This weekend just gone I did a craft fair. It wasn't far away, just a mile or so up the road at a local private school.
Growing up I always swore I'd never do a craft fair, having attended so many with my mum selling dried flowers in my childhood. They were a great experience but I could always see it was an unpredictable way to earn a living.
But...
...Fast forward 30 years or so and here I am. Setting up a stall along with 30 or so other stall holders to sell my wares.
I wanted to try it to see how it would compare to selling online, and to get a feel for how the general public felt about my products. I take my stuff to sell at garden clubs, but I feel I've already won the crowd over before I started, if they're keen enough to go to a garden club once a month then they're going to be my target audience.
I wanted to give it my best try though and knew I only had one table to display what I had made. So I made myself a little stand the night before. It didn't take long but it let me show off a few of my smaller products: My bird feeders, my scoops and the medium basket (my most popular basket). The slots in the uprights worked really well to display the scoops.
I filmed a little about getting ready for the craft fair and my thoughts after it. I sold a fair bit, a good amount of scoops and bird feeders, stuff that was easy to carry.
I also gave a out a good amount of free packets of seed. Each packet has my details on the back (so not totally free), I also managed to talk to lots of people because of this.
I was lucky as I was placed next to my friend Jill, who is also from the village and I know from the playgroup I used to run (and we are always bumping into each other at events and the like). I have to admit I enjoyed the whole day, nearly everyone was lovely to talk to and I think I did a good job of "selling myself" as the brand.
I got home and unloaded the truck (with the help of my eldest) and saw that although I'd taken a good amount during the day I'd taken nearly 2/3rds as much online via Etsy at the same time. And although I pay my pound of flesh to Etsy and have to package everything up to be posted, it was still a lot less effort than standing at a craft stall all day. And being at a craft fair I wasn't at home making more items to sell.
As with anything it's a massive balancing act trying to make enough to sell, but also selling it.
What do you think to being at craft fairs? What's the other advantages I might not have thought of?
Have a watch of the video above and let me know your thoughts.
I loved watching this Kev, very interesting. I've been a visitor to the occasional craft fair and I noticed that there seemed to be an awful lot of sellers 'just sitting around' whilst they wait for buyers so I can totally see where you're coming from when you say you'd be better off at home making more stuff. But hopefully you'll get some orders through the free seed packets. Oh that woman...some people are just awful aren't they! What about making a hanging sign to go at the end of your driveway to alert passers by to your products? Just a thought.
Thanks Sue! Although I can't think of anything worse than just having people turn up to buy things! the time I'd have to give to each customer would seriously hinder how much I could produce in a day. Luckily we're down a quiet (ish) lane and I wouldn't get much business that way.
The positives are that many of those people become your ambassadors. They have touched, held, hefted, weighed up, and made personal contact.... something you cannot do buying online.
I used to sell my daisy totes at a local farmers' market. I can tell you that there is nothing like face to face interaction with customers. If they like your products, they will spread the word.
Kev, I was the commenter on Youtube as well that asked about the longer term follow up (I think that will be "attributed to me in the future, as I know have a channel). I do know that here at home, my wife and children do remember specific craft people from specific fairs and will go to them to see if they have things (or order from them online - good call on the seeds).
One potential gain might be getting exposure (even if occasional) to folks that do not do the InterWeb, Youtube, or garden talks. I do find the unexpected change of what was purchased (no potting boxes, as I recall) interesting - are there other things you make that you do not sell a lot of that might have a market at this sort of things (and what is time, cost, etc.)?
I thought it was you! I do have some things I've made that just aren't profitable when I take shipping into account and I think they'd be good things to take with me to sell.
From my experiences with them, I'm pretty much in agreement with your thoughts. I do think there is a place for them though. My parents raised around 120 or so hives of bees for a time and I attended more than a fair share of craft shows where they sold their honey. They certainly never got a good return on their investment for those shows. I on the other hand, had a pumpkin business with my brother. We sold our pumpkins for years almost exclusively at one craft show and made money hand over fist. Why were pumpkins different than honey? I have theories. Pumpkins were/are a Halloween decoration where as honey is more of an unthought about consumable. We only sold the pumpkins at one particular craft fair that was a few weeks before Halloween, sort of a sweet spot of timing. Honey didn't have that timing as it used all year round. Finally, we offered a special service of offering to carry the pumpkin to your car free of charge.
I think not being in a sweet spot of timing is probably where your hand scoops and baskets fall into. I think you might have more luck if you were to sell them at a craft show in the weeks before Christmas or possibly in the middle of the heaviest garden harvest time.
the pumpkin business sounds amazing! I think you're right about timing. this was a good one for christmas gifts, and peopel were buying the scoops for that purpose (and for horses it seems). I think spring would be the other good time. Trouble is I'm busy then anyway with selling online so it increases my workloads, unless of course I can get better at making and storing more stock in the summer.
We have been to dozens of farmers markets and craft fairs over the years. I think it works it is a cash cow for some of the food vendors, but it just seems "ok" for others.
Yeah, I could see some of these did it every weekend. Jill who was next to me had one on the sunday as well. It was fun but I think I'd get tired of it fairly quickly.
It's the cost of them to start with, some charge a fortune and then you have to sell so much product before you've even broke even. I might conside it next year though.
I loved watching this Kev, very interesting. I've been a visitor to the occasional craft fair and I noticed that there seemed to be an awful lot of sellers 'just sitting around' whilst they wait for buyers so I can totally see where you're coming from when you say you'd be better off at home making more stuff. But hopefully you'll get some orders through the free seed packets. Oh that woman...some people are just awful aren't they! What about making a hanging sign to go at the end of your driveway to alert passers by to your products? Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue! Although I can't think of anything worse than just having people turn up to buy things! the time I'd have to give to each customer would seriously hinder how much I could produce in a day. Luckily we're down a quiet (ish) lane and I wouldn't get much business that way.
DeleteThe positives are that many of those people become your ambassadors. They have touched, held, hefted, weighed up, and made personal contact.... something you cannot do buying online.
ReplyDeleteI hope so! It also got me meeting a few more people in the village.
DeleteI used to sell my daisy totes at a local farmers' market. I can tell you that there is nothing like face to face interaction with customers. If they like your products, they will spread the word.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the experience.
What is a daisy tote? Sounds interesting!
DeleteProbably worth the odd fair just to reach people who don't buy online and get instant reaction.
ReplyDeleteKev, I was the commenter on Youtube as well that asked about the longer term follow up (I think that will be "attributed to me in the future, as I know have a channel). I do know that here at home, my wife and children do remember specific craft people from specific fairs and will go to them to see if they have things (or order from them online - good call on the seeds).
ReplyDeleteOne potential gain might be getting exposure (even if occasional) to folks that do not do the InterWeb, Youtube, or garden talks. I do find the unexpected change of what was purchased (no potting boxes, as I recall) interesting - are there other things you make that you do not sell a lot of that might have a market at this sort of things (and what is time, cost, etc.)?
I thought it was you!
DeleteI do have some things I've made that just aren't profitable when I take shipping into account and I think they'd be good things to take with me to sell.
From my experiences with them, I'm pretty much in agreement with your thoughts. I do think there is a place for them though. My parents raised around 120 or so hives of bees for a time and I attended more than a fair share of craft shows where they sold their honey. They certainly never got a good return on their investment for those shows. I on the other hand, had a pumpkin business with my brother. We sold our pumpkins for years almost exclusively at one craft show and made money hand over fist. Why were pumpkins different than honey? I have theories. Pumpkins were/are a Halloween decoration where as honey is more of an unthought about consumable. We only sold the pumpkins at one particular craft fair that was a few weeks before Halloween, sort of a sweet spot of timing. Honey didn't have that timing as it used all year round. Finally, we offered a special service of offering to carry the pumpkin to your car free of charge.
ReplyDeleteI think not being in a sweet spot of timing is probably where your hand scoops and baskets fall into. I think you might have more luck if you were to sell them at a craft show in the weeks before Christmas or possibly in the middle of the heaviest garden harvest time.
the pumpkin business sounds amazing!
DeleteI think you're right about timing. this was a good one for christmas gifts, and peopel were buying the scoops for that purpose (and for horses it seems). I think spring would be the other good time. Trouble is I'm busy then anyway with selling online so it increases my workloads, unless of course I can get better at making and storing more stock in the summer.
We have been to dozens of farmers markets and craft fairs over the years. I think it works it is a cash cow for some of the food vendors, but it just seems "ok" for others.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I could see some of these did it every weekend. Jill who was next to me had one on the sunday as well. It was fun but I think I'd get tired of it fairly quickly.
DeleteHave you thought about getting a market stall and also a stand at horticultural and agricultural shows..?
ReplyDeleteIt's the cost of them to start with, some charge a fortune and then you have to sell so much product before you've even broke even. I might conside it next year though.
Delete