# Share you worst craft show nightmares!



## raysofcolorado (Dec 11, 2011)

I am doing a 2 day show this weekend.  When I arrived on Saturday morning I found out they lied to me about the number of bath and body products vendors that would be attending.  There were 5 other vendors selling similar products....

Anyone else have any craft show nightmares they would like to share?


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## Rosiegirl (Dec 11, 2011)

My worst ever.....
The bitterly cold -3 degree day with gusty winds that picked up my shade shelter & took with it 3/4 of my soaps & dumped them in the dirt.
I cried.....just like a big baby


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## raysofcolorado (Dec 12, 2011)

Ok you have me beat by a mile!  I am sorry that happened, that is just terrible.


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## Bigmoose (Dec 14, 2011)

My second show I ever did, there were about 50 vendors.  Only 1 other soaper but traffic was going just one way and they were 3 booths before mine.  Also there was a ton of snow and wind.  Booth cost $40, I sold $45.  We all pay our dues.  Now on a positive note my last show the first day was my 2nd. ever $1,000 day.  What a difference between the two.

Bruce


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## soapylady (Jun 1, 2012)

It was a windy and cold day, so that alone sucked. But on top of that, i started my period unexpectedly half way through. I was alone and didn't have a tampon or anyone to watch my booth while i assessed the situation. My husband was on his way, but got stuck in traffic so it took FOREVER for him to get there.  In the meantime, it seemed like an eternity waiting and i felt so awkward while talking to anyone the cramps were unbearable. My sales sucked and i went home and ate ice cream as soon as it was over.


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## Autumnonapia (Jun 10, 2012)

I am gearing up for my first show.  Luckily I have not had any real life nightmares, but last night I awoke in a cold sweat from a nightmare about how badly it is going to go.  I have 3 months to go until this show.  Ack!  I hope I can get some sleep between now and then.


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## Lindy (Aug 22, 2012)

My absolute worst ever was last year at an outdoor festival.  I was on a slight incline but was sure that my shelving unit would handle it the way I set it up.  I had antique shaving mugs and stuff on there.  As I'm talking to a customer the whole unit collapsed and shattered every single mug....

The good news?  It was a very strong show for sales...  even with the loss of stuff


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## Lolly58 (Sep 29, 2012)

My sister had painted some plain fragrance burners and I had made some candles and a lot of wax tarts, and they put us directly behind the Scentsy people.


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## juicybath (Oct 29, 2012)

Work craft show experience for me:

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics
Craft Market cost me $400 for 6 days, but I left after spending 3 days there. It was a gorgeous indoor venue in Gastown. The tourists stuck to the olympic venues pretty much exclusively. The craft/art show was a complete ghost town. I think I sold $30 in product in 3 days....I left because I was missing the olympic experience sitting indoors in an empty gallery!! 

Painful!


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## turbo (Dec 7, 2012)

Went to a craft show where the promoter also had 5 other soap vendors beside me.  One was directly across the isle from me.  After i calmed down ( I may have called the promoter a cash whore) I sold over $1000 in soap.  The moral of the story:  You just have to be able to sell better than the others.

Mike


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## Miz Jenny (Dec 7, 2012)

From my first farmers' market, this past summer, to my first christmas show, in November, I've had to deal with another soaper, who has literally stalked me. She has accused me of copying her business. She sends her son over to my table to report back on what soaps I'm selling. She's 6 feet tall & tries to intimidate me by standing over my 5 feet & smiling, while she accuses me of this and that. I have never responded back & just shrug my shoulders when she does her "thing." She has an idea that, because we live in the same area of Norther Ontario, she is the only one allowed to make soap. She has goats & bees and uses this in her products. She uses lard in her soaps. I do use beeswax in a couple of body products, but that's the extent. She has said  I took advantage of her help. BS. Everything I do, I learned online, from Anne L. Watson's books or trial & error. I've never asked for her assistance, because that's not my style. Matter of fact, I did a year of research before making anything. I went off the grid, when seeking out craft shows, so I wouldn't have to deal with her. It worked because I did extremely well, with a couple of $1,000 weekends. I love doing this and I'm going to continue.


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## Hazel (Dec 7, 2012)

Miz Jenny - 

That sounds terrible! I wish I could suggest something that would allow you to get her to leave you alone but I don't know what to suggest. I suppose the way you've been ignoring her may be your only option unless there was some way to prove harassment. It's difficult having to deal with crazy/jealous people. If she's acting like that towards you, I wonder how she deals with problem customers. 

Congratulations on your super $$ weekends. Success is the best revenge! Do you know if her soap is any good and if it sells well?


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## Ruthie (Dec 8, 2012)

MIZ JENNY, I think I would put a voice activated recorder in my pocket and play it for whoever is in charge of the show.  But that is just my style.  You are likely on the best line of action just ignoring her.  Think about what an unhappy/ insecure person she must be.  So she wants to spread that around.


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## Hausfrau007 (Dec 9, 2012)

Whoever said bullying stops in high school didn't know his head from his ass. I'm sorry that's happening to you. I live in southern Ontario but we have a boat up north and come up every weekend in the summer. What's your town? I'll come by and kick that 6-foot hyena's soap stand over.


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## Lindy (Dec 9, 2012)

Miz Jenny remind her that there are harassment laws in this country and they are there to be used.  You can get an injunction (restraining order) where she can't come within 100 feet of you which would mean that she wouldn't be able to be at the same shows as you.  All you would have to do is show the order to the organizer at any shows she appears at and she would have to leave.


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## AlchemyandAshes (Dec 9, 2012)

Hausfrau007 said:
			
		

> What's your town? I'll come by and kick that 6-foot hyena's soap stand over.


Can I come too? Oh please oh please? I'm only 5'2...but I come from a long line of crazy...that's gotta count for something!  :Kitten Love: 
I think I've seen some awfully delicious (_soap_) cakes that we can offer "the Hyena" as a "_peace offering_"... I'm sure 2lilboots could whip up something tasty for us to take to her... :twisted: 
Who could turn down a nice cuppa tea and a slice of (_soap_) cake?
I'd give her a big ol' bite right in her pie hole...
Did I say that out loud?

On a more serious note, I would certainly let the organizers of the market/craft fair know that she is harassing you. She obviously has no ethics or morals and is intimidated to have you as her competition. There's enough dirty people that need soap for the two of you   Don't let a bully and a hater like that deter you from your path.


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## AlchemyandAshes (Dec 9, 2012)

Oh...and my worst craft show nightmare was about 9 years ago...I was doing a Celtic Fest in February and it was seriously windy and about 35 degrees (here in FL!) that day. I had 2 tents side by side - I had jewelry in tent #1 and tapestries/altar cloths/runes/staffs/incense etc in tent #2. 
The wind picked up the top of tent #2 and blew it across the park. While I'm chasing it (with the help of some really nice customers), tent #2 came unlashed from the weights that held it down and it did a somersault...while I had shoppers in the tent. Yeah, talk about liability. 
I may have had a heart attack...I'm not sure. I try to block that day from my memory.
Thank the Craft Fair Gods that no one was hurt, and some nice strong dudes helped me put it all back together and denied any repayment for their services. After I recovered from the trauma (and the embarrassment and humiliation...shame spiral), I was able to appreciate that there are still good people in the world willing to help a girl chase her craft tent across a windy park...


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## Ruthie (Dec 10, 2012)

Guess I can count my blessings!  My "worst" (other than just shows where no one sold anything!) was an outdoor show, a frigid 17 degree day where my BFF and I were selling angel Christmas ornaments and decided to dress up as angels ourselves.  Which our friends knew we were not.  I was too cold to even look around and ask any other vendors if they were selling.  But without any foot traffic, I am sure they were not.  We managed to stay long enough to get our photo in the paper (for our "whimsy") but went home by noon.  South Texas is not supposed to be that cold, even in December!


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## Genny (Dec 10, 2012)

Miz Jenny~ That's awful.  I'd talk to the market manager or someone, because that lady's obviously crazy.  

I've had a couple shows lately where only about 5 customers have shown up.  I'm not even sure they would be considered customers, more like browsers.

A couple years ago I did a show and had this whack a doodle start ranting and raving, very loudly, about using lye in soap and she's a scientist so she knows how bad it is and it will burn your skin.  The next year she came back & when I saw her coming I wanted to hide LOL  But she looked over my ingredients, which I had switched the word "lye" to "sodium hydroxide" on my labels.  She said that she was glad to see that I had taken her advice about not using lye anymore.  :shock: 

When I did only MP, I had a CP soaper telling their customers that my stuff wasn't real soap & that there's was sooooo much better.  That was my first craft show ever, so it was really depressing for me to have someone behave like that.


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## soapsydaisy (Jan 12, 2013)

I have a lot of crazy market stories. My favorite or craziest is probably selling in the desert with 75 m.p.h. gusts of wind while it was hailing.


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