Fun Fair.... MaKe! Tips on selling.

That's my mum! on my stall. It was the Bank Holiday "MaKe" Craft Fair at Wolverton.

The venue is fantastic and i love going there as a stall holder. As ever, there was plenty of colour, fabric, felt and buttons.... the variety of stalls was good and the standard of work was high.

I know i have written 'Tips for Craft stalls' in the past. i am no expert and don't want to come across as terribly preachy or smug. Craft Stalls are hard work and it is very scary putting yourself and your goods out on display. Some people can be cruel and dismissive of your work (how rude are they?) but many people truly 'get handmade' and are there to support you.

THIS fair was particularly hard in some ways. It was after Easter (and nowhere near Christmas!) the school holidays with families gone away... so getting customers to shop was always going to be more of a worry. A few tips for this sort of fair...

1. It has become a regular fair - so any fair that you attend on a regular basis is completely to your advantage.

2. Blog the fair, blog the date (get the date right!? - iam guilty of being rubbish) and let everyone know what you will be selling.

3. Download the poster that the organiser sends you and ADVERTISE the fair yourself too.

4. Email local customers and tell them What fair is on, what they can expect to see and that you will be there.

5. If it is a more expensive fair, and your table fee was £30.00 - to my mind i would need to have, at minimum, £300.00 worth of stock to sell. Ideally, £600.00 That seem alot to you? It is, and i had maybe £450.00 of stock with me, so i need to heed my own lesson.

Jane Charles' amazing fabric and felt display tree - i love her egg box on the stand too.

Lots of quirky display ideas x

A very very pretty lady sat opposite me with a great table cloth and beautiful hair!

What else can i say about selling at Fairs that hasn't already been said? not much, so i'll just repeat the obvious... and trust me, i kick myself each time i forget these things too:

1. A variety of items is best, with a variety of prices from 0.50p to £15.00 personally, i don't sell much that has a price tag over £15.00 at a craft fair. Other people might have a higher maximum tag.

2. Cards with website address' to hand out - I have had customers email me BEFORE i have even got home from the fair wanting X,Y,Z ordered.

3. Talk to customers and browsers about crafting and techniques... they are the stall holders that took money at this fair.

4. Does your display POP OUT from the entrance to the fair? Can people see you from further away? is there good height to your display? WHAT is it they will remember when they walk away? Because being remembered is the key to building up a base of local customers who will want to return to your stall at the next fair.

5. Ask yourself the serious question - Are you selling things that people *want* to buy? or are you at the 'right' venue for your products customer base?

And - a big ole wave to lots of people who i saw at the fair - the lady in the YUMMY dress who has a daughter the same name as mine. And her Mother-in-Law in that fantastic handmade jacket.

Hello the very pretty lady with 3 daughters whose husband talked about buttons with us.

Helloooo Emma-Louise and the lady with you who were there for crafty supplies and i didn't have much chance to chat properly.

HHHHeeeeELLllOOO girls who made felty bracelets - and their great mums :)

Helllooo Melanie who shopped (thankU) and cycled over with her poorly son.

and HI! to the lady who is a local teacher and came with her mum and has come to see me a few times now...

StitchyWoo & Jess

(i don't want to sound like i am at the Oscars here just THANKS for coming, all crafters appreciate the support xxx)

12 mins till the Post Office closes...

Rush, rush... 12 minutes to get down the road and into the Post Office before it closes.... It is a car journey, which is a shame for the environment but great for comfort and speed.
I need to get there as it's Saturday! If i don't do it before 12noon today, these parcels will sit in my Art Room for days...

I made it. Just.

They love me in there (!?) "see you Monday" they said - "Hope so" i replied.

Rush, rush.

Get home and pack my car FULL of bags for this event tomorrow. Are you local? In Northants? i will have all my stock at this fair tomorrow - my last fair of this Christmas season.

AND, as if i am not hectic enough, i am having a room at the Rural Market for THE CRAFT CAFE where children are invited to make Christmas Cards and paper decorations....

Am i mad? will i ever get a chance to sit down with a cosy blanket and a nice cuppa tea?

... i think i'm feeling old today (and stripey).

XXX

Craft Stall Ideas...

A few more stalls from my last Christmas Fair to inspire you or to give ideas for your own craft stalls set up...
I have used lots of natural twigs - both to hang items from and to give height and interest at the back of the stall. The lovely ladies (below) made full use of the deep floor space in their rooms and had tables coming out to create a 'walk-in' area. I always think that gives a stall a nice feel. Also, the lady on the right has used tall garden trellis as a backdrop. They needed extra lights so the trellis was a great way to hang lighting and stall notices / price posters.

The stall below was just filled with stunning patchwork cushions and pillows - then they had baskets nearer the front with smaller items. They had one stall holder in front of the displays with a money belt to take monies and talk with customers.

The stall below had a stunning range of jewelery and scarves. All her display items were vintage curiosity BUT... i think a stall can be 'over-dsiplayed' or too neat making a barrier for customers as they don't feel they can 'touch' anything.

Also, in my experience, anything displayed 'behind' a stall, rarely ever sells.

There is really nothing special about the stall below. Boxes and shelves covered quickly with black / white cloths. No great thought to product placement. But this is no bad thing...The pretty stall items are bright and fun and they really display themselves. It was easy to feel you could pick up any item and touch it. Indeed, it was condusive to buying as i bought some gloves!

Stall below has high shelving with glass items on and then all the table items were easy to handle. She didn't need much in the way of extra displays as her items were all prettily packaged.

My friend below - Yvonne. Lovely lady. her stall is clear and with a wide range of display shelving. Nothing is overcrowded, everything is labelled clearly. All her stock is very well lit. Yvonne is always the first person setting up and the last person to leave. Her stall is so very professional but, if you'd like a stall like this, you need to carry alllllll these items to every fair and spend an age getting it ready. I don't have that patience!

Below, my good friend Judith. her stall is always prettily arranged and very organised with all items in one place 1) an area for candles 2) an area for bottle bags etc.... Judith has been doing the Christmas Fairs for years! what draws people to her stall? she has one combined colour theme and every mixes and matches together. Judith repeats items each year with a slightly new design so people always know that they can come and get what they wanted. Judith asks to be in the same pitch at each event so customers can find her easily....

Judith also has lovely Christmassy smelling items that make customers swoon.

We all spent much longer on these stalls (except Yvonne, who always puts in 110%) because it was a full weekend show. We get the same high number of shoppers every year and they come to buy. When everyone puts this much effort in to their stalls, it makes for a good fair xxx

Weekend Craft Fairs...

So, i found myself at 2 Fairs this weekend. The first was in a school and was a very small fair. I'm afraid there was little to report from there, other than some lovely people that i met.
The Sunday Fair was where it was allll happening. "MaKe" in Wolverton, Milton Keynes. If you missed it, you missed a treat! What a joy to be at a fair that was so friendly, with so much space and very well organised. I had a massive stall area to play with which is always so nice. I hate being rammed table end to table end in a grotty light-less hall. This was a theatre - blissful hall and so sunny (when Jamie opened those wooden shutters)

I am in no way ashamed to admit, i had my small Christmas Tree up and was selling early decorations. Why not? People were enjoying them and buying them so i make no apologies for it.

I love looking at the stalls all set up - 2 mins till the Fair opens to the public (stall holders grabbing drinks and toilet stops, worrying about where we parked our vehicles for the day...)

Lovely lovely JANE Charles and her wonderful felt items. Isn't she great? watch this space for her own etsy shop http://buysmallbeans.etsy.com

Her items have an almost scandinavian look to them? and Jane herself was wearing fab clothes (wish i'd got her in a shot now...)

A lady selling her paintings - she was telling me she is a keen photographer too and this was her first fair! Great artwork lady x

Cake Makers / decorators, mmmmm.... look at that castle - it is darling!

Oh... and, ummmm they were selling cupcakes too so i HAD to have one....

I would love to be really slim and wear tiny jeans and tight vest tops, BUT... i think i like cake even more than i want to be thin (i tell myself i'm feeding my hour glass figure)

Cute, cute, cute.... this lady is fresh from Art School - cast out into the big bad world and she ended up next to me.... poor / lucky her (depending on how you view it)

She is Jessica Sharp and you can see some of her stuff here: http://nellieandelsie.etsy.com but again, this is a virgin etsy shop so keep watching, there is more good to come from Jessica (ooohhh, teacups and whimsy and seaside shells and nostalgic letters)

I didn't get a chance to catch this lady's name but she was a stunning artists - and needs to keep her stuff to galleries as she was soooo good and her stuff is much too divine (and heavy) to be carting around to fairs.

Jamie's Wife.... "Mrs Chalmers". Now, no offence J, but i'm pleased i have a pic of your good lady rather than yourself. You are such a limelight gent and your wife was so quiet - she is also far better looking :) "Hello MrsXstitch - it was lovely to meet you" x

Schmooze himself, MrXstitch had a really lovely, simple and galleresque display of Cross Stitch pictures he had swapped with other cross stitchers / embroiderers / contemporary needlefolk.

There were some great pieces....

I really liked this picture>>>>> but i want to clarify, this day was far from being 'pants'. It was great. Thanks J, thanks Carole, thanks to all of those who came along, it was nice to meet previous internet customers!! get to know new people and share the enthusiasm for crafting.

Back to the grindstone.... x

Think of this post as a trendy radio show... as i do i few "Shout outs!"

Big "Shout Out" to Lupin x she knows why! and i wanted to show her i really did wear my tea cup brooch today!!.... and that is me with my *new* giant Starbucks Mug, mmmmm. A big "Shout out" to anyone round Milton Keynes - i'm at Giffard Park Primary School tomorrow at an Autumn Craft Fair... see you there locals!?>>> (that's my stuff i'm getting ready)

BIG "Shout Out" to Milton Keynes / Stony Stratford / Wolverton people as on SUNDAY i will be at the MADCAP centre in Wolverton for a Craft Fair called: MaKe! Come along, it might be fun...

(getting my Brooch stand ready)

"Shout Out" to BigFish.etsy.com where i will listing these yumtastic buttons - they are clear! coolio or what?

and a little "shouty out" to my PaperFish shops on Folksy and Etsy where i'm uploading these Button Love Brooches....

Maybe i'll have time to take photos of crafters lovely stuffs over the weekend...?

I will try xxx