Craft Fair Advice

Since you're bringing small stuff, bring your entire completed stock. What doesn't fit on the table, stash in boxes under the table, so if anyone asks "do you have a red one?", you don't lose the sale because you left the red one home.

Check with your local churches whether any of them have craft fairs where YOU would keep the profits (my church took all the money). I know the La Mesa Octoberfest used to have craft booths, but because that's a high-traffic event, the price for a booth would also be much higher than a church fair. Of course, you'd sell a lot more, too, but if you only have a dozen dolls and would sell all of them at a cheap church booth, then it doesn't matter that you could have sold 500 at the Octoberfest.

You can ask at bead and craft stores whether the owners know of any craft fairs and could network you into them. Or, wait till the 2005 Christmas Craft Fair season and go around to every one you hear about, collecting information for selling at their 2006 fair.

Bring as much as you can carry, better to have too much than run out!

I am not sure about current booth or table prices, I used to pay $10-20 for tables at local church craft fairs back in the early 90's (I sold handmade handpuppets).

It's a good idea to get some sort of business card made up, so that if someone sees something but wants to think about it, they can take the card and contact you later. Giving them an email address is a good idea, rather than a phone number, it protects your privacy more.

Be willing to discuss special orders, if someone wants something done in a variation of what you have, you can always offer to make it up for them for a "special order fee." Ask for a deposit for these, just to be sure that once you have something only they would want, they are willing to pay for it!

HTH,

Caryn

Don't forget to bring a money box and change too! For a while, I sold at local fairs (back when I crocheted baby layettes) but quickly found out for my situation, it wasn't worth the money I made when taking into account the time it took to make the items. Kim

You'd be surprised how many people forget the change!

Cheryl

Give it a try but don`t pull out all the stops and overload the stall! You could always take orders, but if you make too much and it doesn`t sell as well as you hop, you`ll only have to take it back home and store it.

Pat P

A "bum-bag" might be safer to hold your money than a box - which can easily get stolen whilst you attention is elsewhere.

Pat P