TO BE or NOT TO BE…..a CRAFT BAZAAR STAR, that is the question being considered in today’s blog.

To date, I have been involved with two craft shows in my life; once as a helper to a jewelry maker and once as a vendor of my own crafts.  The jury is still out with me on whether or not it pays to do a show. That doesn’t mean I won’t do another show, as a matter-of-fact I have already applied to do a show in Chattanooga, Tennessee this summer, and I’m actually very excited about it. The venue is with a group out of Tennessee called: Gertrude’s Artistic Endeavors, LLC. They reached out to me through my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenCraftStudio, and so I was thrilled to participate. The feedback I see on their website (www.gertrudeartisticendeavors.com) blog and facebook page is very positive, too. The preparation for a show is very time consuming, so its good to have positive momentum going into it.

As a crafting vendor, selling at a show takes effort. Your booth must first be attractive to get the customers inside, especially if its a large show and the shoppers have to do a lot of walking to see everything.  Plan for that and have a place to sit handy. When a potential client walks into the booth, you want to make them stay for a while. My recommendation is: SMILE, SMILE, SMILE! Until your face hurts. Make friends, have fun! These folks have decided to spend their time with you, for the moment, so make the most of it. Get a feel for what they want, what they like, what they NEED. Of course, not every visitor is a spender, so don’t get discouraged by that. Make a pact with yourself to be FRIENDLY with everyone. Keep the energy level high, play mood music, and make conversation, whatever it takes to set the mood POSITIVELY.

Have you had an experience with a craft/artist show you’d like to share?

Green Craft Studio did its first Arts & Crafts Show in September 2013