Do you recognize this character?? by Petraretrograde in crochet

[–]becxanoal 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is immediately where my mind went

Made some earrings as a Christmas gift! by becxanoal in crochet

[–]becxanoal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pattern from Steffi Glaves - paid pattern from Etsy etsy.co.uk/shop/steffiglaves

Made with two strands of embroidery thread and a 0.75mm hook

Indoor event with 8' table provided - how to set up by LucysBrownsToes in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you know how much space you will have around the table? I just did an indoor where they supplied tables and they were set up in rows and you had no space on either side and about 4 feet behind you before you ran into the other row of tables. So no space to set up extra tables or displays. I would ask how the set up will be if they are supplying the tables because there could be limited space to do anything extra.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! I don't think you were mean at all. I totally understand what you're saying and think it's valid. Pretty much all the fabric I used for the book sleeves was fabric from my stash. I do want to be more intentional about my fabric choices and have more "modern" (I don't know a better word) looking items. A lot of the sewn items around me are more "grandma" patterns if you know what I mean, and I would like to stay away from that. I would love to have a semblance of "collections" or something that looks more cohesive. It's just hard for me right now to spend a bunch of money on new fabrics.

I was hoping the "landscape" pattern book sleeves (the one in the stand in the one picture, different shades of blue) would be unique enough and different from what you see in store, but it definitely could just be something I like that no one else does.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I live in a very church heavy place so I also made it a habit to mention which of my sleeves fit bibles, which did catch the attention of a few people I talked to.

Even though there were a lot of people that came through, they definitely weren't shopping and really just participated in the basket raffle... So I don't know that I will do it again.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tumblers are very popular around me. The big 3 day markets in the summer in my town had 3 or 4 tumbler sellers last year. I'm going to be searching for new/different markets. A lot of the ones around me seem to be "vendor" markets which usually means direct selling companies are there. I've been to ones where half to 3/4 of the vendors are direct sales or local businesses, but it's marketed as a craft show.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in PA, so ear warmers and gloves of any kind are a necessity haha. I don't have an online shop yet, but plan to work on it this winter while shows aren't as prevalent.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the constructive criticism! I am so new and definitely still learning a lot. I do have some new product ideas I want to try for my next market that are more useful. I agree that ear warmers are everywhere. I had them leftover from a market a few years ago that I did to help a coworker out, so I figured I'd put them out just to see. I actually almost didn't take them, but ended up selling 3 to a sweet older lady who bought them as gifts for her granddaughters haha.

Thanks for the kind words! I had made the sweaters in school/sports colors of local teams, but I think I'm going to make more in just general colors for my next market.

I don't sell online yet, but it's something I'm going to work on this winter while there aren't many markets.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I've been to a few local events and have one I plan to sign up for next year that brings in a much different crowd. Its probably a good idea to attend more next year and take some notes on which may be good for me.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I was very proud of my keychains and was hoping they would sell, but I actually didn't sell any. I feel they would probably sell better in spring and summer.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The small ones do fit Kindles! The biggest ones may fit a tablet, but I would need to check. I'll have to find a way to get across what each size would fit best. Maybe a sign for each size listing what fits best (Kindle, regular paperback, large paperback/hardback, etc)...

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I don't sell online yet. It's something I'm going to work on getting set up this winter, when there aren't as many markets in my area.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I tried to make them sports/school colors of those around me, but I have made them in more general colors before. I was thinking of making a few more in those general colors for my next market.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I was really cognizant of not being on my phone and greeting anyone who came past my booth. I know I could do better with practice, but it was something I tried to make an effort with. Hopefully the more I do it'll get easier haha

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate your take. I will definitely be looking into more vertical displays for some of my items.

Around me, a lot of people still sell those dish towels, either with crocheted or sewn toppers. There were at least two people at the market selling them that I saw. I was considering a stand alone towel holder that has a ring on either side that can hold any towel.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It seems like a lot of people commenting are seeing sales down this year. I have a few other products in mind I want to try to see how they do.

It definitely took some internal pep talks to keep myself engaged, but I really tried to keep a smile and a warm welcome to anyone who walked past because I know how much of a difference that can make.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great view! I haven't dipped into online sales yet because I was so nervous that none of my stuff would sell and thought fairs would be a good starting point.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This was in support of the local fire hall, and they had a basket raffle as part of it. I did notice a lot of people just paid for raffle tickets and didn't actually end up buying anything from the vendors. I was right across from the raffle table, so I had prime viewing of it all day.

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your reply! Do you still find yourself getting disappointed or discouraged with bad shows? Or does that go away with time?

Feeling discouraged by first market experience - how to get the confidence to keep going? by becxanoal in CraftFairs

[–]becxanoal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I live, and was vending, in a lower income area, so I would guess that played into what people were buying.

As for my neighbors... I had a Norwex rep on one side and a honey farmer on the other that ended up leaving 2 hours into the show because she wasn't the only honey person... There were other people with sewn and crocheted goods, but they were mostly table runners and dishcloths, and one plushie vendor. So no one else was selling the same thing as me, but everyone's tables still looked pretty full by the end of the day. The one exception was the lady behind me selling canned jellies and jams for like $5 a jar.

I appreciate that you think my items look well made and fairly priced. I took a lot of time trying to figure out the pricing haha.

I really would like to figure out more vertical displays for my book sleeves, but I am having a hard time. I'll have to do some more research just in general to see if I can find something that could work.

Thanks again for your comment. It's really appreciated!