navigator9
Well-Known Member
There was one year when I decided it was time for me to put on my big girl panties and try some of the bigger shows around here. Not as expensive as the one you mentioned, but with hundreds of vendors, in a large venue. I discovered that bigger does not necessarily mean more sales.
If I were you, I would go to the fair that you mentioned, as a shopper and observe. At the bigger venues that I did, many vendors arrived with U-haul trucks. They have enormous set ups. These people are pros! They bring a crew to help them set up and break down. It's easy for a smaller crafter to get lost at a venue like this. At least that's how I felt. I did OK. But not enough for me to want to do it again. Also, in my area, the same person organizes all of the bigger venues and she does an awful job. She oversells spaces, so that some people who had paid, arrived only to find that there was no room for them. She crams vendors in so tightly that there is no space between tables, and if you need to use the bathroom, you have to crawl under your table to get out! After I did a couple of her fairs I promised myself I'd never do another.
Also, at larger fairs, there will be more soapmakers there, so more opportunities for customers to spend their soap dollars elsewhere. So I'd say, look for quality shows, and that's why I mentioned talking to other vendors. I always share my best venues with others, and have gotten some good advice from them in return. I now have a list of craft fairs that I love to do because, for one thing, their organizers really know what they're doing. They don't book too many vendors who make the same thing, and they are careful not to place you too close to someone else who makes what you do. If it's at a school, they will often have students who will help you move your stuff in and out. And they are well attended and in areas where people like to spend money.
It takes a while to build up a list of good venues. It's trial and error at first. I have a friend who loves to shop at craft fairs, and goes to every one she can find. She is a good source of info. There are craft fairs that are difficult to get into, because there are just so many spaces, and the same vendors go back year after year, if they've been successful. Those vendors are usually contacted first, so it can be hard to get in. Try to find the contact person for those fairs and ask to be placed on their contact list in case there is a cancellation. There is often a web page or Facebook page for craft fairs with the contact person's email address. You might say something like "I attended your craft fair yesterday at the local high school, and I was impressed with the quality of the handmade items I saw there, and how smoothly things seemed to be running. I am a maker of handcrafted soaps and I feel like they would be a good fit for your fair. Please add me to your contact list for the future. I look forward to meeting you!" Like I mentioned, once you've done a fair, you'll probably be invited back first, before they offer spaces to other vendors, at least that's been my experience. Also, at juried shows, you will be asked to submit photos of your products and possibly your booth. Don't be afraid of juried shows, like I was. Both your booth and your products are they type of quality that they're looking for, you would have no trouble getting in a juried show. So have pictures ready.
I'm sorry this is so long, but there's a lot of info I wish I had when I was just starting out. It can be very intimidating in the beginning. Making soap is a lot of work, and so is doing craft fairs, so I figure anything that can make them easier, or more profitable is worth sharing. So remember, craft fairs don't have to be that big.....or that expensive, to be good.
If I were you, I would go to the fair that you mentioned, as a shopper and observe. At the bigger venues that I did, many vendors arrived with U-haul trucks. They have enormous set ups. These people are pros! They bring a crew to help them set up and break down. It's easy for a smaller crafter to get lost at a venue like this. At least that's how I felt. I did OK. But not enough for me to want to do it again. Also, in my area, the same person organizes all of the bigger venues and she does an awful job. She oversells spaces, so that some people who had paid, arrived only to find that there was no room for them. She crams vendors in so tightly that there is no space between tables, and if you need to use the bathroom, you have to crawl under your table to get out! After I did a couple of her fairs I promised myself I'd never do another.
Also, at larger fairs, there will be more soapmakers there, so more opportunities for customers to spend their soap dollars elsewhere. So I'd say, look for quality shows, and that's why I mentioned talking to other vendors. I always share my best venues with others, and have gotten some good advice from them in return. I now have a list of craft fairs that I love to do because, for one thing, their organizers really know what they're doing. They don't book too many vendors who make the same thing, and they are careful not to place you too close to someone else who makes what you do. If it's at a school, they will often have students who will help you move your stuff in and out. And they are well attended and in areas where people like to spend money.
It takes a while to build up a list of good venues. It's trial and error at first. I have a friend who loves to shop at craft fairs, and goes to every one she can find. She is a good source of info. There are craft fairs that are difficult to get into, because there are just so many spaces, and the same vendors go back year after year, if they've been successful. Those vendors are usually contacted first, so it can be hard to get in. Try to find the contact person for those fairs and ask to be placed on their contact list in case there is a cancellation. There is often a web page or Facebook page for craft fairs with the contact person's email address. You might say something like "I attended your craft fair yesterday at the local high school, and I was impressed with the quality of the handmade items I saw there, and how smoothly things seemed to be running. I am a maker of handcrafted soaps and I feel like they would be a good fit for your fair. Please add me to your contact list for the future. I look forward to meeting you!" Like I mentioned, once you've done a fair, you'll probably be invited back first, before they offer spaces to other vendors, at least that's been my experience. Also, at juried shows, you will be asked to submit photos of your products and possibly your booth. Don't be afraid of juried shows, like I was. Both your booth and your products are they type of quality that they're looking for, you would have no trouble getting in a juried show. So have pictures ready.
I'm sorry this is so long, but there's a lot of info I wish I had when I was just starting out. It can be very intimidating in the beginning. Making soap is a lot of work, and so is doing craft fairs, so I figure anything that can make them easier, or more profitable is worth sharing. So remember, craft fairs don't have to be that big.....or that expensive, to be good.
I've been pretty lucky at the past two fairs...the vendors next to me were all talkative and very helpful...giving me names of places they thought my soaps would do well. So that was nice, my social anxiety always makes me nervous..and I worry that people are going to think my soap is horrible because i use lard..or because i use fragrance oils..or maybe they don't like the labels...I pick everything apart and think others will do the same...I just need to find my confidence with it all. Right now I'm perfectly OK doing smaller venues..my husband (Mr. extrovert lol), on the other hand, is all about doing bigger shows. I just don't feel I'm ready. I think I'd be a nervous mess . I just know that by next year, he's going to want to try and do at least one big show...so I'm really trying to work on my confidence by doing smaller things right now.
