The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Food & crafts => Crafts => Topic started by: Louise Gaunt on November 16, 2013, 08:16:15 am
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Hi, I am nervously trying to drink my tea before setting off for my first craft fayre! I am taking hand made jewellery and knitted hats, scarves and gloves. I am feeling excited and hugely nervous, in case people don't like my things! I will let you know later how I got on!
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oh wow! Loads of good luck to you. Please let us know how it went. I am going to be doing my first fayre on the 30th nov and I feel exactly the same - what if no one likes my stuff!! I'm sure you'll do fine. :thumbsup:
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Good luck Louise and Clarebelle when the time comes :thumbsup:
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Good luck :hshoe: it's a great time to try it out, should be lots of people looking for Xmas gifts :fc:
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Good luck.....the type of stall that gets lots of attention at craft fayres!! Hope you sell out!
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:fc: Good luck Louise.
I was asked to do one the other week by the organisers. Didn't have much ready to sell but it was only a tiny local one so gave it a go. Really enjoyed it. Weren't many customers there but did sell some things and had a great time meeting people and seeing what they did.
Thinking of doing some more next year. Was asked if I'd go to a couple of local Christmas ones but haven't had time to do much crafting as looking after neighbours farm at the moment.
Really interested to know how you do and any tips. Some people have told me that stuff doesn't sell and they only sell over the net now. :-\
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I hope it all goes well and that your sales are encouraging, but don't be too disappointed if your first attempt doesn't go as well as you hope. :fc: it does though :hshoe:
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Hi all. I survived! It was actually good fun, lots of encouragement from other stahl holders, plenty of people through the door but everyone found selling a bit slow. However, I did sell some jewellery and knitted things and covered today's costs and made a bit if profit, so I think I will do this again! I am also planning a website, called accessories etc, but this won't be up and running until the New Year. Good luck to all other crafters, get out there and sell yourselves!
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Well done, Louise. :thumbsup:
Went to a craft fair today and knew a few stallholders who were there. They all said much the same ..... lots of people but slow sales.
Have you thought about popping some of your stuff on the Craft/Gifts for sale section on TAS?
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I shall have a look. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Another option might be MISI (make it sell it?) for the quiet in between fairs times?
Great that it went well-ish today for you, onwards and upwards!
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I bet it was fun, :thumbsup: I love car boot selling but not done any for years, I do not buy much due to lack of funds but do put stuff on here...I love crafted stuff
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Glad to hear you had a fun day :thumbsup: look forward to seeing your website afloat :sunshine:
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That's interesting. I am organising a small craft fair for 7th December and I'm wondering how it will go. Rather than a set fee, we are charging 10% of sales up to £20 to go to the church whose building we are using.
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Well done :thumbsup:
I never have time to make enough of anything to set up a stall. I would love to do it tho
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I just hope I do have enough stuff. I'm knitting and weaving like crazy. At least it keeps me off the computer, which is where I tend to spend most of my day.
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That's interesting. I am organising a small craft fair for 7th December and I'm wondering how it will go. Rather than a set fee, we are charging 10% of sales up to £20 to go to the church whose building we are using.
I would prefer to pay in that way. I am often spinning ar shows where I know there is little chance of selling thigs. Some are nice and let me off free as they know I travel a long way just to show the craft.
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That's what I thought. I've been to craft fairs where I haven't made the cost of the stall rental, or only just. It's in two weeks' time so I'm still frantically making stuff. I am knitting while on here.
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Lesley, how can you knit and type at the same time ?
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Lesley, how can you knit and type at the same time ?
She's using double-pointed needles, silly. :roflanim:
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Lesley, how can you knit and type at the same time ?
She's using double-pointed needles, silly. :roflanim:
:roflanim: :roflanim:
Ok I do take a break every so often although I have been known to read the screen while knitting. I then have to put the knitting down to reply to things. I'm also doing NaNoWriMo where I have to write 50,000 words of a novel during November.
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my show is on saturday! I am franticly making my little pony plushies! Getting really nervous now too. I'm hoping to at least sell the xmas decs as the will be a bit harder to get rid of after xmas!
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Good luck. :thumbsup:
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well the show is over - thank god! lol, it has been such a stressful few days, I didn't manage to finish everything I wanted to take to the show and was working until the last second before having to set up.
It was a really slow day, it was only a school fair run by the pta but i don't think the way they layed it out was particularly stall friendly. We were tucked away in a classroom and had hardly any foot traffic coming through. And they charged £10 a stall which i didn't know about until the woman came round asking for money!
I did make a bit of money but not loads and I have loads of stock left over but the woman who had a similar (but far more proffesional!) stall opposite didn't do any better so I don't feel too bad.
It was a good experience but I'm not sure I'll repeat it!! :relief:
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As you have lots left, it might be worth trying a better venue.
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yes, possibly! i'll have to see if theres anything else local.
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This is the time of year for craft fairs. There are loads going on round here.
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I've decided to give up craft fairs and craft markets. This year I've stood in the freezing cold too many times having paid £10 for a table and only taken £3!! Then I go home to find that the website has taken £100 in international and UK orders....... its a no brainer for me.
I will continue to support my 2 local schools, especially while the girls still go to them.
Its such a shame when you see how much work goes into organising a fair (both from the organiser and the stall holder point of view) only to see it poorly attended or in the case of handmade soap, to hear "£2!! you could buy 10 for that in poundland...." :innocent:
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I used to love craft fairs but now I am not keen at all, however, if/when I have money, I would happily sit in the comfort of my home with a cup of tea and trawl the net for gifts......I was shocked when we took the dogs for a walk and stopped off for a coffee and cake, my husband who hate shopping said "lets go into that gift shop" we went in and came out again fairly quickly empty handed, although I did love the local pictures.
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The trouble is that people tend to think of craft fairs as 'home made stuff' that, therefore, isn't worth as much as machine made.
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Glad it went well for you Louise.
I went to a craft fair last year a couple of weeks before Christmas. £40 for a table and there were all sorts of rules and regulations about how you were only allowed in with the highest quality etc so I thought it must be worth it. Well it was completely dead. Hardly a soul walked through the door. I was extremely lucky, took £48 so covered the cost of my table at least. The woman next to me sold 1 greetings card, the woman opposite with TWO tables covered in baby clothes sold not a thing. So I am not going to fall for the old confidence tricks again with craft fairs!
I then made a rookie mistake this year with my work fair (£5 table). Last year I heaved a huge box of candles that nearly killed me and only sold 4. So this year I only took enough to decorate the table. Well my popular ones just went flying off the stall in the first 45mins and I spent most of the next 3 hours just sitting there trying to rearrange the others to look less lame! Last year my table had been in a pokey wee corner and this year it was the first one you saw as you came in the door.
Experienced crafter friends reckon you win some and lose some but it evens out eventually!
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I hope so. I have a load of stuff to sell so I need another one to come along.