Craft Fair Madness

So, believe it or not I did my first craft fair this past Saturday! I psyched myself all week for it, prepared LOTS of new items and displays. The results - not so great.

Instead of getting all mopey, I decided to make this a learning experience and want to share my craft fair tips with everyone.

1) Don't be aggressive. One of the things that I noticed is that even if you great your customers with a normally social "hello", some shoppers were turned away. The actions of making eye contact and smile was what really worked at this particular fair. Each fair / crowd is different so test the waters.

2) Know the crowd. I didn't think about what type of people would be coming to this fair and it really hurt my business. This craft fair is in a area populated by rich, older people whom don't really appreciate inexpensive, geeky jewelry. This leads into my next advice...

3) Expand your inventory. I really should have had more variety - instead of my normal resin, unique jewelry I might have had better success with beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

4) Don't request electricity unless you really need it! All those who requested electricity were put against a back wall (and in my case) the back most corner. I asked for electricity to power my laptop when I wasn't even able to pick up a wireless signal.

5) Have a friend with you. I was lucky to have my wonderful mother with me and this was a life saver. It was nice to have someone to talk to and to help me maintain my sanity! I couldn't thank her more!

6) Bring your own lunch. The fair might advertise that they have food but it could turn out to be rather unpleasant looking! If you have a buddy with you, one of you could go on a food run as well.

Ok - I think that is all the important stuff I have to share right now! If anyone has other suggestions, please leave a comment :)