Signing Up For A Craft Fair? 4 Questions You MUST Ask Before You Send In That Table Fee

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Thinking about signing up for a craft fair or vendor-friendly event?

Cool! These events can be a fun way to earn cash, especially during the holiday season.

But before you sign up for your first fair, there is some basic, yet vital information you need to know about the event you want to participate in. Because take it from me: craft shows are awesome when they’re successful, but when you barely cover the cost of your table… well, that’s not so fun, is it?

And often, that negative outcome doesn’t even have anything to do with you. I mean, you could haul the exact same inventory to two different shows and have seriously different results.

So before you send in your table registration, I’m going to give you 4 questions you MUST ask yourself about the event you’re considering. Your time is valuable… let’s not waste it!

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Question #1: Is it in a good location?

Foot traffic can be huge for a craft show. Shows that are a part of larger events (like a county fair) have built-in traffic; likewise, a downtown venue can pull in shoppers off the street. But a show at a tiny church or school in the country has to rely solely on getting the word out before the day of the event.

Which brings me to #2…

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Question #2: Is it well advertised?

It’s always a good idea to ask the event organizer how the craft fair will be promoted. Experienced event coordinators understand that advertising using several methods is key to getting a good turnout. From signage in popular gathering places, to targeted Facebook ads, to newspaper exposure, there are many options. Make sure the point person for the event is using as many of these as possible. And don’t forget to do your own advertising to your local fans!

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Question #3: Is it a well-established event?

It’s not that you can’t be successful at a brand new event. Often, fairs that are brand new are much cheaper, which might be a great thing if you’re also just starting out selling your creations. But it definitely doesn’t hurt to join a craft fair that has a proven track record of success, and an audience that grows every year. (Bonus: experienced events have had enough time to learn the importance of #1 and #2 above!)

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Question #4: Who will be shopping at this fair?

This is by far the single most important factor, and unfortunately, the one many crafters don’t consider. But truthfully, your event can be in a great location, be well-advertised, and have a proven track record of success, but if the people shopping there are not your target market, none of that matters.

To help you understand the importance of knowing the customer, I’m going to share two stories from my own craft fair days (long before I became a designer).

Story #1: The Kidsignment Fair

Where I used to live, there is a huge annual event called “Kidsignment” where moms buy tables to sell the stuff their children have grown out of. They allow a certain number of business vendors at their two-day event, and since at the time my business was focused on crocheted animal hats for kids, I thought this would be an incredible opportunity for me to get in front of my target market: moms with littles.

Wrong.

What I failed to consider was that the moms coming to shop at Kidsignment were in search of one thing: bargains. I mean, that was the whole point of the event!

If you haven’t discovered this yet… bargain shoppers are not a crocheter’s target market.

On top of that, the vendor tables were placed in the checkout area, where moms only came after they had most likely already spent more money than they meant to.

I put in who knows how many hours crocheting my inventory, plus a whole weekend sitting behind my table, and barely made enough money to cover my registration fee that day. Oh, sure, I got tons of compliments on my products, but very few bites. Lesson learned!

Story #2: The College Artisan Fair

The next year during the holiday season, the college campus down the road from me hosted an Artisan Fair. The makers-only event would be located right in the Student Center Commons, and since it was at a private college, I knew that a large percentage of the people who stopped by would be college-aged girls with an eye for fashion. So I got to work crocheting modern scarves and slouch hats to fill my table.

On the day of the event, I sold out of almost everything, created quite a buzz when girls would bring their friends back to my table to see the pretty scarves, and even got a couple of orders. Not bad!

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So the next time you’re thinking about signing up for a craft fair, be absolutely sure you know the answers to these questions:

• Is it in a good location?
• Is it well-advertised?
• Is it well-established?
• Who will be shopping at it?

Remember, craft fairs can still be successful even if they don’t check every single box… but the most important thing to keep in mind is who will be shopping there!

Best of luck in your craft fair journey,

P.S. Want more helpful tips and free patterns from Yarn + Chai? Sign up for my email list, and you’ll never miss out!