http://fredericadixonjewelry.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/craft-fairs-how-to.html
The blog post consolidated all the research I had done before I embarked upon my first craft fair.
After writing I attended two different craft fairs in Surrey, one in Oxted and one in Teddington.
The pictures in this blog are from my stand at the fair in Oxted (any comments on your thoughts much appreciated!)
So having written a blog post on craft fairs prior to actually having done any (!) I thought I would do a follow up post on how I got on.
Its safe to say that my experience was mixed! I'll start with my first impressions of each. Oxted was the first fair I did. It was in a room above a local library off the main road. The room was incredibly small, slightly larger than my small sitting room, and there were only 8 stalls maximum. Just from walking in, with no experience of any craft fairs at all, I really wasn't sure. The fair in Teddington was much larger, in a place called Elleray Hall, probably with about 30 stalls. There was a woman running around allocating people tables, getting people coffees and handing out Christmas hats. This fair also had its own website, which the first one hadn't. First impressions of this fair were actually really quite good - I had a good feeling.
Well, first impressions aren't always right. The fair in Oxted got natural footfall from the library beneath it, and whilst it was a little bit off the main road, as was the Teddington fair, there was a big sign on the turning to the road and a few others on the high street. The woman running it had also advertised it in several other ways in the run up to the fair. There was consequently a steady stream of people for most of the day, with a bit of a lull for lunch and the end time had been judged well. I sold enough to make a small profit after taking into account stall fee, all the bits and pieces I bought to decorate my stall, and the materials used to make my jewellery. I also handed out about 50 flyers with my Etsy store address as well as my social links with a discount code.
The Teddington fair did not run as well. It was also off the main road however there was no sign post telling people it was on. Moreover it did not appear that the woman running the fair had done anything much to promote it, other having a website which could do with updating. A slight trickle of people came in through out the day, but if I was to average it out I would guess and 1 person per 20 minutes. Whilst I was the only jewellery seller at the first fair, I was one of about four at this one too and because I was towards the back, anyone coming in would see all the other jewellery sellers first. I did make some sales, but only enough to cover half the stall fee so I came out worse than I came in. I wasn't the only one to feel this way and several other stall owners, complete strangers, came over to introduce themselves and to complain.
The main obstacle I came up against when I decided to do some Christmas craft fairs was time. I had decided to do it too late. The best craft fairs get booked up months in advance (in fact the Oxted one I got because someone else had dropped out) so my main advice would be to think ahead. Secondly, in-line with the above, make sure you check out websites and don't be too shy to ask how they advertise themselves before you book - this could save you valuable time and money.
Based on this I have decided to try again this year, but with a bit more forethought! I have booked myself into three fairs, ahead of time, which (fingers crossed) look good and I will report back again.
The fairs I am going to be at are:
I Made This - Crafts & Food Fair - February 15th
10am - 4pm
Ripley Village Hall
High Street Ripley
Portsmouth Road
GU23 6AF
www.ripleynurseries.co.uk/crafts-and-food-fair
Tattenhams Indoor Market - May 3rd
10am - 2pm
The United Church of St Mark
St Marks Road
Epsom Downs
KT18 5RD
Shopfest Market - May 18th
11am - 4pm
Denbies Wine Estate
London Road
Dorking
RH5 6AA
www.shopfest.co.uk
Frederica Dixon
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/FredericaDixon
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