Don't do this; when you have too much at a craft fair

Don't do this at your next craft fair.

You can see there is no organization. When I put everything out, I tried to make it visible, but I was too close to the table to see how crazy busy it looked. 

Use a variety of levels. I did have some levels. I used crates and covered them with my purple cloth. You can see the crates in the older pictures below. 

That wasn't good enough. I did buy some acrylic stands. They were tiny, and I used them for some of my smaller items, but they still got lost. I can't even point them out to you in the picture. 

Sorry, this picture is blurry, but it's the only one I have on this side of the tables. You can see it's so busy. If not for the acrylic boxes, I got those from Michaels in the storage section (p.s. I used coupons cause they were expensive.)

            So here is a game you can play try to find the following items in the two pictures above. 

I'll give you a hint it's in the blurry pic front.

This is a picture from a practice setup showing you the crate I used.

                   

                 Well, here are some more close-up pictures of other items. Good luck finding them. 

This one should be easy, but I would understand if you can't find it. 

I gave a hint as to where they are below.

You might see these if you look carefully. 

These actually won't be found; they are in an acrylic tray on the far back of a table. 

This is a hint as to where you might find one of the items. 

Well, how did you do? See, It is ridiculous we make so many things that really should stand out, but if you are not thoughtful in the setup, they all can get lost, and nothing really stands out. 

So what should one do? I was thinking of just putting some items into a bin and having one or two samples sitting outside the bin to get attention. The idea is to get people to pass by and look. Having something catch their eye. The Purse Pal wallets were all in one bin, and they did get noticed.

It seems to me I should also present some items so that ideas of what to use them for are apparent. Sometimes I don't think people know how to use the bags. Some things are obvious, like cosmetics, but I bet you didn't see the pencil cases. I had a whole stack of them in the picture. 

If I put the pencil cases on a book which is how they were intended to be used, they might spark some interest, and once people start to look, they notice other things. 

Below are a few of my other setups at craft fairs. You might be interested in comparing them or critiquing them. I always enjoy seeing other crafters' setups and seeing if they have some ideas I could borrow. I don't think we should be gatekeepers with these things.

 Comment below and let me know what you think. For clarity, I have done many craft fairs; sometimes, I would only be able to get a small space, sometimes too large of one. I have made my own jewelry and was a member of different direct sales groups. That is why the products might be different in the pictures below. 

Ft. Lowell craft fair, first time here.

Tried to get some takers to join a class I was teaching at an art school.

Still used levels even though the space was small. It works

This has to be my favorite setup. Everything looks organized and clean. There are levels, and it just looks good.

The levels were good here; the foot traffic was slow tho.

I was okay with this setup but not happy with the covers. 

You can see everything, but the tablecloth bothers me so much

I eventually put up the side table. It's not apparent here.

September Craft Fair; how'd it go?

 

The September 4h craft fair was first on Labor Day, second at a new location, not just for me but the whole show, and third, the first time I worked with this organizer, Jackie. 

This wasn't the first fair of the year for me. I went to Ft. Lowell Arts and Craft fair in April, which was okay but not great. That is the first fair I changed up from papercraft to sewn items. I have been working to build an inventory of worthy items to show since the end of last year. This show actually had a really good inventory.

It seems that some of what I made was a hit. I earned my table fee back, which is always a bonus and then some. I would not rely on craft fairs to sustain myself, but I did better at this one than ever at any shows. 

Now, I have to account that I think there wasn't anyone else who had what I made or anything quite like it. Most of my items are gothic, witchy-type bags and such. Looking around the room, I saw jewelry, jams, candles, acrylic items, beaded hanging window decorations, customizable water bottles, painted rocks, and oils. All of which have a uniqueness in and of themselves. 

The foot traffic came in from the hotel lobby and was more significant than I expected. I really didn't know what kind of advertising was done. Since we were right in the middle of the labor day holiday, I didn't expect much foot traffic to come into visit us. 

I believe many people who did come in who weren't registered as hotel guests were actually friends and family of the crafters. Which is really a great way to get the party started. Unfortunately, some of the crafters didn't do well at all. It does take a significant amount of guests to generate a nice profit from craft fairs. 

I didn't take a good video of everyone, but now I wish I had since I think it is a learning opportunity. I have been doing craft fairs since my early 20s, and I started doing Holiday fairs where everyone expects to see the same things. But in general, you have to have a very interesting setup that draws people to your table or a unique variety of items that no one else has. 

They plan to have the fair every first Sunday of the month, so they will be set up for October, which I think is suited for my crafts, being the witchy woman I am. So I am considering doing that one. Hope to see you there. 

Restarting and creating a community

                                         Socialize and interact with others at the craft fairs.

I have spent the last year fine-tuning my craft of sewn items. That certainly doesn't mean I have stopped my paper crafting phase. Most crafters might understand I go from one thing to the next and try to master it. It depends on the weather, my mood, and what seems exciting today. That's why it's called Creative Mix. Cause I do a mix of things always have.  

My craft fair adventures are because it is my social life now that I don't have a regular job to go to every day. Most people don't realize when they have spent much of their time at a job. I haven't done many things over my lifetime and mostly put too much into them. When you finally retire, it gets very quiet. Especially when you don't have grandchildren or family nearby to keep you busy. You can start feeling isolated when you stop going someplace daily. For me having my youtube channel and my crafty life keeps me going. 

 So, I have been trying to build a community of crafters to engage with each other on social media platforms. Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Instagram, and youtube. I'm not the media mogul all those young people are; I just want a place where we can get together and share ideas. Sort of like meeting at a coffee shop and doing our own crafts, but having time together and sharing our thoughts. 

We are starting a monthly craft fair in September, and I am so excited to see how my new items do at this show. Here are some photos so you can see what I'm bringing. I'll update how it went later on. I will most likely post to Facebook and TikTok so you can follow if you are interested.

small bags 

hand sanitizer holders

key fob change holders

If nothing else, the table will look attractive. The thing is, I am doing a great Halloween look, and that is not everyone's cup of tea. But there it is.