Local Craft Show Reviews

[Former_Member]

Hi everyone - this is a great group, thanks for starting it. I tried pulling something like this together last year before we had these Team Discussions on yahoo groups, so I'm excited to see this!

It's awesome to see so many shows in the area for the Holiday Season, but from past experience, it's not always good to apply for a show you don't know anything about.

So, I thought we could start a thread just about your experience either as a vendor or a shopper at any show you've attended. This way, people have a better idea about a show when making the decision to apply.

Items to include in your show description: type of shopper, overall traffic flow, overall vendor type (all craft vs resalers), description of venue, show organization, etc etc.

[Former_Member]

I'll start: Vienna Women's Club Holiday Bazaar in Vienna, VA

I did this show 2 years ago. Traffic was steady eventhough there was another show going on across the street. I was a little disappointed in the organization of the show and thought the space was too crowded.

It was not a high end crafters show, there were all sorts of vendors which could be tricky because shows like that tend to get shoppers looking for a deal or not willing to pay the price for handmade crafts.

I don't think there was an admissions fee for shoppers.

Location was great - seemed to be a well known show and well known community center with a trail right next to it, so lots of runners and bikers passing by.

I didn't do that bad and definitely made a profit but probably won't show there again because I did not like the wide range of work quality of the vendors.

I do think it's a good show for first timers.

[Former_Member]

So sad that no one ever really responded to this thread. I would like to see more show reviews!!!

[AtelierLaVieEstBelle]

This is a copy of an email I sent to the planner of the Manassas Park Fall Festival, after participating in their October 2015 event.

"First off, I'd like to thank you for all the hard work you did to put this event together, and for allowing me to be a part of it. This was my first craft fair, so I have nothing to compare it to, but here is my take on the day.

I am one of the many folks who assumed that this event was indoors. Although the application said "parking lot", I quickly forgot about this, probably because the main photo that was repeatedly used showed an indoor market. This is what stuck in my mind. Two days before the event, when we got the information about assigned spots, I then realized that this was an outdoor event.

Although you couldn't control the weather, part of my issue was that my spot was on a slope, so the hall tree that I used to display my bags kept blowing over. Unfortunately it is now dented and scratched.

My biggest disappointment was that there were so few customers. I am wondering how much advertising was done. When I did a Google search for information on the festival, the only result was the Facebook page. I wouldn't expect an advertisement in the Washington Post, as I am aware that you were working with a budget, but certainly there needed to be more publicity. The photo below, taken in the early afternoon, shows the lack of customers."

Hope this helps.

[Former_Member]

I recently did the Garrett Park holiday event. They've done it 50 years, but past few years really seems traffic is down and my sales, which used to be good, weren't worth my time this year. Fewer vendors and fairly steep sponsor cut. Clearly less advertsing than a few years back.
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Would like to see more self reviews as well, good or not so good.

[SplendidCargo]

I started doing craft fairs this fall, and my first one was at St. Joseph's church in Herndon, VA last October. It is a small show with less than 50 vendors, and they have been doing this for many years.

Pros:
Nice, indoor venue with plenty of light
Well organized event with free coffee and donuts in the morning
You can borrow free carts when setting up
Coffee and food available for purchase via food truck vendor
Affluent area
Vendors don't have a separate (usually further out) parking area

Cons:
Electricity is not free and in limited supply
Small show
Customers primarily limited to St. Joseph parishioners
This show is usually scheduled on Halloween weekend

I greatly enjoyed this show and did better than expected for a first-timer despite selling jewelry. I noticed that the vendors selling home decor (with primitive/country style) and personalized items did VERY well. Crowd was pretty good and comprised primarily of families and folks over 65. I plan on coming back next year but will diversify my product line to include ornaments and other items that cater more to families.

[WildHibiscusJewelry]

Hi Mike - I did the Garrett Park show two years ago and I haven't done it again since. The idea of not having to be there is nice BUT on the other hand, you aren't there to fill in those empty displays (jewelry busts in my case) when someone buys something. It took almost a MONTH for them to send us our net sales checks and lots of vendors were pretty mad about it - I only made a paltry $70 net (after their steep 25% fee) so it wasn't worth it for me.

[kivasladedesigns]

I recently did the St. Mary's of the Assumption School show on 12/3 in Upper Marlboro, MD. It was well organized and had a lot of foot traffic. There were two options - $50 for the gym and $35 for the hallway (chairs were provided, bring your own tables and could request to be near electricity). The hallway was the route from the gym to the food so many people did travel that way. The organizers gave a free drink coupon and $1 discount on lunch and kids from the school would take your order and bring your food if you were by yourself. Also, they had people who could man your booth if you needed to step away.

The shoppers were there to shop and had cash. I didn't use my square at all. Being that I am coming off of a long hiatus, I did the hallway option and did well. I do think they could have led more people to the hallway because if they weren't hungry then they didn't leave the gym. So a map or something might've been helpful because, at the end, there was a woman who came by and said she didn't know there were more vendors in the hallway.

Overall, I think it was a good show and I would consider doing it again next year.

I also did one at Huntingtown High School on 11/19 and the fee was $35 and included a table and 2 chairs. The atmosphere was different and while I did recoup my table fee and made a profit, the shoppers were more lookers and were older in age.

[Former_Member]

Oh! What a great thread!

In Fall/Winter 2016 I did two craft fairs:

On 10/29 I participated in the Providence Presbyterian Craft Show in Fairfax. This was the first year they held the show and attendance was low. It was a small event, low key. Table fees were $20. I made a few sales, but I only broke even.

On 12/3 I participated in the the Gifts from the HeART shopping event in Reston. It was a $10 table fee, and most vendors donated 10% of sales. This event was also on the small side, but had enough traffic to make it worth while.

[Former_Member]

This is a great thread!

I have had a mixed bag show-wise this year. I got into a really prestigious show that turned out to be a bust and then a couple of really good ones and some other not so great ones. I have been told it has to do with the election, so perhaps I should give the shows another chance.

My best shows this year were the Kingman Island Bluegrass and Folk Festival in DC (April) and the St. Jane Di Chantal Christmas Bazaar in Bethesda MD (November).

Kingman Pluses:

Help transporting booth set-up (outdoor in a field with no car access)
Good, steady foot traffic
Good advertising b/c of folk festival
Alcohol in the mix, which always helps sales

Kingman Minuses:

High booth fee ($250)
Outdoors (it got chilly)
Long line for restrooms
Alot of lookers wanting something for nothing, although I did several big sales.

St Jane Pluses:

Help carrying heavy booth items
Nice show staff
Steady foot traffic
High income area
Buyers driven to support the church (15% of sales go to church)

St Jane Minuses:

Booth fee and 15% of sales (I did not raise my prices to cover the 15%; others did)
Foot traffic could have been heavier
Limited advertising

I got into Art@ the Park in Annapolis, MD, which was a fairly prestigious, higher end show, juried and was disappointed by sales and foot traffic. The booth fee was $200 for 2 days and all of the vendors complained about slow sales.

I attended the spring and Christmas shows at Gar-field High School in Woodbridge, VA, but will not do those again. Foot traffic and advertising were lousy and the clientele are not really suited to my aesthetic.