My Craft Fair Effort

There's my booth--the result of all the budgeting, scavenging, carpentry and re-furbishing I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I'm very happy with how it turned out (except for my banner, which ended up too big to use). It took me two full hours to load into the building and set up, but only 45 minutes to break down and load my car. The fair was big and busy, and most attendees carried shopping bags filled with holiday decorations and gifts. I offered items from $5 to $50: pendants, key fobs, headbands, aprons, and bags.

Many people stopped and admired my table, complimenting a variety of items. Some shoppers returned to look at my merchandise several times, but I made only four sales. It was a long, but educational day. My aprons were priced at more than double what other sellers were asking, but the fabrics used were quite different, as were the features (mine are reversible, with thick, decorators fabric). Several shoppers observed that my booth and my products didn't look like anyone else's, which I took as a great compliment, though it didn't yield sales.

I've decided that "typical" craft fairs are not my niche. Farmers' Markets that allow non-food items, or certain types of festivals may be more worth spending a whole weekend day away from my family. I'll be researching venues before devoting this much effort again. Fortunately, two of my good friends shared the neighboring booth, and that made the day more fun.