Monday, December 4, 2017

Light at the end of the tunnel

Well, my first year of craft fairs and shows is coming to an end.  One show left!!  December 9th, I will be at the Framingham Aux Police Craft Fair at Keefe Tech in Framingham MA.





I participated in many shows this season and learned quite a bit.  With my craft, hooded towels and embroidered items, I have a certain target audience for my main items.  I believe my items are  appealing to parents with younger children or grandparents.

Next year I will be more selective on the shows that I attend.  This year there was a huge learning curve, some shows were great,  a couple (one in particular) were very bad. 

The cost to participate in a show varies a great deal.  I was involved in the Bellingham Harvest Festival, over 200 vendors, that was FREE!  I also did 5 or 6 events down on Cape Cod that ran me $250 - $350 for the weekend.  School PTO events ran between $25 and $55.  The Franklin Newcomers cost me $85.  These costs figure into your break even point.  Some events, all I need to do is sell one single hooded towel and the rest is profit.  Some events I don't start making any money until I sell 15-20 hooded towels!!

I will share more on my experiences after my season has ended and I have time to sit and evaluate the whole picture.