It’s been longer than I had hoped in between my first and second craft shows, but I’m so glad there was a second one, and that I have craft show #3 coming right up on the calendar! I found more fun and less stress the second time, since I already had a default set-up worked out, some supplies, and I knew more of what to expect. This time I was one of maybe 30 vendors, many of whom were retail sellers. That made me one of the few handmade artisans of the day. We were set up in the hallways of a busy YMCA, which turned out to be great for business since people could see my colorful table when they walked into the building, and they couldn’t help but take a look when they passed by.
A hearty handful of sales were made throughout the day; about half to family/friends who came to see me and the rest to strangers. Even if they didn’t buy anything, people seemed to enjoy seeing my products, especially the colorful flowers and animal hats. That, plus the fact that I had several patient buddies who spent the day with me, made the experience a nice one for me, too.
As the pictures tell, I kept the same basic set-up as last time, with the black tablecloth, 8 by 10 frame signs, and little pink hand mirror. I considered getting some kind of backdrop, but ended up not wanting the extra fuss. It turned out that I wouldn’t have had much space for something like that anyway! I did add the pretty pennant banner, which was made using my Cricut machine, brown paper shopping bags, and some ribbon. I also had more inventory and a smaller table this time, so I brought one of the little lunch trays from my living room and set a large basket on the floor to contain the overflow. The Styrofoam head was a fun addition, as well, and it cost me only $5 at Hobby Lobby. Last year I said that one thing I should have done was to bring shopping bags for folks to carry their purchases home in. I did that by using fancy scissors on the tops of brown paper lunch sacks and writing my website name with a pretty marker across the bottom edges. Also, the credit card reader really paid off for me this time, with more than half my sales being by credit card. I use “The Square” currently and I’ve been happy with its simplicity and wide recognition.
It was fun to see which items drew people in. Since this show wasn’t in the heart of Buckeye country, the scarlet and gray items repelled at least as many people as they attracted. The colorful owls and children’s hats always seem to be a favorite with people. The delicate thread flowers and embroidery I had been applying to my fingerless gloves was also something that people stopped to admire. My sister and I were both wearing those floppy “hipster” hats as we sat by the table, and I had people come up and ask me if I had more of them long after I had sold out of them. I guess I’ll be making some more of those for craft show #3! The last thing that people seem to like a lot are those bold, bright flowers on the ladies’ hats. They seem so simple to me, but they do look very nice and people seem to like them.
Craft shows are fun and rewarding not only because they are a way to turn my little hobby into a little money, but also because they represent a goal to work toward that inspires my craft, much like how having a concert or gig on the calendar encourages me to innovate musically. I love getting feedback from friends and strangers on the art that I’ve been spending so much time and care creating over the past months.
Like what you see? Craft show #3 is scheduled for March 28th. I’d love to run into some of you there! Here is the info:
2015 COLUMBUS SPRING AVANT-GARDE ART & CRAFT SHOW
St. Agatha Church (Parish Hall)
1860 Northam Road Columbus, OH 43221
Saturday, March 28, 2015
10:00am-4:00pm
