Craft Table Display Options

• Tables at most vendor shows are 8ft long and 3-4 ft wide. Most shows require coverings down to the floor on all sides, so here is our resource for table covers in various colors of washable polyester, that are stitched and fitted, but stretch to wrap snuggling around these tables: www.tableclothfactory.com These cloths wash beautifully and never need ironing (not happening here).

• Display your merchandise in an easily viewed manner, ideas are available on Pinterest: display design. For locking glass cases we recommend: arizonacase.com These give you reassurance if you have to leave your display overnight, but we highly recommend participating in vendor shows that provide security at night.

• Provide a hand mirror, always. Yes, others are always borrowing ours…

• Business card holders with your cards readily available and plentiful, be creative here too. Have holders that thematically relate to your products.

• Plastic bins to store and transport your shop display items, but not bins so large that you struggle to lift them. Also a handtruck will be needed frequently.

• Lighting Fixtures: Remember that you are probably far from adequate lighting and your merchandise would benefit from this. Ask around to other vendors and take photos of displays you feel would be within your budget and expertise to assemble. You’ve got to set-up and take down your shop for a show usually within 3-5 hours. Read contracts carefully to be prepared for what electrical hook-ups a show provides to individual booths. We have been very pleased with our Show Off Lighting LED lights that don’t generate extra heat. www.showofflighting.com

Venues for Vendor Booth Selling

• Club Shows are venues organized by groups with particular interests. Do an Internet search of topics of your interest. You will find organizations and clubs and then dive deeper to find shows that provide vendor booths for selling, demonstrations, door prizes, etc. Visit shows in your area to scope out the current scene and ask vendors questions, like: Has this been a good show for you? Have you enjoyed this show location? Are customers buying today? Vendors may not want to hear that you want to be a part of the show and present competition, so direct your inquires about participating as a vendor to the organizers, who will probably be happy to provide information to you. But be prepared to provide a business card, to indicate that you are a serious business. Cost for renting a booth space vary, depending on the venue environment itself, its location and popularity.

• Bazaars, pop ups, trunk shows, church events, community events are other venues available. Watch out for these in your local newspaper.

• Event Planner Venues- usually pricier than small businesses may want to tackle at first. Some concerns here are requirements to use union labor movers to transport your show materials, parking fees, required rentals of equipment and electrical hook-up charges, etc, etc. A Home Show we participated in charged $50. per each folding chair, $500. for electrical hook-up, on and on…A commitment for a series of shows may be required. Many of these planned events are outdoors. This requires vendor booth tents, lighting, generators. Just travel behind the scenes at any outdoor show and see the realities.

Profits and Expenses

• Business profit after expenses will depend on several factors: Desirability of your merchandise, popularity and traffic level of the show location, number of days per year devoted to booth selling, etc. But…you probably won’t have paid employees, health insurance and workers comp insurance costs, and other brick and mortar business expenses, such as local business licenses, etc.

• Free feedback from your customers can provide needed business improvements and inspiration. Observe your buyers and provide information, demos, anecdotes to entertain them and encourage sales, but don’t give away merchandise, it’s valuable and you worked hard to create it.

Business Practices in Selling Hand Crafted Goods

• Value Your Craft Creations and put a commensurate price on them. These are handcrafted items, not mass produced by machines. Calculate the price of an item by labor + materials + profit margin. Have a general sense of what the local traffic will bear before you price your creations too. Do research online, at vendor shows, see prices other vendors offer for similar items. Etsy.com, artfire.com and even Handmade at Amazon are resources. Are you including sales tax in the item price or are you adding sales tax at point of sale? A traveling business that goes from one county to another will find different sales tax rates in each. Some venues also have a city sales tax to be collected and reported. Oh boy…At point of sale you can also consider discounts and sale merchandise. These are positive perks for customers that may be on a budget. In our experience, venues that require an admission charge will usually provide motivated customers who are buying something, just encourage them to buy from you.

• Educate Customers be prepared to explain how something is contructed, what materials are used, ways of wearing or using the merchandise. Demonstrating some aspect of your craft brings the curious from all around you and starts a conversation. Besides your business cards, display flyers of your crafts’ interest groups and encourage new participants. Give away old craft magazines, sell used craft making books too!

• As a professional photographer, I have designed all of our business cards, flyers, online social media presence and I would be happy to help you also. www.judysphotocreations.com