How I Planned For My First Craft Fair

This past weekend, I was able to participate in the Delaware Vintage & Artisan Festival as a vendor. This was something I thought about doing since starting my crochet business. As an introvert, selling online has been very comfortable and I have loved getting to create an online shopping experience. But getting to see people's reactions to my creations and interact with customers is an irreplaceable experience! Here's how I prepared for my very first vendor booth!

Research

The first step to prepare for the market was researching events and trying to choose one that would be a good fit! I wanted a one-day event to test out selling in person and wanted something within a 30 minute commute. I ended up choosing the Delaware Vintage & Artisan Festival. This particular event had a decent following on Facebook and many people were interested in attending. The fee for a vendor booth was high for a first timer, but I decided to take a risk. Plus, it was a fundraiser for a really cool community park!

Organization

The next step was getting organized. Once I decided to have a booth, I started with looking at ideas on Pinterest. I made checklists to decide on what I wanted to sell, how I wanted my booth to look, and supplies I would need. I had a few months to prepare, so I planned to make a variety of items. I made things for kids, home decor items, and included some of my bestsellers. I only made things that I enjoyed or would want myself so that I could still be happy with the items if they didn't sell.

Test Run

A few days before the festival, I practiced my booth in our backyard. We set up the tent and I arranged my items. I took pictures to remember how I set up everything. This helped relieve a lot of stress gave me time to make changes and final adjustments.

The Big Day

After staying up way too late finishing the final touches, the day of the festival came. I had my husband, Edward, and my wonderful friend, Katie, accompany me to the festival. We packed the car early in the morning and had an hour to set up. We set up fairly quickly (thanks to the practice run!) and had time to walk around and look at other vendors at the festival.

As people began to arrive, we made sales pretty quick. My husband had to part with his beloved Bumble Bee stuffed animal within the first 45 minutes. Katie and Edward did an amazing job selling items and talking to customers.

It was surprising to see what items sold and what items weren't as popular. For example, the giraffe stuffed animal has been my most popular item in my online store, but I didn't sell the one I brought to the festival! Instead, the succulents were our hot item and we sold all but one. Because I chose a festival close to home, we had several friends come out to support me. It was so nice to see familiar faces!

Final Reflections

Selling in person was scary, but so worth it! People were so kind and encouraging about my items. It was nice to have my hard work appreciated and to see people's first reactions. There was definitely some trial and error in learning what works and what doesn't. I learned that I need to bring many more business cards as we ran out with a few hours to go! I already have a list of things to improve for next time, but I look forward to repeating the process for another live event in the future. Overall, this was a great experience and a great way to make money while watching Netflix all summer!