Embroidery cards are a popular selling item at craft shows
Hi Friends,
I had a question come to me about where to find craft shows that don’t cost $300 to $500 to sell at. Those shows that cost hundreds of dollars spend big money on advertising which is why this person probably hears about them more than the shows that are of a more reasonable cost to get into.
So, where to find those lesser expensive shows. My family has moved often and one of the first things I will do is google “craft shows….my city”. You will find a wealth of information with this one search. From there, start making phone calls and just asking what the cost and requirements are to get into the various shows you find on your google search. Some shows have a set entrance fee, some will take a percentage of sales. You need to look at all your costs involved to see what the numbers will add up to and if you are willing to let go of that amount of money.
Craft shows are a popular fund raising item for churches and schools. I have called larger churches and high schools and just asked if they do craft shows in the fall. They will get me in touch with who is in charge of running them at their location and if they don’t do them, often times they know of a church or school who is doing craft shows and will give me contact information for the other location. Once you get into doing a few, ask the other vendors what other shows they are doing this season and take note of them.
Another location to consider are boutiques. What I’ve seen are people opening their homes and turning them into a Christmas wonderland where vendors set up in different rooms of their home. I’ve personally not sold at a boutique like this. I have seen booth space range at boutiques from $25 to $100. I’ve seen some with lots of customers and some where the crickets are chirping with zero traffic. If you choose doing a boutique, do your research and ask about number of customers, how they advertise etc. If you can get references from previous vendors get it and start calling them.
I’ve done shows at high schools. My booth cost at schools has run $75 to $125. I’ve found that they have great traffic, but there are many booths, 200 to 300+ booths, so its more competition and harder to stand out at these shows. That said, they have brought me some truly loyal customers which have brought me repeat business. So that has paid off in the long run.
I’ve done shows at churches. My booth or table cost at the churches has run $10 to $25. These bring in the fewest number of customers. What I like about these shows is that my work stands head and shoulders above many of the others. At these shows I will find people doing crafts that were popular back in 1980’s and those crafters are wondering why their items aren’t selling. Machine embroidery looks very professional so customers will stop at my booth and spend more time with me whereas I see them walking past many other tables. My sales do well at churches.
One more thing to note…I offer a variety of prices. At the schools, my most popular selling items run $8 to $12. At churches, my most popular selling items are $5 and under. It is a different group of customers at both places. At the schools it is many middle aged and younger moms with children. In the churches it is older women who typically shop.
I hope this helps you find craft shows that are in your budget and encourages you to give doing craft shows a try!
Embroidery Blessings Everyone!
Nancy