Are you brand-new to selling your handmade items at markets? If so, this series is for you! In my Craft Show 101 series, I am going through common questions a new vendor might have. In this first post of my new series, I am starting with the first thing first – what is a craft show?
What Is a Craft Show?
If you have never attended a craft show before, I promise you, you are missing out! Craft shows are events where different crafters and artists showcase their work. Typically, these artists and crafters are selling their handmade items at the show, but this doesn’t have to be the case – sometimes it is just for display purposes.
Craft shows go by many different names – craft shows, art shows, craft vendor events, markets, and more. If you are interested in selling at craft shows or even just attending them, it’s important to understand the difference between different types of craft shows.
Are All Craft Shows the Same?
The short answer – absolutely not! All craft shows vary depending on how they are organized, what types of vendors they include, what crowd they attract, and how customers attend. When you are getting started with selling at craft shows, it is important to understand the differences between different types of shows and how to tell the different types apart.
Small Local Craft Shows
Small local craft shows are probably the most beginner-friendly type of show. These shows are typically put on by churches, schools, or other local organizations. They will typically consist of some local crafters, consultants for MLM businesses, and some local organizations that want to engage with their local community. What sets the small shows apart from the larger recurring shows is the number of vendors and the type of vendors that attend. Small shows will typically have less than 40 vendors and will not require photos of your work before accepting your application.
If you have a very small inventory or just want to experience what it is like talking to customers, this show may be a good start for you. Typically these shows are held indoors, which is typically easier for setting up at first since you don’t need a tent and other supplies that outdoor markets require. These types of events also typically have a low cost attributed to them and don’t normally have a waiting list to attend. Some of these shows will ask you to contribute to a door prize, but the low buy-in fee with the door prize isn’t awful.
When first starting out, I participated in a few of these shows. I no longer choose to attend these because they typically have very limited traffic compared to other shows. In my experience, most of these shows are typically attended by people that are members of the organization hosting it. For my business, I struggle to find a large group of my ideal customers at these events. However, they may be a good fit for you if you are trying to reach members of a specific community group.
Juried Craft Shows
When applying to markets, it is important to understand the meaning behind a juried craft show. This type of show overlaps with some of the other types I will discuss later on. According to Crafty Base, “A juried craft show is an event where vendors present their handcrafted products to be judged against other applicants.” When applying to these events, the application will typically ask you to include a description of your products and photos of your work. Some will ask for a picture of you actually making the item as well to ensure they are handmade.
Just applying to a juried craft show is not enough to guarantee you will be a vendor. A panel (or jury) of individuals who have knowledge of good craftsmanship will look through all the applications for the show and decide which vendors to approve and which to deny. By doing this, they ensure that not only will they have the best vendors possible for their show, but also that the items sold will be varied enough to not have too much repetition.
When applying to a juried show, make sure your photos are an accurate representation of your work and that you share high-quality photos in your application. You also want to guarantee that your application is totally complete and you meet all the requirements of a vendor for the show. Similar to a job application, these applications are how the panel is determining if you will be a good fit for their show.
In the event that you don’t get accepted to a juried show, don’t automatically assume that your work is not good enough. It could be that there are other vendors selling the same items as you that have been attending this particular show for years and take priority. It could also be that there is just an over saturation of your particular product at that show. If you are worried about why you were denied a spot at a juried show, you can always reach out to the coordinator and kindly ask for feedback. Similar to a job application, they may not provide information about why you weren’t accepted, however, it doesn’t hurt to ask.
Artisan Markets
Artisan markets are one of my favorite types of craft shows to attend, both as a vendor and an attendee. These markets are typically hosted by a business that either sells retail items geared toward a trendy clientele or by a business that specializes in hosting events. In my area, these events typically have anywhere from 30 to 300 vendors. While this show is juried, the panel that accepts businesses as vendors is also looking for a specific style to make sure the show is curated to match their audience’s style.
This past fall, I attended an artisan market that had 150 local businesses including crochet artists like myself, clothing boutiques, jewelry artists, home decor vendors, and so much more. All of the businesses had a very boho-chic vibe and you could really tell that the organizers put a lot of thought into spacing out the booths to make the shopping experience great for their customers. In addition to the artisans at the show, they also had a lot of food trucks, fun kids’ activities, and live music. While this event had the highest booth fee of all the shows I have done, it also had over 30,000 people in attendance, so it was well worth the price.
Artisan markets like the one I attended can be absolutely amazing for small businesses, but I do want to caution you about a few things before you sign up.
- Make sure you have enough inventory. You can only sell what you have made, so don’t expect to make thousands of dollars at a show when you only have a few hundred dollars worth of inventory. If you are a crocheter like me, keep in mind that stocking up inventory takes time. When I attend a large market like this, I make sure that I have several months leading up to it without another show to prepare inventory.
- Ensure your ideal customer will be in attendance. Artisan markets tend to draw in a different crowd than your average craft show. Before spending the money to attend one of these larger shows, make sure that the people interested in attending meet the profile of your ideal customer. I would recommend either attending a similar event hosted by the organizers of the event if possible or checking out the comments and interest on the social media posts about the event.
- Match the vibe of the show. To ensure your business’s success and make sure you are invited back for future shows, make sure your products and displays match the style of the rest of the market. If you aren’t sure what that style is, I would encourage you to check out social media posts by the organizer prior to developing your booth setup. While it is great to stand out, you don’t want to stand out because your booth looks out of place.
Recurring Seasonal Craft Shows
In my area, most of the recurring seasonal craft shows take place either in the spring or late fall and are hosted by local schools or community organizations as a means of fundraising. Most of these shows are juried and only permit handmade items at their shows. Unlike the artisan markets I previously mentioned, these shows tend to attract a larger variety of customers and have a lot of different styles and niches represented.
From my experience, these shows tend to have a lower booth fee and are often indoors, which makes the requirements for setup a little easier. Since the show is recurring, you can look forward to potentially being invited back year after year if the show is a success for you. Often times, the more you come back to a show, the better booth placement you can get which can really help your future sales.
For my business, these shows are not my highest income-generators, but they are still worthwhile. I appreciate that they are often less stressful because I don’t need as much of an inventory and I don’t have to worry about weather-related issues from being outside.
There are also some larger recurring seasonal shows that take place at larger facilities. In my area, there is a giant week-long Christmas show that occurs every year and has hundreds of vendors, although not all are handmade. Shows such as these can be extremely successful if you have the time to prepare and attend. Just know that these shows often have very high fees and may require insurance that other shows don’t require.
Fairs and Festivals
Fairs and festivals are often great for drawing in crowds, so they can be an excellent place to set up a booth to showcase your handmade items. Some of these events will even have an area dedicated to small businesses.
One of the very first events that I ever attended was a local festival that I had attended for years and couldn’t wait to participate in as a vendor. Unfortunately, it ended up being the worst show that I ever attended. Part of that was due to the fact that I was still new to craft shows and hadn’t found my niche. However, knowing what I know now, I’ve realized that festivals are different from other markets.
When someone decides to go to a festival, they probably aren’t going specifically to shop. If they are planning on walking around and participating in the activities of the festival, they probably don’t want to have to carry around a bag with the items they bought. It’s similar to going to an amusement park – you go to have fun, not really to shop.
With that in mind, I’ve realized that my most successful items at festivals and fairs are small items that people buy on impulse. While some of my larger items will sell (similar to those people carrying around the huge monkey they won at the fair), the majority of customers want something that they can put in their bag or that won’t inconvenience them. I also have a lot of people that opt to take cards and say they will reach out about orders.
Festivals and fairs can also be a great place to sell some of your items for the convenience of the guests there. Food vendors often do really well at these events because most attendees want something to eat while they are there. At one festival I was at, the temperature dropped much lower than expected for that time of year, and I sold my hats like crazy. If you sell an item that may be helpful to attendees, definitely make sure you bring them along for these events.
Pop-Up Shops
Pop-up shops are typically smaller shows that take place at a business and involve either a single vendor or a few vendors working together. There is typically some sort of theme or collaboration taking place around a pop-up shop such as a Puppy Pop-up that features specialty items for dogs and invites attendees to bring their puppies along to shop.
This type of event is a great option to fill in between bigger shows and to collaborate with local businesses and other vendors. Typically, there aren’t formal requests for businesses to participate in pop-ups, so you will want to reach out to other business owners to look for opportunities to participate in this type of event.
What are the Benefits of Selling at Craft Shows?
For businesses that operate mostly online, craft shows provide business owners with the opportunity to get out and engage with customers in person. Being able to talk to a customer face-to-face rather than online or on the phone really helps to make connections and encourage sales.
While most craft shows require setup materials and booth fees, the cost for craft shows is considerably less than it would cost to rent a retail space. Being able to move from one location to another as you participate in different shows also helps to reach a larger population of individuals than a brick-and-mortar location would offer.
My favorite reason for choosing craft shows as my priority over other sales channels, however, is because of how much fun I have meeting my customers in person and getting to talk about my craft! Even though craft show days can be tiring, I always come home with a smile on my face after getting to spend the day doing what I love! And I’m not the only one that thinks so – check out the Instagram post below from my friend Hannah, the wonderful artist behind Owlfeathers Watercolor:
What are Some Examples of Successful Handmade Markets?
The criteria for a successful handmade market is going to vary by business, but in my opinion, if you are able to meet your sales goal and you enjoy your time at a market, it is a success.
To help give you some inspiration, check out this video from my friend Mikayla from Toast and Co.’s successful market just this past month:
Looking for More Craft Show and Market Tips?
I love sharing about all things related to selling at craft shows and markets! Make sure you subscribe and check back regularly to find new information as it is posted!
Here are some other great posts about craft shows that you may be interested in reading:
- Crochet Market Spotlight – Fall Sunflower Festival
- Beating the Heat: Tips for Summer Outdoor Markets as a Crochet Seller
- Folding Craft Show Shelves Tutorial
- Selling Licensed Crochet Items
