Preparing for your Craft Show

You've made the commitment to do booth at a local craft fair.   The best time to commit is 4-5 months before the show, unless you have a good stock of inventory.  As a handcrafter myself and organizer of boutiques I find the more inventory on hand the better the sales.

1-You can never have too much inventory.  What did not sale can be carried over to your next event or this may be the time to look into your own Etsy store.
2- If you are running short on inventory but get into a boutique late in the game, have plenty of fillers for you table and advertise that you do special orders.  Getting your name out there is just as important as selling you items.
3- Talk to other vendors,  if you admire a table ask if you can take pictures of their set up, or better yet ask for advice.  You will find that most vendors are more than happy to share their experiences.

Once I commit to doing a show,  I start to prepare.  Make a list of the items you would like to sale and a time frame to get the items completed.  Go down your list only working on the item first on your list.  I tend to want to try to do everything at once so a list keeps me on track.

Spend some time researching booth displays,  there are plenty of them on Pinterest.  All this research will help you figure out exactly how you want your booth to look and will give you time to plan and prepare what you will need for your booth.

When working on your crafts, treat it like a business!  For tax purposes I write down in my planner the start time and end time, just like a time card daily.   This way you feel that you are running your own business and family should treat this time as your job!  What a fun job to have being able to craft and prepare for a show!    

Now is the time to prepare.   I have a big show coming up May 8th and 9th.  I have already started on my projects.  I have a list of every item and how many of each I think I will need. I take time everyday to work on these items.  After all it is what brings in the extra money.   My fall craft show brought in enough to buy a new floor in our familyroom and provided me with orders up to Christmas and after!   Just getting the word out about your work is so valuable. 

Tammy

Welcome to The Hen House Craft Boutique.
On this blog is where you will find information on participating in craft shows with lots of tips and suggestions.
I will also list upcoming shows that are being sponsored by The Hen House Boutique as will as other shows that I feel support the home business and not the big business (themselves).  It is hard enough to create and work from home while bringing in an income or additional funds without paying a fortune to sell in a show!
So join me often and subscribe to stay up to date.

I will have Registrations forms available here to download for the shows as well as payment information.