# First Show Jitters



## lpstephy85 (Mar 20, 2014)

Well, the time has finally come... my first craft show! Saturday is the day and from the listing it said should get about 1000 people. There will be competition as the organizer said there are a few vendors selling goats milk soap (though none of mine are, so that might be good), one doing lotions (I only have a few solid lotions to sell right now) and two candle vendors. The bulk if my product will be the soaps until I get a feel on the other items. The DH will be my plus one. I was able to pick up a bunch of baskets to use for display. All of these for $26 at the thrift store! I am just going to go in and have fun though!!


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## Seawolfe (Mar 20, 2014)

oh good luck!! Take pics of your final set up, and let us know how it went and what you learned! Report back! lol


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## PinkCupcake (Mar 20, 2014)

I like the square basket in the picture. Let us know how it goes. I hope you have fun and sell a ton of soap!


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## Belinda02 (Mar 20, 2014)

I love baskets.  Good luck.


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 20, 2014)

Thanks y'all! Going to the craft store tomorrow to find cheap fabric to line the inside of the baskets. Glad I was able to get a half day off of work tomorrow! Will certainly post final set up pics!


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## crunchy_cruncher (Mar 21, 2014)

Yes, good luck to you! Have lots of fun!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Mar 21, 2014)

Enjoy.  And don't forget, the only thing we like more than soap pics and lolcatz are pictures of market displays!


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## juliab86 (Mar 21, 2014)

Good luck! I'm sure you'll do great.


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## pamielynn (Mar 21, 2014)

Good luck!


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## Miz Jenny (Mar 21, 2014)

Be yourself. Talk about your craft. Speak and smile at everyone who passes your table. Sell yourself. Remember that people buy from people. That no matter how good the product, the "connection" will bring you sales. Good luck.


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 21, 2014)

Miz Jenny said:


> Be yourself. Talk about your craft. Speak and smile at everyone who passes your table. Sell yourself. Remember that people buy from people. That no matter how good the product, the "connection" will bring you sales. Good luck.




Thanks, awesome advice!!


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## Spicey477 (Mar 21, 2014)

Good luck! !


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## Ellacho (Mar 21, 2014)

Wish you the best! Tell us all about it!!


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## heather s (Mar 21, 2014)

Good luck! Come back and tell us how awesome everything goes


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 22, 2014)

Well, it went good. There were a lot of vendors of all sorts and a lot of people. The area that they had me didn't have any soap vendors nearby so that was good so. We were right by the second entrance and concession stand which provided good foot traffic. I only made a little over half my booth fee back which I was a little bummed about but a lot of people stopped and looked (or sniffed) and took business cards. I met a soap maker who uses milk from her goats. We met at the end and she said that she was afraid to stop by earlier fearing that I would think she was competition, but I welcomed her and loved her soaps and she did mine as well. 

I was up really late last night still getting ready. I need to prepare better and make my labels ahead of time instead of last minute. Some pics of my table, enjoy!


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## heather s (Mar 23, 2014)

So glad to hear that it went well! Your soaps are very pretty.


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## cmzaha (Mar 23, 2014)

Sorry to hear you did not at least make your booth money back. Markets are tough these days at least where I live. Just a little suggestion for your next show, wrap and label all soaps. 
Over the years many of my customers have told me they would never even consider buying an un-wrapped soap no matter how good it smells. 
Your booth looked lovely and your soaps looked very nice


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 23, 2014)

I will have to take that in to consideration, Carolyn. I have another show this coming Saturday.


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## Ellacho (Mar 23, 2014)

I am happy to hear that everything went well. I also love your soap and packaging. Great job!


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## Belinda02 (Mar 23, 2014)

I don't sell but to me your table looks nice.  I would buy and every home made soap I've bought has been unwrapped.  So a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped such as you have should work. Do you have a beer soap? Is it selling?


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 23, 2014)

Thanks! I do have a beer soap but only one couple that came by picked it up and smelled it but didn't buy. Everyone said it all smelled good and a lot said they were too pretty to use.


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## PinkCupcake (Mar 23, 2014)

I like the way you used the baskets that you bought. Sorry you didn't make back your booth fee, but keep at it. If you learned things that will help in the future, you got something valuable from the show.


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## Jeanea (Mar 24, 2014)

Not sure if it could work for your next show, but I always have a sign in sheet of those who stop by my table. Just a way to get leads for later. When they dont buy today, offer them a coupon via email or text for later. That way you may have another chance to present on a different platform.


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## lpstephy85 (Mar 24, 2014)

Jeanea said:


> Not sure if it could work for your next show, but I always have a sign in sheet of those who stop by my table. Just a way to get leads for later. When they dont buy today, offer them a coupon via email or text for later. That way you may have another chance to present on a different platform.




Thanks! I was thinking if that same thing halfway through the show


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## cmzaha (Mar 25, 2014)

Belinda02 said:


> I don't sell but to me your table looks nice. I would buy and every home made soap I've bought has been unwrapped. So a mixture of wrapped and unwrapped such as you have should work. Do you have a beer soap? Is it selling?


 
I have been selling for 5yrs at open air markets and I will stick to the wrapped is better. I have new and current customers that tell me they will never buy an un-wrapped soap. There is another seller (for the last year) in one of my markets that does not wrap or label. I get a lot of comments about it. It is just my opinion. I also do not find beer soap selling any better than any other soap. I carry several beer soaps. 
I give out a discount /business card to steer customers to our website which makes up for our outdoor market versus web price difference. The percentage makes up the difference


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## Belinda02 (Mar 25, 2014)

Cmzaha, I didn't make my point very well.   I think it is a good idea to offer mixed wrapped and wrapped to meet the wants of all potential buyers which is what she did.


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## shunt2011 (Mar 26, 2014)

Your table looked really nice.  I'm another of the opinion to wrap and label your soaps.  I was at a show where there was another soaper who had their soaps out unwrapped/unlabeled and I out sold her 10:1.  Customers made comments to me regarding it too.  That's just my experience from a couple times this has happend.


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## cmzaha (Mar 26, 2014)

shunt2011 said:


> Your table looked really nice. I'm another of the opinion to wrap and label your soaps. I was at a show where there was another soaper who had their soaps out unwrapped/unlabeled and I out sold her 10:1. Customers made comments to me regarding it too. That's just my experience from a couple times this has happend.


 
This has also been  my experience. I shrink wrap so they can still see the colors around the label and my 2 end slices are left out for smelly samples. Actually the end slices are in a shrink wrap bag with one end open. I find soap sitting out and being constantly handles also affects the fragrance of many soap. If worse comes to worse I will cut up one bar into chunks for smell samples, if a particular soap has been around so long the slice loses fragrance. No smelly no sale!!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Mar 26, 2014)

One point to think on is - many people seem to be put off by unwrapped soap, but I don't think that a wrapped soap is a deal breaker for many people, especially with smell-testers like Carolyn mentioned available........................


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## navigator9 (Apr 18, 2014)

Your first craft fair is as much a learning experience as a selling experience. You've got the first one under your belt, I'm sure you learned things you can put into practice next time, and you'll be more relaxed, too. Some fairs that I do allow you to set up the night before, which takes a lot of pressure off, but if not, try to get your vehicle *completely* loaded the night before, so when you wake up the next morning, all you have to do is shower, dress, grab your coffee and go. You now know how much work it is to get to the venue, unload your car and set up, so anything you can do to make that easier, like loading your car the night before, really helps, at least I find it does for me. 

As you do more craft fairs, you'll discover ones that are really good, and ones that are not. It's a lot of trial and error in the beginning, but you'll meet a lot of great people along the way. When I started out, my biggest fear was that as a newbie to craft fairs, I'd be an outsider and the old timers would be unfriendly. I couldn't have been more wrong. I've made so many good friends over the years, because who knows better than a fellow vendor all of the hard work and effort that goes into doing a craft fair? It's like a big, extended family. Good luck to you in your future fairs!!!


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