Craft Shows

[Chris Colman]

OK Creekers, a little advice please...

I am always looking for a way to make my turning addiction self-sustaining. Have any of you had any success with craft shows?

I have never done one before. I have always thought that "craft" shows had a bunch of semi-finished 3/4" pine items cheaply made and cheaply sold.

Considering the amount of time you all put into your work, not to mention the expense of the exotic woods, can you make money at craft shows? Are there different kinds of craft shows, some more "upscale"?

What kinds of items do well? How much inventory do you take?

Any help here would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Mike Golka]

Our turning club is having a show and sale on Dec. 4. I am going to try my luck at selling some of my wares. I too have never done this type of thing before. I think the key is to make pieces specificaly for this type of venue i.e. small inexpensive items like bottle stoppers, pens, candle sticks and the sort. One could take a couple of the art pieces along for show if nothing else. Most people going to craft shows and sales rarely spend $100.00 or more on an item. JMHO

[Bernie Weishapl]

Chris I am on the other end of the state from you and didn't do well at craft shows. I did one last year and one this year. It seems to me people are looking for bargains. I sold 4 pens and two ornaments but none of my bowls, vases, lidded boxes, etc. I was totally disappointed because I just made back my booth fee with $28 profit. Don't know if I priced to high or they just weren't buying but I wasn't going to give my stuff away. It just wasn't worth sitting there for two days for that. All I can say is give it a try and see what happens. At least you will have a idea if it will work. Some on here do well and others like me don't. You may well have better luck in the big city. I have my stuff displayed at the Art Gallery and so far this year have sold around $2200 worth of turnings. Hoping this Christmas things will sell well.

[Michael E. Thompson]

Chris,

I agree with Bernie, "craft" shows tend to be less profitable compared to art show or galleries. I am no expert but, I have done two craft shows and one art show. I made more at the art show than the two craft shows combined. I also have a few items in a gallery and have done reasonably well there as well. I think wood turning is more of an art than a craft. You can do crafty items on the lathe, but its obviously not the same as the "semi-finished, 3/4" cheaply ......"

As far a items sold, I've sold many bowl and hollow forms. Bottle stoppers are a big item. I have made several lamps, they are quick and easy, people tend to love them. I think its viewed as functional art. I usually take enough inventory to fill two eight foot tables and enough to replace half of all the items. When something sells, I will put another item in its place. That's also dependent on the size of your booth.

[byron constantine]

For the past 4or5 years i have been taking my turnings to a senior craft show here in fort worth. It cost $20 and they do the rest. All i do is price
my items and take them to the fair and 3 days later go back and pick up what didn't sell. I average $500-$1000 each year on about 35 items.
You have to price the items so they will sell. The most i got was $100
for a small hollow form,but i don't have anything but my labor the wood
cost nothing. This year i only sold half of my items. I guess the economy
was the problem. Its a good way to clear out all all of the turnings covering me up. Byron

[Fred Perreault]

I have had my stuff for a couple of years in two galleries, one high end with 2 sites on the Cape, and some stuff in a seasonal ladies swimwear/sportswear store. The galleries have sold about 7-8 items a year, and the seasonal store has sold 60-75 items a year. The galleries want to mark the items up extensively, and the ladies store is reasonable and consider the display an attractiive addition for the store. I started craft shows this year, and the feedback is that after 2 years of a declining economy which was not reflected in the craft show sales and traffic in recent years, this year was terrible. The Fall season and holiday shows have traditionally been wonderful, but some crafters that have been doing $800-$1200 per 2 day show for several years are doing $150-$250 per 2 day show this season. Foot traffic, as well as spending money, seem to be in short supply. I can only imagine that this is the case in most places. Otherwise, I would suggest that nearby craft shows are both fun and productive (I have never embraced the travelling crafter habit). Personally, my aim is to pay for the tools, the electricity, the consumables, and have some money left over. I get my wood mostly from local sources(free), and turn primarily utility items, with the occasional unique item.
I get up early in the morning, make coffee and get breakfast for the LOML, then send her off to work and head down to my shop. It has worked for quite some time.....at least I think she's going to work..?? :)

[James Combs]

I did a couple of craft shows this year. One was decent the other I barely made back my booth fee and the booth fee was "free":eek:. Same type of items both shows. Two different towns. Both one day venues. Both towns similar in size. Foot traffic about the same maybe a little heavier in the "Cheap Town":rolleyes:. The towns are 25 miles apart. So go figure.

[Reed Gray]

Show business is a whole different world and skill to hone. Best shows for me are in tourist areas, and Christmas shows. People on vacation spend as much or more money than they do at Christmas time. Fancy beer/wine/food/entertainment shows are seldom worth the effort. Shows to support art centers, and museums can be good. My local Saturday Market, over 28 years has varied from $0 to $900 for the one day, with average being around $200 or so, compared to average of all vendors being in the $120 range. Thing is you just never know, how much you will sell, or what will sell. I sell mostly utility bowls, in all sizes. I also do furniture. I keep things in my booth from $5 to $1,000, and will have minimum of about $5000 worth of inventory in my booth. Some times you have to do a show for a couple of years to make it pay off. Getting a reputation helps. Out door shows can be trying because you are at the mercy of Mother Nature, and need to be prepared for Hell, and/or high water, and shake and bake (hot and windy). I don't do 'First Year' shows. You do need ones that are established, otherwise, customer turn out is low. If I want to do $2000 at a show, I figure I need 20,000 people coming through. If you know of any local shows, go check them out before you try one. State and county fairs are not really good as there are too many manufactured goods being sold.

robo hippy

[Jim Silva]

I typically do 2-3 craft shows a year, then one week long exhibit in a gallery on the Cape (I live near Fred) with others in my club. The gallery show usually does well for me and I'm fairly consistent with the craft shows.

Tourist area shows are usually decent but the Christmas shows are your best bet. I did 2 back to back during the past 2 weeks and did quite well in spite of all the crafters saying that it was a very slow year.
Then again, I obtained permission from the show organizers to do demos on my midi lathe during the shows.

Never underestimate the value of a dog and pony show lol.
The first show was one where only the <$60.00 range sold anything. Sadly, I didn't have as many pieces as I would have liked but surprisingly, I made a few hundred dollars selling rough-turned pieces I did as show demos. Who'da thunk it but I couldn't seem to make enough 6" natural edge bowls. Wet and completely unsanded/finished bowls sold as quickly as I could turn them out. Weird.

The second show was an event at a church. I tell ya, being one of the only males selling at the show and having a cool power tool going was just the ticket. All the guys hung around my booth and while they'd frown mightily at the wife for buying a $25.00 wreath or bit of jewelry they seemed quite happy with bowl and box purchases at $100.00. :D

If you're just getting your feet wet doing shows I'd suggest only a few higher priced items of your very best work. I never expect to sell my high-end pieces at a craft show but I like to show the quality of work I'm capable of. Keep the bulk of your inventory in the under $40.00 range and you should be ok if the cost of your table/booth isn't extravagant.

Presentation is big. Craft show shoppers won't pick up a piece without a visible price tag for some unknown reason. Put it inside or on the pieces in plain sight. If it's a Christmas show, some pine boughs or holly sprigs scattered between the pieces work wonders. Most of your shoppers at craft shows are women and they notice those things. Most guys won't notice your presentation unless it's on fire. If you're selling fruit bowls, put some fake fruit in one of them. Kids jewelry in ring holders or boxes. Got a bowl or hollowform that looks good on the lower outside? Put it on a small, cheap round mirror so shoppers can see it without picking it up. Stuff like that.

That and just talk to people. Don't try to sell them, just say "Hi" and if they're looking at a piece don't be afraid to tell them something about it. (Just don't bore them with turning details, they won't care. If the wood came from somewhere interesting though, they'll like to hear about it.)

Good luck

Jim

[Brian J. Elliott]

Since your in KC you should come down to NW Arkansas in May or October. Twice a year the area is turned into a mecca of craftsfairs the oldest and most popular being the War Eagle craftfair. Come down in May and you can check it out. If you feel good about it. Set up a booth in October. It's a large event, traffic is almost unbearale for us locals.

Here's a calender of events link http://nwacraftfairs.com/allfairs.asp

[Kenneth Hertzog]

Craft shows in our area are an UP scale Flea market
They come indoors for the winter and they allow China to be present
in my opinion glueing a clasp on the back of an object does not
constitute hand crafted but they let them in.
its hard to compete with that
I've done no shows this year because of this
it just doesn't pay to sit for 10+ hrs for nothing
I will say tho that I did talk to a lot of nice people
Ken

[BILL DONAHUE]

Did my first show this past weekend and wish I'd seen some of the good advice in this thread beforehand. My two daughters, ages 17 & 14 wanted to sell some pendants that I made and they completed with beaded necklaces. They wanted to do this because of an article we did for next months "Woodturning Design" magazine and the good response they got on the pendants from friends. We made about 40 to 45 pieces and had four different price ranges. The bottom line is as folllows:

-Just to have something to sell at a lower price I made a bunch of spin tops decorated with a chatter tool and colored for Christmas. This turned out to be a good idea because it, alone, paid for our expenses.
-We sold some pendants but only about half of what I expected. We now have a lot of Christmas gifts covered so no big deal.
-We talked to the other vendors and apparently the craft show business is in the tank because of the economy.
- I was told the show was a "upper end, high priced art show" and not a craft show - it wasn't. Don't count on the sponsors to give accurate info.
-the display, or the way you layout your space, is of paramount importance. My daughters got some terrific advice from a seasoned and sucessful vendor. Next time will be better!

[Jim Underwood]

Just to have something to sell at a lower price I made a bunch of spin tops decorated with a chatter tool and colored for Christmas. This turned out to be a good idea because it, alone, paid for our expenses.


Ok.. now this just hacks me off. :mad: I just did a fall craft show and thought I was going to sell a ton of my tops at a bargain price of $5 each. Not only did I not sell a ton of them, I had a hard time selling a handful of them, and I even had one person pick one up and mouth "Five Dollars":eek: to their friend. Just last night a buddy of mine told me he almost sold out of his tops (says he had a dozen left out of 70 or so) in a juried show not 200 yards from the location of my show.... And now you tell me you sold your booth fee's worth... Grrrrr!

But I have to laugh... Best laid plans of mice and men go astray...

Just goes to show ya that you can never tell what's going to sell, displays and salesmanship make a difference, and so does the crowd...:rolleyes:

[BILL DONAHUE]

Jim,
These are the first tops made and they were the most basic. I eventually learned how to use the chatter tool and they got better. I think the Christmas colors helped. We got $10 each and had no problem selling them. They also attracted a lot of people to our booth starting with the kids.

[Reed Gray]

Talk to the other vendors to see what other shows they do. Best review you can get. There are Craft Fair guide books that rank, rate and review the shows as well, and are some help.

Bottom line, you can just never tell what is going to happen.

robo hippy