1st Craft Show coming up

[MIFab]

Hey all I have my first craft show coming up March 29th it is a one day 8hr deal. I'm struggling on what I should take and on my sizes of the items (the booth is 4x8) say the item is 20x23 do I make 1 or do I make 5 ? Do I make a lot of small stuff like key chains/ key holders and napkin holders one ea of the bigger items ? As for pricing stuff I found the excel spreadsheet and I know that some make a good living off this when ever my wife and I go to a craft show I could not believe the pricing on some stuff even to me the spread sheet seams a little extreme. Up till now I have using the spread sheet and cutting the price. Say I do a 20x23 project and the S/P shows $46.89 Id drop it to $30 Im selling it on the net or someone pops in and wants to buy it. Knowing the cost of the steel I feel like Im ripping people off some times. I know a girl that sells hand crafted items and she was at a craft show and another crafter had an Item very very slimier and they wanted 75 and she was selling hers for 45 the customer bought the $75 one she found out later that their thinking was she is selling it cheaper because her product is made out of cheaper materiel.

Thanks
Chad

[MIFab]

[minnfatz]

When you add up all of the costs, you will find that the spreadsheet is a really good tool.

[wickedinhere]

Stick to your prices don't lower them.

[Redneck]

Don't sell yourself short on your prices. This plasma cutting business is not like a woodcraft business you might see at a craft show. A woodcrafter could probably buy all the needed equipment for $3000 or so. Maybe even less. Plasma businesses like ours have TENS of thousands of dollars invested in equipment alone. That has to be paid for.

Also, you said your booth was 4x8.......that sounds really small. We have been doing shows for a few years now, and have found that space, and lights help tremendously with sales. We like a 10 x 20 space or bigger. The space in the pics is 8 x 30. The extra space is well worth the cost....up to a point. We used to try to cram all of our stuff into a 8x10 or 10x10 space and it was so crowded that people would just walk on by. With the larger spaces, there is enough room for someone to step into the booth and look around .

Good luck.

[MIFab]

Thanks guys . Hey Redneck that is quite a setup ! I double checked and I have the option for 8x8 or 4x8. So the stuff on the back walls do you have 2or 3 more in a tote of each or what you have hanging is what you have? It looks like the stuff in the bags are key racks? Do you have a size limit of what you take ? I have been making 4'x4' saw blades for camps sorry the picture is not the best.

[Redneck]

As for the size limit on the item.....take whatever you can display well. We have taken a 48" x 38" sign and displayed it in a 4x4 frame that I made.

Yes the items in the bags are keyholders and mailbox toppers. As for the items displayed on the walls, yes we have more of them in totes. I made a cart that holds about 30 totes with extra product in it. We keep that cart in the booth, in these pics, it is behind the white curtain in the far corner. With this cart, I can roll almost all of our product out of the trailer and into the booth without handling totes.

Don't feel like you need to have a display like this for your first show....like I said, we've been doing this for a few years. We started out with a couple of tables and thin plastic tablecloths from walmart. We had NO lights at our first few shows. Then we'd pick up a light or two for each show . We ALWAYS look for ways to make our display better and add a little at a time. So go with what you have, and get your feet wet. Then you can try to improve on that.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[Doc Hollywood]

Hey MIfab,
where is your show going to be?
If its in south east Michigan I'd like to stop by if time permits.
Thanks! Doc.

[MIFab]

Hey MIfab,
where is your show going to be?
If its in south east Michigan I'd like to stop by if time permits.
Thanks! Doc.

Up here in the U.P

[muzza]

Something I find is that it doesn't matter how much you take the customers always want one the same but different so make sure you have relevant signage so they know you can make it the way they want it.
Murray

[Redneck]

Something I find is that it doesn't matter how much you take the customers always want one the same but different so make sure you have relevant signage so they know you can make it the way they want it.
Murray

Aint that the truth!!!! That is why we quit trying to do dog items. Unless you have each one of oh, I don't know, maybe 1000 different dog breeds, you don't have the right one. We still do custom dog items, but we just couldn't stock the right ones.

[MIFab]

Yea I'm really struggling on what to make to take because its like if I make one I might as will make 3 so I have 4 of that.

[Redneck]

Yea I'm really struggling on what to make to take because its like if I make one I might as will make 3 so I have 4 of that.

Don't load up on too many of an item until you know what will sell. We've found that just because we like something, doesn't mean the public will.

[MIFab]

Yea I'm really struggling on what to make to take because its like if I make one I might as will make 3 so I have 4 of that.

Don't load up on too many of an item until you know what will sell. We've found that just because we like something, doesn't mean the public will.

Yea wife and I were talking this morning and I figured 2 per Item.

[kb3gun]

and what they like at one show might not be what sells at the next show.

[MIFab]

So I suppose if ya aren't care full you could load up on items quick .

[crazy59860]

Redneck, what are you hanging your stuff on. Also what do you do if electric isn't available?
Toni

[Redneck]

Redneck, what are you hanging your stuff on. Also what do you do if electric isn't available?
Toni

Toni, we're using grid racks for the bagged items in the front of the booth, and the black and gray panels are called "Pro Panels". They are expensive, but very nice. We found these used on Craigslist for around half of new price. Very lightweight and versatile. They helped us move to the next level from pegboards and paneling displays I had made previously.

[crazy59860]

Well its really VERY professional looking. Thanks for the info. We are getting ready to do a show this weekend for our Flathead Lake Cherry Fest.......hoping to sell something.
Toni

[CNCCAJUN]

Don't sell yourself short on your prices. This plasma cutting business is not like a woodcraft business you might see at a craft show. A woodcrafter could probably buy all the needed equipment for $3000 or so. Maybe even less. Plasma businesses like ours have TENS of thousands of dollars invested in equipment alone. That has to be paid for.

Also, you said your booth was 4x8.......that sounds really small. We have been doing shows for a few years now, and have found that space, and lights help tremendously with sales. We like a 10 x 20 space or bigger. The space in the pics is 8 x 30. The extra space is well worth the cost....up to a point. We used to try to cram all of our stuff into a 8x10 or 10x10 space and it was so crowded that people would just walk on by. With the larger spaces, there is enough room for someone to step into the booth and look around .

Good luck.

How are you able to hang so many your products at different heights. I understand Pro Panels are foam core.

Steve

[Redneck]

How are you able to hang so many your products at different heights. I understand Pro Panels are foam core.

Steve

The Pro Panels are foam core, but they are covered with fairly heavy material like carpet. We use curtain hooks to hang things wherever we want. For heavier pieces, we use a metal hook over the top. Pro panel also offers hangers that make hanging things easy too.

The Pro panels are constructed of 1/2" emt conduit, foam of some kind inside......I expect it is just closed cell insulation board, and the fabric which is probably glued to the foam board. The fabric is sewn, so the edges look nice, but you could almost make them yourself.

[Redneck]

Well its really VERY professional looking. Thanks for the info. We are getting ready to do a show this weekend for our Flathead Lake Cherry Fest.......hoping to sell something.
Toni

Thanks Toni, I hope you had a good show!

[MIFab]

Well I have been doing fairly well. I started going to farmers markets and I do better at the couple hour sales then at craft show that last from 9-6 ! I got luckily at an auction and ended up with quite a few of 3x8ft wire racks at a really good price! Wife and I have been talking and its looking like Im going into this full force next yr meaning my metal work will be my work.