So You Want to be a Craft Vendor? (Part 2: How do I find a Craft Show?)

So now that you've decided to take the plunge into craft vending, what's next?



The first thing you need to do is find a craft show that is accepting vendors.  This usually isn't difficult, however, it may be easier or more difficult depending on the time of year and where you live.  Larger cities generally have more resources, but around the holidays, it's naturally easier to find a craft fair.

Two of the most basic places that hold craft fairs are schools and churches.  If you have children, you may already be familiar with local craft shows held by PTO or sports or band boosters.  Churches will often advertise on their marquee about upcoming craft shows.  While I don't suggest that you drive all over the city hoping to happen upon an announcement, they're always good to keep a lookout for. In addition, places that have community bulletin boards often have announcement of upcoming events that are looking for vendors; coffee shops, YMCAs/YWCAs, and the local library may have resources that you may not have thought about.



One of the most well-known places that I often find craft shows is Craigslist.  First, let me caution you to use due diligence with Craigslist in general, just because you really never know.  I don't want to scare anyone, and I've never had a problem with it in my city, but please exercise caution when replying to ads and agreeing to meet anyone. In fact, in my experience, I've never been asked to meet anyone with regards to a craft fair; I'm simply sent an e-mail in response to my query with an application and maybe a request for pictures of my work.  I have found calls for artists and vendors in the "Community" section under "artists."

There are a few professional sites that I also belong to which advertise for vendors.  One is ArtFairCalendar.com, and another is Zapplication.com.  ArtFairCalendar.com has an e-mail list, and sends periodic e-mails regarding upcoming craft shows and approaching deadlines for shows.  The e-mails have shows all over the country, not necessarily specific to your state, but it also has useful tips, and it will give you an idea of what larger shows cost and what they expect.  Zapplication.com is a useful site because a lot of larger shows are starting to require that you apply through the Zapplication site.  I really like Zapplication because you can search by state as well as by city.  I also like that Zapplication has an events calendar, so that you can have a visual of when shows are, how long they last, and when the applications are due. I'm a very visual person, so I find this very useful.

Another avenue for finding craft fairs is  searching the websites of local festivals in your area.  Especially during the summer, it's common for there to be large street fairs and festivals held in many states, and most of these festivals want vendors.  I LOVE outdoor, street festival vending.  It's a completely different experience than indoor vending, and though it takes more preparation, it's so much fun!  Also see if your state or city has an Art Council or inquire at a local art museum.  Here in Ohio, one of the most invaluable resources is the Ohio Art Council.. Under the "Events" tab, there is a link for 'Ohio Festivals." Here you will find a fairly comprehensive list of hundreds of festivals in the state of Ohio, along with helpful tips for each festival like deadline for applying, projected attendance, booth size, and application fee.

The last thing you can do to find craft shows is to see if your city has a craft guild of any kind.  One of the best things I ever stumbled upon was Etsy Team Columbus.  It's a fairly large group of crafters here in Central Ohio, all whom have Etsy shops, and there are quite a few seasoned vendors mixed with people who are just getting started and also people who own their own shops and are very established in their craft.  The resources are invaluable when you have a large group of crafters all in one room.  If you have an Etsy shop, or if you're thinking about opening an Etsy shop in the near future, I would highly recommend searching to see if there is an Etsy team in your city or state.  It's always nice to have someone you can e-mail or call for advice or questions, and it's common for newbies to do shows together, which cuts costs and gives your very welcome company during your first few shows.

The nice thing is, once you've found your first show, it becomes a lot easier to find subsequent shows.  I've worked a show and left with multiple applications for future shows; sometimes people walk around and hand out fliers, handbills, and business cards all with information about a show that they hope you'll apply to.  Finding shows is one of the many aspects of craft vending that gets easier with time.



Tomorrow we'll discuss the various aspects of preparing for a show.  Thanks for hanging in here with me, and I hope you are finding this information useful.  Please comment if you have a question, I'll answer them all on Friday if I can with my wrap-up.

Hook it up!

Camielle

So You Want to be a Craft Vendor? (Part 1: How I got started)

Lately I've received lots of questions regarding craft shows; How do you get started? What do you need? How do you know what to make? How do you find shows to do?  I thought it would be helpful to answer these questions here.

I thought I'd begin with my experience first.  I think there is a temptation to assume that everyone knows more than you do when it comes to craft vending, and the reality is, we all had to start somewhere.

So my very first show...

I don't have the pictures from the actual show itself, but I blogged about it way back when, so I can tell you that it happened around August 16th, 2010.  The show was to benefit MRDD, and I was so excited!  I ordered business cards and everything and asked for next-day shipping.  The fact that I didn't receive them the next day was just the first of many things that went wrong for that show.

If you don't know, I'm from Ohio, and I live in Columbus.  Ohio has notoriously temperamental weather, but for the most part, it's hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and everything in between during the rest of the year.  That particular day in August, was a SCORCHER!!



Not just regular summer heat, no, this was "Please Lord let me go to heaven when I die because this heat is just TOO much and I don't want to know what the other place feels like" heat; 96 degrees as I recall.  We (my bf, Daven, and I) drove out to the show, about 20 minutes away and started setting up.  I was so proud of my card table and my two chairs...until I saw that nearly everyone else had tents.  What a novel concept...a tent! Why hadn't I thought of that? No matter, I set up my table and my chairs, we unloaded all 10 of my wares, baby blankets, and one lonely Scarlet & Grey hat. (sidebar, if you've never heard of The Ohio State University, you either don't live in the US or you reside under a rock, and if you don't know that their colors are Scarlet & Grey, you CLEARLY don't live in Columbus!).  Now a smarter person may have realized that the last thing any reasonable person wants to buy on a nearly 100 degree day in August is a blanket of any sort, but then again, a smarter person also would have checked the weather and perhaps prepared a little better, but I digress.

There we were, at my 4ft square card table, literally melting.  I, at least, had sunglasses, but Daven wears glasses, and doesn't generally carry sunglasses even in the summer.  The show was set to run 12pm-6pm as I recall, and it only took us an hour to realize that we weren't going to make it.  I had the bright idea to get my golf umbrella out of the car and we took turns holding it over the both of us so that we could get some relief. The show was essentially a disaster!  Hardly anyone showed up, presumably they were relaxing in wonderful air conditioned homes and next to fabulous swimming pools.  I think one person made a sale out of the 8-10 vendors who were there, and we ended up getting shut down at 4pm because the firemen received a report that a massive thunderstorm was rolling in and it was supposed to be a doozy. We packed up, and left exhausted, at least a couple pounds lighter, sweaty, and disoriented from the heat, but not actually in poor spirits surprisingly.


I've told this story to nearly every first time vendor I've come in contact with because it's important.  If I had let this experience ruin the idea of craft vending for me, I would have missed out on what is now one of my favorite activities!  I LOVE doing craft fairs; I love talking to hundreds of people, networking, meeting other vendors, immersing myself in a culture full of artisans who want to share their craft with the world, and customers who are willing to invest in the work we do and appreciate the time and love that we put into our craft.  That first show was a learning experience, as every show has been and should be.  I wasn't able to go home and spend $1000 dollars on various supplies, I had to get things little by little over a long period of time. Here I am almost 3 years later, and I still have a list of things that I'd like to have for when I do shows, but it took that first, really bad show, to make me take what I do seriously.  My goal was to prepare for another show, and to do better, and I did.  I only did one show that year, in 2010, and as of right now, May 2013, I've done 4 shows in the last 4 weeks!

If you decide you want to try craft show vending, be prepared for successes and failures.  Don't expect to get rich your very first show, and don't expect that if you don't sell anything the first time, that you will never sell.  This is a complicated industry, there is competition, and it takes a while to get a feel for what people buy and what they are interested in.  Dig your heels in and stick it out.  I assure you, it's absolutely worth it, and a lot of fun!

Tomorrow I'll discuss how to get started and how to find shows, as well as the essential supplies for any show.

Until then, Hook it Up!

Camielle

Works in Progress: Wednesday 5/15/13

Good Morning!

I've been busy filling orders between craft shows. A it happens, my two largest orders have been paid for already, so I'm trying to plug away on them as much as possible. The first is an adult-sized Granny Square throw in Green Bay Packers colors:

And the second, is the Flowers Shawl.

The pattern for which can be found here: http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss17_flowers_shawl.html

I just started this project yesterday, so I haven't gotten all that far.

It won't look exactly like the pattern, I'm going to change a few things for the woman who ordered it. I think it's going to be very pretty once it's finished.

My last work in progress will require it's own blog post once I'm actually finished with it. I'm making a light box. It's really nearly finished, I just need to work out how to get the background in and interchange them since I have four different ones. Hopefully I'll get it finished today so I can blog about it.

What are you working on today?

Hook it up!

Cam

If it's not one thing, it's another.

 

It never fails that when I show up at a craft fair, I feel, in some fashion, unprepared. I look at everyone else's displays, and more often than not, mine seems paltry in comparison.

Now in all fairness, I haven't been doing craft fairs all that long; about three years. I've done more craft fairs in the last three weeks (3), than I've done per year, the last three years. I do nearly everything myself, from designing and crocheting to marketing and PR to bookkeeping. The only area in which I usually have help is set-up and working the shows. That wasn't true for this last one though.

All in all, I didn't do too bad. I took notes on what people bought, didn't buy, and always picked up and still never bought. Spending this week dissecting my observations, and creating items that I think will sell in mass quantities at the next show. Constant work, but it doesn't feel it, since I love it!

Do you do craft fairs? Do you feel that you experience 'display envy?' Let me know that I'm not alone! Please?!?

Keep hooking it up!

Camielle

Overwhelmed!

With success comes lots of responsibility...along twice the work and half the time!  That's how I'm feeling right about now.  I have 7 orders pending currently, and I'm thrilled about that, really, but I need 3 more arms and 48-hour days! My only saving grace right now is that I'm off from work until January 7th, and I'm so grateful! 

This is the project I'm working on, and it's also what's holding me up.  I love this pattern: it's an open-scallop stitch that I got out of the The Crochet Stitch Bible by Betty Barnden.  I am simply THRILLED with how this scarf works up, and I'm using Vanna's Glamour yarn in Bronze to make it.  I made one a few weeks back in Silver for the same person. I know they are anxious to receive their scarf, and I'm anxious to give it to them!

Hooking it up!

Cam

Busy Bee!

I've been rather MIA lately, but I've made a LOT of new things! I'm trying to get ready for the 2012 Eco-Chic Craftacular which hopefully I will be accepted to! Fingers crossed! Anywho, I thought I'd post some pictures of my submissions so you all can see what I've been doing!

Gotta get back to work.

Hook it up!
Cam

Work in Progress Wednesday

So I've been slaving away in my makeshift lab, also know as the couch in front of my tv. My studio has yet to be organized from my move, and lacks a chair and a tv, so its functioning as storage for now. What marvelous creations do I have in store? Glad you asked! The 4th Annual Eco-Chic Craftacular is fast approaching, and since it's a juried craft fair, I am working on items to submit. One of the items I'm churning out is a Coffee Cup Cozy! As a requirement of the fair, 50% of my wares must be upcycled, recycled, or Eco-friendly on some other fashion. My coffee cup cozies are either cotton or made from recycled yarn. I'm very excited, and I'm hoping to have a whole bowlful on my table! They work up very quickly, and are extremely easy, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I'm hoping to get a reusable cup, so that I can stage these for a proper picture, so check back soon for updates!

Hook it up!
Cam