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The Art of Art Fairs
The Art of Art Fairs
So, I’m as guilty as most people probably reading this article; I had no idea whatsoever, until 2005, how much work is included in not only setting up your craft fair booth, but even just getting the invite to attend in first place.
Ok, so let me, wind back a little here and start at the beginning…… Art Fairs are a lot of fun and a great way to meet other artists and also of course to connect with your potential customer base. It’s your day/s to grandstand your product and make people want to ohhh and ahhhh and part with hard earned cash! ‘Cos let’s be honest here, we do want your money, yes, we want you to have a lovely item to cherish, but we do want your money, so we can continue on our artistic journeys…..
So, how should an emerging artist even get started on this circuit of madness? I found the best place to start was at small fairs, generally called Craft or Holiday Fairs/Boutiques and these are usually held in schools and churches; some cities will also hold outside street fairs. These are generally un-juried affairs and the spaces are sold on first come, first served basis. You will need to invest in some kind of canopy or booth tent for outdoor shows and then you will need tables, a chair, some display items, racking, some cloths to cover the tables. You will need a method for taking money and recording sales…… The best thing to do is to visit a fair, the year before and take a good look around, chat to other vendors and listen, ask to take notes….. I’m still learning and improving!
The next level up from basic Craft Fairs is the Art Fair, these are held in more grandiose environments and are juried in affairs. I expect to spend about 3-4 hours preparing my application to a juried Art Fair and it involves writing about sample pieces, inspiration, construction and price expectations, it is then sent off via CD or maybe electronically with a small non-refundable check and then you wait……… If you are accepted then you pay the booth fee.
The day of the event arrives and of course it’s blowing a gale, raining, foggy, cold or stinking hot, you rarely get a perfect day. So the fair starts at 9am, so you will need to arrive their some time before that….I usually allow 2 hours to set up outside, put up booth tent, weight and also stake if on grass, and then spend time hanging curtains and wall art and then dress my tables and lay out my work. I check all the prices are there and each piece is good enough to sell.
Then you paste a smile on your face and become charm itself and help ladies try pieces on and help men pick gifts for girlfriends and wives. You tell funny stories and chat to people, you tidy after each person leaves, so each new shopper feels like the first visitor. You hopefully have a good day/s and then it’s time to take down all the booth and get back in your car and drive home………… like it never even happened!
It’s fun to do fairs, but it ain’t easy……. if you think that, then the vendor did an excellent job!
Good luck!
You can find more selling tips here
Written by Lotties Trinket’s
Tags: art fair, art fair registration, craft display, craft fair, craft fair set up, craft fair tips, Handmade, Handmade Artists
Posted in Handmade, Information, Selling Tips
26 Responses to “The Art of Art Fairs”
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Oh so true! Good writing:)
Thank you!
couldn’t have said it better myself…
I’m sure you could have! – lol!
it’s been years since I participated in a craft fair, and plan to start again this fall. thanks for the reminder of the work involved, and the fun!
Debbi
–yankeeburrowcreations
Your welcome, good luck and welcome back to the mad house!
We’ve cut our crafts shows down to only 2 this year. We always think of it like we are bringing a boutique to the street. So display is everything. Thanks for sharing this article!!
Exactly, and I add and take from my booth each time. I’m always looking for unusual display methods and creative ways of holding items down when the wind blows a gale (most times)….
Can’t wait until next weekend, just got my booth assignment, hit the sweet spot!
Thanks All….
I’ve got one coming up next weekend – last outdoor for me this year; then the indoor ones begin again…. only doing around 13 shows this year, need to step it up again in 2013.
You are so correct about it. Then the waiting around during the lull in traffic.
They are an incrediible amount of work, but you are so right about connecting with other artists and customers. Great idea to visit some and get a feel for what they are looking for, traffic, etc. Thanks for sharing!
Great article! I am so glad you wrote about the hours it takes to prep an application for a juried show, I thought I was the only one that spent so much time on my presentation:) You did a very good job:)
Nope Nancy, you and me both! I agonise over which items to put up and then fear my pricing is wrong, but so far, so good……
Well said – and so very, very true! Haven’t done one for a while – my time gets away from me and all this does indeed take time that you should allow for. Thank you so very much for this article!
Yes it takes a lot of preperation, ensuring you have enough items to fill your booth. You must take enough, otherwise you are wasting your entry fee.
Don’t forget that you will need to sell $xx.xx just to cover your entry fee and gas to get there…..
Good information. I have never done one, hoping for one in November if I can get them to call me back but as you said it is a small one held by a church in my local community, but I have already started looking at my pieces and wondering to myself, “Is it good enough”. Thanks for the post.
Hey…. From what I’ve seen here online, your items are fine. Remember, people will stop and look if your booth/space looks attractive. I’ve found around the Holiday period, a small dish with a few sale items works well. Generally they do not buy the sale items but will go for a full price item…. you can always change these items around a little too…..
Doing shows is a lot of work! Excellent article!
Thanks!
Really enjoyed your article. I have never done a fair. I would love to spend a day just talking with people and hopefully selling, but wow….it looks like a lot of work! 🙂
It is a lot of work, but so worth it, if you enjoy meeting people. It’s one of main reasons I began my business, so that I could meet people and integrate into the community.
Great article. I love doing shows, wish I had a couple of elves to help me set up but once its done I’m happy. I dont do outdoor shows because of my product and rain would ruin me. I prefer to do shows that are more than one day then the set up and take down is not back to back. I love meeting new people and talking to customers. Your article geeked me up. The holidays are coming and I am looking forward to it! 🙂
If you ever find where to purchase those “elves” let me know – lol!
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I’ve been doing shows for over 8 years and yes it is a back breaking job setting up and breaking down especially when you do it by yourself. I used to do 35-45 a year and I’ve cut way back to 6-8 a year. I’m not getting any younger and my knees aren’t what they should be. Know I concentrate on doing the larger venues and not the small ones. I LOVE chatting with everyone and if I had help I would do more. Happy Selling everyone!