I have worked the craft show circuit (years ago!) and think that may be a good venue for my current line of baby clothes. They are made from recycled adult t-shirts and Hawaiian shirts, so appeal to ecologically conscious families and also are humorous; many t-shirts that were intended for adults are funnier on an infant. Since they are one of a kind (made from my thrift store and yard sale finds), some are downright artistic. The prices are quite a bit lower than handmade baby clothes made from new materials, although I still can't compete with Walmart, not that I wanted to!
I had a hard time at my local semi-permanent craft show a couple years ago, and sort of gave up, although I had a different product then. But I do have the necessary canopy, furniture, racks, and stuff for a booth. I would be willing to give it a try again. The investment would be manageable (in the range of $200 or 300) to try it for a few weeks. I would need hang tags and that sort of stuff printed. How essential is it to have a web site up? I really don't want to try a mail order business, partly because I am one of the most disorganized people you will ever meet. But it seemed that people expected me to give them a card with a web site, or at least Etsy?
Is anyone out there doing craft shows these days? I feel out of touch with the traveling circuit, although I would love to get back into that in the future. What has changed since I followed the Dead concert tours all those many years ago? I did pretty well at a "Harvest Festival" show about 5 years ago, but haven't had the investment to try again yet, also traveling with the kids is getting easier as they grow, but still not too simple. So I want to make my local market work. Any advice is welcome, from BTDT to book suggestions. I think maybe I am really just looking for encouragement to try again - I like seLling in that sort of venue, but haven't been able to make it work lately.
I had a hard time at my local semi-permanent craft show a couple years ago, and sort of gave up, although I had a different product then. But I do have the necessary canopy, furniture, racks, and stuff for a booth. I would be willing to give it a try again. The investment would be manageable (in the range of $200 or 300) to try it for a few weeks. I would need hang tags and that sort of stuff printed. How essential is it to have a web site up? I really don't want to try a mail order business, partly because I am one of the most disorganized people you will ever meet. But it seemed that people expected me to give them a card with a web site, or at least Etsy?
Is anyone out there doing craft shows these days? I feel out of touch with the traveling circuit, although I would love to get back into that in the future. What has changed since I followed the Dead concert tours all those many years ago? I did pretty well at a "Harvest Festival" show about 5 years ago, but haven't had the investment to try again yet, also traveling with the kids is getting easier as they grow, but still not too simple. So I want to make my local market work. Any advice is welcome, from BTDT to book suggestions. I think maybe I am really just looking for encouragement to try again - I like seLling in that sort of venue, but haven't been able to make it work lately.
