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toomuchglass

Craft Fair report from Saturday ~~~

toomuchglass
13 years ago

I hit 3 fairs !!!! 2 were small ,church type ones . More Jewelry and lots of crocheted blankets & baby hats . Alot of sewn table runners, placemats & coasters. The rest were fall & Christmas decorations. Even though they were small --- they had the best bake sale ever !! Those ladies know how to bake !!

The other fair was fantastic ... it has a reputation for being one of the best. It had 135 vendors & a good balance of different crafts . (I did this one long ago & it's very strictly juried . ) The variety of crafts was mind boggling . If I saw something new ,I can't remember it -- my brain was in overload ! I spent $40 .... and of course they had that darn bake sale again ...

gggrrrr..... another 5 pounds !

I'm really happy to see such crowds at the fairs. I thought because of the economy - attendance might be down.

I was wrong . People were out & buying !! This is a great outlook for those of you that are doing fall fairs.

One comment I have about the crafts .... ALOT of people had Christmas Decorations. Each one was awesome & reasonably priced. I found when I did fall / Christmas fairs , I did fantastic because I was selling stained glass Gift things . People would buy things to give as Christmas Gifts. You can only decorate your house so much - and giving a Christmas decoration as a gift is too late.

It's the gift-y items that sell this time of year. Those people were the ones that were making the $$$

Good luck to all of you that have fairs upcoming !! And that is my report .........LOL

Now I'm going to sit back & look at all the things that they were selling & concentrate on the things that weren't at the fair. Unique sells. Uh-Oh -- I think I might be talking myself into doing fairs again !!!! LOL

Comments (6)

  • luvs2click
    13 years ago

    I had a show on Saturday and it was fantastic - you are right, people are out and buying! It pays to find well-established large shows - this was a very large one and cost me $90 to participate. It was a juried show and cost the public $2 to attend. The money went for the band. Interestingly enough, I have found that I do best at shows that cost the public to attend. Those are the most serious buyers.

    I did want to mention that in my mad dash around the school to check out the other vendors before the show started, I came across a gal selling concrete mushrooms and leaf birdbaths. They were nicely done and her display definitely stood out amongst the USUAL (boring) same olds, and I ended up buying a large mushroom from her for $15. I did compliment her on her prices and for having unique items! My mushroom is still packed away in an empty box I brought home. I wish I could have made it back to the gym while we were packing up to talk to her again and see how well she did.

  • garden-potter
    13 years ago

    I also did a show on Saturday and made more than I thought I would. I sold 4 plantstands/birdbaths (made from glass, like we do with the totems), almost sold-out of my mini-stands (pretty dish glued to a glass candlestick), several altered bottles, half of my garden magnets went and lots of other things.

    I'm finding that people like things that have a purpose; ie: the birdbaths, plantstands, etc. They don't really get the totems that just look pretty but if it has a purpose, they're all over it.

    Everyone really liked the display and the unique items; always asking "how did you come up with that idea?" I'll be posting pictures soon on my blog; have another show this Saturday. Hope everyone else is doing good too!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Shabby Garden Creations

  • jeannespines
    13 years ago

    Great news! Glad you both did good at your craft shows...tis the time of the yr! That is promising news! 2much...sounds like a good day for you shopping! (lover of bake sales, too!) Jeanne S.

  • mary2010
    13 years ago

    I'm so happy to read the encouraging news!!! My first show is this Thurs. and I have no idea what to expect. I hope the people here are in a buying mood. Garden-potter, if you don't mind sharing, what did you price your plant stands and mini stands at? Wish me luck . . . I've got my fingers crossed.

  • garden-potter
    13 years ago

    My plantstands usually sell for $20.00. If I've had it for awhile and it's not selling, I mark it down to $15. My mini-stands sell for $4 or $5, again, depending on how nice the top plate is, etc. Not a whole lot of money on the mini-stands but then again, it's only a dish and a candlestick that, hopefully, I bought cheap at a GS or TS and have no more than $1.50 in it.
    Good luck at your show! Odd it's a Thursday? Always talk to people; if people stopped and were looking at the plantstands, I would say "aren't those pretty plantstands? Or you could use it as a birdbath or small table on your porch? And it makes great use of all that old glassware; keeps it out of the landfill. It would be so easy to wrap if you're thinking of it for a Christmas gift; just throw a pretty vintage pillowcase over it with a pretty bow and they'll never guess what it is."

    Again, good luck; have confidence in your items and report back to us!

  • rock_oak_deer
    13 years ago

    Good luck Mary, your stuff always looks great to me. You have a good eye for whimsical combos so you should attract a crowd. Then it's just a matter of engaging them and selling as others have said.

    If it seems everyone loves your stuff but walks away, try having a sale on some items to see if price is the issue.

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