newbie to fairs!!

[loopylou]

Hi everyone i am new to this site and i did my first craft fair yesterday!! all i can say is it needed better organising!!!(the fair that is!!) My mums church did a craft fair and i had a joint stall with my sister i do jewellery and she does cards. Their were 5 card stalls in all and 3 jewellery, so earnings were not high. However it gave me some insightful experience and i got good feedback. I have trawled all the directories for local craft fairs and i just dont seem to see any near me without having to travel miles!!! I live in Heysham in Morecambe and dont seem to get any in morecambe lancaster area and others close to home i have a disabled son and finding care and trying to do the stalll is hard, and the one i did yesterday which is organised by my mums church is only once a year, people seemed reluctant to part with their money and wanted low quality cheap jewellery, i scream with exasperation!! i try to give a good price with quality but my quality pieces just did not sell at all, and i mainly sold earings, necklaces and magnetic hematite. Still as i said it gave me experience, any comments would be appreciated as well as hints and tips.
TTFN
Lou

[JBJB]

Have a look at this thread

http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5874

The person who started it seems to be a very clever person - one might even say a genius !!

[Nicki]

Don't know whether this is too far for you but there is a fair in Penrith Leisure Centre 11th & 12th August. I know it is still quite a way from you but just thought I would let you know. You can do both days or just one. The guy organising it's email is Peter McCreedy-May [email protected]

Nicki

[BeadsbyLili]

Have a look at this thread

http://www.craftsforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5874

The person who started it seems to be a very clever person - one might even say a genius !!

Indeed - tis a very good thread started by a very experienced crafter and worth reading all through !

[Funkyhand]

Hello Lou,
I can't give you any advice about craft fairs but I can say to the forum! I hope you can join in often, it's a friendly place.
Anice xx

[michelleC]

A very warm welcome.
Sorry to hear that your first fair was not organized well. Don't give up there are some good ones out there!

[beadsbydesign]

One of the things to ask when you are approached to attend a craft fair or when you make enquiries about attending a fair is:
What stalls have you already got booked?
What proportion of stalls will be selling the same product?
We've all attended shows where the number of people selling the same stuff is huge. I once attended a show where of 28 stalls, 8 were jewellery and 6 were cards. It's bad organisation. Unfair to the stall holders and also unfair to the public as they get a very negative vibe about craft fairs.
It is worth walking away from events where it seems that there is no control over numbers etc.