Getting ready for your first craft fair with Nicole Stevenson

08:17.60
Nicole
Absolutely I think that the first one is to remember what I already said and that you’re never going to be 100 % prepared so know that but prepare as much as you can. Remember that each show is just one show. So if it doesn’t go well, it doesn’t mean what you make is horrible and your business is going to fail. It just means that show might not have been the most successful.

There are also other metrics to look at for a show besides just your sales you know, did you meet other vendors? What did you learn from the experience? You know there’s so many other things to look at. And other kind of benefits you can get from a craft fair. 

I think the other thing that I think is really important is to really research the show before you do it. So that means looking at their website, looking at their social media. Their blog. Whatever they have available online to see and if possible go to the show as a customer and look around and ask yourself does it seem like my business would be a good fit at this show? Do these do these people who are walking around this show look like and act like and seem like the type of people who would purchase what I make? That that alone is probably the best piece of advice because I see so often you know a vendor will be at a show and it’s just like what are you doing here? These are not your people.

You know like you’re making this high end you know crystal encrusted something or other and these are a bunch of like gothic hipsters. You know that are looking for you know snarky embroidery. This isn’t the fit for you.

But I think there is a show for everyone. It’s just a matter of finding that show and then you know making a great display. Like putting some time and effort into that it doesn’t need to be super expensive. Just go on Pinterest and you know or Google craft fair booth ideas . There are so many things you could make yourself. So many things you could get on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace and repaint in your brand colors. Have signage, have a place for people to sign up for your email list at the show. Like use it as an opportunity to build your email list.

You can also use it to build your Instagram or social media following by you know, having a little like photo booth opportunity or doing a giveaway for people who tag you in their in their photos and their stories.

I think the other thing too is to make sure that you have enough inventory. Generally you should have 10 times the amount that you want to sell so let’s just say that you want to make you want to you want to gross $100 at a craft fair. You should have a thousand dollars worth of inventory. So a question I get often is like how much stuff do I need to have so that’s a good litmus test for it. 

But also look at that particular show and think about the cost of that show. So you might have a show like I remember when I moved. You know when I was kind of letting go of my business random Nicole. I moved to a new area and there was a farmer’s market that was 2 blocks away from my house and it was only I think three or four hours the booth fee was $25 and it was so easy for me to do it. 

I had all this leftover inventory for my business that I was closing so I started doing that market. Now if I went there and I only sold $100 or $200 worth of stuff. It was still a success because my booth fee was twenty five bucks it’s 2 blocks from my house, I had this stuff already that I wanted to get rid of it was only a few hours. There were so many factors that went into that.

However, I’ve done other shows where I’ve had to travel out of town. Get a hotel room. The booth fee was five hundred bucks and at a show like that I’m expecting to do you know over $1000 just to break even so I think considering all of those. All of those different things the ROI is going to be different for every show and the metrics are going to be different for every show.

12:31.57
Amber
I Love that you also talk about making sure you walk around and talk to the other people at the show I think that’s the key one that I’ve noticed when I’ve done some shows. There’s a number of people that don’t talk to anyone and if it’s a slow show too.

It’s good to build those relationships and have those conversations and a lot of that’s where the organic – what shows do you go to – and you start to learn from people too. Especially if you’re new. And there’s people sometimes you can tell you look at the booth and you’re like yep, you’ve been doing this a while.

And look at the booth I always feel like those are really good people to go talk to because they probably know where the best shows are and they probably know the things that you should consider and sometimes those relationships actually are a key.

13:15.62
Nicole
Absolutely.

13:26.66
Amber
In the early days of your business because even just digging around on Google trying to find- oh that is just an exercise in frustration. So other people at these shows- definitely one of your one of your best bets and what other what other tips Do you have for people that are doing for craft fairs? We’ve gotten into some good ones so far you got any other good tricks up your sleeve?

13:51.74
Nicole
Gosh I have so many tricks up my sleeve. It’s hard to think of them all. I do think you know that you have to consider you know, look at how, brick and mortar stores run and think of your booth at the craft fair as a brick and mortar store. Treat it as such so you don’t want to just like throw a piece of fabric on a table you know and put some stuff on there.

Really consider every aspect you know, I talked earlier about your booth display. So consider you know having your stuff at different heights having it on risers having everything branded in your colors having a sign with your business name.

All of that stuff- the same stuff you would have at a brick and mortar store but also think about how they how they lay out. So like consider how you’re laying out your booth is it welcoming? Is there stuff in the way like where is your most expensive stuff? Is your fragile stuff on the end of a table? Is it easy for people to look at things? Are your prices are you know are your prices out? Do you want your prices out or do you want people to ask you? I say have your prices out and some people don’t.

I think it just kind of shortens that you know awkwardness that I don’t want to feel and then when people come into your booth- acknowledge them like I think there’s a line between being a great salesperson and being like that classic stereotype of like a used car salesperson! 

So you want to like hey You know, welcome to my booth. But you don’t want to just like they walk in and you’re like hi- Thanks so much for coming to my booth. My name is Nicole and I started this business ten years ago because of my love of yarn and all of my yarns are organic and you know and going on and on and on I will see that happen a lot when I go to a craft fair. 

It should be more like- give me a chance to make a connection to your stuff before you give me all that information because it doesn’t mean anything to me yet. You know like I want to connect to connect first and then if this show is slow. I mean just connecting with your customers any way that you can because you don’t know.

Maybe they’re not buying something today. They’re going to buy something later. Make sure they know where to find you and if the show is slow, especially take all the time in the world and listen to your customer. You know I’m not saying to be fake I’m definitely not about that in any way. But find a way to connect with them. Whatever it may be. You know they have a kid who’s 4 you know you you have a kid that’s 4 like oh my gosh. What is your kid up to they watch Paw Patrol? Oh yeah, mine too and just make make that connection.

I’ve had that happen at like a slow show where you know I was just like sitting in my booth like – oh my god I hate this . Then I was like no get up off of your seat, walk around reorganize your booth. You know, even if what you’re doing doesn’t need to be done. Look active, look like you know you’re welcoming and you’re alive in there. Because nobody wants to walk into a booth where somebody’s just sitting you know with their head down in that like depressed Charlie Brown way.

You know nobody wants to go into that they want to go go somewhere exciting and fun and if you have if what you make is portable. By all means like you can have your making stuff in the booth now. There’s a line between getting so engrossed in what you’re doing that you’re not paying attention to your customers. Have it be a conversation piece and a way to invite them into your process.

So make sure that you know you can drop it at any time. Make sure that it’s something that you can do while chatting and use that as a way to draw them into the behind the scenes of your business.