Stall holders

[Seahorse]

How many of you have a stall at craft fairs?

How long have you been doing them?

How long does the day usually last?

Do you find you get alot of trade and feedback from people?

[flowerpower]

stalls

hiya
i do 2 markets in the week, am there at 7 am finishing between 4-5 average rent is £18, ive been doing them for 2 years. i also try my best to do craft fairs/events at the weekend starting around 9 finishing 3ish, larger events tend to be 9 till 9 or till you cant see no more! failing that i do another market, though i do alot better at craft fairs (when i can find them)
with doing the markets i get alot of feedback from my goods and people do tend to tell there friends, i make my own aromatherapy products. i tend to put up a sign telling people where am going to be through the week at the markets or the next fair.
i hope this helps and enjoy your stalls :lol:

[pauline]

craft fairs

can anyone give me any hints and tips on a stall at a craft fair. i've got one in torquay at the end of july and never done one before. what do i need to put on the table? what else do i need to take.

[ckmw]

Totally clueless

Whilst I love going to craft fairs I have never been a stallholder at one, but I might be doing that soon as my two aunts have been bitten by the beading bug and are churning out the pieces!! They don't seem to do too well on Ebay etc so I'm now thinking of setting up a stall at one of our local craft fairs.....any suggestions/pitfalls/advice would be most welcome!

Cxx

[amjewellery]

I did my first fair in April and you will soon get into the swing of things.

Most fairs require you to have a tablecloth and this looks best if you have a large one that reaches the floor (so you don't see all the clutter under the table!). I bought two lengths of heavy weight material (that doesn't crease) and my friend sewed this together for me.

One thing I realised at my first fair was that I needed height in my display. I make jewellery and as I had everything at table height people had to crouch down to see it. I have since got 2 cardboard boxes and draped material matching my tablecloth over to make a raised display.

Other things that come to mind are:

Find out where you can unload and park - you don't want to be carrying your stock for miles.

Bring plenty of change in your float. A money belt/bumbag comes in handy if you have to nip to the toilet and don't want to leave a cash box lying around!

Bring some food and drink unless you are sure there will be catering.

Bring something to read for the quiet times!

If you can demonstrate your craft then this tends to generate a bit of excitement round the stall.

Chat to other stall holders, as this is a great way to find out about other fairs and get extra tips on selling.

Overall I have found craft fairs a bit hit and miss - some deadly quiet others very busy. But I will keep going until the end of the year and then assess which I would like to go to next year.

Hope this helps!

Best wishes

Avril

[liz15a]

I've done a couple this year aswell and have loads more booked.

Other stall holders commented on how good my stall looked (which was nice) - I believe this was down to having height and a variety of display equipment. Theres a photo on my website if anyone is interested (links below). Invest in a couple of good display pieces and you cant go wrong. It may not help sales but it will generate more interest.

I would say dont forget to smile, try to stand up rather than sit down when people are at your stall so you look like you're interested without pressurising them.

Have some sort of bags for wrapping sale items, and a decent float, oh and if you have lots of items like I do, a calculator!!!

If poss, plan your stall out at home a week or two first (of course it depends what youre selling), making sure you know the table size and if everything will fit - its no good on the day because you wont have time!

I was really nervous before my first stall but really didnt need to be - its good fun if you like dealing with the public.

Hope this all helps a bit. Good Luck!!

[Seahorse]

Thanks for the info .I had a look at your site.

Re your metal charms.Im after the 3d solid charms not sheet metal flat charms.I can never be sure from pictures.Could you roughly let me know which of your charms are the chunky ones, preferably with loops.

Also Im after boxes, 15x15x6cm*** you recomend any sites.

Thanks

[SteveG]

Craft fair newbie

We are concidering settings up stalls as various craft fairs to sell craft bits and bobs and demonstrate techniques. As an initial query to you pros, do you have specific insurance for accidents etc ? or is this taken care of by the organisers ? I have heard mention of liability insurance in the past as we are an operating craft business.

Any ideas ?

[bigbird842]

Craft fairs and public liability insurance

Hi all you crafters

I have been selling at craft fairs for several years now and love it. Some are good some are bad, just keep a diary of your takings at each event to decide weather to go back or not. Cover your table. Keep your display simple and uncluttered. Height and lighting are a great help to show off your goods to a good advantage.

Now most craft fair organisers with any sense will require you to have Public Liability insurance. This covers you in the event of someone being injured by your stall, equipment or products.

I know this sounds scary but don't be put off I pay £46 a year for £5,000,000 worth of cover the company I use is C.M.T.I.A which is combined market traders insurance association.

Hope this helps.

Teresa

PS I will be at Rufford Country Park craft and gift fair 8/9th sept.

[jakwyn]

Hi Everyone

I have done around 6 craft fayres now and I also do quite a few wedding fayres (but this depends what you are selling). I always have a couple of spare paste tables in the boot of my car as although most of the fayres I have been to say they supply tables they do not always have enough and you can always make your display bigger by using your own tables.

Have a nice cloth and try to make your stand, stand out to attract people over to it, I use a gold swag across the front of mine and put some bright silk flowers when the swag joins the table.

I have found some of the craft fayres to be good and some not, I have recently started doing school ones and they have been really good as people tend to want to support the schools and also charity fayres where you give a % of your takings to the chosen charity.

The Wedding Fayres are good for follow up business but don't expect to sell anything on the day most people are just looking for ideas and are not looking to purchase.

I also strongly agree with the comments about finding out where the car park is, some of them you have to walk a long way with a lot of boxes.

The biggest problem I am having is finding the fairs to do in the first place.

Julie-Ann
x

[suzanne.humphries]

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know of an opportunity for stall holders in Cheshire. On 29th November the NeuroMuscular Centre (NMC) is holding a Christmas Fair in Nantwich Civic Hall. It will be a wonderful opportunity to sell your products in the run up to Christmas, and we hope that such a central location will attract lots of enthusiastic customers! The event will be open to the public from 10am until 4pm and the venue will be open for stall holders to set up from 8am onwards.

If you would like a stall at this event, prices are £35 for two 6ft tables and £20 for one 6ft table. This is a non-returnable deposit payable by cheque, although we can transfer the payment to another event if you have to cancel. We also ask that you donate a small prize for the raffle.

The NMC (reg. 1023606), based in Winsford, Cheshire, is a charity which supports people with muscular dystrophy (md) and other neuromuscular conditions. The centre provides excellent physiotherapy facilities and IT training courses for those who have md and enables people to have more fulfilling and productive lives.

If you are interested in holding a stall please do not hesitate to contact our events manager, Leanne on 01606 861733 or [email protected].

Hope this is of some interest!
Suzanne

[Daesul]

Most of the craft fairs I go to seem to start around 9am or 10am and finish around 4pm. Of course, I have to get there an hour before to set up and it takes almost an hour to pack up again, so it is a full day.

As regards the previous mention of insurance, some craft fairs require it, others provide it. I too am insured with CMTIA.

All the other advice above - ditto!