Craft Fair Tips; What I Learned From My Personal Experience
Hello everyone!
So I have not posted lately and I do apologize!
But I am here today with a new post on some tips on how to have a successful day if you are participating in a local craft fair soon or in the future!
So I have not posted lately and I do apologize!
But I am here today with a new post on some tips on how to have a successful day if you are participating in a local craft fair soon or in the future!
Craft Fair Tips; What I Learned From My Personal Experience
Once upon a time, (not too long ago 😳), Collection W Jewelry was Wadsworth Jewelry and Accessories. For those of you who are new to the blog, my name is Sophie Wadsworth and I make handmade 'boho-inspired' jewelry! You can check out my back story here⇢ https://www.etsy.com/shop/CollectionWjewelry
Well during my initial startup, I had not decided yet I wanted to open a shop on Etsy, so I decided on the next best thing to start selling my jewelry: craft fairs.
Ok, yeah craft fairs seem all fun and games until its the night before and your sitting in your living room gluing gift ribbon bows in every color of the rainbow until you realize it's morning time and you didn't sleep
Haha yeah not fun! Craft fairs take a lot of planning and a lot more goes into making your event flow smoothly than you would think. In my opinion, I don't think anyone's first craft fair turns out like they thought it would, but that is okay because that is how you learn and grow!
so here are some tips that I took away from my experience with selling at local craft events:
1. Just go ahead and bring more than one table for your items and other belongings.
So, yes I do understand that a lot of events limit your space (usually the average is 10x10). If you can, bring an extra darn table!!!!!! At craft fairs, usually your displays are what catch people's eye, and if you don't have enough table space for all of your items that you are selling, then potential customers won't be attracted to your booth! Get creative with this tip too! Height is your friend when you have limited width space, remember that!
2. Cater to Your Crowd
Where I live, a lot of younger people in their teens or 20's go-to craft fairs or events. People more in their 40's to 60's are attracted to these types of things. So try to optimize your product to reach whatever audience it is reaching in that setting. This doesn't mean you have to change your whole idea, but if you sell let's say painted flower pots, try painting your state's sports teams, or if you make jewelry (like me!😃) try making necklaces that draw an older audience. Product and market research is very, very important when starting a small business so why not get started now? Google Trends is a very helpful and useful tool that shows you literally graphs of your country and whatever you searched analytics. It's pretty cool. I like to go to my local boutique's online stores too and see what they are selling to get an idea about what people in my local area are looking for. A lot of boutiques are small businesses and are locally owned.
3. You're Going to Have to Be Social
Talk to people as they walk by your booth and be social! Having a smile on your face and giving off a positive, open, friendly setting is going to make customers want to visit your booth and see what you have to offer. Closed mouths don't get fed! Also, who knows, even if people don't buy anything you might be setting up a pipeline for a potential future customer.
4. Focus on Your Creativity In Every Single Detail
Like I said, people are going to be drawn by what look's good. Be creative with your displays, your setup, etc. Craft fairs are fun because there are so many creative ideas you can implement into your booth. It's just all up to you. Check out my other blog post Unique, Rustic Jewelry Display Ideas for some inspiration if you must!
Well, I hope if you plan on doing an event soon or if you plan on doing one in the future that these tips help you on your way to success. If you liked this blog post, please like or leave a comment! Also if you'd like to receive updates on all things Collection W Jewelry sign up for my email form below!
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