Attending Arts & Crafts Fairs to Promote Sales & Home Business

Arts and crafts fairs, as a means of selling your wares, can be very successful,  disappointing, or somewhere in between. 

You often can’t predict what will happen, due to circumstances beyond your control.  However, there are some things that you can control that will help or hinder your success.  

I’ve been involved in fairs when I operated a quilting business and more recently fairs and book signings as an author.  I’ll share a few tips.  If you have strategies that worked for you, I invite you to share them.

• Arrange an attractive table/booth with simple, yet colorful displays.
• Offer hand-outs (people like something free).  These might include bookmarks, business cards, free pattern, a bio sheet about your business and you, information about your product, brochures.
• Be friendly and smile.  However, don’t be a pushy salesperson.  Some people like to chat, while others like to browse in silence.  Learn to read people and discover those who want to chat.
• Invite a friend to accompany you whom you can chat with.  Then customers can join in or not.  (This also enables you to have a break occasionally and someone to help with set-up.)
• Don’t talk about bad weather, poor crowds, lack of sales (if this occurs).  Make those who stop by feel good because they came your way.
• Demonstate or work on some aspect of your art or craft.  This often attracts people to your area.
• Dress appropriately for your audience.  Some authors dress in character or have a particular hat, necklace, vest, etc. that they wear depicting their craft. 

What has helped you have a successful craft fair?