Craft Fair Jitters

It’s been a few years since my first official craft fair, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Three weeks of my life were consumed with the layout of this 10 foot space I would inhabit for one day. Should I bring a tree, or a dresser, how many shelves do I need, what about tablecloth colors and bags, and lets not forget the most important question….what do I wear? I sat on the floor armed with a dry erase board and made a list of 50 different items I could create to take with me, and I slowly weeded things out and changed my game plan to focus on 2 products that had been hot sellers for me this season. Some People Are Worth Melting For ornaments and Santa-tizers. A week of sleeping 4 hours a night paid off and I was all boxed up and prepared for the trip to Dallas.  I was determined to not mess up, and hopeful that I would sell all 100 items I had prepared for the big day. Joined with my 2 best friends, we set up like giddy school girls, and eyed our competition. Side note-vendor craft shows can quickly turn into an episode of Mean Girls, as all of the sleep deprived creative hopefuls see your merchandise as giant barricades of awesomeness that may very well prevent the future purchases on a creative entrepreneurs wishlist. Things like glitter, and washi tape, and trips to Disney World add up quick! The Scentsy lady down the hall was stressing because she had no power, and a beautiful display of shabby chic farmhouse decor had all of us jaw dropping, secretly wanting to be her! The moments before the doors opened and the first rush of customers came in was the absolute worst! I began to rethink my display, and my strategy, and even my outfit! The only thing keeping me grounded was the “cha ching” noise of my Etsy shop lighting up my phone. The huge rush of customers we had anticipated never showed, and I actually sold more on my Etsy Shop that day https://www.etsy.com/shop/WhimsyWillowCreation?ref=shop_sugg than I did at the craft fair. The other vendors, who I had prematurely labeled “the enemy”, became customers and friends. We all laughed together at the effort we had put in for such a low turn out, as we chowed down on the appetizers that were supposed to be for customers. It was a great learning experience, and I’m excited to be back in the groove and signed up for my first craft show in Katy, TX! It’s going to be a blast, and I hope to see you there!