Craft Fair To Do List - One week before the event

Craft Fair To Do List

Created this list for my daughter Julia(13) who is having her second craft fair next weekend. Want her to get a sense of the behind the scenes......

Please feel free to add to the list. She will be creating an E-book as a fundraiser for her 2013 Spring Break trip . Your comments (site) will be mentioned (linked) . It takes a village right?  

One week before the event

•  First time at the particular event- visit the site
• Decide on table space accommodations
•   Catalog inventory
•   Calculate price
•   Tag merchandise with price points
•   Table cloths
•   Determine theme décor
•   Set up merchandise and décor determining the need for more inventories? Less décor?
•   Items required to finish projects
•   Tasks to do to finish projects
•   Remind family and friends via in person, email or social media detailing your upcoming event
•   Packing product to insure a damage free transit

First time at the particular event- visit the site

Knowing the location ahead of time helps with a variety of factors such as theme, demographics and atmosphere. Plus, who wants to be lost and inevitable late setting up .

Decide on table space accommodations

Every craft fair is different which means staging and displays will be different. Smaller craft fairs usually have you bring your own. The larger fairs will charge for rental. 

Catalogue inventory

Inventory helps you see what you have too much or too little of. Are your “sets” proportioned? Do you have too much of one style? Having an inventory list also assist with knowing hot sellers

Julia's Flower Bouquet

Calculate price

 Keep receipts for all purchases, not only for taxes yet to help determine price points. Determine your time (shopping, gas and creating), packaging and cost of each item. For instance, I purchased a bag with crystal flowers. The count was 80 and the bag was $8.99 plus tax. Each flower came up to roughly 15 cents each however I added ribbon and wrapped them in decorative paper with a pink heart purchased at Target.   The paper I had for years and lost track of the price. This is where you determine your price point. I usually ask family and friends to come over for a pre-show to get there comments and suggestions.  When explaining pricing to my daughter Julia (13) she was amazed how much time, money and organizing went into have a craft fair. This is where I explained look around you everything is time, money, organizing even just our daily lives, for the rest of your lives. I think it was a little too deep and not wanting to be a Debby Downer I moved on.  

Tag merchandise with price points

Once you determine your price points, it’s time to decide how to add them to the merchandise. For smaller, same-theme items create a small sign. For example we used scrap book like squared paper, folded them in half and wrote the price with a sharpie.  Do this for items less than $5 or  you will have another added expense for labels. The larger items we use smaller sticky labels.

Table cloths

One color table cloth works best to display your crafts. It’s pleasing to the eyes; bold colors may detract from merchandise. I prefer pastels in Spring/Summer light green or brown in autumn and white for winter. Thrift stores have a variety of table clothes and sheets for an economical price point. 

Determine theme décor

Our upcoming craft fair is in Jamul, CA (which is pronounced “ha-Mool”) is a rustic landscaped town located 20 minutes from downtown San Diego in the foothills of the Laguna Mountains. With the emphasis on Mother’s Day we decided to have a Vintage Victorian theme by incorporating arts and crafts with the vintage books and dolls we already have on hand with our home décor. These items will be priced just in case someone wants to purchase the displays.

Set up merchandise and décor determining the need for more inventories? Less décor?

This is what I call a trial run by “seeing” my vision on display. I determine what I have too much of or not enough of and am I keeping true to my theme. At this point I start kicking it in gear knowing I have a week left to get my act together.

Items required to finish projects

Create a sub-list with the items needed to finish projects. Check local craft store websites for coupons for better price points and try to make one trip to save gas.

Tasks to do to finish projects

Determine what still needs to be done and give yourself a deadline. You want to look hot the day of the event and not sleep deprived by staying up to 2am the night before.

Packing product to insure a damage free transit

Not only do you have to think of how your customer will take their product home, determine how safely you can transport the merchandise to the event. It will definitely put a damper on things if profits are broken in transit. 

Remind family and friends via in person, email or social media detailing your upcoming event

 Just as Realtors say location, location, location - Crafters must chant advertise, advertise, advertise! Use the phone, email, social media and flyer's. Our event is in the local small town paper so we are creating small postcard size flyer's to hand out to our family and friends who live in the surrounding area

Overall, remember if Crafting is a passion it does require, time, money and  educating yourself to see where you “fit” in the crafting world. If intimidated use the buddy system, visit craft fairs, craft stores and the many crafting websites  which may ease the “should I take my crafting to the next level butterflies”. Most importantly continue to have FUN!