The 2022 holiday shopping season is early here in the United States. Already, back-to-school is off the shelf, and holiday-themed items are everywhere in retail stores. It's time to get your stuff together and make the most of the holiday selling season. There are a lot of steps that you need to take to prepare for this important time of year. For many artisans, it is their main selling season! 

The steps include:

• booking your events, lodging, and travel
• getting your inventory in order
• marketing the events
• ordering packaging
• display booth management

Displaying your work well is critical to drawing people into your craft show booth. If potential customers don’t walk into your booth, you can’t make a sale. Many artists lose sight of this and rely on their work alone to do the heavy lifting. The last few shows I attended had some great examples of this.

Visiting the Celtic Classic in Bethlehem, PA recently, two booths stood out for their marketing efforts. One for presentation and the other for graphics.

Inspiration is all around us. It is easy to believe that when everything we see and everyone we meet seems to trigger some new and exciting creative idea, so that, as dedicated crafters, we can scarcely wait to hurry back to our homes, studios or workshops to make a start on our latest project. However, sometimes the ideas just don't seem to flow quite so easily. Or perhaps they just feel a little too much like the ideas that everyone else seems to have and you wish you could come up with something new and different.

Festival season is one of the best times of the year to diversify your style and delve into alternative fashion and body art. This year, Style Caster is predicting that knitted bucket hats, ombre dresses, denim, and sheer dresses will be all the rage but one staple of festival looks will never be out of trend: henna tattoos. If you are keen to create your own henna looks this season and build up your design abilities with every new festival or outdoor concert, keep the following tips in mind.

While many small farmers markets allow for homegrown products only, some larger markets also permit local craftspeople to participate. In fact, most popular farmers markets offer holiday markets specific to offering folks the chance to buy and sell local arts and crafts!

There’s a small amount of controversy about crafters selling their creations at the local farmers’ market.

On one side, people say that crafters may not earn enough to make it worth their time.

What’s the best thing about winter if you’re a crafter?

Preparing for spring craft shows, of course.

And Spring 2021 will be a season like no other.

With a COVID vaccine at last on its way, the long dark winter of social distancing seems poised to come to an end. And that’s great news for crafters and for all those who love crafting events and shows.

Here are a few pointers to help you prepare for the spring 2021 craft show season.

Keep Up Your Virtual Game

Fingers crossed that the Covid-19 period of history draws to a close very soon.

Even so, many of your customers will still be cautious.

For these folks, maintaining a strong online presence is key.

Fortunately, we have all had plenty of practice during 2020. Now you can get even more creative.

Consider posting a virtual craft show on Facebook Live. You can also ship kits of materials to prepare for a video tutorial on your website or social media page.

Do Your Homework

We know you already get this, but it’s more important than ever to read up thoroughly on craft shows and events that you attend as a vendor.

Besides the usual concerns about space, cost and time, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with any new rules established at the venue in the wake of Covid-19.

Sanitation and social distancing protocols are major concerns in the post-Covid era, and you’ll want to be well-prepared for these so they don’t take you by surprise.

Make Visitors Feel Safe

It’s been a long time since we mingled in close quarters at a craft show, and your customers are bound to feel a bit skittish.

Put them at ease by offering masks and hand sanitizer and limiting the number of people visiting your tent.

Give Special Attention To Your Display

The display at the entrance of your space has always been an essential component of success, and that’s even more true in 2021.

If you have to put a limit on the number of people who enter, they should still be able to get a good view of what you offer just from standing outside.

Try to set up your area so that as much merchandise as possible can be viewed from outside your tent.

Offer Unique Products For Unique Times

As a crafter, you are creative by nature, and never has that quality been more important.

Put your creativity to work in consideration of the ways people's lives have changed.

Can you create any items to make a home office space feel safe and cozy? How about gifts especially for frontline workers, or memorial items for those who have suffered the loss of a loved one? And don’t forget our pets; as we spend more time at home, items geared to pet owners are more appealing than ever.

And of course, cleaning products, hand sanitizer, and fun cloth face coverings are bound to be popular for a while yet.

Are you ready to conquer the post-Covid world of craft shows?

With a little caution and creativity, you’ll be able to take your craft show game to a whole new level in the spring of 2021.

Got the COVID-crazy Craft Fair Vendor Blues? Stay Busy! Here are some tips on using this downtime to drum up business, expand your reach, and help keep your business going.

#2 Do the Social Media Thing! Many Craft Fairs might be closed this summer, but the internet is open 24/7. If you want your craft business to survive during social distancing, participating in social media as a business is simply unavoidable. There’s no way around it. People are on social media more often than individual websites or even reading their email. You want to be where the people are. Using hashtags to let folks find what you do, using strong photography and helpful descriptions, and offering sales and discounts are ways to bring in business. There are endless resources online with guidance for being effective in social media. Invest in yourself by learning and putting what you learn into action! Here’s an article about using Instagram for your Business. Don’t stop there, look and see what other craft fair vendors are doing to drum up business with social media. 

Thanks for reading and wishing you all the best!

1. Ask around. Crafters are friendly folks and love to give advice about what shows rock and which do not. Don't be shy to email your peers or just approach them at festivals and shows

Overpricing

Many years ago, a certain art professor showed his portfolio slides to a class I attended, as a sample of how to put together a body of work for presentation. His beautiful ceramic perfume bottles were quite impressive and skillfully made.  Along with the images were prices for each item, which averaged in the range of $600 each, which was his example of pricing to the class.

Not long ago, I happened to speak with an artist who by chance got the same talk from the same art professor with the same slides. She, however, had the presence of mind to raise her hand and ask "How many of these perfume bottles have you sold?"  The answer: Zero.