Well, I did it! I survived my first craft fair. While I did sell items, it was the typical first craft fair fail lol.
THINGS THAT WENT WELL:
1. Lots of people stopped to look at my items. The variety of my inventory did that all on its own.
2. I sold my earrings for one low flat price-my customers appreciated the ease of it and for not having to flip over things and ask about pricing.
3. Both adults and children seemed to be drawn to my space. Score for reaching a mass audience.
4. My DIY jewelry stands turned out really classy and I got lots of compliments on them. Tutorial to come!
5. My DIY earring cards came out great. Those who did not bring cash asked for a card (with my Etsy website on it) so that they could browse my shop later. They cost about $20 to make hundreds of them. Another tutorial to come!
THINGS TO LEARN FROM:
1. The event itself was not well advertised. I googled it in the searches and checked facebook and other local informational avenues, and did not find anything on it. I knew this going into it. I was going more for the experience than the anticipated profit.
2. I wish I had obtained more decorative items to draw people in to my booth. Lots of people stopped by, but only after actually seeing what was on the table (my earrings were all laid flat). I think next time I will add more "landscaping" for "curb appeal".
3. Coffee. I forgot coffee. Terrible mistake.
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All in all, it was a good experience. I am not yet as they say "rolling in the dough" and Martha Stewart has not yet knocked down my door for business tips, but now I can say I have officially done a craft fair and survived!
Hi! Just found you through etsy blog team. I am about to do my first craft fair in Dec so this was fun to read! Good info! I'll follow along. nice to meet ya!
ReplyDeletehey! also found you through the etsy blog team :) thanks so much for posting this! I needed to hear all of it! I have yet to do a fair, but I've got one coming up that i'm very excited about :)
ReplyDeleteGreat tips! Thank you for sharing your experience. I have a show comming up on the 17th of Novemeber. It's my very first one, so any tips and info is great to hear! Thanks for mentioning curb appeal. I am currently thinking of ways to make my area attractive so people will stop in. I just finished a banner with my shop name and will be working on some other things too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for including your recap! I've been dying to do a craft/ art fair, but know I'm not ready yet. Hopefully next year! Visiting from the Etsy blog team.
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