Sunday, May 27, 2012

Getting ready for my craft show

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and attempt a craft show.  Not having participating in one before, I set up a booth last weekend at the local farmer's market.  My goal was less to make money and more to have a test run for what it took to pull a show off. I did make money (yeah!), but here are a few lessons I learned:

  1. Have a tent or canopy.  At first it didn't seem to be in issue, but at noon, all my tea lights were doomed.  Ok, I feel Mr. Obvious knocking at my door on that one, and I'll address the heat in a moment.  But also, a tent creates a sense of space for your "shop", encouraging shoppers to come inside. Since I'm not certain I want to do a lot of shows, I'm reluctant to purchase a tent.  Fortunately, I'm able to borrow one from a family friend.
  2. Protect your wares.  Did I mention my tea lights were doomed? I decided to put only one item on the display table and most of my inventory underneath.  I'll pull from the inventory and give the purchaser a cooler candle.
  3. Give people a reason to visit you. I offered a fragrance basket as a giveaway.  This encouraged quite a few to stop and sniff.  While I had their attention, I asked what their favorite fragrance was and directed them to a sample.
  4. Use the show as part of your marketing strategy. As I mentioned, I offered a fragrance basket as a giveaway. In doing so, I collected names and email addresses to add to my newsletter list (of course, my follow up email was "Thank you for visiting me" and contained a subscription link). When asking people about their favorite fragrance, I was also able to gain ideas of what people like to buy.
  5. Be prepared to improvise. I thought I forgot my order forms and sign up slips.  My receipt book became my order form - just wrote order on the slip to notify myself - and my planner notes paper became my sign up slips.
Now of course, I also had small bills and change, variety of price points, and my Square Up credit card reader. I gave out newsletters and stapled my business card to the receipt.  Bags and thank you gifts. This weekend I'll also have a few shelving units and baskets to create varying heights, as well as a second table for an L-shape.  

But since I don't know if this is an avenue I want to continue, I'm stuck with the following "how do I's":
  • I don't have resources to invest in a sign. How do I show who I am without one or with minimal budget and time to create one?
  • I'm selling primarily candles in June. How do I create the sense of a "full shop" if I keep most of my inventory under the table in order to keep it protected?
  • I've planned most of my inventory to include five cases of 10 fragrances.  How do I know if this is the right fragrance diversification? 
  • I'll also have all of my inventory of other fragrances, so my total should be about eight cases. How do I know if this is enough?
I'm excited about this opportunity, but extremely nervous as well.  I'd appreciate your feedback and recommendations!


4 comments:

  1. Dorene.. it is a learning curve for everyone... and no 2 shows are the same.. .I do them every Christmas season and what sells at one show will not sell at another!

    ReplyDelete
  2. As far as inventory and selection. I'd say look more in the show and who hosts it. See what kind of people show up at their events, and how many. If possible, scope out one of their events before the date of your show.

    The full shop thing is tricky though. Maybe set up some pictures of candles and happy customers?? Idk, but good luck!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would use some props maybe to help fill the table. Maybe have some "staged" sections using the candles so people can see how they can decorate with them, etc. Use different heights as well.

    If you have the tent, I would recommend putting out more than one of each candle of course to help fill the table. Even if it's only two or three of each.

    For the sign, you can get paper signs printed for pretty cheap at places like Staples and such. Make some up that is 11x17 or ledger size. You'd likely not be able to use it more than once unless you took good care of it (and didn't fold it) but it would probably only be a few dollars.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Found your blog through Etsy Promotion Locomotion Team. I really enjoyed this post as I have considered doing a few shows this is very helpful information. I wish you much success. I just started my blog and would love you to stop by and visit!

    http://www.creationsforsam.com/

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...