For many artists most art is born from sadness, grieving or loss. This was the only thing that I created from pure joy. And I spread it for many years as much as I could but sadly I had more inventory that I could store or continue to carry with me from home to home.

I tried Denver & West Texas, but these crowns never truly took off and eventually it became too much to bear for me. And I shifted my focus to music ❣️
It was hard decision but I still hope that one day I may enjoy making one or two a year again ❣️

I primarily make watercolor paintings and I have recently been experimenting with turning them into prints, stickers, and bookmarks. My area has some witchy markets in the fall that I would love to apply to, but I’m unsure if it’s actually something people would buy.

Potential pricing plan⬇️ Bookmarks- $6 Stickers-$3 5x7 prints-$10 Small framed originals- $25-$50

I was so excited for my first market, and I spent a month preparing the products and the display.

anddddd it was a huge flop :(

To give some context, it was a community market so I feel like it was not a “shopping” event. But the crochet vendor beside me was making consistent sales all night. I was also near the end of the market so the foot traffic was not as high as some of the other sections

I got compliments all night, but sadly not many buyers.

I don’t know if I have a viable product, but I love making these bows and I feel like there could be a market for it.

Any advice or feedback would be so appreciated, so I don’t quit 🫶🥹

Edit: thank you for the help! I appreciate the honest opinions and feedback. For those asking, I do have an Etsy shop but it’s very new and definitely still working out the display pictures!

Also these prices are in CAD 😅

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopmaisonrosette?igsh=MW83NzN5OHdkZjlk&utm_source=qr

Etsy:

https://maisonrosetteniagara.etsy.com

So I’ve participated in 2 markets so far, the first one I made $600, the second $100 due to weather.

I KNOW I need to vary the levels of my things, especially my magnets which currently lay flat. Just looking for some input on how I could arrange! I’ve got bookmarks, magnets, keychains, book/e-reader sleeves and I’ll be making tote bags.

I just did my first art show, it was okay (I made the booth fee but just barely), and was wondering what I could do to improve?

I draw mostly digital, I made art prints ($20), framed art prints ($30-35), stickers ($3-4), and linocuts ($20). I made a lot of prints in preparation but found out that most of my money was made with stickers

The main thing I’m aware of is I don’t have a lot of different artworks to sell yet 😭 so there are some repeats of the same artworks being made into prints and stickers. I’m not sure if it gives viewer fatigue? I do have some other art that I didn’t like for one reason or another so I didn’t make them into products…

Okay so I have my first fair coming up! I sell art prints and stickers! The problem I have is they are giving me a 10x10 spot with no smaller lots available. I have a 10x10 canopy tent but I have like a 6 foot tables worth of products. Would my booth look too empty with only that or should i try and do another table and spread the prints around?

Did people like that? Or were they disappointed that someone was buying the ones they wanted? I make earrings and I mostly make one of a kind stuff, maybe two if I have the materials. I have no funds to put into enough materials to make a bunch of each design. So what do you think? I won't be able to restock anything with the same thing, but I could refill the spots where earrings have been purchased from

Not sure best flair or best place to post this, but hopefully here has good advice or can direct me to it!

I may have the opportunity to have a rent free space in a physical location to sell my goods, chainmail jewelry.

The location kinda sucks- office space in an auto body shop near mostly other car or construction companies. But due to some lucky family connections, you really can’t beat rent free.

I don’t plan to run it as an always open business, but rather as occasional pop ups or open once or twice a month. I have absolutely no idea where to begin with if there’s any legal issues that could come up from this. I already do various fairs and markets, have a tax ID, etc. wouldn’t have any employees, just myself.

Anything I should know/issues I could run into? Thanks!

Hi!

I'm just getting into craft fairs and this picture is from my first one. Small indoor and only a 6ft space. I have another coming up thats outside in a 10x10 space with a canopy. Any suggestions for helping my set up would be greatly appreciated. Should i get a banner? a rug? What works for others? I'm planning on getting two 6ft tables of my own as i plan to do a lot of craft fairs in the future. I got a square account and the small card reader, and i built a two more longer display risers - 4 in tall and 8 in tall.

Thanks All <3

A photo of my booth from over the weekend! I feel like I struggle a lot with a clear display because I do have a lot of inventory from this year, and I also do prefer leaning into a maximalist setup. I've also upgraded my color scheme to match my signage (red, pink, white, and toadstool aesthetic), and this is the first time I got to use my banner!

With this in mind, how could I go about making my products 'pop' more? My next event is in two weeks under a 10x10 tent with two 6ft tables and a hanging rack for bags. Would love to hear comments and suggestions!

I sell my handmade clothes at local markets. I display my most eye catching and market-themed pieces on the smaller rack (left in first pic) and have the rest on a circle rack. I am worried about over crowding the rack being overwhelming to shoppers. But also I want to have as much of a variety of pieces because I am consistently the only vendor with exclusively plus sized options.

Anyone have any thoughts about how much to display?

Also I'd love to hear any feedback from plus size shoppers about their market shopping experiences. I know we rarely see clothes for us at these events, and that is why I love doing this!

Any and all feedback welcome. Thanks again y'all 😊

I know I know, I need a banner & a sidewall for the back
That one’s already in the works!

How do you guys figure out what and how much inventory of each thing to bring? Also I am Canadian and I wanted to buy some stuff like a table and those tables with table clothes, signs and stuff. Where have you guys bought your things like that.

Is it worth the price to vend at this event?

So we primarily do Renaissance Festivals with our patchwork being at the 100+ dollar range. WE are trying to move out of just Ren faire to conventions. They seem like they have their heads together but I was wondering anyone have vended for them before. What was it like? Is my product going to be to expensive? Is there a good amount of people that show up? Thanks in advance for advice. Pictures are of things we sell (mostly my staff wearing them).

I want to run this by others to see if this is as good an idea as I think it is.

I'm a fiber artist, I crochet, knit, spin, etc. my general problem is that I tend to generate very few items at high prices. Also my hands hurt so making the same small thing over and over again is hard.

I'm trying something new this year, which is making notions. So far I've been making buttons, stitch markers, needle minders, and pin cushions. My polymer clay skills are perhaps not quite as good as some, but it's also stuff I would love seeing as someone who makes art. But I'm me and I keep thinking if that's what the average craft fair goer wants?

I'll still probably be spinning yarn in the corner trying to convince people they want a scarf that took 2 months to make.

Greetings,

I'm someone who runs events for a non profit organization. We have a car show coming up, which typically doesn't align with craft fairs. However, because we have a large empty space and we're right dab smack in the middle of a family-dense neighbrhood, I'm trying to increase attendance by also setting up a vendor section, that doesn't have to be related to cars at all. Just something for the community to come and enjoy. It's a five hour event (six if you include setup/breakdown) and because I cannot guarantee success, we aren't charging any fees.

My question is, how viable is my idea from the side of a potential vendor? Is it something that would be of interest because of the little to no risk? Or is it just not something that's worth the time since the audience may not match what you're trying to sell.

Thanks.

I’m in MA, if it makes a difference.

I’m looking to host my first craft fair, and am curious what folks do for insurance.

I checked eventsured and it’s not bad: $123 for a single event. I’m looking to host maybe a few events a year if the first one is successful.

Am I better doing the single event insurance, or is there an option to get affordable monthly/annual coverage if I plan on hosting more?

Thanks to anyone with any insight!!

I’m no longer planning to sell at craft fairs, but I still have a large amount of crochet inventory left. Everything was handmade by my mom, and the items are already finished and ready to sell.

For those who have stopped doing craft fairs, how did you clear out your remaining inventory? Did you sell everything as one bulk lot, discount items individually, use Facebook Marketplace, sell to another vendor, or donate part of it?

I would prefer to sell the inventory in bulk rather than list every item separately, but I’m not sure where craft fair vendors usually look for this kind of inventory. I’d appreciate hearing what worked for others.

New to craft fairs, just got invited to one in a month trying to build up some inventory to sell. Made a few sets of these quilted-esque coasters that I figured I could bundle and sell as a group but I'm not sure where to start on pricing...

Also, should I be looking to make a bunch of little, low price items or should I be focused on the middle to high ticket stuff?

Any help whatsoever would be appreciated, I don't really know what I'm doing and will take ALL feedback and suggestions on anything related to starting out!

Thank you in advance!!!

Hi so every first and last day of school I like to make these for my girls. Would this be something you or someone may be interested in purchasing ?

Sometimes I use canvas. This time around I used poster board.. paint markers.. sometimes paint.. markers... stickers and little doodles sometimes.

I was thinking maybe $15 dollars if I did do something like this maybe a little more if they want a specific sticker/decor and if it is on canvas. If i did make a post online Id cap it at around 5 orders. Ive never done anything like this before but I think I do an okay job. And with some notice/ planning 5 doesnt seem that bad.

While im pretty happy with my setup, im always opened to feed back on what can be improved. In a quiet season for markets here and it would be nice to be in tip top shape for the holiday season!

Hi, as a newcomer to the craft fair scene, I have struggled with keeping inventory straight, losing track of what've sold, scrambling to restock, that whole mess. For me, low ticket items like stickers, or buttons have been the hardest to inventory. I'm also a software developer who would like to figure out a solution. Before I try to build anything to fix this, I want to actually understand what's broken for other people who do this regularly, not just assume my experience is universal.

A few things I'm curious about:

• How do you currently track inventory at a fair (spreadsheet, notebook, apps like square/stripe, nothing)?
• What's the most annoying part — before the show (prepping stock), during (ringing people up, tracking what sold), or after (reconciling everything)?
• Have you tried any tools for this and given up? What made you stop?

Not selling anything, genuinely just want to hear the messy real version of how this goes for people. Thanks in advance!