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Craft Show Tips
Volunteer Fire Department Craft Show So, recently we just started attending craft fairs to see if we would be interested in doing this. This adventure is by far a daunting task. There is a lot of research that should go into this before you decide if this is what you would want to do. It can be frustrating. I don’t want to scare you away, but please do some research before attempting this. I am going to talk about our experience with craft shows and what I did to prepare for them.
We are having a blast now with attending the shows, but the first couple were very disappointing, to say the least. Our first show we sold 1 item. The show was right outside, in a parking lot, an antique/consignment shop. Most of the customers were there for the shop. Thinking this place received a lot of traffic, it sounded like a good idea. Almost discouraged us from going to anymore. I am glad it didn’t.
Our second show was at a church. This was a little more profitable. I actually had a special order for one lady. This got me thinking that this was something else we could offer up at the craft show we attended. We decided to give the first town a try again but again we met with the same results. Looking around this second show in the same town, I noticed that no one had the same items we had. I sometimes use the show we attend to get new ideas. I did talk with someone about a potential contract, but her shop does not open for another year. We will see where that goes.
Fire Department Craft Show We have met some wonderful people along the way and I have even taken a few custom orders, which I now advertise for at the shows we go to. I have also done up business cards and I hand them out with every purchase and anyone who stops by I will offer them up.
So, what do I look for in a craft show. My best success at a craft show has been when I attend ones held by volunteer fire companies. They will usually draw in a lot of people and these have just been my best. The average cost for one of these has been anywhere from $25 to $50 to enter. Most of the time you will either get a 10×10 or an 8×10 space. Of course, if you need more space, you can always get a double or triple. It will just cost you what ever the about one space is times the number of spaces you need. Most of the volunteer companies will either supply you with a table in your cost or charge a few extra for a table. This is good if you are starting out and don’t have a folding table to bring with you. They usually will supply you with a chair or two for no extra cost. These craft shows I have been able to recoup my fees and then some.
Next we sit down and research various different craft shows and how far out in advance do we need to sign up. I also take suggestions from others that participate in craft shows in the past. Maybe someone has been going to a certain craft show for a couple of years and are continuing to attend. This will sometimes play a role on which to attend if there are more than one happening on the same day.
Once we pick a show I will usually contact the coordinator for an application. With the application they will usually have instructions on what is available, the size of the area available and the time frame to apply and pay. Some shows may require you to submit pictures of your goods. The application will also have an area to write in your products.
Spring Creation What are you going to sell? I decide depending on the season. If I am doing a show around August or September, I am looking at Halloween and possibly Thanksgiving. As we get a little later in the year I will start to include Christmas in the bunch. I try to stay seasonal but sometimes its hard to do.
Don’t forget to price your work. In my opinion, if I have to ask the owner how much something is, I will usually not bother with it. Take the time to price your product, it will pay off for you. I usually get a small sticker and stick it on the back of my product, or the front, depending on what I am selling. If I am selling a lot of one item, for example ornaments, I will either hang them on a tree or place them in a bowl. Then I will create a sign indicating something like “Ornaments $2 ea.”
Get to know other people around you. We have met some great people while at a craft show. For example, I am retired from the Navy. One of the shows we did I just happened to wear a shirt with Navy logos on it. In the booth next to me was another retired sailor. We started talking and exchanging sea stories like we had known each other for years. Walk around the show and met other vendors. Don’t be afraid to hand out your business card. Who knows, they may purchase something from you. Or maybe ask if you could make something for them.
Talk to your customers when they stop by to look. They may be looking for something specific but if you don’t ask you will never know. I had a large project I was selling and the customer looked at it and then turned away. When I asked if I could help them find something, it turns out she wanted it in a different color. I asked her when she needed it by and it wasn’t urgent. I took the order and got it to her the following week. She bought a couple of other items from me but I believe if I had not engaged her I would not of sold anything to her.
Display, display, display. The first thing a customer sees is how you have your booth set up and displayed. This I leave up to my wife. She is very good and setting things up so it doesn’t look cluttered. Don’t go overboard with items you are selling. By having too many items to choose from can be very confusing for your customers. They may like everything and not be able to make a decision. This, I believe was are first mistake when starting out. Scale back to just a few items. If they don’t sell, try some other items. I usually walk around a show to see whats selling.
Crafting can be fun and you can make some money at the same time. I have made some new friends at crafts shows and passing out my business card has landed me a few extra jobs. If this is something you are interested in, try it out. You may like it and it may take off for you. Good luck with your crafting and hope to meet up with you at a show someday.
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How I got Started with Crafting
Workshop Shed I mentioned in a post earlier how I came about getting into crafting. I didn’t go into too much detail about it because I had planned on talking about it later. Well, it’s later so here goes.
How does someone get into the crafting world and where do I start. This question has been asked of me numerous times and I really didn’t have a hard an fast answer. We just started by doing some research and started making things. As far as getting interested in crafting, this probably started for me in the early to mid 90’s.
I was in the Navy and stationed in Florida. A good friend of ours did woodworking on the side and every time we went over to their house I always left thinking I could do this. This went on for several months, more like at least a year, before I finally broke down and did something about my so called dream. My first problem, I didn’t own any tools, other than a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer.
So, my wife and I started going to craft shows/fairs to see what everyone was making and what was selling. This is something we still do today when not attending as a vendor. It does help with determining your inventory. After attending a few shows, I thought I was ready, oh wait, I still didn’t have any tools for woodworking. I was convinced I needed the BEST, top of the line, tools!
I ended up going to Home Depot and picked up a scroll saw to start off with. After all, this is what my buddy had so I was going off of what he did. I started small then worked my way up to some more intricate ideas. I needed more ideas so I started looking around for them.
We would go to craft stores and look through wood working books. We started buying these books along with “How To” painting books. My wife started practicing her painting skills so she would be ready when I finally got some tools and was able to cut out some patterns. Then one day at the mall we ran into a guy who was doing a demo for a Shop Smith. If you’re not familiar with Shop Smith, do a search on the internet for one. They are amazing, but that is a story for another time.
After watching what this machine can do, I was sold. This machine had every thing I needed, in one machine. It came with a table saw, drill press, wood lathe, planner, band saw and a shop vac. I went home, did a little research on this and next thing I knew, I ordered one. I received it about a week later and started playing around with it to see what I could make.
Now don’t get me wrong. This machine was awesome and I convinced myself I needed this. If I were to do it all over again, I would have started out small and worked my way up. I went for the gusto right out the gate. If you have the money and the motivation, go for it. I do wish I still had my Shop Smith but circumstances forced me to sell it. Being in the military you have to go where they send you. Just couldn’t take it with us.
My first project I tackled with my Shop Smith was a bird house/feeder. I made it for my in-laws and it is still standing in their yard today. I had some help from my friend. He had made one in the past and I needed some help to start. This took me about a week to make. Still working out of my garage in Florida.
So, I started my crafting adventure by working out of a garage with a Shop Smith. We made bunnies and bears with interchangeable outfits. This seemed to be one of our best sellers and still is today, when I get the urge to make them again. Most of my sales were by word of mouth. I never even thought of going to a craft show or fair as a vendor. Kind of wished we had back then.
Fast forward to today. We just took delivery of our new work shop. It is a shed that is two story and measures 14 x 24. I can’t wait to get all my tools moved out to it and start making things again. I have inherited a bunch of tools from my dad and plan to fill up the workshop with them.
Thanks for stopping by. I plan to be more active here and more to come with patterns as this adventure moves on. Look for video instructions coming in the next few months and don’t forget to visit me on social media sites. Just click on the links at the top of the web page. In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog.
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What tools are needed?
I am often asked what tools do I need to get started with crafting. The answer to this will depend on what it is you want to make. If you are looking to get into making wooden signs or are you looking at crafting by crocheting. The answer to this question really depends on what you want to make and sell. I personally got into wood crafting so I will talk about some tools I started with and what I wished I had started with.
First off, there is no real right answer to this question. It is all a matter of opinion what you want to start with or what you want to wait on purchasing. It is going to depend on your budget and what you can afford at the time you start. You can always start small and work your way up. That is probably how I should have started. So, lets tackle woodworking projects with this article. Later articles we can discuss other crafts. It is all going to depend on what it is you want to build.
First tool I feel is a necessity is a power drill. You could either purchase a battery powered drill or electric. I would recommend a battery powered drill. This can double as a screw driver too. This will also come in handy around the house for those do-it-yourself projects that, we as home owners, come up on a regular basis. Make sure you have drill bits to go along with your drill. You can get these in a set that will come with all different sizes.
Next item I think is important is a scroll saw. This is great for cutting out those small and intricate items. You can make some pretty sharp turns using a scroll saw. They also have some blades that are spiral in cutting. You don’t even have to turn the wood to cut sharp angles with these blades. Depending on how much you want to pay for a scroll saw, you can usually find a good deal on a used one. Don’t forget to get that package of assorted blades too.
A table saw can come in handy for cutting larger and longer boards. If you can purchase larger or longer boards, it is usually cheaper by the foot, the larger the board is. If this is not an option in your budget at first, some lumber stores will even make complimentary cuts for you. I have gone to a few and purchased an 8 ft section of plywood and had them cut it into thirds for me.
If a table saw is not in the budget you could also look at a miter saw or chop saw. The only disadvantage of one of these is it can’t cut wider boars, such as sheets of plywood. The one that I have, the widest board I can cut is 5 1/2″. There are some that have a sliding blade that can go wider than this. Shop around and see what works for you and what is in your budget.
Another option is the circular saw. This will help you with cutting larger, wider boards that the miter saw can not. I use mine a lot but I am still trying to master the straight cut with it. I have some tricks for this, which I will discuss in future writings. For now, it does what I need it to do.
One item I would like to mention is that you really need to have a work bench of some type. I have been know to take 2 saw horses and put a piece of thick plywood across them to use as a work bench. This works great because it is easy to take down and move to another spot.
Now for some of the small items. Of course you are going to want to get a tape measure. I would make sure you get one that is retractable and is long enough for you. I have a couple and I always hate when I go to measure something and I have my short tape measure.
So, as I discussed in one of my other articles, I started out with a scroll saw and then immediately purchased a Shop Smith. For those who don’t know what that is, it is basically an all in one power tool. This had a table saw, disc sander, drill press, planer and a band saw all in one. It also came with an industrial size shop vac. This was my tool of all tools. While I loved this machine, it was a very expensive starting tool. I will say I probably made my money back and then some with everything I made with it and sold, but unless you have the money to spend on that, I would start small. Sometimes I wish I still had it though.
I hope this sheds some light on the subject. If you have any questions or comments please leave them in the comments section below. As always, please subscribe to my blog and check out my social media pages. Hope you enjoyed reading this and I look forward to writing my next piece. Until then, keep those crafts coming!!!
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How I Got Started
Starting out on this journey I never imagined I would be selling my crafts at a craft show. I guess stranger things have happened. It was a dream of mine to do and now I am living that dream. It didn’t start out this way and it took me several years to get here. It shouldn’t have taken me as long as it did but I drug my feet and procrastinated.
So how did I get started. Well, I started out in my garage in Florida. I had always had an interest in woodworking. I took wood shop in 7th grade and enjoyed the projects we had to build. After that, I never built a craft project until I got married and moved to Florida. My wife does all the painting and she is very good at it. We also purchased numerous crafting magazines and books which gave way too many pointers to follow.
A good friend of ours did wood working and I admired his work. I thought to myself that I could do that. It looked easy and all I needed to do was buy a scroll saw. How hard could that be? Let me tell you, if you don’t really know what you are looking at, you could get overwhelmed. Which one should I buy? How much should I spend? The list goes on and on… At this point I really wasn’t sure what to do.
Eventually I settled on a scroll saw. I went to Home Depot and purchased some wood. With scroll saw and lumber in hand I began to play around with cutting things out. We started out with small items. Something easy we could finish in a couple of days. If I remember correctly, they were maybe small ornaments or wooden pieces that would sit on a shelf.
Then one day at the mall, I stopped to watch someone demo an all in one machine. This thing could do it all. The way he switched from the table saw to the band saw to the planner. He had me sold. I needed this. This was an all in one work shop, wood workers dream. I grabbed some literature on it and did a little research. Next thing I knew, i ordered it and it was shipped. I had just purchased a Shop Smith.
Now, if you are just starting out, and have no power tools to your name, this is cool. I researched what the cost of each individual item would cost and this seemed to be the way to go. It had a table saw, band saw, planer, disc sander and a drill press all in one. You can even buy other attachments to go with it. I was in heaven.
When it got to the house I couldn’t wait to start using it. I mostly ended up using the band saw. We start out with the bears and outfits. Everyone we talked to wanted one of these. Mainly it was everyone we worked with. Not sure how many I sold that first year but it was money coming in finally. I still make one or two now and then. I also made a couple of bird feeders with this device.
Being that I was in the military, it was hard doing this full time. I would work on things on the weekend when I could. My wife did all of the painting. She was able to learn a lot from the different books and magazines we purchased over time. I ended up keeping the Shop Smith for about 4 or 5 years before I sold it to a neighbor. We had gotten orders to Hawaii and I wasn’t sure of where we were going to live and if there would be room for it over there.
That’s all for now. I will continue on in another episode when I have time Thanks again for reading my blog. Also please feel free to visit my social media pages through the links provided in the menus.