Craft Shows – A Beginner's Guide (Part 1…)

You have spent hours making Beautiful Handcrafted Goods. Now you want to Sell your Work at a Craft Show or Fayre.

This is my Beginner's Guide to Craft Shows. I hope you find it useful.

I thought I’d start by talking about Things to Consider Before Agreeing to have a Stall at an Event. As I’ve found out to my cost, just because an event is taking place, it does not follow that it’s always the right place for your to sell your work. Asking a few basic questions up front will help you to decide if it’s the right event for you, as well as making sure you come prepared with everything you need on the day.

Questions to Ask The Organiser

Before Signing Up for a Stall.

Some of these are stating the obvious, but I’m working on the basis that what’s obvious to some may not be to others – bear with me on this!

• How Big is the Event – How many visitors does the organiser anticipate there being? (The footfall.) You may also want to consider the type of people likely to attend. Do they fit with your target market?

• How Many Stalls are there? What type of stalls are they? Consider if these fit with the work you are trying to sell.

• How Many Similar Stalls will there be? One or two is OK, but I once attended an event with at least 11 other jewellery stalls! This gave the public a very limited selection of goods to browse and in my opinion was just too many. It is worth asking the organiser if they are setting a limit to the number of any given type of stall.

• How is the Event being Advertised? I have in the past attended events which have been poorly advertised resulting in very few visitors. This is a difficult thing to judge – go with your instinct (your gut feel).

• Will the Organiser be Providing a Table & Chair? If so what size will the table be? This helps you to plan what to take and the layout of your stall.

• What Size will Your Pitch Be? I always like some space to package up goods, write down orders etc. and often bring a very small table with me for this purpose (but only if there is room).

• Is Electric Provided? If so, is this provided at an additional cost? How far away will this be from your stall? (You may need to bring an extension lead with you.) This may not be important to all, but it is fundamental to those of us selling jewellery who need lighting.

• Is the Event Inside or Outside? This will obviously affect what you will need to bring with you or if you even want to take part – an outside event on a wet winter’s day is not to everybody’s taste!

• The Cost of the Stall? This may be a flat fee or a percentage of your sales. Consider whether you are likely to make enough money (profit) to cover the cost of the stall.

• The Date and Time of the Event. You also need to know how much time the organiser will allow you to set up your stall before the event opens to the public. For me I need about an hour to set everything up, but for you it will depend on what you are selling, how complicated your display is etc.

• Time of Year. Consider this in relation to the goods that you are selling. To take an extreme example there would be little point attending at event in March to sell your beautifully handcrafted Christmas Decorations!

These are my thoughts. You will no doubt have other ideas. Please leave your comments on this blog and share your experiences….