Festivals/ Fairs

[ALIEN!]

Im getting real drained on the wholesaling pipes all day and am going into arts & crafts mode with my glass. I'd love some input on how good I can expect to do at some of the better local fairs. I will be making pendants, marbles, ornaments, hummingbird feeders, rings, earings, maybe some goblets.
I could use some input on other cool stuff to make as I am prone to "writer's block". I've never done a "pay for a booth" fair before and am somewhat nervous about this uncharted territory. Im so used to selling pipes in concert parking lots, but would like to expand my horizons and break free from doing nothing but pipes.
Any input would be very appreciated.

[Emmett's Glass]

Shows are a large investment. Get a good booth display. Get good pics of your stuff.
Guess that Phantom is rubbin off on you.
E

[Conchis]

Most fairs will rent a tent (they call it a canopy) to you for a couple of hundred bucks. You can buy a decent one for about $400. You can buy a cheap one that will last you until the first good gust of wind for $200.00 (don't do it). If you're going to really do shows, a canopy that will last you 10 years will run you a grand. Pendants do really well, but you need to bring leather and end crimps, because if they can't walk away wearing them, the buyers will just walk away. I did pretty well with tops until the new Child Protection Safety Act came into being, now I don't sell them. I/o beads (that you can put on leather) do well. I haven't sold hummingbird feeders, but I'll bet they do well. Ornaments do well (billed as sun catchers in the summer). Good luck Snake, it's actually fun to join the traveling carney.

[Swampy]

It's a great way to network with the public, potential buyers and other people with similar interests.

Make sure you have nice cards they can take away.

Co-operatives are a good way to go; if you need to go take a leak during the day, at least the person you're sharing with can cover for you.

[jr23]

yes I do one man shows on occasion and taking a leak is a major luxury. I find if doing a show solo I like a three sided booth not 4. For obvious reasons but also so you can hand one of the sides and create a false wall it is good for taking a leak and storing unsightly boxes and gear.

On the Ren fair circuit there is a tent company called underhill. They have been at it for 15-? years probably more like 20 plus. And yep you need a grand just to get into the basic models. They are worth it. I have watched easy ups flying all around and my tent still standing. Nice heavy canvas good heavy stitching also the old one has rings and clips for the sides. The new one's use life jacket type clasp if I ordered one I would beg for the rings and clasp type.

[Conchis]

Lite Dome, Trimline, and flourish canopies are all good sturdy canopies that won't hold water on the top when it rains (unlike the Ez-UP types) and will stand up to some wind with the right weights on the corners. Most of the shows will have "volunteers" that will sit in your booth, they won't sell, but they'll make sure that no one carries off all of your inventory while you take a break a couple of times a day. You need to ask about that though or you won't know they are available. Find a way to get your stuff up off the table, use Shelving, hang stuff from wire, do something to get folks attention to come into your booth.

[SNYD]

If you do it right fairs can be really good. I got my tent from Costco for 200 and it was a champ, your weights are what will save you from the wind. I had a cinder block that I filled with concrete and an eye bolt in the concrete to tie to. When the wind gusts on the north shore of hawaii came flying through every other vendor was clinging to there tent for dear life and I would just sit there and laugh. It can still be very draining to do fairs as you have to sit there for the duration of the show and it can just get really old. After this last weekend I was considering going back to prodo pipes and wholesaleing to shops, funny how the table turn.

Winestopper are a great product if you have a lot of drinkers in the area you are vending. Pendants are probably the best, and don't be afraid to make them big and at higher price points, I can sell $50 pendants all day you just have to make them nicer than the run of the mill pendant. Marble's tend to sell better if they are at lower price points, but when you do sell a higher priced one it makes the day. Just try to have a diverse amount of products ranging from $5 to $150 and you should be good. Definitely have cord for your pendants, I use nylone rat tail cord, I get a 100 yard roll for $15 buck and give it away with every pendant, and I have clasps that I can add to it for an extra $5 buck if they want it, people really like the magnetic ones but they are a little pricey.
Hope that helps
Peace
Nate

[Icarus]

Pendants do really well, but you need to bring leather and end crimps, because if they can't walk away wearing them, the buyers will just walk away.

Hey does anyone have a decent bulk supplier for leather and end crimps for necklaces? I haven't been able to find one, and the price they charge at craft and fabric shops is outright ridiculous.

[Conchis]

I get my leather from Rio Grande in 100 meter lengths Icarus. The last end crimps I got were from a company called Rings and Things, but I have to shop around to get those. Be careful when you order these make sure the diameter of the crimps is large enough to fit over the leather (and the leather will swell just a little over what size they tell you because of humidity I guess.

[Icarus]

I get my leather from Rio Grande in 100 meter lengths Icarus. The last end crimps I got were from a company called Rings and Things, but I have to shop around to get those. Be careful when you order these make sure the diameter of the crimps is large enough to fit over the leather (and the leather will swell just a little over what size they tell you because of humidity I guess.

Rep points for Conchis. Thanks for the help dude.

[Johan]

i find that one of the most important things about doing craft shows is yur displays. For a while i used to go cheap and lay stuff on a table then i graduated to pendant display boxes and necklace dislpays and that helped a lot.


Make sure you have really nice signs all over the place letting people know that everything is handmade by you. I found that to instantly attract people.


Good luck!!

[Bo Diddles]

Another note on the cord for pendants - check into the magnetic neckwires (http://www.mountainglassarts.com/s.nl/it.A/id.1882/.f?sc=2&category=1568) at mountain glass arts. The ladies love 'em, and I charge four dollars each for sweet profits. My wife likes the 16 inch but it's starting to look like the 18 inch are a little more popular, especially for the older ladies.

[J B]

belive it or not the ole' stand bye -- shroomy pendants are still selling ???? just kick them up at knoch and -- they gone !!!! have some hemp cord tyed up ?? some still buy iy ?? more $

[bzglass]

I wrote a couple blogs about vending last year. They are on my blog (http://bzglass.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2008-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2009-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=12), you have to scroll down to the date Friday, June 20, 2008 to find them.

I tried to provide some of the details about my experiences with vending, sometimes its great sometimes its just ok. But overall I will always continue to vend at shows and festivals and such because i enjoy it and I like to network with other artists. It has always been one of the ways I successfully sell glass.

[RamblezMarblez]

Definately bring cords for your pendents. Lots of signs saying you made them helps cause otherwize they think your some middle man. Make some ring holders. Just a twist or filagrana that's coned shaped and flat on the thicker bottom part. I've been taking the ends of blow tubes, adding a couple dots of color, flatting the bottom, and cutting off the majority of the blow tube to create Ant Igloo's for the kids (beats meth pipes right?). Just fill with sugar and place in your garden and watch the ant come. Create a glow in dark marble with hooks on both ends to make Glow in the dark fishing wieghts! Melt some beer bottles and wine bottles. You'll be fine! Don't forget the swizzle sticks! Keep your lampworking books out to catch a customer. They swim right by ya know. I saw some nice magnetic clasp for the necklaces. Hum bird feeders are a hit right now!........Slick

[Uscalus Storm]

Snake, i sent that PM before i had reached this post. I'll just quickly add how my experience has been the past two months vending at craft shows. I have been at this almost two years now, and most of my sales were from word of mouth. However this summer after creating a nice inventory of glass flowers and pendants, i attempted to plan a show every weekend.

I get a TON of people that admire the work and ask hundreds of questions. 70% of people walking by normally stop. I speak for each of the 6 shows i have done that my sales only range between 5-10 customers. The last show was a bummer because we had over 40,000 people at this festival (Not all 40,000 came thru the art walk)

My set up is quite basic. I normally dont bust out the canopy, the sun does a great job showing off my work. I have had all my pendants laid into 35 slow trays i bought. Normally i keep the tops off, since i dont do many sales and everything is directly in front of me. I have two 5 ft tables, with a nice green table clothe (appearance is important) I also have signs saying i give out free satin cord with purchase and labels on sterling silver snake chain for $8 on the neck displays (2) My flowers just lay on the table, i allow people to pick them up...My thing is if they cant handle it without it breaking it shouldnt be sellable (careful with retarded kids) My wine bottle stoppers are all displayed on a 4" by 2' board with holes drilled in them and i set the board on two small objects to levitate it.


I am not sure if maybe i am doing the wrong shows, but i have yet to have a good one... i just thank god i dont pay for hotels...

~~ I did however have some good news last weekend after one of the fairs. Some hippies selling tie die shirts and hemp necklaces asked me to stop by with my stuff and bought 20 peices wholesale. They preferred my stuff over the 4 artists they are already buying from... 2 who dont even anneal their items, and they say 10-15 of the pendants will break of a 100 lot.

So like someone said..networking i guess is a plus. And since your from my area...and all these shows are around there, i'd be quite cautious to completely changing your style of selling. I'll be asking you how you do it soon...I might find me the parking lots...Lol

[ALIEN!]

(careful with retarded kids)

Great post man. As for the kids, watch out for their retarded parents too, I dont know how many times a piece was just carelessly thrown back in my case (literally airborn). I even had a case stepped into at a concert once by some completely inebriated kid. Its a wonder I haven't lost one yet that way. I should keep a helmet around and tell people that break shit they can wear the helmet and have their pic taken for my booth or pay up. I'd probly have a funny ass collection after a while. A gold half shell helmet with 2 red stripes. Maybe a 70's flower design on either side.

[Uscalus Storm]

Do it...Haha.

[steven p selchow]

I basically quit doing art shows, but I still do a few in the summer..The wisconsin arts board directory list all the shows in Wisconsin, and you can find it on their site. Shows have went south lately, but I know a few good ones still out there, I've done at one time most the art shows in Wisconsin, after about 8 years of doing them all summer, I eliminated the ones that were bad, but I can still do a 1 day show and make more money than a real job, thats all its good for, is picking up some cash fast, let me know if ya need any more info.

steve

[Emmett's Glass]

Get a sales helper like in the video below.
http://www.youporn.com/watch/96529
E