by Julie Chen of Life Verse Design

About a month ago, I wrote a post about the pro’s and con’s to participating in arts and crafts shows or farmer’s markets and today I would like to share with you my tips for preparing for a show now that you have decided to take the plunge!

SOME GENERAL UP FRONT ADVICE FIRST:

1. Be organized and well prepared: I created a mock booth in my basement before my first show in order to see the spacial reality of what would fit and how it would look, as well as thinking through what the shopper’s experience would be in my “store for the day” (ie: the flow; where their eye will go first, room to make transactions, etc…). That move was priceless (partly due to the fact that I am terrible with spacial dimensions!) I even drew out the layout of my booth in my handy notebook to take to the real show. One reason you will want to do this is that you normally will only have a 2 hour window to set up and be ready for customers, so the more you can plan in advance, the better off you will be. I also label each box of my display and inventory so that what box to unpack first. Oh! And have everything packed in your car the night before so that you do not waste time in the wee hours of the morning when it is too late to pack more anyways.

2. Be resourceful: Ask other crafters for their advice, such as where they buy supplies, what credit card company they use, what shows are “good” shows to participate in. Research (online & locally) best prices for supplies such as bags, table clothes, etc… Garbage pick or reuse items you currently have in your home to add charm and uniqueness to your booth (see that tower holding my 4×6 frames? it is a Pier One CD tower that I garbage picked 2 of and get the most comments about how people LOVE them)!

HERE IS A CHECKLIST OF ITEMS YOU SHOULD TAKE TO YOUR SHOW:

1. The checklist itself. Yes, get a notebook and write your list and check through it before you leave home. Create a layout of your booth like I did.
2. Money. I suggest $200 cash.
3. Inventory. Your work to display for sale, as well as back up inventory to store under tables and restock as needed.
4. Items needed for display. Tables (I suggest the 6 foot folding tables), white table clothes which are used to go to floor to hide merchandise and materials under your tables, colored fabric or table clothes to create beauty and highlight your product, a folding chair, a small 2-step ladder (if your booth requires hanging high things), tape to make sure clothes stay in place (I use gaffer tape so that it is very strong, but doesn’t leave the sticky residue). Any decorative touches to add beauty and uniqueness to your booth (I use bird statues and scatter pinecones throughout to create a homey atmosphere, as well as baskets to hold my artwork).
5. A banner or sign. This is a must have, as you will be surrounded by other booths. Your sign will most likely be the first thing a passing customer sees, so you want it well designed and very readable to pique interest of customers (I get mine printed at vistaprint.com on the vinyl so that it will not tear).
6. Business cards. Hand out as many as you can. I have gotten several sales 6 months after a show of someone who took my business card!
7. Bags. And maybe wrapping paper to wrap your items too; have your bags reflect your item or feel of your store if possible. For instance, I use simple brown kraft paper bags with the raffia handle to reflect my natural look (from storesupplywarehouse.com)
8. Scissors and tape
9. Notebook for you to write down your transactions or carbon copy receipts so that you keep record of purchases for your accounting later on.
10. Credit card machine & receipts. I use the old fashioned knuckle-buster which I bought on ebay. Then, when I get home later that night, I run the transactions through propay.com.
11. Notebook or journal which customers can sign up for your shop’s email list.
12. Pens.
13. Calculator.
14. Food & drink.

I hope this list has been helpful! Your booth is the first marketing tool you create at a show and first impressions are everything. If your booth is creative, reflects your business personality, and is well put together, your customers will immediately think your product is of good quality. Enjoy making it “your own”!

by Julie Chen of Life Verse Design

I am here to encourage you to try your hand at your local arts & crafts shows and farmer’s markets. Depending on your product, research, and salesmanship, you could have a great deal of success at these local venues. I personally have sold much more at local shows than I ever have on my Etsy site, though I know this is not the case for all. So, here are some tips to get you thinking if this is an avenue you would like to pursue:

1. Pro: You can make a lot of money at a show. Think of the entry fee as renting a store front for a day or two. Divide it up to an hourly rate to see if you think it is worth it. My average show entry fee is $100. Could you rent a store for that cheap?!

photos from Life Verse Design and Etsy

2. Con: one word, inventory. The beautiful thing about Etsy is that you create an item once you know it has sold but, when stocking a “store” for a day, how many of each item should you bring? Arts and crafts shows require a lot of upfront work in manufacturing your product, displaying it, and packaging it to be ready to be sold. The risk lies in how much money you need to invest up-front, but in the end, it may be well worth it!

3. Pro: networking. Stock your booth with business cards and promotional materials to visually remind booth visitors of your work. I have had many orders come through months later from people who remembered my art from a show.

photos from atouchofvintage Flikr photostream

4. Con:  Again, the money you need to invest in your booth. If and when you do a show you will need to have an entire booth ready to showcase your craft. That takes money and creativity but it is a fun challenge. A typical booth is 10×10 feet, which essentially holds 3 6 foot long tables in the shape of a “U”. You will need tables, table cloths, your inventory, ways to visually display your work, shopping bags, etc.. and all done to create a unique environment that speaks of your specific product. In my booth, I have created a mix of natural elegance, utilizing baskets to hold art as bins, bamboo poles to hang the art up so that the buyer has more to see as they glance through my “shop”, and rich colored table clothes and easels to create refined elegance. I want my customers to be able to picture my work in their home.

5. Pro: people specifically come to arts and crafts show to buy things. Though there are some window shoppers, I think arts and crafts shows are differ from retail stores in that people passionately follow them and come ready to buy. I highly suggest taking credit cards, as at least half of my sales are done as credit card transactions. I have been amazed at how in the last three years of doing shows, I see the same customers follow me around. People who shop these types of venues are loyal customers.

photos from My Fantastic Toys blog

6. If you are ready to take the risk of creating a travelling store, the last thing I would suggest for now is to do your research. Take time this summer or fall to just simply go to your local arts and crafts shows to see if you think your work would sell well there. Watch the shoppers. Are they your clientelle? Look at the vendors. Are they good quality and creative? Ask how many years the show has been running. The longer, the better as stated earlier, they will most likely have the biggest following. Talk to some of the vendors you admire to ask them if they like this show, if they sell well here, and what other local shows do they suggest?

In my next post about arts & crafts fairs, I will get down to the nitty-gritty and practical side of what to take to a show and how to prepare.

Here is a photo stream of booths to get some ideas for yours:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/715724@N24/

This site is a good resource to search for shows in your area, the website is hard to navigate & not well designed, but it is the most comprehensive list of shows & info I have found:  www.eventlister.com

Another great article is this one from Etsy on “Craft Show Display Tips & Must-Haves“.