Tuesday, November 19, 2013

2013 craft fair update

Three shows down, two shows to go. As far as sales go, the first show wasn't great, the second show was solid but not amazing, and the third show was good. All of the shows have been well run and generally enjoyable, which is refreshing, because we all know what it's like to do shows that aren't a lot of fun for any number of reasons.

I get pictures like this when I vend next to people that I know.

And then I get to take pictures like this when things slow down in the afternoon. If you vend shows, you know how there is almost always a slower period later in the day.

I made a few minor changes to my display this year, but it is largely the same as what I did last year.


As I mentioned previously, I did decide to add a little tree and button music ornaments. You see the flowers in the above booth shot (front left)? I swapped them out for this display. I'll switch it up again for the spring shows.


Usually I take show pictures with my cell phone or point and shoot, but I've been bringing the SLR with me so I can get some more professional shots.




Right now I have my button magnets on a single display where people can pick and choose. I've been thinking about creating a similar display to this one with large packaged sets and a handful of smaller two or three button sets so people can still mix and match a little if they like. Any thoughts?

When you stare at your display for hours and hours, it's really funny what you end up noticing.

Sometimes you resort to things like browsing Instagram when you don't really know your neighbors and things are slow. You also get to see how I cover my dollar store storage bins to create raised platforms.

For the Sunday show this past weekend, I had to create a long display instead of an open square display for the first time in more than a year. It wasn't nearly as much of a challenge as I feared.


It's interesting taking pictures of other people's displays for a change.



That pile of F-bombs sold in less than an hour on Sunday. Crazy, right?



How are your holiday craft shows going?

11 comments:

  1. Dear Rose, It is funny what we sometimes think will be a challenge and turns out "a piece of cake".
    You certainly have nice products make with care and that turn out beautiful. I am sure they sell themselves.
    You look wonderful.
    Have a beautiful day.
    Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  2. Hahaha, F-Bombs. I would've gotten one.

    I'm glad the shows are getting better each time! I had one year where they peaked early for me, and that was really annoying, haha.

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  3. Great post, thanks for taking such wonderful pictures!

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  4. Your pics are great. Love how colorful your table is.

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  5. I'm always amazed at the variety of products your offer! The buyers certainly are spoiled for choice at your booth! It's great that you got a spot next to your friend at each of the shows. The F-bombs really are funny :)

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  6. Wow - you have so much to offer! Your display is so bright and colorful - that alone probably attracts people.

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  7. Your display looks great! I always tend to be in the shows where I have to cram all my stuff on a 2x10' table so it looks too full. My first show of the year is Friday and I'm nervous!

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  8. nice photos. So bright and colorful. I sound my MiniBooks in bundles of four wrapped together. They sold much better than singly. And they sold as 4 for $2.00, or singly for 50¢, so there wasn't a price break for buying multiples. With the magnets, they might be hard to sell as stocking stuffers, all by themselves... {:-D

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  9. Those F-bombs are hilarious. I can see why they sold out. haha.
    Your display and buttons and work is so PROFESSIONAL. I'm impressed! You've put so much time and hard work into this. You deserve to have a WONDERFUL sales season. :)

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  10. Your display looks great. It's nice to have a standard setup to stick to...sure makes setup/tear down a lot simpler!
    And the F-Bombs are great :) I can see why they sold so fast!
    Your pics with your SLR look great and I love the reflection of the bracelets in the mirror.

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  11. Your displays look great--both the U-shaped one and the line display. When I do shows, one of the things I really take a look at is how other people set up their tables. I did 3 shows this year, all of them with a shallow "U" that seemed to work well for the merchandise and traffic flow. First 2 shows were not very good, but the 3rd was excellent.

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