Every Craft show, Craft Fair, Farmers Market or Festival can be a learning and growing experience.
Preparation:
The most recent craft show I participated in was put on in my community by local crafters and was outdoors. The original date was a week before Easter and I prepared accordingly. Along with the other items, I was making and getting ready for the show, I decided to make some Paper Mache-Clay Eggs.
Something new i tried before the fair was to completely set-up my tables with my item and then I took pictures so that i could plan ahead and know where everything belonged.
Expectation:
The last community craft fair had welcomed many visitors, as vendors made contact with customers and sold products. They had hired a clown and were serving free popcorn and cotton candy to the kids. So we were all expecting this time to be similar, or perhaps a little better than the first time.
Anticipation:
As the weekend of the fair came the weather changed from sunny days and blue skies to dark clouds and rain. So the Craft fair was cancelled and rescheduled for the week after Easter. All the time spent on the eggs and not on other projects felt like a waste of time.
And when the weekend arrived, it was a very windy day...Many vendors decided not to come, and I thought about it as well... But I had been working hard to complete things and I felt ready to go.
Application:
So we packed up drove a few miles and unpacked... the set-up was much easier this time since I already knew where I wanted everything (very nice!!). I have to change a little because of the wind but not too much. But I found the attitude of the present vendors concerning the ones who choose not to come to be be odd. They were really upset, but i saw some canopy's fly, people products blowing in the wind, I lost an earring from my display and almost lost a few other things. And there were very few visitors. Mostly vendors walked around buying a few things from each other, and a few people came to check us out. But with the date change, and the wind... the day was long.
Summary (My lesson learned):
For me and my family I think we are going to do mostly to indoor craft fairs, and shows. Setting up the display at home takes time and room, but is very helpful... Be prepared to spend time meeting new people, and if its a new craft fair you may only sell a few things now, but as you continue to attend the smaller shows you can grow your inventory and prepare for the bigger more costly annual craft shows, that tend to have a higher number of visitors.
Preparation:
The most recent craft show I participated in was put on in my community by local crafters and was outdoors. The original date was a week before Easter and I prepared accordingly. Along with the other items, I was making and getting ready for the show, I decided to make some Paper Mache-Clay Eggs.
Something new i tried before the fair was to completely set-up my tables with my item and then I took pictures so that i could plan ahead and know where everything belonged.
Expectation:
The last community craft fair had welcomed many visitors, as vendors made contact with customers and sold products. They had hired a clown and were serving free popcorn and cotton candy to the kids. So we were all expecting this time to be similar, or perhaps a little better than the first time.
Anticipation:
As the weekend of the fair came the weather changed from sunny days and blue skies to dark clouds and rain. So the Craft fair was cancelled and rescheduled for the week after Easter. All the time spent on the eggs and not on other projects felt like a waste of time.
And when the weekend arrived, it was a very windy day...Many vendors decided not to come, and I thought about it as well... But I had been working hard to complete things and I felt ready to go.
Application:
So we packed up drove a few miles and unpacked... the set-up was much easier this time since I already knew where I wanted everything (very nice!!). I have to change a little because of the wind but not too much. But I found the attitude of the present vendors concerning the ones who choose not to come to be be odd. They were really upset, but i saw some canopy's fly, people products blowing in the wind, I lost an earring from my display and almost lost a few other things. And there were very few visitors. Mostly vendors walked around buying a few things from each other, and a few people came to check us out. But with the date change, and the wind... the day was long.
Summary (My lesson learned):
For me and my family I think we are going to do mostly to indoor craft fairs, and shows. Setting up the display at home takes time and room, but is very helpful... Be prepared to spend time meeting new people, and if its a new craft fair you may only sell a few things now, but as you continue to attend the smaller shows you can grow your inventory and prepare for the bigger more costly annual craft shows, that tend to have a higher number of visitors.
