Craft Show & Flea Market Season - do you or don't you?

[Mayo Pardo]

Around here this time of year all sorts of craft shows start popping up.
Some of them are at schools, churches, fairgrounds, etc.
I've been leery of displaying and trying to sell things at these shows for several reasons but now that I have a laser I'm thinking I can produce small acrylic or wood items that could make for impulse purchases or low cost holiday presents. Smaller than I would attempt on the CNC router.

Over the years of browsing through the shows at a couple local churches and one school, I've seen people trying to sell items over $30, $40, $50 and nobody is buying. So I was thinking if I could come up with items that could sell for $10 and under, I may have a better chance of making some sales.
The items will have to be unique and unlike all the imported junk that's available in dollar stores and big box stores like Menards and Hobby Lobby.

Seasonal, impulse, small and easily carried, something that can be worn like jewelry or a pin or brooch or necklace. Is anyone making those silicone wristbands any more or have those gone out of fashion already? I've wondered if the sayings on those are made from molds or lasered.

Do any of you do these kinds of shows regularly, or have you tried a couple and didn't think it was worth your time?

[walter hofmann]

hi there
I try quite a few so called " flea market and craft shows" and my experience here in SW florida it is not worth to set up a both. most who come there ether just sneaking around or nickel and dime. everything's over $ 1.00 does not sell .
maybe other location are different.
the only what is a hit and miss are the real craft shows .
greetings
waltfl

[Bill George]

I did a couple when I had my CNC plasma cutter and did metal art. People stopped and looked but in two setups, I sold one item. They see the cheap stuff at Walmart and Menards and equate $4.95 products with your custom work. Sold some things via eBay but again unless its custom... no sale.

[Tim Bateson]

Same results here in Ohio. It was fun, when this was a hobby & if you don't want to get paid for your time & materials. Can money be made - yes... but maybe for 1 in 1,000. The other 999 must not mind loosing money and waste their weekends.

[Bill George]

And Tim I see the Laser engraved products on Ebay and wonder how anyone can work so cheap? I could mow yards and make more per hour than what they are making as profit.

[AL Ursich]

I gave up on craft shows too.... It was FUN but for the time you put in you get little return... With the Laser be thinking Industrial like Cermark Stainless to a industrial client... Find a NEED.... something of value to the business. Just my 2 cents... I shifted my focus to Fire Dept Safety Products and have been very busy.

Talking with a friend that works in a Oil / Gas Production Facility looking for a better Valve Lock Out / Status tag... If I had a more powerful Laser I would offer Cermark... I am offering Sublimation...

I had seen a few Laser Cut items at shows and the Scroll Saw Guys go nuts and point out the burnt edges...

Good Luck,

AL

[Chris DeGerolamo]

Last show we did not even make booth rent. That's why it was our last show.

It was also our first show.

[Bert Kemp]

I gave up on craft shows too.... It was FUN but for the time you put in you get little return... With the Laser be thinking Industrial like Cermark Stainless to a industrial client... Find a NEED.... something of value to the business. Just my 2 cents... I shifted my focus to Fire Dept Safety Products and have been very busy.

Talking with a friend that works in a Oil / Gas Production Facility looking for a better Valve Lock Out / Status tag... If I had a more powerful Laser I would offer Cermark... I am offering Sublimation...

I had seen a few Laser Cut items at shows and the Scroll Saw Guys go nuts and point out the burnt edges...

Good Luck,


AL

yes they do but some people really like the charred edges.It adds character they say and I agree. It has its place, Like BMW & VW

[Real Mercier]

My wife and I started doing craft shows about two years ago. We cut small signs with popular sayings. They sell OK. But what I found is that the exposure we got is real good. We get a fair amount of calls after the fair after we talk to them and tell what we CAN do. That's the custom part. Also talking to other vendors, you learn which craft fairs advertise more and have better attendance.

Real Mercier

[Jim Beachler]

I have done art & craft shows for over 10 years. In the beginning that was my only income and I know of several people on the circuit that it is also their only income. To make good money at a show ($5k+), you need to find the high attendance shows. I now only do 8 - 10 shows a year. Of the ones that do not charge the customer to come in, they all average over 200,000 attendance. The ones that charge have much lower attendance but the customers are there to buy. Yes the booth fees can be high with those shows ($500 +) but if you want to win big, you need to play big. I usually get 2 booths for my display, so my average booth fee is around $1,000. Yes, I definitely make money. Yes, I more than make enough money for the hours I put in.

The exposure is invaluable, having flyers to handouts is a necessity and the call backs are always profitable. I did one show in Michigan one time. The show was not up to level of income that I like. However, from that show, I have had 2 customers call me back repeatedly for more orders. I have also had several others order on my website from that show. Even though the profit was small at that show, the follow up orders were worth it. After 2 years, the followup sales have equaled what I made at the show. That equals into profit.

If someone would like more info about doing shows, how to find shows or anything else related to doing shows, PM me.

[Matt McCoy]

Hello Mayo,

I started showing my work at a handful of local handmade art markets this Spring /Fall and have done pretty well. These are curated and have corporate sponsors which attract 3K - 6K attendees with disposable income, who are usually pretty interested in unique and locally made products to buy. I've met really awesome people that have provided great opportunities, picked up quite a few wholesale orders, and received some good press. It's been an amazing experience.

Visiting with other artists and designers that are veterans of these shows has been a real treat. They have been very gracious to put upcoming markets on my radar that are established, well-organized, and promoted. Unfortunately, no one has suggested school or church events and I suspect that they are too small and don't attract enough shoppers. They probably aren't the right fit for what I do, but someone may have the opposite experience.

I think it is pretty important to have good products that are unique, which you are passionate about. Display and signage really matter and can help enhance or detract from the value of your work. Be sure to put a price on your time and effort, including preparation, setup, and break-down. If you intend to offer things that are $10, you might only consider events with a few thousand attendees to see if you have something that works that you can crank out in volume. Personally, I would only consider items that are $20 to $25 and have a good blend of more expensive products around $100+ that might catch someone's eye. Weather is also a wild card and can greatly impact your show. Be sure to have your Farmer's Almanac handy.

It's pretty important that you have genuine enthusiasm for your work and don't mind telling that to every visitor that stops by. I noticed that the attentive vendors do much better than those that are sitting and waiting for someone to buy something.

Don't forget a CC reader for your smart phone or tablet and be sure to include the fee and taxes in your prices. cash might also be needed to make change.

I also think that a streamlined setup is the way to go. I have an E-Z Up tent with wheels and 4 cases with handles that also double as a nice display. If tables are provided, I can roll in with a folding dolly and set up in about 15 minutes. I can strike everything a little faster, which is nice after a long busy day and I'm ready for a victory pizza and/or beer.

Social media is interesting and can also bring visitors. I have people stop by that tell me they saw that I was going to be at that particular market and made an effort to stop by. It's very flattering and a nice way to connect with those that are interested in what you make. Customers can also become advocates and will sometimes tell their friends and followers about a purchase they made from you by sending a pic through whatever delivery method they are using like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

I hope this helps and good luck.

-Matt

[David Somers]

I haven't started doing those yet. That will happen after I retire from my day job.

But, there are some sources you can use to locate fairs with different attributes. Free entry fairs, fairs that charge an admission, art and craft fairs that are juried, general craft fairs that tend to carry cheap stuff, etc. You can locate the stuff in the geographic area you want. The services charge to get full info on a fair, but you can browse at their basic info if you want. And as a rule of thumb, if you decide to pay for the service you could probably do it only every other year since the fairs don't change often. Once you find a few fairs you like and are reasonably successful at you probably don't need the service again unless you want to keep exploring for more.

The two I have been following are craft masters and festival net. If you do a Google search on them you will find them right away. See if that helps you locate the fairs that suit your needs.

By the way....one of the things I did this summer was start attending fairs as a visitor using these services. Now I have a feel for what the terms actually mean in reality. I have had a chance to chat with the vendors about the fairs and what they thought, and saw what was being offered and what was actually selling. I focused mostly on the higher end craft fairs, and craft and art fairs that were usually juried in terms of what vendors got to attend. They seemed to be the most successful for the higher end vendors, and the visitors who came were really interested in looking. And they may not have bought, but the vendors said they often hear later from people who saw their work at the fairs and came back to them later. So the fair was working for the vendors.

Other fairs were schlock. If I want to make a living selling cheap chinese sun glasses, or doing henna tattoos then those were the fairs for me. As someone said earlier, the high volume fairs tended to be be cheap and a poor fit for those with more expensive products. And these schlock fairs were HIGH volume.

If you want to talk more about what I was seeing feel free to PM me. It was an interesting process, and except for all those Henna tattoos I ended up with it was fun. A corn dog, some blue cotton candy, and 3 or 4 Henna Tattoos? Does it really get better than that? <grin>

Dave

[Bert Kemp]

I haven't started doing those yet. That will happen after I retire from my day job.

But, there are some sources you can use to locate fairs with different attributes. Free entry fairs, fairs that charge an admission, art and craft fairs that are juried, general craft fairs that tend to carry cheap stuff, etc. You can locate the stuff in the geographic area you want. The services charge to get full info on a fair, but you can browse at their basic info if you want. And as a rule of thumb, if you decide to pay for the service you could probably do it only every other year since the fairs don't change often. Once you find a few fairs you like and are reasonably successful at you probably don't need the service again unless you want to keep exploring for more.

The two I have been following are craft masters and festival net. If you do a Google search on them you will find them right away. See if that helps you locate the fairs that suit your needs.

By the way....one of the things I did this summer was start attending fairs as a visitor using these services. Now I have a feel for what the terms actually mean in reality. I have had a chance to chat with the vendors about the fairs and what they thought, and saw what was being offered and what was actually selling. I focused mostly on the higher end craft fairs, and craft and art fairs that were usually juried in terms of what vendors got to attend. They seemed to be the most successful for the higher end vendors, and the visitors who came were really interested in looking. And they may not have bought, but the vendors said they often hear later from people who saw their work at the fairs and came back to them later. So the fair was working for the vendors.

Other fairs were schlock. If I want to make a living selling cheap chinese sun glasses, or doing henna tattoos then those were the fairs for me. As someone said earlier, the high volume fairs tended to be be cheap and a poor fit for those with more expensive products. And these schlock fairs were HIGH volume.

If you want to talk more about what I was seeing feel free to PM me. It was an interesting process, and except for all those Henna tattoos I ended up with it was fun. A corn dog, some blue cotton candy, and 3 or 4 Henna Tattoos? Does it really get better than that? <grin>

Dave

Dave I can see those pin up girls on your bi ceps now OMG

[AL Ursich]

yes they do but some people really like the charred edges.It adds character they say and I agree. It has its place, Like BMW & VW

And I am a lover of the Charred edges too.... and the detail of scroll stuff done on a laser is fantastic... I saw my first Laser at a Wood Working show in San Diego in 1992. He took my Navy ID and reproduced it on wood is excellent quality cutting it from the sheet. Made for some interesting Sailor humor later as I was SO OLD my ID Card is made of WOOD.

It's all about location and the quality of the show. Next is finding a product that sells... for me it was the CNC Bear Carvings, sold many over the years on everything from Wine Racks to the famous "Pooh Bear"....

I have talked to some Crafters this summer and at least in this area the Economy is not back yet.

As a suggestion for a Laser product for shows would be "Wood Bow Ties" Search them on eBay for ideas but you could pre cut them before the show and do some on site or take orders. Depending on the location they could be a HOT SELLER...

Leather key fobs is another idea....

Good Luck,

AL

[Robert Schmiede]

Al, very nice creative work,like the bears.i have been chain sawing bears for a while now,but since I have had my laser have gone in another direction.find small items sell well,Buddha engravings on glass pebbles,spray paint first then engrave,plus people love dragons engraved on the glass pebbles also.soon to get my cnc machine up and running,so a few kangaroos and emus maybe.thanks for sharing.