First Craft Fair

[Saponista]

I attended my first craft fair on Sunday. I was so nervous, but in the end I had a great day. Made 4 times the booth fee and was offered a chance to sell my soap in a local gift shop and offered a table at an exclusive monthly craft fair which chooses sellers by invitation only. I was so happy!

 

[shunt2011]

Congratulations! I like your display too.

 

[PinkCupcake]

Your display is very inviting. I know I would stop to look.

 

[Seawolfe]

That is so awesome! I love your soap displays, and your soaps are so nice I'm not surprised you got those offers

 

[annalee2003]

Congrats! Fantastic display and booth setup!

 

[Rowan]

Your display looks great. I would have stopped and shopped too. It must have been so exciting getting those offers for the gift shop etc. Your soap looks gorgeous.

 

[traderbren]

Your display looks great!

 

[soapswirl]

Congratulations

 

[gigisiguenza]

Love your display n congrats!

 

[Saponista]

Thank you guys, I appreciate the support, it means a lot. I have worked so hard to get this far, I put my heart and soul into this!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Very well done, Sappy. Looks really good.

 

[cmzaha]

You did a great job with your display. Congratulations on have a successful fair

 

[lenarenee]

Hooray and congratulations!! What a feeling to have received the invitation for the next market too!

I like that your soaps have a great variety in color...a little bit of everything. Was that planned? (a few weeks ago I went to a market with one soaper...and the soaps were basically 11 versions of brown, beige and white.)

 

[Ellacho]

Congrats!! Happy for you!! All the best!

 

[Saponista]

I planned the colour variation lenarenee. In the uk you have to pay for a cosmetic assessment for your products so you are very limited in what you are able to make. I could only afford to get eight different varieties assessed at first so I had to think long and hard for months about what they were going to be. I now have to make some profit from those before I can get something else assessed. I really want to do liquid soap as that is more popular in the uk, but it comes with more testing as it contains water so is even more expensive. It's a nightmare, but I am determined to make a go of it.

It's also annoying as you can't sell things until you have paid for the assessment so you don't know how popular your recipes will be. My lemongrass and Christmas soap with an orange on the top flew off the racks, but my coffee soap with patchouli wasn't very popular, nor were the minty ones so I will slowly have to learn what the customers want and alter my range to reflect that. Paying a new fee each time

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Can you have samples of planned soaps on display so people can feedback on which ones they like?

 

[Saponista]

That's a really good idea TEG. At least then I can gauge popularity by the looks of pleasure and disgust. That was something I found hard at the fair, obviously people have different tastes and different people liked and disliked different things, but people aren't shy about expressing what they think especially if they don't like certain scents. Rejection is something I find difficult to deal with. I need to work on growing a tougher skin.

 

[pamielynn]

Congrats on your first show!
I wanted to comment on this:
"Rejection is something I find difficult to deal with. I need to work on growing a tougher skin." with a big YES. You'll probably be shocked at what you hear at live shows. Blow it off - don't carry it home with you.
From the customer who smells every soap on your table and engages you in conversation, then says "Oh, my daughter makes soap; I only use hers".. to the one that looks sideways at your display and goes "I could just make that at home". People are people and lots of them are rude, without even thinking that they are rude. Don't let them get to you.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with pamielynn. You are likely to hear the whole gamut of comments. However, I can honestly say that after doing shows for 5 years the majority pf folks give you great feedback and are amazed at what you can do.

You'll always have that grumpy 1 or 2 though.

 

[navigator9]

Woo hoo!!! Oh, I'm so happy for you. I want to come and shop at your booth!. So glad that your first experience was a good one. Those of us who do craft fairs know how much work goes into it. Now that you have the first one under your belt, the rest will be much easier. Congrats on your success, and much more in the future.