An Artists Mindful Guide to Craft Shows - Part Two

So last week we covered how to find vendor calls, fees, advertising and general expectations. Today we will look at additional budget purchases and vendor culture at art & craft shows.

Purchasing your show materials

As a newbie, I bought only very basic display materials for my first few shows. I also recommend this to you. While it may be tempting to go out and get the state-of-the-art display gizmo for your wares so you look and feel like you know what you are doing; don’t do it. Start small. You have a shorter distance to fall if you fall (I said fall, not fail) AND you won’t break the bank and wallow in regret.

Since I make and sell original oil paintings, I went to my trusty dollar store and picked up about 10 of the mini wooden easels they have in the craft aisle. My first show was a fall show. So I also picked up a few fall themed decorations to adorn the table so it would be all cutesy and attractive to buyers. In total I spent about $40. I already had table cloths. And I used a few knick knacks in my home to add to the ambiance of the display. When first starting out, try to use what you already have to minimize your expenses. Remember, this is a business and the key is to keep expenses as low as possible to maximize profit. I did not have a 6 foot table so I selected the option to pay the extra fee to use the organizers table. If you have a table then you are all set. But don’t go out and buy one just yet.

After my first one or two shows I started to see the types of things other vendors used for displays and how they setup their wares. These gave me ideas of how to improve my own display and I took to kijiji and Facebook marketplace to find what I was looking for. Again, keep your costs as low as possible so buy used items when first starting out. 

The Arts & Craft Show Vendor Culture

It took until my third show before I started to recognize that there is a distinct culture of the arts & craft vendor. I may get criticized for discussing this but I am certain it’s nothing that hasn’t been revealed before in books and blogs. Please understand I’m not saying it’s bad or good, just what it is.

I like analogies, and in this case the closest analogy in my opinion is an apartment or townhouse complex community. If you have lived in either of these for any extended period of time, you already know what I mean. Within the community people are generally friendly and polite. However their main purpose is to take care of their own and they will do so.

Setup times at markets are a crazy melee of people moving in and out of vehicles and buildings all carrying way more than they should and making no excuses for wanting to get it done.  I like to think I’m a pretty nice person (until I’m crossed or someone messes with my daughters LOL) so I tend to use the good old Canadian courtesy when I’m out in public. So the more assertive atmosphere I found in many of the art & craft markets was a bit of a surprise to me. Yeah, I guess I’m still that naïve. For me, I mostly kept to myself but remained friendly and approachable to other vendors. I tried to hold doors open and move my stuff out of the way if it was impeding others setting up. But when I felt that my booth area was being infringed upon I did find the courage to speak up in a friendly way to defend my “territory”.

In general, most vendors do recognize if you are new and are mostly receptive to questions about how things are run, what to expect etc. However, as they are there to sell too they are not often willing to share their own tricks and techniques. I however will share what I’ve learned in this blog. Read on!

The organizers

Event organizers really do have a huge task to manage if they choose to go the extra mile and provide a successful experience for both vendors and market goers. It’s not for everyone. And I would caution you to have a solid plan in place before sending out your event announcements. While I have not yet planned a craft show event, I have created, organized and planned a very successful business to business networking group for a few years (about 6yrs ago) so I do have experience in event planning.

Again vendors should ask other vendors for their opinion on event organizers before getting on board. And ask several vendors, as experiences can vary. Also look for past events that the organizers have run and if at all possible go to one of their events before paying for a vendor spot for yourself. A little research is worth its weight in gold.

A key factor that can make the difference in a successful event is the venue. Just because there is a lot of perceived traffic does not mean that those people are interested in what vendors at art and craft shows have to offer. So investigate the venue yourself first. I learned this from experience. One of the shows I did last year was in a community room at a large sports venue. It was holiday themed and the traffic was very poor even though the complex itself was buzzing with people. If I was selling sport themed posters or other sport themed items I may have broken even. Alas, I was not.

Next week will be part three of this series and I will focus on how to setup your display and effectively market your craft at the show.

Thank you for reading!!