It is so easy to feel exasperated and hopeless after you return from a not so great craft fair. I've been there, and it really sucks. I've made a list of a few things to keep in mind to help you recover from a bad craft fair.
1. Relax. Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea. Put on some comfortable clothing and listen to music and do what calms your soul whether it be reading, writing, or whatever.
2. Don't take it personally. Perhaps the fair was badly advertised or the weather was bad. You aren't the only vendor that had a bad time. Just remember that your products are desirable, and that you put a lot of love and hard work into each piece.
3. Learn from the experience. Take any customer/vendor advise into consideration. Was there something people paid more attention to? Did you pick up some tricks from the other vendors such as product placement, exceptional customer service, etc.? There is always at least one thing you can learn from each craft fair you participate in.
4. Remember this event. When you are scoping out craft fairs for next year you know to skip this one. You can also compare this fair to other ones so you have a better idea of where your time is better spent.
5. It's over. You're home now, and the fair is behind you. If it will make you feel better you can sulk for a few minutes...but only for a few. It's better to eat a little bit of dark chocolate. It's best to take the rest of the night off from doing any work towards your business, or you will feel distraught and overwhelmed.
We all will experience a bad craft fair at one point or another, but we will have our share of great ones too. It's important to let go of this bad experience or it will be more difficult to make progress.
Thank you for reading,
-
Christina
CM Designs dba 1337 Art
http://1337art.etsy.com
Elite Art for the elite at heart. Featuring jewelry for men and women, art collage, awareness items, bookmarks, cell phone charms, hair accessories, key chains, kilt pin brooches, wine charms, and more.
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8 comments:
Fun post and useful! I've done a few bad fairs in my time and I've found that most of the time, it's not the seller's fault but the organisers. But it can be fun too!
Just popping in from the forums an thought I'd say hi!
I had a bad craft fair, and I chalked it up to bad location: I was at the end of the hall, and my display. It looked very "crafty" compared to others that looked a lot more professional. Live and learn.
What a timely post! I did a street fair this weekend, and man it sucked. But I didn't take it personally as it sucked for everyone!
Great advice! I'm on my way to a show and I hope I don't need to use any of your ideas when I get back.
Thank you for this post. I had a craft fair yesterday where I stood in the cold all day so now I'm sick. I did sell some necklaces but mostly to people who came to help me with selling.
Great advice and one I'll remind myself of every so often!
Great advice! I've certainly been there and gotten discouraged from bad craft fairs.
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