Last week, I had my first craft show/market/fair/event of the season.  I’ve been doing them for a few years now and I wanted to share my experiences.  Before even getting to the show, there is quite a bit to consider and one of them is why I always have a partner…or three!

When I first started out selling my sewn goods, there were four of us that partnered in all of our shows.  We all offered a different kind of craft…crochet, paper-crafting, and sewing.  Collectively, we were all stay-at-home-moms who wanted to earn a little extra money to fund our hobbies. Our crafts were complementary and we figured we’d draw in a similar buyer…..so we thought, why not start doing shows together?

The Pros:

• Shared Costs – There is always the thought, “What if I don’t sell anything?”  By having a partner, you are still able to get involved in the community without have to spend as much money for it.  We could always get the largest booth offered (typically a 10x10ft).  By splitting the costs, the risk of loss was greatly decreased.
• Able to do More Events – With the split in costs, there is also the opportunity to try out a few  shows and see what crowds are drawn. Each event is different and it’s nice to test out what works with your products.
• Split Responsibilities – Life gets crazy…especially with stay-at-home-moms of young children!  We would divide who fills out the application and letting the rest of the group know the logistics (set-up time, actual time of the event, etc.)  This made the shows more manageable for everyone
• Built in relief –  Some shows will have people who will help watch your booth if you need to step away, but that’s time that you cannot make a sale.  By having partners, I have been able to use the restroom, eat, check out the show itself and even take care of things at home, if needed.  This can happen all while still having someone around to sell for me.
• Pulled Resources – As we started out, we were playing with show displays quite a bit.  It was nice to borrow and share what we already had without having to make significant investments.  We shared signs, decor, tablecloths and tables.
• Help with Set-Up and Tear-Down – Having additional hands is always nice!  It makes lighter work and you are able to get this all done more quickly.  With the shows last 5-7hrs, saving any amount of time is precious.
• It’s Fun – Selling at shows takes a lot of work, but it’s a nice day to spend with someone who shares the event with you.

THE Cons:

• Life Happens –  There is the risk of partners pulling out of events for illness (especially during the winter season) or other family obligations.  But if you have a great group like me, they will still want to help sell your goods!  Between the group of four, each of us had missed at least one show, but we still sold everyone’s products.
• It Gets Crowded – The booth would be full with all of us just vending.  So, we really had to coordinate schedules to not all be there at once and be mindful of the customers coming in.  The booth itself fills up quickly with so much product, so it’s important to also share the space fairly.
• Set-up and Tear-down – These are always the most labor intensive parts of selling.  Most of our shows start set-up at around 7am and with my partners having babies, not everyone could make it to assist.  There needed to be extra coordination to drop off or pick up product the night before…but it all evened out.  If one person couldn’t make it for set-up, then she had to make it for tear-down and vice-versa.

Luckily, we never had any major issues and everyone was considerate of each other.  It makes a big difference to choose the RIGHT partners!  Have you sold at any craft shows or are thinking about it??? Do you work alone or with a partner?

<< You can find out where I will be selling for the rest of year, here. >>

Happy Fall,

Cristy