I did my second craft fair today and I feel like it went really well. I brought about forty five dolls and sold about 27, passed out over 200 business cards, and took several custom orders.
This is a big improvement over my first fair where I only sold one doll. I feel like I learned a few things and made some tough decisions that paid off, so here's my tips for other dolliers who are looking to try craft fairs without the learning curve that I had to deal with. Here are my top tips using what I learned from my two experiences.
1. Pay for a table not a booth. The more "full" your display looks, the more people will be drawn in, just to try and see what it is they're looking at. As you can see from this photo, my display was packed. It was visually captivating, and even people who weren't interested in dolls were drawn in just to see what was going on with my multi-tiered showcase, and many ended up impulse buying for relatives or friends' children. My first show I had a booth space, and only had enough to put stuff in two sides of it. A lot of people walked past without stopping, I think because it looked a little sad and unprofessional.
2. Height matters. I grabbed a bench and shelf and stacked my table up high. Then I put a display ladder and tree stump on top of the shelf so that it would be even higher. People notice what's at eye height, so the taller you can build it up the better. And again, if you can capture people's notice and peak their curiosity they're more likely to come over and chat, even if they don't plan on buying.
3. SIGNAGE MATTERS: It's important to let people know what you're selling up front. If you have to talk to someone to explain what it is they're seeing, you've already lost them. Not only did I have my business name in the banner on the front of the table, I tried to put a few simple explanations up telling what my dolls were to casual passersby. People like the idea of what we're doing, but if they don't know the process, you're just selling "another doll" in an already oversaturated market. They most effective signs I put up were "Hand Painted" and "Recycled, Rescued, Upcycled." I heard a lot of little girls yell "Hand Painted" behind themselves to their moms as they ran across the lawn to my table. I heard a lot of moms turn to dads and say "Recycled, Rescued, Upcycled." Those are key terms that grab customer's attention and appeal to responsible consumerism. I lacked these simple explanations the first show I did, and I could really tell the difference this time. People really enjoyed explaining to each other what it is that I do, and frankly it was nice to not have to do all the work.
4. Let your dolls do the talking. I tried to keep my display and signage neutral so that the dolls were pops of light and color against that backdrop. My first show I think I overdid it with decor and the dolls kind of got lost in the flair. I really like the way my table looked this time, and I think it looked a lot more professional. Plus the dolls looked extra shiny and bright against that canvas.
5. Have some "before" dolls out. The nastier the better. Before and after photos are a great thing, but there's nothing like picking up a doll with snarled hair and marker scribbles and then holding up a clean, styled, repainted dolls and really FEELING the difference.
6. Keep your mouth shut when people come up. Aside from a general "Hello" most North American consumers don't want to feel pressured or harassed by sales people. They like to browse without vendors hovering. My general approach (after a few blown sales) was to say "Hi," smile, and make good eye contact. Then, I gave them a second to look around, before saying something like "let me know if you have any questions." If they started talking about my process or looking more closely, there was kind of a more natural invitation to my sales pitch or my process. But if you jump right in with the whole sales pitch a lot of time people get frightened or feel pressured and walk away.
7. Related to Number 5: have a chair, and sit down. If you're standing up, it makes you look more aggressive or hovering. A lot more people started lingering once I lightened up the atmosphere by kicking back with my crochet.
8. Work on something doll related. I crocheted and sewed buttons and snaps unless I was attending to a sale. A lot of people told me that they'd have never guessed I was the artist because I am younger (33), and I guess I don't look artisty (I have boring hair? no facial piercings? I was wearing jeans and a striped t shirt? I don't know). Once I put the message out loud and clear that I was the maker, people were way more excited about talking, and most of the time talking equalled sales or great networking.
9. Have really nice business cards and bring A LOT. My cards weren't expensive. In fact, I printed them myself, but I spent a lot of time on them and made sure they really represented my brand. I used brown paper card stock for printing, which is different and cool, and which stood out on the table. I had a huge stack out, and since they were cute people knew exactly what and where they were. A lot of people grabbed several to pass to friends on their own. I thought 200 would be too many, but I actually ran out before the end of the day. 250 or 300 would have been better.
10. Put the least valuable merchandise on the bottom and don't be squeamish about kids touching them. If they can't hold up to gentle touching, they're not ready for sale anyway. Kids LOVED picking them up, looking at their clothes, and inspecting their hair. A lot of moms and dads ended up impulse buying because their daughter had discovered a special "friend" that they WOULD NOT go home without. Most of them wouldn't even let me put the doll in a bag because they wanted to carry their friend with them.
11. Be flexible, and be willing to make a deal. If someone wants to buy three dolls, give them a discount or throw in a free outfit. If a girl loves a doll but wants an outfit on another doll, be willing to switch. Have extra clothes on hand to restyle a doll in case you DO have to switch. People LOVE feeling like they're getting "special treatment" or "discounts," and once you sweeten a deal, people will often buy more than they originally planned. Then when you're bagging up the purchase, throw in a few business cards. If you're good to your customers, they will remember you and pass the info along.
12: Have a variety of merchandise at a variety of price points. People generally fall into two categories: those who love to feel like they're A: getting the best deal or B: getting the highest quality item. Online, they can make those distinctions by swapping in between vendors, but in person you're likely going to be the only dollier in the show and you've got to give them the full shopping experience by having a few high ticket items, a few regularly priced items, and a few discounted items. I brought along the dolls I'd had listed on Etsy the longest and sold them ALL for 50% off. I also sold a "special edition" doll for double my regular price. Also probably 90% of the people I spoke with mentioned that they loved that I had everything from Skaters to Farmers to Girlie Girls to Punk and Vintage, etc. Girls were excited to find dolls that fit their interests and personal style, and most of them went out of their way to say so!
13. Pick the right shows: Look for events that are featuring hand crafted, local artists, or one of a kind items. My first show was a boutique sale, and shoppers were coming looking for department store type products from small distributors. My second show was a DIY festival whose mission was feature local artists making one of a kind products. The shoppers at the first event wanted uniformity, glossy packaging, and discounted prices. The shoppers at the second event wanted quirky, socially conscious, and individual. I made $40 at the first show. I made several hundreds of dollars at the second. The $25 table fee at the first event seemed like a bargain, but I barely covered my costs in sales. The $125 fee for the second event seemed steep, but I made it up in the first few hours and then several times over.
All in all it was a great experience. I hope that my failures and successes can help you succeed at your next event, too!
