Craft Fair 101 ... What I learned at the fair

This past Saturday I participated in my second  Craft Fair.

My first was at Christmas  ...  held at a friend's house.

So  ...  actually this was my first  ...  "don't-know-a-soul" ...  "on-my-own" ...  Craft Fair.

Now I  have  an   Etsy Shop  ...  new as it is  ...  but online is a far cry from

setting up shop in person.

*** I actually have to be nice and smile ... and curb the sass.  Not so easy for this smart aleck***

Besides putting on a nice "salesman" face  ...  you need  more inventory

for a Craft Fair than you do on line.  My Etsy Shop is mainly "made to order".

Due to a complicated month and family illness  ...  I only decided to participate

a week before the event.   Big mistake!

        Allow yourself plenty of time to get your 

     merchandise prepared and packed.         

        

Don't forget  ...   you have to label and price it also  ...

 as well as prepare your display and packaging.

A few days was not enough to get enough items finished  ... 

without killing myself.

I got there 2 hours early to set up the table.  Since I had never

been to this location before  ...  I had no idea what to expect as far as

setup  ...  space  ...  table location or size.

Try to visit the site or talk to vendors that have participated

before  ...  to give you the lay of the land.

Finally got everything finished and set up.  It was a bit hard not knowing how much to bring  ... 

nor how big the area would be.   I do think the display turned out very nice.

I finished my  Chicken Wire Frames  ...  just in time  ...  and they turned out great.

The  Chalkboard Frames  looked   ...  mahvalous  ...  if I do say so myself .

 I love  ...  love the Gold Thumb Tack Balls.    They look so elegant when finished.

And although the floral table cloth was gorgeous  ...  a solid

cloth shows off your items much better.

The  Chalkboard Wine Glasses  are really fun and look very classy.

Probably best not to try out new projects when time is limited.

This may be my favorite  ...  and it get's lots of hits in my  Etsy Shop  ...

the   Magnolia Leaf Wreath.

This is an easy project  ...  but the leaves can be very pricey.

It really makes an elegant accessory.

I have two of these babies in my home.

It helps to have a variety of different priced items.  

Something priced for everyone.

These  Minky Dog Crate Covers  are the best sellers online.

They are definitely "special order" items  ...  as everyone has a different color in mind.

Special Order items are often better "Online" items  ... 

Craft Fair buyers usually want to "walk away" with their purchase on the spot.

So how did I do?

Well  ...  not that good.  I did sell three items  ...  including the

Magnolia Wreath.

It helps to know the audience you're catering to ahead of time.

As it turned out  ...  my Craft Fair was held at a  retirement community.

Now they oohed and aahed at my table  ...  but they spent

their money at the quilting table  ...  the little soap table  ...  and the cupcake table.

***Ok ... I bought a cupcake too***

The trendy and fun wine glasses  ...   and the funky frames were not

really the bread and butter of the "blue haired" crowd.

But I did go home with a little change in my pocket  ...  and lots

of lessons learned for the future.

I'm a newbie at this Craft Fair business.  I'm definitely no expert  ...

but I'm learning from my mistakes.

For now  ...  you can find these items in my  Shop  ...

the frames are my new items and will be added this week.

I'd love to know what you think of my

creations  ...  I can take it  :)

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