Craft Show 101
Renegade Craft Fair • September 20, 2003 • Chicago , IL

By Brandy Agerbeck, Loosetooth.com

Introduction
On a gorgeous early fall day, I participated in the first (annual) Renegade Craft Fair. I am reticent to do craft shows. Why? Because they are a lot of prep work and always a crap shoot. The lots of work: making and collecting inventory, designing a space that'll be enticing and hopefully protect you from the elements, getting all of the inventory stuff together and then the schlepping to the show and the sitting at the show. The crap shoot: is it your kind of crowd? are they buying? are your prices right? are they too many others selling what you're selling? how's your works' quality by comparison? how's your display?

For instance, I did one very popular show with two friends a couple years ago. We sat in our booth with our great handmade goods for two long days. I just broke even, my two friends lost money. In that case, it was the kind of fair where people were buying loads of fried food, insect-shaped lawn ornaments and tie-dyed shirts. How did we know? Because that's what everyone was carrying around! Those vendors had a killer weekend. Also, there was a huge amount of jewelry there - both imported and handmade. Unless you know what questions to ask the organizers and they know their vendors and crowds, it hard to know if a show is a good show to do. And still there's no guarantee.

Why Renegade?
I first saw the call for entries on the Live Journal's craftgrrl community. The post was short and sweet and I instantly knew I wanted to be part of it. Sue and Kathleen had been put off by other shows' high booth fees and hoops to jump through. So, they decided to have their own. Couldn't beat the $50 application/booth fee. And I dug the fact that they were low key about displays, saying that you could spread a blanket on the ground if you wanted. Besides, they're two young women, so I knew it was going to be a fresh, young show.

Here's my rundown on the day. Hopefully it's useful to other folks - otherwise, entertaining!

The Preparations
Happily, inventory wasn't a problem. I've got loads of product around the place, having opened my online store last Spring. I had a few last things I wanted to make to round out the offerings.

The big thing I got all compulsive and "Brandy" over were the display bowls for the jewelry. That was the big task pre-show. I have 14 colors I use to organize the jewelry on the site. I needed 2 bowls per color, one for bracelets, one for earrings, with the necklaces going on display stands. Besides, the bowls would come in handy with my private trunk shows this fall.

The Personnel
As soon as I saw the call for entries, I asked Alise if she'd help me (wo)man my booth. Thankfully, she said yes. Schlepping stuff to the site is one thing, but being bound to a booth all day is another. If you're going to do a show, try to get a booth mate or two. Folks who aren't shy. It's super nice to have a chance to go use the restroom or get food, but it's also nice to know you've got a right hand there to help. Less overwhelming. In a pinch, you may be able to ask a neighboring vendor to help, but you never know. Feed your booth helpers, give them free stuff. Granted, you could pay them, but you can't guarantee that you'll make money that day, so someone willing to work for stuff or out of friendship is the best! Having done rubber stamp conventions, I know that sometimes show organizers will help you find local folks who'll work for product.

I wore my red pillhead shirt and Alise wore the " I am wearing my smartypants" shirt. We both donned red aprons/belts that held change, receipt books, pens and free pins. Later, friend and fairgoer Dawn was nice enough to help out too! At a certain point of afternoon delirium, they pushed me out of my booth, telling me "go pee!" I did and I skimmed the show a bit.

The Supplies
I had to decide if I was going to invest in all of the show stuff I needed. If I bought the stuff now, it'd be easier to say yes to the shows in the future. Yes, the booth was $50, but I spent about $600 all told. Here's a list of what I needed and used.

• Inventory! Jewelry, rubber stamps, loads of barrettes, other odds and ends. I didn't have enough space in my 10' x 10' booth to hang my art. And while I could have finished other projects/products or made jewelry till the cows came home, I had to say "when" and collect, price and label everything.
• 2 Tables I debated whether to rent or buy. I ended up buying two plastic "blow mold" tables from Wal-Mart. Alise and I stumbled upon them and they were perfect! 30" by 6'. $106 total. They folded in half which meant they fit in Alise's two door car. Strong and sturdy. The only quandary is where to keep them in my tiny apartment. I'll figure it out.
• 1 Tent Thankfully, my friend Jodi lent me her 10'x10' EZ-UP tent! It was this model. It really was easy up! Jodi has 3 walls for her tent. Very useful against rain and wind. We used two of the walls (back and left). I know tents are a big expense, but if you're going to do the show circuit, it really is a given/gotta have. And if you go to shows or farmers markets, you'll notice everyone has the EZ-UPs. They are super. I have been in shows before that dictated that only white tents can be used (more art show than craft show), so that's something to keep in mind if buying.
• Just as the crowds at shows are a crap shoot, so is the weather for outdoor shows. If you're hemming and hawing, just look at your work and think of how well it will hold up in sun, rain and wind. The soap woman near me had problems with the sun. Rain can hurt lots of things. And from experience, wind is good at knocking things over. Tents are great! Walls help a lot, but be careful not to close off traffic flow too much with the walls.
• Vinyl banner I wanted to hang this outside the tent, for passing traffic. But there's nothing to tie it to on top of the EZ-UP canopy. So, we sort of awkwardly hung it between tent and a tree. I ordered a very basic black vinyl logo on white vinyl banner. Easy to clean. High visibility. Will match anywhere.
• Printing banners is relatively cheap. Phyllis Wier, my super and very helpful supplier, says she can get 4 color banners for what 2 colors used to cost. And I've seen a couple of the handsome banners she's had done. Personally, I wanted something very bold and basic. Great to have for the future. Mine was $150.
• Happily, we also had -
• Handmade banner (above right) The vinyl banner was for folks outside, the handmade banner was to let people know where they are inside. I painted loosetooth.com in cursive on pink cotton. I trimmed the edges with wide black double fold bias tape. I sewed 3" black fringe along the bottom. And I made two snazzy red birds to hold up the corners. I liked that it was like those banners that marching bands have, but with a burlesque bent.
• When I would welcome folks to the booth and motion to the banner, I got the feeling that the vast majority of folks were looking down at the tables, not up at the banner. But I still stand by having a banner outside and a banner inside a booth.
• Twine for hanging banners
• Scissors
• Avis Avis Valentine is my mannequin/ model. With our packed car, I left her legs and home and put her on the table. She's a site mascot, so I wanted to bring her to the show for the visual recognition, but she was also very helpful in modeling jewelry. Butshe also spooked folks who'd be looking down and then look up and think she's real.
• I don't think you need a mannequin, unless you do clothing or other wearables and it can act as the centerpiece of your display.
• Black Tablecloths One of my rules of display is skirt the tables. It looks so much cleaner and you can hide your boxes and stuff under the tables. I taped a cheap 99 cent black plastic tablecloth to the top, with it hanging to the ground. I threw my black cotton fabric on top. Both tables covered. Black looks dramatic and finished, but the choice of color is yours. Black looked good with the bowls and bright jewelry.
• 3 chairs Black metal folding chairs: one for Alise, one for me, one as mini table. I taped a garbage bag to the back of the third for trash. We didn't sit much, but it was good to have 'em. Those days can get long. I heard those canvas folding camping chairs are a very comfy option and easy to schlep.
• Duct, Masking & Scotch Tape. The triumvirate that you can't leave home with. Clear packing tape is also useful.
• Bulldog Clips These saved my ass. I clipped the tops of my signs and my birds and could hang them from the structure of the tent. Worked when my duct tape jobs fell down.
• Snacks, Beverages & Cooler I pity da fool that doesn't bring some kind of sustenance, b/c you never know what will be on hand. As it stood, I didn't snack until very late in the day when I was starting to lose verbal skills.
• Aprons I made two sweet, red canvas aprons for Alise and I. They had three pockets for cash, receipt book/pens and 1" buttons. They tied around the waist. No need to have a cash box to worry about and cash was nearby.
• Cash Bring change - plenty of singles, fives and tens. Most folks come to these shows with change, so it's not a huge deal. If someone hands you a big bill, you can ask if they have anything smaller. You don't want to have to hunt down a bank or currency exchange in the middle of a show.
• Calculator I lost a bit of profit, but I included tax in my prices which were all whole numbers. Saved time and strain ringing folks up.
• Receipt Books I like the duplicate copy kind. I don't think anyone wanted their copy, so it was for my records in this case. We just kept a running list of purchases.
• Ball Point Pens and Markers for impromptu signs and writing receipts.
• Paperwork This is the thing nobody wants to hear, but you have to make sure you've got the proper business, tax or vendors permits or numbers. If you're doing business under any other name than your birth name, you need to register a Doing Business As, at least in Illinois . Make sure you are covered for you location. Your organizers should know what's what - especially for out-of-state vendors.
• In Illinois , all the necessary stuff is a bit of paperwork but not too difficult or expensive. A notary or fee here or there. Give yourself enough time, though.
• Garbage bags . Don't assume they'll have them or bins for you - and be sure to clean up your mess!
• Bags for stuff to take their stuff in. Not many folks need one, but it's good to have around. And I always ask first if someone wants one. I bought a 1000 way back and am set for a long time.
• Other packing materials if you have fragile stuff
• Extra price tags
• Mirror for trying on jewelry.
• Radio Don't be a nuisance to your neighbors, but some quiet music in the background can be pleasant and move the day along.
• Mailing List Sign-Up This is the thing I forgot this time around. In my case, it would have been an email newsletter list.
• Display Stuff This all depends on your products. For me this was the bowls and displays for the jewelry, a few platters for odds and ends and a big plastic bins for my clearance stamps.
• Giveaways This could be cards, postcards, brochures. Bring loads. Make sure that everyone who buys from you gets something that tells them who you are and how to contact you. Don't be shy about sharing this stuff. I chose to hand out 500 1" pins with pillhead and my logo around the edges. Busy Beaver did a great job, as always. I got them made in 5 colors, and most folks got to choose what color. We gave almost all of them away. Many, many folks put theirs on (nice "word" of mouth). In the whole day, only one person took all of them when offered a handful of options. Only a few people were leery and had to be encouraged and told they were free. Every so often someone refused. I think they were a big hit. And I hope the vast majority of them get worn or help folks remember to check out the site - rather than being thrown away or relegated to a junk drawer.
• For that last point, I recommend something small, concise, memorable but cheap. I don't like to see lots of wasted paper or resources. The 1" pins were the right choice for me.

The Display
Like I said above, I had a 10'x10' tent with two walls. You can see the layout to the right.

I set the two table up in an L, one arm along the left wall, one arm parallel to the back wall with enough space behind it to sit behind. They were safely within the tent's walls and I easily filled all of the tabletops.

I put the clearance stamps at closest to where folks enter, with a big, obvious sign. That worked really well. My friend Dawn says that this follows her Uncle's garage sale advice - always have a nickel bin. In this case the mounted stamps were $2 each and the unmounted stamps were $1. I sold about a third of my total supply, which had just been sitting in my closet, too futzy to inventory and put in the online store. I cleared out a bunch of stamps and bunch of folks got great, cheap stamps. I think the price was cheap enough that folks didn't have to deliberate over their purchase - they just bought 'em.

The jewelry was organized by color in the bowls I decorated for that purpose. The biggest hit was the bowls that I wasn't selling. So, I'm making some to sell in the next show.

  The Advice
Forgive me if this is obvious stuff, but I think it's worth saying:

• Make sure your tent/tables/display faces the crowds and is easy to be drawn into.
• Lure folks in with free stuff.
• Lure folks in with cheap stuff.
• Have your area well labeled.
• Have all prices clearly marked. The one thing not clearly marked were my barrettes. They were marked, but had to be picked up and turned over. I was asked about their prices all day.
• Be visible. Don't hide.
• Be friendly, but not pushy. Encourage folks to ask questions and then leave them to browse.
• Keep your eyes and ears open for browsers' comments and reactions to your work. It's info rmation you don't often get.
• Enjoy yourself!

The Day
9:30 We arrived. We had 90 minutes to set up. I was surprised by the numbers of people already set up and waiting.
Alise and I entertained a handful of men waiting for the bus watching us try to get the EZ-UP tent out of Alise's car through the sun roof! It was comedic with her pulling from the outside, and me pushing from the inside.
11:00 The show starts. Quiet beginning with plenty of folks on their walk in Wicker Park surprised by the show.
11:15 Get my display all set up.
1:00 Crowds pick up. Folks are starting to buy, but until 1:00 all I had sold were clearance stamps. While, I was happy to sell them, it not big sale numbers at $1-2 each.
3:00 I am pushed out of the booth by Alise and Dawn, with instruction to go pee and look around. Annie C. and I wandered a bit. I got to survey the land, not comb it. Quickly met a few really cool vendors and bought the stuff to the right. I was impressed with the resourcefulness of some of the displays. Also saw some very dour sellers, who's demeanor didn't draw me closer to their goods.
4:00 I hit the wall. Not enough food and too many allergies and I was having troubles forming sentences. Dawn made me eat cookies.
The booth is pretty much filled all afternoon. Sales seemed good. A few friends said that my booth had comparably good traffic. That's nice to hear.
Met many lovely folks, very few of the inevitable oddballs. It was very neat to meet folks who were already a fan of Loosetooth.com!
5:00 Time to close up shop. The crowd was definitely thinning out. Took Alise and I maybe 20 minutes to close up shop.
5:30 In the car I counted the cash and compared it to the expenses. Basically, I broke even, given all the stuff I bought for the show. This bummed me out a little, after all of the work and despite my mantra of "Today is about marketing the site, not sales...Today is about marketing the site, not sales..."
6: 00ish Get home and get the stuff back in my apartment. I curl up in blankets and blow my nose.
7:00 I take a not-so-hot shower. I curse the plumbing in the building.
8:00 I order a seafood combo to be delivered
9:00 Eat dinner and then promptly have an allergic reaction to one of the seafoods. Take mega Benedryl
10:30 Fall asleep buzzed on Benedryl and thoroughly pooped out.

Epilogue
All in all a great day. Great crowd. Sales were good - not bad, not fantastic. I was happy that the free pins were generally well-received and that a bunch of stamps sold. Slightly bummed about just breaking even cash-wise, but looking forward to putting the investment in supplies into more shows.
I think I'll do the show again next year.

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You can find Brandy Agerbeck and her fantastic wares at loosetooth.com.