An Artists Mindful Guide to Craft Shows - Part One

As I got half way into writing this piece it was clear to me there was way more information to share than could be crammed into one blog post. So I have divided it into 3 parts. This week is part one.

So last year was my first opportunity to “sell my wares” at an arts and crafts show. I started looking at possible choices in the mid-summer and discovered there are a lot of shows available to vendors. I was a complete noob and as such I reached out to someone I knew who was already doing shows and had achieved some modest success. They told me about possible shows I might start with and some basic expectations. They too had only started last year but already had a few shows under their belt.

I should mention that while I am /was completely new to being a vendor at these markets, I am not new to selling and marketing. Working as a graphic designer for more than 15 years I have learned a few things that have been useful to me in marketing my fine art business.

Finding Vendor Calls

This was trickier than expected simply because most of the information I found initially was for shows that were already planned and organized and full of vendors. As I searched on Google and through social media I had to try different key words and phrases to find vendor opportunities. Besides finding vendor calls through my friends I also had some initial success with Kijiji. 

The main thing to remember is even if you missed a vendor call for an upcoming show, contact the organizer anyway and ask to be put on their vendor mailing list. Next time they have a call, you will receive the opportunity along with other vendors.

In addition, I also found groups on Facebook for vendors looking for opportunities to sell their wares. Organizers post vendor opportunities in these groups and then its up to you to follow the links to the applications.

Once you are on vendor mailing lists you will be flooded with opportunities to sell you wares. Obviously you can’t sell at every show unless you have an unending supply of money for show fees and inventory to sell. 

So how do you decide which shows to go to?

• You can join a Facebook group of vendors and ask around 
• You can go to the shows as a buyer and check out the show
• You can go to the organizers website or social media page and read reviews
• You can ask vendors that you know have been at the organizers events in the past

Something else I do is I always ask organizers a few basic questions as these give me a general idea if the show is suitable for me. Now keep in mind, my business is fine art; oil paintings in various sizes, a few prints and I also promote my painting classes during shows. So what I am looking for will be different than you if you make and sell small craft items or your business is selling a product line from an already established brand such as MLM or direct sales. Because original artwork pricing is generally higher than what a typical market goer will pay during a visit to a general art and craft show, I used my art to draw in prospective buyers and when they approached my table I would talk about the art and the fact that I offer painting classes in my studio. So you want to sell at shows that will help you to achieve your goals.  

The questions I ask organizers are:

• Do you allow MLM or direct sales vendors?
• Where do you promote the show and how?
• How much traffic did you receive last year and what are your expectations for this year?
• Do you limit categories? (You don’t want too many vendors selling the same thing as you)

For me I prefer the show to focus on handmade local items rather than mass produced or imported items. Why? Because I want my buyers to be looking specifically for handmade local items (like what I make) and not just floating in to pick up another round of mass produced products that they can only get at shows and online. So you want to find a show that caters to vendors who sell similar products as you.

Effective promotion of the market/show is important because it will increase awareness and hopefully drive traffic into the market. This is really important especially during craft show season as often you will see dozens of craft markets running on the same day or weekend in various venues within an hour’s drive of each other all competing for the same buyers. That being said, it is interesting to note I spoke with many market goers who actually spent the whole day and in some cases the entire weekend driving from one show to the next.  So you want to find a show that is well organized and marketed effectively.

The Fees

If you are not doing this already, you need to manage your venture as a business in order to achieve some kind of success. There are a million reasons why this is important. And these will become obvious to you the deeper you go into producing and selling your wares.

So when it comes to vendor fees and your business the key word is budget. Before you send off that first etransfer, take some time to work out a budget for your business and decide how much you are willing and able to commit to market fees for the year.

Fees can range from $20 per day for a table at local churches up to $300 per day for established event organizers. If you are feeling very timid, do sign up for a few church bazaars. These will get your feet wet and are a friendly warm environment to practice your communication and selling skills. Plus the homemade baking you can buy at these bazaars is worth spending a few hours at a table on a Sunday afternoon. While you may not sell as much as you hoped, what you gain in confidence and experience is priceless AND you have supported a local cause. I say “may” because I actually sold more paintings at these church events than at the larger shows. Of course results vary depending on many variables.

Last year I went to 6 arts and craft shows as a vendor and I spent $580.  I went to Ancaster, Kitchener, Fergus, Paris and two in Hamilton. My product sales were very low but I did get dozens of interested buyers for pet portrait commissions and a couple dozen prospective students for my classes. For me, the $500 show fees investment for my first year was worth it because I learned a lot, my confidence increased, my artwork and personal brand received a lot of valuable exposure and I learned who my people are.  The lesson here is to set a budget and stick to it while setting goals you want to achieve at each show.

Please check back next Sunday for Part Two.

Interested in my artwork or classes, you can find these here.

Thank you for reading!!