When I started my business in January, I had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into. I had imagined for years, what it would be like to have my own craft business, but I never thought it would be such an overwhelming experience so far.
Overwhelming, that is exactly the word I would use to describe the feelings leading up to my first craft fair. I was so excited when I got my acceptance letter in the mail for one of the largest and best craft festivals in the Bay Area, the Alameda Art and Wine Faire. I go to this fair every year as a customer and this time I am going as a vendor. I would have never imagined that this amazing fair would be my first!!! Here are a few tips I have learned, so hopefully next time it will be less overwhelming!
The first thing I realized, after the excitement wore off was that I was very lacking in inventory. I had some items posted on Etsy, but I was nowhere near the numbers I needed for an actual craft fair. So with one month left to the fair, I started crafting like crazy! I holed up in my apartment for days at a time, leaving only to make frequent supply runs to local craft stores. With only a week left before the fair, surprisingly, I think I am pretty well prepared. I have reached my goal of hats and scarves. All I have left to make is one more quilt and finish stuffing my pillows. So my first word of advice for anyone doing a craft fair is to not procrastinate until the month before like I did. But even if you do, it is possible to get everything done in time!
One saving grace through this overwhelming time has been my sister. She has helped me tremendously! She has supported my decision of starting my own business and has never wavered in her belief that I could do it, even when I doubted myself. Another great thing about her is she thinks about the logistics of things and is a great plan ahead type of person. I am absolutely not that type of person as can be seen in my mad dash of crafting before the event. Without her, I would have been scrambling to the very end, but she has made the process easy and thought of things that are often overlooked but extremely needed. For instance, she got me craft aprons with my logo (that she designed) embroidered on them for my birthday. This was in April, before I had even thought about selling in person. (see how she thinks ahead!) She also is practical. I have been crafting all these items and had absolutely no clue how to make them into a display. Lucky for me, my sister is creative as well as practical. One day while driving home from work she saw a pallet by the road, discarded. She had a brilliant idea to create it into a display rack for the paintings I will be selling! She is amazing! So my second piece of advice would be to have a supporter who thinks differently then you, so that all the bases are covered, because it is impossible to do it all yourself.
So with my crafts ready and my displays done, I am ready to rock this craft fair! Stay tuned for details and tips on the actual event. I hope to see you there this weekend at the Alameda Art and Wine Faire, July 25 and 26th, 10-6pm on Park Street in Alameda, Ca. And as always, use BLOGPOST as a coupon code and get 10% off in my Etsy Shop!
Overwhelming, that is exactly the word I would use to describe the feelings leading up to my first craft fair. I was so excited when I got my acceptance letter in the mail for one of the largest and best craft festivals in the Bay Area, the Alameda Art and Wine Faire. I go to this fair every year as a customer and this time I am going as a vendor. I would have never imagined that this amazing fair would be my first!!! Here are a few tips I have learned, so hopefully next time it will be less overwhelming!
The first thing I realized, after the excitement wore off was that I was very lacking in inventory. I had some items posted on Etsy, but I was nowhere near the numbers I needed for an actual craft fair. So with one month left to the fair, I started crafting like crazy! I holed up in my apartment for days at a time, leaving only to make frequent supply runs to local craft stores. With only a week left before the fair, surprisingly, I think I am pretty well prepared. I have reached my goal of hats and scarves. All I have left to make is one more quilt and finish stuffing my pillows. So my first word of advice for anyone doing a craft fair is to not procrastinate until the month before like I did. But even if you do, it is possible to get everything done in time!
One saving grace through this overwhelming time has been my sister. She has helped me tremendously! She has supported my decision of starting my own business and has never wavered in her belief that I could do it, even when I doubted myself. Another great thing about her is she thinks about the logistics of things and is a great plan ahead type of person. I am absolutely not that type of person as can be seen in my mad dash of crafting before the event. Without her, I would have been scrambling to the very end, but she has made the process easy and thought of things that are often overlooked but extremely needed. For instance, she got me craft aprons with my logo (that she designed) embroidered on them for my birthday. This was in April, before I had even thought about selling in person. (see how she thinks ahead!) She also is practical. I have been crafting all these items and had absolutely no clue how to make them into a display. Lucky for me, my sister is creative as well as practical. One day while driving home from work she saw a pallet by the road, discarded. She had a brilliant idea to create it into a display rack for the paintings I will be selling! She is amazing! So my second piece of advice would be to have a supporter who thinks differently then you, so that all the bases are covered, because it is impossible to do it all yourself.
So with my crafts ready and my displays done, I am ready to rock this craft fair! Stay tuned for details and tips on the actual event. I hope to see you there this weekend at the Alameda Art and Wine Faire, July 25 and 26th, 10-6pm on Park Street in Alameda, Ca. And as always, use BLOGPOST as a coupon code and get 10% off in my Etsy Shop!
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