Time to get a franchise to sell cheap junk

[Former_Member]

The stuff that people flock to buy at craft fairs ... I'm so discouraged. Today I had a Tupperware seller on one side of me (actually, I know that's good stuff) and a soap person on the other. Men, women AND CHILDREN couldn't get enough of these things. I. Am. Baffled. Tupperware? Men? Really??? Apparently my sense of what's popular is completely off kilter.

Me, I had my OOAK purses plus pet pillow and beanbags. Barely got a look, even from children with my children's things front and center.

Someone making garish um, "art", with Chinese characters and pictures of trees and rainbows, plus (no doubt unlicensed) Barney images was doing just fine. Cheap puppets for $10 (no doubt made somewhere outside this country by children earning 10 cents an hour) were selling like hotcakes.

Mary Kay. Scentsy.

Yup, handcrafts are useless. There must be a jewelry/plastic change purse/keyring franchise available around here ... I'm sure some children in India make the products during 20-hour workdays ...

/ Rant.

[Former_Member]

I know how you feel! Time to cross that venue off the list! My (beginner) advice, do juried shows where you have to basically "apply" to get in. They control what's allowed and they're usually very good about only allowing handcrafted work. No scentsy, no mary kay, no lindt chocolates (although chocolate's nice when you're having a bad day).

I did a show last year (my first one ever) that was a bust but I figured it would be because I know that people in my community are poor and generally can't afford to spend lots on their kid's clothing/accessories. I just told myself, "it's a chance to see what this whole craft fair thing is like and to learn something." Good luck on the next one!

[Former_Member]

I know I have been discouraged when traveling. I stop at local stores to see the local artisan's ware for gift to take home, only to see cheap, crappy items from China passed off as such. A crying shame!

[CapeCodArtnNature]

well, there is a reason why discount retailers do so well ;-)

but don't despair, high end shops do very well, too....you just have to find the right audience--the people who aren't buying junk ;-)

we were in England and Scotland recently and we bought only local handmade gifts and items to bring home--and it was really, really hard to find them in many places--there is junk everywhere....cheap junk....but when you find the real deal, it is awesome--and we did find many wonderful artists and craftspeople in our travels.

don't give up but don't be surprised that the common denominator of taste isn't very high or very demanding ;-)

[TeaTimeWithJane]

Was is a juried craft fair or a craft fair and flea market? In my experience it is not worth bothering with flea markets b/c people are looking for bargains at flea markets. Even if a craft fair isn't juried, it attracts a completely different crowd than a flea market. Just my $0.02

[TanahsJewelry]

I hear this all the time. A friend of mine had the same experience a few years ago. She said she would never do it again, but it was a learning experience. You just have to find the right one like Patricia said. Juried.

[Former_Member]

Sounds to me like you need to research your shows better.
Before you register ask if this show allow re sellers and home based businesses or just hand crafted items.

It can make a world of difference in your results from your efforts doing shows

And all the hand made soap people I have ever been near do great. Personally, I like liquid soap that doesn't have a lingering sent

[Former_Member]

Some craft fairs allow both handmade and vendors like Avon, Tupperware, etc. Some only allow handcrafted items. Research and ask questions before signing on to do one. My daughter and I have done the same craft fair for the past three falls. Each year the traffic to our table has gotten worse for the same reasons you mentioned. The buyers came for the Tastefully Simple and all that home party/catalog stuff. The only sales we made were to other vendors. This year I'm going to look for handmade only craft fairs. I don't want to compete with catalog vendors.

[Former_Member]

It was a show aimed at kids, usually has high traffic (I'd been with my kids un the past as a buyer, so I knew it was a good bet), but it was pouring rain this morning. Still, the few people who showed up even in the downpour just couldn't stay away from Tupperware. There I am with kids' items, and the kids were enthralled by ... Tupperware. That Hello Kitty lunchbox killed me.

Guess I'll just have to wait another year, so I can personally research all the regular shows. Of course by that time, I'll be living in my car, so who knows.

[Former_Member]

I'm in Texas, and handmade is usually not popular anywhere :/ Our family may be moving to Oregon in about a year...can't wait. I'm from Washington originally, and handmade is huge up there!

[Former_Member]

I agree with what others have said: try to find a fair that is strictly OOAK handmade/handcrafted. You'll see a big difference in the clientele.

Plus Tupperware is NOT cheap these days. So the pricing is not the issue, it's who comes out to find Tupperware, Mary Kay, Avon..etc. etc. much different than those looking for something truly artful and unique.

[Former_Member]

Mary Van Doren from CleverRuthie says

it was pouring rain this morning.

After all the nice weekends we've had we've gotten spoiled! It poured here too. (I'm in Mass.)

[Former_Member]

Yeah, Judy, I swear it's my personal bad luck. I'm signed up for an indoor event next Friday ... let's see, what bad luck will I get there? Localized meteor strike? Power outage? >:-(

[hautecards]

So I will put in my 2 cents about the classification, but the other way around... my stuff is not "handmade" or "true art" according to art juried craft shows.. but I also don't think that my cards classify in flea market category...

What to do? I do specialty shows here and there, but those are very few. (they are called indie shows, where it actually matters that you are a small business with a talent rather than just exclusively, handmade.. they even accept supplies and vintage too.)

To the OP: In your case, you will find your crowd in juried art shows, those are the ones that get full of people that appreciate handmade or artistic taste.

Also, try to get a feel of the crowds by researching shows in major cities, or even some that have some legacy to them--- they might be a little bit pricier than a small venue, but it would be worth the crowd and they might be even do it for a couple of days, which gives you the best profit.

[hautecards]

Here's a list of shows coming up for your area:

http://festivalnet.com/fairs_and_festivals/index.php?action=view_records&db=subs&Sidelined=no&Delete...



Anybody else, can go an put their zip code in and give you information about your city or close to it.

Don't pay to see the details, once you see the mane of the festival, just Google it and most likely you will find the details or a contact number for free :)

[Former_Member]

Maybe that's just the wrong show for you. Almost sounds like you were at a flea market :S
We have a huge craft fair here that is full of... uh. Yardsale stuff it seems. I'm thinking that I may have to do some traveling to make a show worth it.

[Former_Member]

As much as I love Etsy, crafting, and the idea of buying handmade goods, I guess I'm just wondering if it's the wrong path. I don't seem to "get" what products people want. Cheap mass-manufactured junk sure does seem popular. I mean, I was laid off from my job as a marketing writer 15 months ago and can't get so much as a nibble for a new job, so I need to so SOMETHING that succeeds, if only because of my ego. (Not to mention that I'm flat broke and getting broker.)

Don't mind me, I'm just rambling. Again. :-P

[aliciawatkins]

FYI, for everyone reading this thread and wanting to know more, for craft fair advice, I've found the team "Craft Fairs...It's a Living!" to be ABSOLUTELY the most valuable source of advice I've had.

Etsy Success is also awesome, but that's just a concentrated version of the craft fair awesomeness you can find here.

Also, who knows why some craft fairs don't work? I don't. I did my first one last month, don't have any new ones in view (the other options are all too pricey for booth fees), but I experienced exactly what I thought I would: most people didn't "get" my stuff.

But a few did, and those people went from item to item laughing and chatting with me and bought multiple things. We were clearly kindred spirits. That's the advantage and relative disadvantage of having a niche item. And for me, that's why online is so awesome, because you don't have to rely on those people who "get" your stuff to be living nearby.

I hope you find your audience, Mary!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Alicia, and I LOVE your stuff! I see you're not too far from me in CT, too.

Well, I'm already signed up for one more that's this Friday night (in Bethel, CT, at a ritzy function hall), and then I may give up. This one is a "women's night out" that's aimed at moms, hopefully moms who have disposable income. I thought about it all night and decided to leave home all the kid stuff, though, in hopes that a more cohesive booth might work better. Just take stuff for women, since it's supposed to be mom's night out!

Thanks all. I always get all self-examinatory after a failed craft show. *sigh*

[Former_Member]

I know what you mean, the "consultant type" stands creep into most local shows I do in my area. At the show I did yesterday I had a jewelry co. consultant come over and rave about my stuff and we discussed a custom order for her :) Made me feel a little better!

[Former_Member]

Wow, Tessa, that's pretty cool! She must not like her own stuff much, LOL!