Craft Shows

November 19, 2007

I just posted some. I'd love your opinions too.

thanks

Shaye

Craft Shows

Hi everybody, I'm still relatively new to this board and have been

quiet for a while. I've been very interested in your postings on

your craft show results and wanted to pass along some of my experience.

I have a friend, Dawn Westbrook, who is many years older than myself

and has taught me alot about how to present products. She and her

husband did shows for years. I have found that I often do better than

vendors around me and I think it is all due to how I present my soap.

I did a show at Hobart College in Geneva this last weekend. Table rent

was $35, my sales were $668. I sell my soap at the Windmill Farm and

Craft Market in Penn Yan. My booth rent varies during the season from

$39 to $44 during peak season. My sales average aro. $400, my highest

one day sales were $960.

I always drape my table to the floor with a neutral colored fabric.

If I have two tables, they get the same colored drape. Then I can hide

all my boxes and containers under the table too. Then I may layer

the base of the table with another contrasting fabric that hangs over

the edge of the table at an angle. I'm always trying to create visual

interest and make my booth very inviting. Next, I create a tiered

display, not straight across the table though. I use different props

of different heights. I use lots of interesting and different shaped

containers. For example, I found a large planter coffee cup and saucer

that I display my Hazelnut capaccino in. Most of my props and

containers come from auctions and yard sales and they are not

expensive. My main fabric drape material I bought at Walmart for

$1/yard. I place my containers on their side or at angles and have

the soap spilling out of them or prop up the backside of the container

so that it doesn't lie flat on the table. It makes the soap more

visible to people approaching the table.

Before this last show I went to another Windmill vendor and bought

a lot of his nice hand towels, dishcloths, and napkins. I mixed and

matched the colors and use these in my containers before putting in

my soap. You could make all of these yourself with inexpensive fabric.

Just look for inexpensive fabric that has an expensive look.

I use either silk or real flowers in jars and put these through

out my display. Or this time of year I would use pine cones and some

greens that I cut from the evergreens in my own yard.I work to create

a feeling in the people who come to my table. It's good to make people

laugh too. I have a Chocolate Moose soap with a moose on the label. I

don't sell a lot of it, but peope love to smell of it and laugh at the

idea of it. Always greet and interact with customers too. I have met

so many lovely people.

My labels are one of the main selling points of my soap. My

applejack soap has a picture of an apple slice on it, the grape soap

has grapes on it, vanilla pear has pears on the label. Some of you may

say that you are not artistic and can't design the labels, but you

probably have friend who could do it for you and you could probably

barter with your soap to pay them to help you with the label design

aspects.

When you go to other shows and you see a display you really like,

take notes and even draw simple pictures of it to help give you ideas.

It is so competitive out there. With higher gas prices, people have

less money to spend and we have to find creative ways to make our

product as attractive as possible to attract those limited number of

available dollars. If you see another vendor at a show whose display

your really like.

Something I have noticed at the Windmill, on the days I dress up a

bit, I have better sales. I'm a blue jeans kind of girl, but even if I

wear blue jeans I try to wear a nice top or jacket and matching

earrings. I spoke to my friend Dawn about this and she agreed that we

are also part of the presentation of our product.

It takes me longer than some other vendors to set up my display, but

it pays off in the end. I also love to go to auctions and find

bargains. Items you buy for your display can be written off as a

business expense. Anyway, I hope this is a bit helpful. I enjoy

reading the posts on this board and have gained some very useful info.

from it.

Thanks,

November 19, 2007

Oh keep in mind they shorted me two feet of table space... or I could have

spread out a little bit more.