Another Family Festival Show, Etsy Yart Sale, New Sea Glass Jewelry...

I was a bit surprised by last weekend's turnout and the number of people that were buying handmade items. It was a better than expected show for me and I believe those around me also did better than they expected. It wasn't the greatest sales day by any means, but I suppose when you don't really know what to expect from a family-type festival and come away happy you did the show, it most have been a good day.

So here I am again, same situation as last week, raining weather leading into the show, the possibility of a nice day, and a family festival atmosphere... and I'll have a tent set up with my displays for all to see. The "Field Dog Expo and Family Fun Day" is another first time show for me to attend, so I have few expectations and while I'm not sure if the show has ever been held before (I suspect it has, but w/o the family festival) I have no idea if it's well attended. Here's hoping that everything falls into place just like last weekend....

After seeing tons of threads in the Etsy promotions forums about a Yart Sale, I decided to bite the bullet and create a category with about 25% of my shop on sale. The Items in the Yart Sale section have been marked down anywhere from 15% to a little over 20%. The sale for my shop ends until very early tomorrow morning, as my shop will be inactive during tomorrow's show. If you get a chance, check out my Yart Sale category, perhaps a piece of handmade sea glass jewelry you've been eyeing is on sale today!

I added a new sea glass bracelet to my Etsy shop (image above) and I will be listing a pretty light gray necklace(image also above) in my ArtFire shop later this morning. The gray pieces are really tough to photograph well. Grays and purple pieces of sea glass tend to be chameleon-like in the way they change colors against different backdrops and changes in lighting. The are indeed very tough to capture to show off the true color.

Time to do a mock set-up of my displays for tomorrow and make sure I have everything I need.. ugh, I have to check on my tent walls, I bet they were just stuffed back inside the carrier after my last outdoor show last winter : (

til next time...

R

Selling Handmade at Family Festivals

I don't often "do" the family festival-type shows. Instead, I prefer to show my creations at handmade fairs and craft shows. Yesterday, I did a 12th annual, local family-type festival and really didn't know what to expect.

The reason I rarely do these types of shows is because of what I call the "money-suck factor". Family festivals have many diversions for the customers money. Ice cream, hot dogs, kettle corn, toys....you get the picture. In these shaky economic times, there may not be a lot of money left to spend on a piece of jewelry, some photos, or a knitted scarf.

My observations on the turn-out of yesterday's Barnegat Bay Festival....

After a week filled with rain and thunderstorms, the weekend finally cleared up and Sunday was the best day. And the people came out in droves! The festival was held on very large grounds and the vendors were spread out (I lucked out by getting into one of the two huge tents & it was the one closest to the bay...which provided a nice breeze all day).
Many people came through the tents, some for a reprieve from the all-day sun, others were there to look and shop. It was clear that many people that attended had a "festival-budget" and the budget didn't always include spending money on handmade items.
However, some people were already buying gift items (it helped to have gift boxes for my sea glass jewelry with me) for birthdays and even the holidays. In a few cases, it helped to have the hubby or boyfriend at the festival, because they were often the deciding factor in the purchase, and in yesterday's case they were the reason the purchase was made! (A plus for family festivals)
People go to family festivals with the idea of spending a day out and having a good time. They may or may not have money to spend at your display, but if they see something they really like, they will look for your business card at the very least.
If you can find an established family festival event that is inexpensive to attend as a vendor, consider giving it a try. The vendors around me yesterday said they would all be back next year. The show was run flawlessly, the traffic was very good and there were enough people spending to make it a worth while event. Plus we were able to enjoy a great breeze and a constant view of the boats sailing on the bay.!

Not a bad day at all and the show opened my eyes to the possibilities of doing future festivals during these shaky economic times.

til next time,

R

Gearing Up for the Summer Craft Show Season....

There has been several discussions recently, both on Etsy and in the EtsyNJ team forums concerning craft shows. With the arrival of Memorial Day weekend, the summer show season is now upon us and I thought it would be a great time to do a blog with thoughts and ideas about the summer time shows.

Many summer shows are held outdoors to take advantage of the warm weather and doing an outdoor show is no easy feat. Considerations need to be made about protecting your creations and yourself from a long day in the sun. A couple well placed beach umbrellas may provide the desired shade from the sun, but will do little to protect you and your goods from those brief rain storms that are common in the summer.

An EZ-up tent, commonly found in your local WalMart, KMart or Target will usually be enough protection for you, your displays and a welcome relief from the sun/elements for your potential customers that visit your display. Make sure you buy a tent with front, back and side walls and seriously consider adding weights to each leg of your tent, should strong winds pop up with one of those rouge storms. PVC piping can be found at most Home Depot and local hardware stores and when cement is placed in the piping (I like to include heavy metal shot to increase the weight) they can weight as much as 30-40 pounds and can be strung up from the tent legs. I also prefer to include cinder blocks positioned on the base of each leg for added weight.

I have read many questions recently about the amount of inventory one should bring with them to a show and in my opinion, there is only one answer to this question.... Bring everything you have ready to sell! You can't sell what you don't have with you and you certainly don't want to have "what might have been" thoughts if you are sold out half way through the show! Bring it all!! I inactivate every item in every single shop just before leaving for a show (printing up a shop inventory and checking off when an item sells at the show makes activating your shop a breeze later that night)

Other helpful hints for doing a summer show... it's always wise to have several bottles of water and I always pack a small cooler with drinks and some finger foods (just in case I get hungry, but can't leave the table because the show is busy) I also bring a sweatshirt for the cooler mornings and quick temp changes that occur during some storms or during the late afternoon near the ocean.

Make sure you have plenty of change on hand. I like to start my day with at least 50 $1 bills, and another $50-$60 worth of $5s and $10s. You would be surprised how many people come to shows with large bills in the summer time and even more surprised at the number of potential customers that come with very little money, but they do have a debit or credit card....which leads me to the advantages of accepting credit cards.

Being able to process credit cards has, IMO paid for itself. There have been several times when a single item purchase has turned into selling several items because I accept CC. I have yet to find a processing company less expensive than ProPay (they used to run a special yearly fee for Etsy members...look up Propay Mike on Etsy.com for more info) and I added an inexpensive knucklebuster (with receipts) on ebay for less than $20. If you are serious about doing the summer and fall/holiday craft show "circuits", accepting CC is a very good idea to help increase sales.

I mentioned bringing a back-stock of inventory, money, extra clothes, drinks/food... other helpful things that are often overlooked... I find a roll of paper towels to be essential, as well as a good sunscreen. I also make sure I have a small bottle of Tylenol, antibacterial hand-gel, a polishing cloth for my jewelry, (there's nothing like the sun to show off a bit of tarnish/ to help tarnish sterling silver) sunglasses, Museum tape (to help hold down displays on windy days) and a couple extremely important items... business cards and flyers promoting any future shows you are scheduled to appear at. (getting customers to your online shops/websites and future shows is paramount and you'd be surprised at how many repeat customers you find coming back to visit your display or online store around the holidays!)

Summer time shows are "like a box of chocolates (referencing Forest Gump...lol) you never know what you'll get". Between the weather, the changing temps from morning to mid day to late afternoon/early evening, you need to prepare for everything. Summer shows can become absolutely mobbed and you may barely have enough time to sneak off to the ladies room (often a porta-potty) or wolf down a snack or two during the whole day. Everything you may need for the entire show needs to be readily at hand.

Preparation is the key for outdoor summer shows...be prepared for whatever piece of chocolate comes your way. Because when doing the "summer craft show circuit" you're liable to experience every chocolate in the box over the course of the summer.

Smile, have fun with at your shows and hopefully we'll all have very little to pack up at the end of the day!

'til next time...
R

PS- the above images is one of my display during set-up and the 2nd image is of one of the EtsyNJ leaders, AbbieRoad's outdoor displays.

Helping to Organize a Handmade Craft Show

I never really ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes to organize a craft show. I guess it was just something I took for granted... put out an application, deposit the checks when they come in, make a floor plan and designate who goes where...simple, right?

Well that's not quite how it works.

I'm helping to organize a show and luckily, the EtsyNJ team is large enough and spread throughout the state, so it's possible to just place a message in the team's forum about a show and instantly, 10-12 members are interest (more if you are lucky) That was the easy part. Dealing with the actual person overseeing the show, has been quite easy also.

Getting permits, not quite as simple. After being transferred from event permits to licensing and to zoning, explaining everything over again, I found myself in a holding pattern for a few days (precious days when the show is less than 6 weeks away)
Finally the word comes down from zoning...everything is cool, but since it's an outdoor event, vendors who want to put up tents, need to submit for a tent permit. A simple EZ up tent will cost the vendor $10 to put up at the show, in addition to their table fees.

Of course the facility hosting the show does not want the vendors to be forking over extra money and they suggest a reduced table fee rate. That doesn't seem fair to the vendors that are not bringing a tent, so it becomes reduced rates for those bringing a tent. And so on and so on....

And then there is the question over food. Do we need to have coffee and bagels/rolls for the vendors (set-up begins at 7am...we will NEED coffee!!!) and what about something for lunch? The facility organizer would like to make available a lunch for a $10 fee (which also includes a bigger breakfast menu) and who might we use to supply us with the food?

What happens if the weather is not cooperating? I'm sure many people have done outdoor shows that resembled the wicked witch of the west (in the Wizard of Oz) flying through the air on her bicycle in a tornado...I know I have. Do we move the show indoors if it's raining. (indoors is not very conducive for a show, but better than a rain-out)

Advertising the show isn't quite as easy as I would have thought either. Newspapers need long lead times to get ads in their papers (huh?... with the way things are for newspapers lately, you'd think they grab onto any $$ that comes there way...it's not like they pre-publish the paper in advance..it is a daily paper after all, isn't it?) Local area advertising on the internet seems like a good idea too, but you are still at the mercy of the person who actually puts the ad on the site.

Of course I need/ want to receive final approval from the facility on every single thing I submit. From the application, to all advertising, and even every change from the original plans, I want them all approved before making them public.

It all takes so much time and effort. To all that have thought about organizing their own show, consider the behind the scenes efforts that take place. And kudos and a standing ovation to those that already do organize a handmade craft show. I'm just beginning to realize the amount of work you do to get the show off the ground. Sitting behind a vendor's table must seem like a vacation compared to organizing and putting on an entire show!

'til next time...
R