I used
Propay to accept credit & debit cards
which, yes, is another expense,
but it's also the way that most people paid,
so it was pretty necessary, and worth the extra expense.
But I didn't really practice using it before,
so I really had no idea what I was doing
which made for some awkward and embarrassing moments.
People get (and should get) sensitive when you are dealing with their money & cards,
so just practice before, and do you best.
That's all you can do, right?
8. Have signage & branding well displayed.
At my first fair I had one small sign with my name on it,
supposed to be attached to the front of the tent with industrial strength velcro,
and the velcro kept falling off. So I had no signage at all. None.
To tell you the truth, it didn't even occur to me.
For my next couple of fairs I hemmed & painted some
scrap canvas, which turned out really cute.
For the
Queen Bee Market I used pieces of scrap wood for my big sign,
but I also out my logo and my name on everything, like 10 times over.
Signage doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, it just needs to be
there.
My reccomendations:
Have multiple signs with your business name and logo everywhere.
All over your booth, on your product, up high, down low, too slow.
Seriously... everywhere you can think of!
This time I put my name and logo on everything.
It can only help you.
9. Have prices clearly labeled everywhere.
After being a shopper at craft fairs & markets, I know
how annoying it is to not have prices clearly marked.
I don't
want to ask anyone unless I really love it.
If I can't find the price I'll usually just put the item back and move on.
At my first few shows, I had signs on the back of my paintings
and on baskets, but it really wasn't enough.
As much of a pain as it is, I now put sticker labels
on the front of every. single. item. (with my name & logo)
pain? yes.
worth it? yes.
10. Go out of your way to be friendly and meet people.
We're all in this together.
One of the best parts of this handmade community is the people.
So introduce yourself, say hello, tell them what you like about their booth or product.
It just makes everything more fun to support & feel supported.
At my first couple shows I was so, so nervous.
I couldn't help but feel like I had no idea what I was doing (I didn't),
and everyone looked all professional and their booths were cuted out.
I was so insecure and intimidated. I don't think I said hello to one person all day.
Warning: Showing your products to the public may make you feel
super exposed and vulnerable and naked.
It's weird, but true. That's a whole different post.
Anyway, I needed to get over myself and be friendly.
which I've done now and getting to know great people has made
worlds of difference in the "fun" factor of shows.
**********************************************************************
That's all I've got for now.
I've really enjoyed hearing about your experiences at shows.
Do you have any more tips, tricks, or advice?
We would love to hear them.
Next week I'll be posting on the positives:
Why you should sell you work at a craft fair.
There are many.
Happy weekending!
