Update on Craft Fayres

 Set-Backs & Progress

Hi all you lovely crafters. I am sorry it has been a long time since my last post. Family issues have meant I have been tied up for the last 2 weeks of October and the first week of November, just as Craft Fair season started.

The season should have started with a stand at my local monthly coffee morning, followed by the largest Christmas Craft fair I do last Saturday (8th November).

Unfortunately with trips to hospital and a friend unable to help me on the day, I decided to cancel the large CHristmas Fair, in time for the organisers to give the 2 stalls I had booked, to another crafter. The decision was made on the basis that I could not work 2 stalls on my own and though I have friends I could ask to help, because the Craft Fair is an hours drive away, it meant leaving home at 7.30 and getting home about 5pm. Too long a day for anyone not as keen as me on crafty days, and quite honestly not as important as my dear family member in hospital. 

Having made the decision I sat down and considered what I was going to do with the mass of crafty goodies I had prepared and the future of my crafty makes. It really helped me to realise I needed to streamline my makes and make core products that would then require less items to be stored, less room on the stall and allow a better layout. 

It should be noted at this point, that I am not a business, I am a crafter who makes and sells for charity. 

I looked at my inventory and realised despite reading articles that suggested any crafters doing craft fairs should:

• Have a Core product range
• Limit the number of products sold at a fair 
• Leave space on the table to allow the buyers eye to clearly see the products
• Introduce new products one at a time to see how they fit in to base lines
• Build you table around your Key item/Best seller

I had never really worked this way.

1. I made new things all the time to try them, because they interested me rather than because they added to a product range.
2. I took too many items to a craft fair and tried to fit them all onto the table
3. Whilst I knew which bags I made sold best overall, I had not really discovered why other items were not selling as well as I thought they should or if it was what customers wanted. 

Hard though it was to accept these truths, looking at my stock list and stored bags I realised that by not changing my ways I was just making life harder. If I made a core product range of bags limited to 6 styles, and a core range of gifts limited to 4 products. This would make 

storage more manageable, 

stock movement easier, 

and set up quicker. 

If I managed to book to 2 tables at a fair, I would show my paper crafts on the other table and the same principles would be applied to list of products being shown on that table.

Next I set about reorganising my stock.

The bags I selected were

Shopping Bags - Christmas Shopper bags

Gift Bags - Christmas Gift Bags

Box Bags - NEW

Makeup bags & purses

Expandable bags 

Tote Bags 

Craft Bags - low on stock so not being taken to craft fairs this Christmas despite being my best selling bag

Gifts were:

Jewellery with purse - Best Seller 

Scissor - sewing purse

Christmas spoon in holder

Notebooks with reusable fabric covers

This left me with other items such as Cross Body bags, Drawstring Bags, Alternative selection box Bag, Nightdress Cases. 

So for my first craft table at the coffee morning I took the bags I had listed except the  

Craft Bag and gifts as listed above 

My trial run on the kitchen table easy to build and I was pleased with the look 

My very good friend and I set off with good spirit and set up at the coffee morning. The committee who run the village hall had kindly given me the table for free and placed on their facebook page to remind people that I would be attending as well as a stall for the Poppy collection. 

The coffee morning last about an hour and then a raffle and 1.5hrs later it’s all over. It started with a few of the helpers taking a look and then a few coffee morning attendees over the first hour. It built up quite well, and as the raffle was being done I was pleased to note we had probably doubled our sales from the previous year. The Chairman mentioned the stall during the raffle and then when it finished we had another rush . Despite the fact I couldn’t get my Sum-up machine to work we ended taking 3 times the amount of last year. I had brought a stock list and tried to tick what I was selling. My friend who it should be said is a much better seller than me, was so busy at the end we had to fill it the remembered sales after the event. It was an exceptional sales time, probably helped by the fact that those attending the coffee morning are locals and all the money was going to the local hospital. But I am very grateful to all who purchased from me, and for all the kind comments. 

I cannot imagine my other fairs being as profitable.

I will go through all the sales after the other 2 fairs have taken place. But the best sellers for this stall were the Christmas Gift Bags and way out in front the jewellery in gift pouches. 

I will be back after the next fair on Saturday 15th November when my friend will be helping again. 

Happy Crafting.

Dee