All the yarn things…right to your inbox. Sign up here.

Craft Fair Tips and Lessons Learned

by | Crochet, DIY

I attended a holiday craft fair a couple of weeks ago, and boy was this one way better than my first experience!  I dressed (too) warmly, and it was indoors so I wasn’t standing there shivering while talking to the people who came by.  And the people!  Everyone was in the Christmas spirit, smiling and chatting.  Since this was a local school event, most of the people who attended the fair knew each other from the school community, so there was quite a bit of chatting going around.  I loved the small town feel of the event – kids wandering freely through the halls, moms (and dads, although a lot less) catching up with friends and neighbors, babies being passed around from arm to arm, and everyone cheering when Santa came in to take some pictures.  My friend came to cheer us on as well, and that was such a welcome sight!

I went with my friend Jenny who was selling mason jar soap dispensers, sugar scrubs, vanilla sugars, rosemary salts and her family’s awesome Herb Wreaths.  My items were all handmade crocheted gifts, so we had a very colorful and diverse table.

One Dog Woof: Craft Show Tips

Lesson learned #1: Focus your brand/set a theme.  At my first fair, we had a lot of different products and it seemed a little too “crafty” and not very professional.  This time, with me focusing on all yarn and crocheted items, and Jenny focusing on “things in jars”, we gave out a much more unified image.  Plus, our products were distinctly handmade, which set us apart a bit from some of the “come-to-my-house-party-so-I-can-sell-you-stuff” booths that were there.

Craft Show Tips and Tricks

Tip: Everybody says you need to have prices readily visible for those customers who may not feel comfortable in asking.  I made price tags for each set of items with a picture of how said item was to be used.  Obviously, no one needs to know how to use a hat, but it was an opportunity to show off some cute kids!  This also forced me to gather like items together, so there weren’t random products spread out all over the table.

One Dog Woof: Craft Show Tips and Tricks

One Dog Woof: Craft Fair Tips and Tricks

One Dog Woof: Craft Fair Tips and Tricks

Lesson learned #2: Know your audience!  I tried to sell baby hats the first time, and although many people said they were cute, hardly anyone plunked down moolah for them, or they asked if there were kid/adult sizes available.  Since this was a holiday fair at an elementary school, we anticipated our audience to be young modern families, many with children.  I had hats in every size from infant to adult, and there were lots of items at different price ranges, perfect for stocking stuffers, office gifts, or for the one adorable boy who threw a $5 dollar bill at me and grabbed a lip balm (“for my mom!”) and RAN.

Lesson learned #3: Pretty packaging.  If you’ve been in the craft blog world (or in the internet world, really) for any amount of time, you probably already understand the importance of packaging.  It can make the simplest things into a beautiful looking gift.  I used kraft card stock and extra cardboard (scrounged from the office) to make backings for the flowers and bracelets, wrappers for the mug cozies, and tags for everything else.  It turned a dinky little flower into something you might see at a store.  (I admit, I was a little too pleased with  myself with how they turned out.)

One Dog Woof: Create pretty packaging for craft shows

Tip: Accept credit cards.  Over half of our total sales came from credit cards.  Nuff said.  One lady asked us if we accept cards because she had no cash and used up all her checks.  When we said yes, she said “uh-oh”, and proceeded to do quite a bit of holiday shopping.

Tip: Get the senses involved.  Jenny offered rosemary sprigs to just about anyone who walked by, and offered to let customers smell the vanilla sugar and coffee sugar scrub and rosemary salts before purchasing. We had a mirror on hand, and encouraged people to touch and try on the scarves and hats.  You always hear you should interact with the customers, but I found that being really open to letting the customers interact with the products really helped.  Plus, it created a group around the table which attracted other people to come by!

One Dog Woof: Craft Fair Tips and Tricks

This time around, we didn’t really plan our table ahead of time, nor did I pack a lot of back-of-the-store items.  We had scissors, extra tags, a calculator, pens and string, and we seemed to do just fine.  Jenny had her own set of supplies to help replenish her products, but we didn’t hit any major snags where we were just completely up the creek.

Well, that’s it for this year!  I’ll probably be doing some more fairs next year, now that I know what to plan for.

53 Comments

  1. Kara @ Petals to Picots

    Wow!! Your table looks awesome, ChiWei! So glad you had a good experience 🙂

  2. meet.make.laugh.

    Your table looks great! The bust with the scarf on it really adds some level which is nice 🙂 (Plus the scarf is beautiful…)

  3. Adrianne at Happy Hour Projects

    It all looks WONDERFUL! These are great tips for those of us contemplating craft fairs who haven’t taken the plunge yet.

  4. Amy

    Such helpful tips! Thank you!!!

  5. Rachel

    Your table looks fantastic! Your items are beautiful, of course, and I love all the labels and packaging. So, so cute. You’re so right that the packaging makes a big difference . . . it really makes it a more fun purchase when it looks so cute in its little tag or package!

  6. Kadie

    I LOVE,LOVE all your tips! I have been thinking of doing a table at a craft fair this year, I get so scared about it but your post didn’t make it sound to bad.:)

  7. Lolly Linens

    I love your tags and all of your products! Your display is lovely.

  8. Carrie

    Everything looks so nice and professional.

  9. Rebecca @ Herons Crafts

    This looks great! I wish I could have come! Your packaging looks really professional, looks like you had a great day! Merry Christmas

  10. Evelyn

    Thanks for sharing this information. Your table does look inviting and attractive:) Loving the chapstick covers:) Now I am off to check out some of your crafts. Also to follow via Facebook.

    Merry Christmas!!!

  11. Repeat Crafter Me

    I am totally blown away by your packaging! I love the stamped cardboard/craft paper look! Everything coordinates and it looks like you spent a lot of money on professional printing 🙂 I can tell you put a lot of time and energy into your crocheted pieces and they look wonderful! Really inspiring and I love all your tips! Sounds like you and your friend made some good money too 🙂

  12. Jocie@TheBetterHalf

    wow, great tips and I LOVE those mug cosi’s – i know I have commented that before but they really are adorable!!
    Loved seeing this at the special link party supporting Sandy Hook last week. Hope you’ll come to The Humble Brag link party today to see some features from last week and link up some more cool projects. Happy Friday!

    http://www.oneprojectcloser.com/the-humble-brag-link-party-13/

  13. Karen at Bargain-ista.com

    Great tips! You have an attractive product line and the packaging is awesome! Your display looks good too 🙂

  14. Eva {Tales of the Scotts}

    I really like how you priced your items. I’ve done 2 fairs now. But I always need more tips and tricks. Thanks!

  15. Jessica Pelasky

    I’ve been wanting to comment on this post for quite some time because I used to do Craft shows with my mom for about 5 years and this post is amazing for those that do them! 🙂 Great job!

  16. DAFemme71

    Great post. I have my 2nd craft fair in about a month. I love your tags. How did you make those?

  17. Chiwei @ One Dog Woof

    They were made using custom stamps on leftover cardboard, card stock and kraft paper.

  18. DAFemme71

    Thanks

  19. Darcie Sherrick

    I love the way your table looks!!! Do you have your hat pattern for sale??
    Thanks!!

  20. ChiWei

    Hi Darcie! Unfortunately, I do not have the hat pattern for sale. I actually made up the pattern as I went, and changed it for different sizes and tried out different stitches, so I don’t have anything written down. But if you’re looking for infant/kid hat patterns, my friend at RepeatCrafterMe.com has several available on her blog! Tell Sarah I sent you!

  21. Jessica

    Hi!
    I LOVE your attention to detail! Do you mind sharing your pricing with me? That’s what I struggle with most! In general, what do you charge for the infant and youth hats… and the cute flower bows?
    Thanks!
    Jessica 🙂

  22. ChiWei

    Thanks Jessica! I would look on Etsy to see what similar items sell for and think about how much time/effort/material went into a particular product. I think I kept the flowers around $3-5 and the hats in the $15 to $20 range?

  23. Rebecca

    These are fantastic tips! Thanks for sharing. Do you mind sharing how you created your photo price tags?

  24. ChiWei

    Hi Rebecca! I printed photos of my products and glued them to kraft paper and stamped the words on. Very low tech 🙂

  25. Rebecca

    Thanks for sharing your secret. I thought that may have been how you did it but, they looked professionally printed so I thought I’d ask. Thanks again!

  26. Shannon

    Hello! I was wondering how much yarn it took to make one of the mug cozy?

  27. ChiWei

    I don’t really know, but it was not near to a full ball of the Sugar n Cream.

  28. Lisa M

    Hi! Do I see personalized buttons on the mug cozies? Where did you get (or how did you make) those?

    Thanks for all the good ideas. I tend to spend way too much time and $$$ on packaging. Your ideas are simply but graphically perfect.

  29. ChiWei

    Hey Lisa, yup, those are personalized buttons, aren’t they so cool? I got them on Etsy at Wearhouse Industries!

  30. Glenda Maikell

    I was wondering where you got your custom stamps. I really like the font and general look of them.

  31. Brenda Treadway

    I am looking for ideas for packaging boot cuffs something like you have for your cup cozy do you have any suggestions

  32. ChiWei

    So sorry, but I will have to refer you to a Google search or Pinterest?

  33. ChiWei

    I got them on Etsy, but I can’t remember where. I’m a newbie when it comes to stamping, so I just found a place that let me design my own stamp and was affordable. Sorry I can’t help more!

  34. Peggy

    Everything is beautiful and this is so helpful – thank you!

  35. ChiWei

    You’re so welcome!

  36. Susan

    I love your mug cozy. Is the pattern available? please email me

    thanks.

  37. shelby

    Wow, thank you for the visuals! I did a craft fair a couple of years ago but I am ready to upgrade my booth this coming November. Thanks for tips!

  38. Kathleen Arvin

    Such great ideads, would love to see more.thank you for the tips.

  39. Debra

    Hi love all your ideas thanks for sharing. I was wAs wondering if you had a printable for the lip balm Or direct me in the right direction thanks.

  40. Kim

    I wish I new how to make all these animals. I don’t know how to crochet. They would be so cool to make for the children who are in the Oncology wards in hospitals here in New Zealand. Your work is beautiful.

  41. Amanda

    Hey there. I would like to know how you got the letters to go up & down like that on the lip balm package. I’ve tried word, but when I move the letters they don’t go where I want them to. Still trying to learn how to use word. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

  42. Amanda

    Meant to say lip balm sign with price, not package

  43. ChiWei

    I used stamps to create my price signs 🙂

  44. mira

    Hi! Great post ! I’m wondering if you think an event like this is worth all your time and energy? Did the booth fee seem reasonable? Were your sales pretty satisfactory? Thanks for your post!

  45. Victoria Allen

    I am participating in a craft fair in October. Do you have any suggestions for what is good for now to sell. I love what you have done. I am thinking hats, scarves, baby blankets, infant seat covers, spa items like washcloths, scrubbies, etc. dishcloths, large totes. Do you have other suggestions. This is my first attempt to do this. I have crocheted for many years. Thank you for your help.

  46. Victoria Allen

    I have been asked to participate in an Art & Crafts fair in October, never done this before. I am thinking about
    baby hats, infant seat covers, scarves & hats, dishcloths, crochet & knit, tote bags, slippers, spa items. Can you share any suggestions. Thank you in advance for your help.

  47. SCITT schools

    Very soon this web site will be famous amid all blogging users, due to it’s pleasant articles

  48. lubricant distributors UK

    I aam genuinely happy too read this weblog psts whicxh cadries
    tons of useful data, thanks for providing such statistics.

  49. Adriana Pulido

    Where can one get the templates for the displays. Like a cardboard mug, pan handle, flower, etc? Help

Shop New

[products class=”et-zoom-in” limit=”2″ columns=”1″]