I Lost Money at this Craft Fair || And other reasons I probably won't do it again soon

I used to do a renaissance faire which would start out hotter than hades and usually end up cold. Lots of clothes too. One thing I always did was fill a bucket with water and put it under my counter. I put a few drops of lavender oil in it, and kept it fed with ice cubes from my cooler throughout the day. Nobody knew my feet were in an ice bucket. I did once drop a sandwich in it which wasn't ideal..

I used to do craft shows but my back can't take it. I had ok shows and dumpster fire shows. I rent a booth at an antique mall/ craft shop. I spend the same amount of one day show for a whole month rental. I visit monthly for a clean and reset. I make more this way and never went in the hole.

Oh goodness I have so many tips! For the branded bags: I tie my shop cards on a ribbon on the handle for now but I want to block print the logo in the future. I use water jugs and sandbags for my tent weights. Less to carry, I can dump them out when breaking down if needed, and they have not failed me yet. I picked up narrow folding tables on Marketplace, they are only 1.5ft so it keeps it roomy inside the booth. I have tiered displays (that I plan to bolt down but have not as yet) to bring the eye up. I sell a lot of smalls so it keeps it from looking cluttered. I weigh those down as well to keep them somewhat bump proof. I don’t do shopping threshold or free gift promos but I do bundle deals. If someone hits a threshold I’ll gift them a little something extra at checkout. This IMO leaves a more positive shopping experience than expected rewards. This also lets me giveaway based on stock levels. Also if I run out no harm no foul. I could go on and on if you want, I can keep sharing on your KoFi.

Grocery bill is at a all time high, ridiculous amount just to feed yourself let alone a family. What you’re doing is great, and I’m glad you realized that people go to markets hoping to find stuff for $25 and under.

I am a soapmaker and B&B items. I did shows for about 8 years. What a crap shoot it was. I had several shows that I did every year and they were never the same twice. We did an Irish festival one year and there were 3 of us working the booth and could barely keep up with sales. The next year we did it again and couldn't give soap away. I found it very stressful as they were a lot of work with no guarantee of financial success. However, they were very good for getting your name out there and I would often get website sales from people who bought from you at the show or saw you there. Many of them were 2 or 3 day shows and the first day I would be very enthusiastic but by the third day I was dragging, exhausted and grouchy. Some shows seemed like they would be mediocre and turned out to be great. You just never know. One thing I did learn was how to pack everything in an organized manner so that setting up and tearing down is quick and easy. Your things are very beautiful and I hope you can do better in the future.

For the most part, if the price for admission as a vendor is low, it’s going to be small inexpensive things that sell. $35 is low for where I live. I always did better if I was working on something in the booth. There could be 50 items just like the one I was making, but they wanted the one they saw me make. ❤️🤗🐝

I'm aging out of shows, or as I call it "the carny life." It's changed so much since I started. There's a lot of overnight theft now which I've never dealt with before. I'm tired of the schlepping. Good to see a younger generation coming up! Now I sell in galleries and wholesale to gift shops and boutiques. Good luck to you!!

I have done and still do a lot of shows. I think you action items you came up with are spot on. One thing I think you need to do is not bundle in all of you supplies as an expense for this one show. For instance, your bags, tablecloths, and battery you will use for future shows so I would project how many shows you will do this year and divide that cost and allocate it across all this years shows. You should apply the cost of your materials for the products that sold at this show. I would also recommend that you “specialize a bit more perhaps in the leather goods area because not many vendors do those where there is more competition for things like your swim coverups, IMHO. I think for a one day (5 hour) low cost show you were successful.

I follow a woman and her husband here on YouTube and have watched them go from very tiny little business in an older home to WOW. They did videos in their home, on their kitchen island showing them making things, painting things...and now they do the same thing in a much larger old house that they completely gutted and rebuilt, they also have a shop/store in an old church in their town that is huge. They are super creative, friendly couple. What made them was two things I think-to my knowledge they do not do fairs or anything like that. They sold online from their website, they started a YouTube channel and they do lives, showing them working on the furniture, painting, printing, making molds with air dry clay and putting it on picture frames, etc. people enjoy watching folks make things. So, website store, YT channel showing your items, and linking your website so people can shop and buy your products. Keep at it! I thought your leather items looked amazing, so I will be looking to see how to find you. You're friendly, speak well and I think you will blow up the way they have. I love your logo and the stamp you made. It looked fantastic. I agree with someone else-the buffalo checked cloths are too busy-I would put solid white, flat Colton sheets over them. I have used flat sheets in white (king size) as curtains for years and for table cloths. Good luck! PS-I hated working outdoor booths too-heat, bugs, no close bathroom, etc.

HI Katie, I also do craft shows and there are some that I only did once due to people wanting me to give things away. I learned that when listing prices to list the lower priced items first and then go down to the highest. Some people read the first couple of prices and if they are too high they walk away. Lower prices lure them in the booth. I also find that Fall/ Winter shows are better because people are looking for gifts for the holidays. I always bring a microwave to heat up the rice bags so people know what they are and how to use them. They sell great in the winter. I live in the northeast and it gets pretty cold here so people are coming in from that cold and love to feel the heated bag I have out to demo. I tell them that it's great to use to warm you up in the winter. Just to stick them in your bed before you get in and you have no more cold feet. There are many reasons someone could use them. I find that people like some gifts for teachers, friends, co workers, baby sitters and such. So small items add up and you don't put out too much money making them. Hope this helps. Your items look amazing. Blessings to you and your family.

I sell antiques but at craft/farmers markets and went this past Sat - 8/3. Even though I was under a tree and near the water so there was a breeze, the humidity was killer and it was 88 degrees. The problem was there were very few customers, I only sold one item, and made a whopping $5. People have way less expendable income these days and unless it's something they really need or want to gift, they aren't buying. And although this is normally a tourist area, no one I asked was a tourist and if they were, they were at the beach.. I've done shows for over 30 years so I'm a pro. But I think that indoor shows with air conditioning are best, and fall and winter are better times to sell. Although Etsy costs to sell on, it saves a lot of grief and stress. Love your logo, maybe get a banner printed to hang at the front of your main table and spray paint your metal displays black for a more cohesive look. Most professional printers can make you a rubber stamp of your logo in a couple of different sizes. You can get the self inking kind but they are more expensive. If you don't have a local printer, there are shops on Etsy that will do that for you. And I find that having less things on display and spread out more works better - maybe because people get overwhelmed by too many choices. Also, having a vase of flowers or even greens, that don't cost you anything, can add interest to your table. If you are selling a lot of leather, then a vase of dried grasses and flowers can add to the rustic "prairie" feel. Also, try not to have any personal items like drinks, or even fans on your table. Good luck and let's hope the weather gets kinder!

I used to display at arts and craft shows. I paint on wood with great detail . I was selling a very detailed Santa for $20 but another vendor had the same wood cutout painted solid red for $12. She sold her Santa I did not. Spending hours with a booth is completely exhausting. It just wasn’t worth the entrance fee, loading and unloading the car and setting up and taking down. I resorted to open houses in my home and at friends who were kind enough to have one. I sent invitations to friends and neighbors with a note to bring their friends. I did not want complete strangers in my home. I did great and would practically sell out. Good luck to you!

Katie hi. A little suggestion would be to put tissue paper in the totes and the little pouches so they can stand. It will dress them up. Also, maybe a scarf around the neck of the blanket sweater/coat and possibly a belt. The leather bag at the left of the table with the long strap would also look good with the sweater. Good luck.

I’m so impressed with all you did for this craft fair. Taking notes from your video and all the tips in the comments. I print my logo brand on fabric paper that quilters use for my fabric pieces. I used a laser printer for that. For logos on craft bags and paper journals, I print on faint scrapbook paper, cut out with guillotine and glue to the bag or journal. Maybe one day I’ll get a stamp made, but since I’m just starting out this is it for now. Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps a lot! - Kathy 🌻

Your booth looked great! I agree with you, though, put your higher priced items in the middle. One thing that lifts the aesthetic of your booth is a nice rug underneath. Keep an eye out for people giving away their indoor outdoor carpets this fall. The thin ones can be rolled and moved easily, and I feel they are worth it. I like all the other set ups. The "profit" on these sorts of things is why my mom quit her craft booth in a craft mall in the 90's.

Keep going, you have some great things. From my experience, I find that people want to spend a little money, so I carry some things less than $5.00, and where permitted I take baked goods. They always sell. You really have some fabulous stuff, don't despair, you just need the right buyers. Good Luck!

I quit doing craft shows long ago. You work so hard and spend so much money and then the customers offer you about half of what you spent not to mention your time! No more!

I make and sell soap and other bath stuff. I completely understand the exhaustion of doing vendor booths. Especially, when it's hot. I don't have the humidity here but it does get between 105-113 mid summer. So I tend to avoid outdoor booths during then. In determining whether or not your event made money (if you're going to continue to do these types of events), the cost of your battery, table clothes and other items that you don't sell but will continue to use, should be spread out across all of your events for the year and not all lumped into the first event you do after purchasing them. Anyway, I loved your items. I would have bought a bunch of things, lol.

I used to do many small events, and looked at it as building my "resume" so I could increase odds of getting into bigger shows. Take photos of your booth (needed for applying to juried shows), chat with other vendors & you may learn about other shows that you may want to try! It is a process finding where & how often you want to vend. But even the same show year to year can vary from fantastic sales to just covers costs...

I found when I used to do craft fairs, if I calculate how much the item cost ( what was needed to make item) and add hourly cost. Then I doubled it. I used to sell potpourri ( no filler, all botanicals) before the big burst of it. Sold well but I only did Seasonal fairs…