Mudfire on tue 21 apr 98
I've got my first three craft fairs coming up and I'd love some advice on how
to gauge the amount of work I should bring. Each of the fairs I'll be in are
fairly large with diverse audiences. Since I've never sold my work before I
really don't have a clue how I'll be recieved by the public. Any thoughts on
this? I am seriously stressed and throwing like crazy, worried that I won't
have "enough".
Thanks!
Lisa
Seattle, WA
bobbi on wed 22 apr 98
Lisa,, I have been doing craft fairs for yrs with my pottery and have found for
me at least.. that i need to take at least 5 times as much stock as i want and
expect to sell. Main thing is to always keep your booth brim full with easy
access for the customer. I found i always sold better when i had stacks and
stacks of bowls and mugs and platers..what ever u are trying to sell.. people
wont stop to look if they dont see lots to look at.. I always had at least 200
items on the shelves at all times if possible.. and plenty of back up.. I always
sold more, the more stock I had showing and that i could always reach in a box
and fill an empty space.. Set up your display at home and see how full it is. u
will get the idea after a while.. look at what other potters are doing when u go
to shows.. so good luck... the more an entry fee to a show does not neccessarily
mean more sales either.. so experiment. and u will find your nitch.. and if u
have a bad show the next one u could sell out at.. try to always sit behind you
display, if u sit near the entrance people will not walk by u, stay out of their
way unless they ask questions..so hang in there and go for it!!!
Bobbi
Mudfire wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I've got my first three craft fairs coming up and I'd love some advice on how
> to gauge the amount of work I should bring. Each of the fairs I'll be in are
> fairly large with diverse audiences. Since I've never sold my work before I
> really don't have a clue how I'll be recieved by the public. Any thoughts on
> this? I am seriously stressed and throwing like crazy, worried that I won't
> have "enough".
>
> Thanks!
>
> Lisa
> Seattle, WA
Tim Stowell on wed 22 apr 98
Bring as much as you can carry, and remember that whatever you don't sell
you'll either be bringing it home or giving it to the craftspeople next
to you who tell you the right way to do a show.
Seriously, set a goal for the show of $X and try to bring about twice
that much. Think how happy you'll be when you sell it all. Don't put
yourself into the hospital trying to get ready though...Don't put it all
out at once either.
Tim
Tim Stowell Gerard Stowell Pottery
Stacey Gerard 290 River Street
tstwll@juno.com Troy, NY 12180
(518)272-0983 www.trytroy.org/gerard/
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Foresthrt on thu 23 apr 98
general consensus among my associates seems to be expectation of retail sales
that total 10 times the booth fee, which requires three times that in goods
ready to sell. This is not only so that you have a good selection in order to
maximize sales, allow for people to buy 4 or 8 of something for a wedding
present on the spot, that sort of thing, but also so that you don't go home
freaking out that you have another show in a week or whatever and will never
be able to restock in time. It also includes the couple very pricey pieces
that catch the shopper's eye and make them want to buy something from you,
even if it's not the showstopper piece. (and every once in a while you get
lucky and sell the big ones).
But everyone starts out more modestly, and most who stay with it wind up
somewhere in the neighborhood described above.
Mary
foreshrt@aol.com
Depb579 on sat 25 apr 98
Lisa, I've been a few fairs. My suggestion would be to display what you can
but not all. Keep the back up in the vehicle. In other words, don't by any
means put it all out at once. It makes packing back up lots of work.
By not putting it all out, your display will look neater. Hide a few items
under your table so when something gets sold, you can replace it with
something different.
Good Luck, Deb
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