The Beginner’s Guide to Craft Fairs

Well, I did it.  I took the leap. I signed up for my first craft fair.  And guess what?  I didn’t even break even.  After some serious reflecting (shout out to my fellow introverts!), I’ve discovered what really worked and what really didn’t.  Hopefully with some (semi)sage advice from your fellow crafter, you can make your first craft fair not only a learning experience, but a lucrative one as well.

First Things First: Research Your Fair

I found out about the fair a little less than a month before.  It was located at my mother-in-law and sister-in-law’s work and was a holiday boutique of sorts (with some non-holiday items thrown in).  This brings me to my first tip:

Know Your Audience

Your audience and the feel of the craft fair will determine what you want to sell and how much product you’d like to make.  Luckily, I was able to pester my mother-in-law about questions about the craft fair.  Talk to the point-person for the fair you are attending and gather information.  Possible questions to ask include:

• What kind of products are usually at the craft fair?
• How big are the tables?
• Can I set up stands or smaller tables beside my table?
• How many people usually attend the craft fair?
• Do most vendors accept cash and credit cards?
• When can I set up?  How long do I have to tear down?
• Who can I go to if I have questions during the fair?
• What are the biggest sellers at the craft fair? ( I wouldn’t recommend copying these, but use them as a guideline.)

Now, this is just a list to get you started.  Many of these questions could probably be answered during your sign-up depending on how the fair runs.  If you have more questions that crop up as you’re prepping for the craft fair, I would recommend asking them (and don’t wait until the day before the fair to ask…I imagine those coordinators get pretty busy as it gets closer to the go-date).  You’ll want to be as prepared as you can be for the date of the show.

Now that you’ve done your research, you should have a better idea of the kind of product that would be a good fit.  Couple this with what you are skilled at making, scour Pinterest, and make your list of ideas.

Making Your Crafts

I’ve found that making in bulk is a totally different animal than making a project for your home or for a gift.  In some ways it’s easier with repetition and using the same supplies, but it definitely takes quite a bit more time than making a small amount of product.

Based on what I knew about the show, I decided to make dotted Sharpie mugs, wood slice Christmas ornaments, Christmas bow bobby pins, and scrapbook paper gift envelopes.  I also had leftover coasters and centerpieces from our wedding that I wanted to include, too.

Craft Creation Tip #1: Order supplies, work with what you have, and make as supplies are shipped (or bought)

Two things I know for sure in the crafting world: Amazon Prime and the Dollar Tree are beautiful things.  I ordered almost all of my supplies from these two places.  Prime packages come within two days and the Dollar Tree has a great online ordering system where you can order in bulk (ex. I ordered 24 mugs that they wouldn’t have had in stock otherwise).

While waiting for the packages to ship, I did a sort of crafting triage.  I already had the supplies for the gift envelopes, so I made all of those first.  The wood slices came in next, so I worked on these next.  Then the bobby pins, and last the mugs.  You don’t have to have all of your supplies for all of your projects to get started.

Craft Creation Tip #2: Batch your items.

Not sure what I mean?  Let me explain.  Instead of working on one ornament at a time and going through the process of transferring the design, screwing in the eye bolt, and putting ribbon on, I did each step for all of the ornaments.  First, I transferred the design to all ornaments, then I screwed all the eye bolts in, and finally I cut and tied ribbon.  It makes for a smoother process.

Craft Creation Tip #3: Keep your items organized after they’re finished.

I put all of my items into the boxes, bags, or containers that I was going to use to bring them to the craft fair.  That way I didn’t have to spend the day before packing up my crafts.  Easy, peasy.

Preparing for the Craft Fair

Wait, you mean you’ve got to do more than just make crafts before you can be ready to sell?  Yep.

Preparation Tip #1: Plan your arrangement.

Think about your favorite store.  Are all of the products there only at eye level?  How boring would that be?  It’s important to create an eye-catching display to draw people to your booth even before they know everything you’re selling.  Use crates or wrapped boxes to create visual interest and vary the height of your display.  Find trays, plates, or bowls to display smaller items in.  (I used decorative glass plates and bowls.)

If you have hanging items, find an old piece of lattice or a window shutter that you can hang items on (or make your own prop like I did below).

If it’s allowed, you can utilize floor space and add a bin with fabric draped over it for extra display space.  Use a tablecloth and extra props or accents to spruce up your space.  (A couple things I used: cloth napkins and mason jars filled with glittery ornaments.)  Sketch out a rough layout so you have an idea of where you’d like everything located on the table.

Preparation Tip #2: Make price tags, price tents, or price labels.

Deciding how much to price your items is a tricky business.  My general rule of thumb is this: If I were attending the same fair, how much would I be willing to pay for this item?  (Sometimes I even bump the price up a titch, because if anything, I tend to be a little frugal.)  Also take into account how much time it took for you to make the craft and how much the materials cost.

(Look carefully and you can see Oliver in the background.  Unfortunately, kitties are not allowed at craft fairs.)

Once you have your numbers, make your price tents, labels, or tags. I used PicMonkey to make my price tents.  I started with an 8 1/2 by 11 template and put a dividing line down the middle.  Then, I typed my product and my price near the bottom of the page, leaving a little space for the bottom flap.  Next, I deleted the dividing line and printed them.  After they were printed, I cut them in half, folded them in half, folded the flaps, and taped the flaps.

Preparation Tip #3: Set up a mock display table before the fair.

Using your table dimensions, find a table with similar dimensions or mark out your “table” with tape.  Set up your display as you will want it at the fair.  This way, you can see how much space you have, if you want to tweak your sketched arrangement, and how the elevated displays look.  Make sure each item is visible and easily accessible.

Preparation Tip #3: Gather supplies for the following day and make a checklist of your necessary items.

Anyone else a big fan of checklists?  I am, so much so that Kevin makes fun of me for it.  Anyways, definitely make sure you have all of your crafts, but also grab some of these items, too:

• Cash (for change)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Water bottle and food
• Credit card reader (optional)
• Inventory list to track your sales
• Tablecloth
• Decorative items
• Hot glue gun (just in case)
• Business cards
• Treats or trinkets to give away (optional)
• Bags
• Order form if you plan to take custom orders
• Paper towels or wet wipes for spills

At the Craft Fair

One of the main reasons why I didn’t sell much at the craft fair was the products of the other vendors that were there.  The craft fair I went to turned out to be more of a vendor fair where others sold products that they hadn’t made.  There I was, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and I was competing against factory- or company-made products (who can compete with $5 necklaces or Shakeology, right?).  Despite this, I picked up several useful tips and tricks that made my craft fair experience a learning and growing experience.

• Get there early so you have time if something goes wrong
• Say “hi” to everyone that stops.
• Be friendly and answer questions as they arise.  Let people know it’s okay to interact with your displays.
• Restock items if necessary.
• If you completely run out of an item, try to rearrange your other item so there isn’t a gaping hole on your table.
• Put a business card in each bag.  Free advertising!
• When packing up, try to keep everything as organized as possible.  I put all of our items back into the boxes or bags they came from.  I had one bag with unsold items and another with items that needed to come back to the apartment with us.
• Make sure to thank the organizer of the fair if they are around.  They put in a lot of hard work to coordinate all those people and booths

Most of all, enjoy it.  I left feeling sad that I hadn’t sold more, but looking back I’m glad I had the experience.  Hopefully my experience will help your first (or second, or third) craft show be a success!

What have you found helps to make a successful craft fair?