First Craft Show.....

[GrayBeard]

I SWORE when I started this hobby I would NEVER get involved in Craft Shows, remember!

Dammit Norman, Never say NEVER!

Here goes...

I had enough 'stuff' to put up a presentable 'booth' at a small local church Craft Fair.
Saturday I arrived with my 'stuff' at the church to find that I was alloted one 6 foot by 2 foot table and two nice upholstered chairs.
We draped the table in our black Halloween cloth and proceeded to set things up and price.
For pricing I simply took my brand new home made business cards and wrote the price in the corner and stuck it with or under the item.
To display my 'portraits I quickly made, Friday night at 11:00 p.m. a 36" long rack to lean them against. Covered the back support with the 'blue paper shop towels' and it looked fine.
Thought everything looked pretty good and then the doors opened and folks very SLOOOOOOOOWly began to trickle in.
This is an old established Methodist church in a nice stable neighborhood so I thought it would yield a few  interested parties. My intent was to make enough to cover the booth fee which was only $20!

Along with my scrolled items I decided to bring along some of the leftover 'bird feeders' and two folding stools I had made two years ago for the farmer's market in our area. Hoping against hope that I would not have to carry them back home since they were priced well below the material and labor costs just to get them out of my storage closet.

Thank the Good Lord for my Wisdom!
Sold the two stools and almost all the bird feeders and NOT a DAM piece of scroll work!
I received compliments from every person who stopped at the table and they Oooohed and Ahhhhed over the intricacy and detail and didn't buy thing one!

I am 73 yrs. and then some but the average age of the attendees at the Church show was slightly 'older than the Rocky Mountains!

I did take home enough cash to cover the booth/table and have enough left over to try ONE more time! A whopping $63!!!!
BUT I did remove some stuff from my storage closet and now have space in the garage to store my WOOD!

I decided that I will participate in another "Damn Craft Fair" put on by my local school district Band Boosters Club on Dec. 4th! The 'booth fee' is only $40 so I will be $3.00 ahead going in!

This will be a much younger crowd, closer to Christmas and much closer to home! I will add 'ornaments' and few Nativity sets and hope for the best.

Photos of the table are located here: http://picasaweb.google.com/grampedstl/FirstCraftShow?authkey=Gv1sRgCIqz14-Ii6uluQE#

And "That is How It Was...Moving West!"

~~~GrayBeard~~~

[julief]

GB - IT'S NOT YOU!!!!!  Church bizzaars and schools are a tough sell.  Your display was great.  Nice variety and well put together.  Hope you do better on the next one.

[yyyyyguy]

Great work GB, did you offer gift wrapping?   

[GrayBeard]

I forgot to add the HIGHLIGHT of my day!

There was little guy about 8 yrs. old who wanted to buy one of the 'skulls' that I had priced at $2.50. He had three one dollar bills so I said, "I'll make you a deal! I will give you two of them for three bucks and you will have one for each ear!"
He beamed from ear to ear and said, "COOL...!"
So we took some black ribbon and made loops thru the skulls, hung one on each ear and he happily left wearing the two skulls with Grandma shaking her head and frowning at me!

At least I had some FUN!

~~~GB~~~

[boxmaker]

Greybeard, I checked out your stuff, it looks like you had a great selection. Craft shows are hard to figure out, next time you may completely sell out of one thing, and wish you had more of them. And like you said you are still ahead. I have not done a show in quite a while, I have one coming up on Nov. 20th it's in a church school. Thanks for the heads up Julie.

                                                                Mark

[Judy Hunter]

Your display looked very well put together.  Very nice with some great items. My son and I are doing our first scroll saw booth at a big craft show here in ND next week end.  Booth fee $250.00 two nights in motel $160.00
besides and gas to drive 350 miles one way.  AM I Nervous yep!!!!

[GrayBeard]

Judy, I truly hope you do VERY well!

This was a very small show at a Methodist Church and most of the ladies were simply buying things that would most likely replace things they already had at home or that they will give other little old ladies for presents.

The one I have decided to do on Dec. 4th has 60 vendors and  all commercial stuff like Pampered Chef, Scentsy, etc. have been relegated to a completely separate part of the building.

It is in a 'bedroom community' full of Yuppies with kids in the schools and it will benefit the Band Boosters group.
Three weeks before Christmas and lots of traffic.

I'm just praying that we don't have a damn ice storm that weekend!

I was told today that there will be signs displayed along the two very heavily traveled roads nearby for a week before the event and posters are already up in many locations and more are being distributed. It is being heavily publicized in the local newspapers and newsletters.
She also assured me that I will be the ONLY booth of any kind of 'woodworking' in the entire place.

When I talked with her today I let her know how enthusiastic I was about the show since I live in the district and she let me know that she will be making the location assignments this week and will be sure i get a good spot!

I have to get busy and do some more Christmas things and I have several more portraits already set up to be cut so i should be OK with inventory.

One of the 'rules' of the Show is that NO ONE can pack up and leave early but she did say that from the looks of my merchandise she may have to let me go 'cause she thinks I may sell out! (I should be so lucky!)

Good Luck in your endeavor...I will say a prayer and see if that helps!

~~~GrayBeard~~~

[Dawie]

Nice display GB. Hope you do beter on your next show.
Judy good luck with yours and I hope you sell out completely.
David

[malc]

To move on some of my work my wife had a stall at the local farmers market four weeks in a row. We live in a village with a small catchment area so after four week it seemed prudent to stop as only the same people come each week. Over the four weeks we took about ?100 and the stall only cost ?3 a week. Money spent on a new router table! Plus a gift for my sales pesron wife.
Malc

[julief]

Judy,  It sounds like a BIG show.  When your rental is that high - it usually means it is a very serious show with serious shoppers.  They place the rental high to eliminate the lesser vendors.  I go to one that the booth rental is $150.00 for one day.  The show is huge and the shoppers come from miles around.  They wait for this show every year.  If it is an established show,  you should do very well.

Ed,  This is the one time I like Yuppies!  They don't get there hands dirty and are kinda impress with people who do.  The buy what they like, regardless of price.  Pampered Chef, Scentsy, etc. are high end products.  Maybe they have done this show before and know something about the shoppers.  Good luck with it.

Mark,  Since it is a church school, some religious projects might work.  Crosses and the like.  Try to have some lesser expensive projects available.  Many times parents come out of obligation and buy the least expensive thing to fullfill that obligation.  Ornaments are a good bet.  Wishing you much success with your show.

[GrayBeard]

Julie...I may have one small advantage....
People who have kids in the band are used to 'extracurricular' activities.
I volunteer at the local ice rink where the high school teams play all their hockey games and many of the parents are used to seeing me every week at the rink when they go to the games.
So I will have some 'recognition' from the 'parents/grandparents' attending.  will also get a couple 'posters' and place them on the doors of the rink for the 4 weeks leading up to the sale!
I will also be in my "GrayBeard's Costume" for the last two weeks before the sale so they will recognize me! (dressed all in black, Western style with a big black 10 gallon hat!)
Hey...it is all about MARKETING!

No One ever accused me of being Bashful!

~~~GB~~~

[Dav]

as you read a while back my last craft sale was about the same way and sold some of my stain glass work but no srowl work get tired of people saving how nice it is and if it was laser cut etc. by the end of the day your ready to give it to the next person that says something.

[julief]

You are right GB.  It is all about marketing.  I was told by a vender who does extremely well at Canton to always have something free to give to kids.  The word free always makes people stop and look.  (They make birdhouses and give away tops made from the holes they cut for the door).  I started making little cars made from molding pieces and 1X2.  Little expense and a pretty good response.  I did change my sign to read "free toy with purchase".  Otherwise everyone stops for the freebee but still doesn't buy.
As a band mom all through school and college for both of my kids, you are right, they recognize and respond to you.

I have found by having a portrait with the picture the pattern was made from and a small jigsaw puzzle cut from a photo gets me a fair amount of custom orders if that is the type of work you like to do.

[Bill P]

This is what I'm learning as the Christmas Bazaar gets closer; this will be my first and last show for many years to come.  I don't make a lot of projects, maybe 3 or 4 a months (and 4 is kind of pushing it) so it's hard to build up an inventory.  Plus, the "deadline" imposed on getting ready is taking the fun out of the hobby.

Bill

[GrayBeard]

Baby steps, Julie! Gotta take some Baby Steps and see if I am up to this 'show' thingy!
Maybe next spring when I learn a bit more of my capabilities and the show formula!

~~~GB~~~