The Top 10 Things I Learned from My First Two Boutiques:
10-Make friends with the gal at the table to your left and/or right. They will be your best friend when that Pumpklin Spiced Latte Grande kicks in and you have to PEE!! Someone has to watch your table for you :).
9-Just because you sign up, pay your registration fee for your booth AND contact the organizer via phone and email 7 times before the event, this does NOT mean that they will actually have a spot reserved for your booth at the actual Boutique!
8-If your spot at the Boutique was never 'reserved', the options of where to put your booth are limited to right next to the trash can or the dumpsters out behind the kitchen!
7-If you want to lose weight, do craft fairs. With set-up, a four hour fair, then tear down, with no real appropriate time to snack, I guarantee you'll be at a caloric deficit by the end of the show.
6-When someone is checking out your product, be friendly, smile, make light conversation and always offer up a business card.
5-Repeat step 6. Again. And again. And again. And again. And one more time...
4-Rejoice in your 1 (and only) sale of the day. Woohoo, I think I made $1.23/hr today!! Oh wait, make that -$1.23/hr, I lost money from the fee of the event!
3-Don't just rely on the organizers to advertise for you. Use your own sources, such as your blog, Facebook, Twitter, CL, your website, etc, etc. You never know, they might not have time to advertise like they said they would!
2-Rain ruins your prospects of a successful show AND it kinda ruins the tutu's too!
And finally...
1-Never, ever get discouraged. If you believe in your product, the sales will come, just have a little patience!!!
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Sorry to hear your craft show was a bust. I have a creative bent myself, and have considered trying to start my own business and do craft shows, but I know from friends and coworkers who have done this that it can sometimes be very frustrating. Hang in there. Your tutus are lovely!
ReplyDeleteUGH! That must be hard...to put in all the time and effort and not make sales. I had planned to do a Christmas craft show with hand stamped pendants, but just never got around to registering and making enough product. Your post makes me kinda glad I didn't!
ReplyDeleteDo you have an etsy shop? I would think tutus would sell well on there. I've thought about opening a shop, but again...time.
Happy SITS Sunday!
I see your etsy link now. LOL
ReplyDeleteAwww, honey! Ok- now your worst experience is behind you- Onward and upward!!
ReplyDeleteJoining my first bazaar soon!
ReplyDeleteStopped by from SITS :)
Thanks for the tips!
These are great tips, and what a great perspective. I know it's 2 years old, but this post is really good, and these are good things to keep in mind for any craft bazaar!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh! Thank you for the post and thank you for the reality check!!!! Great info!
ReplyDelete-CK
Visiting from SITS... Happy SITS Day! We hold a Family Fun Fair at the elementary school each year and the middle school and HS have craft fairs. Those are sometimes the best places to have a booth at. If you were in our area, I'd set you up! Best wishes!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.preservinghomebasics.com
This is great advice. I've only done one show so far, and it was pretty frustrating. Happy SITS Day!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain with the whole craft fair thing. I have put a few items in my mother's booth a few times and made out quite well. So I decided I would do it on my own, every time has been, well less than successful. I know some people make money at it but I guess it takes going to them often so the bad shows balance out. I've talked to some people that look at it like advertisment, then sell on etsy or their own web sites.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it helps to remind myself that some shows lead to commissions farther down the road--it's hard to wait for those longterm results, but it has happened in my experience, and helps keep my spirits up a slow shows.
ReplyDelete