How to start selling at craft shows
You’re an artist and you’re ready to showcase your work in-person. Where do you start? Read this article to learn tips on how to find the right market, key things you should consider, and a list of maker friendly shows in California. I hope this helps you get a good head start to selling at your next show!
Selling at my first event
I sold at my first event in April, 2018. I saw a flyer about a 420 event at a food truck park called Spark SF in our neighborhood. I thought my 420 friendly products would be perfect, so I reached out and asked if I could be part of it. They said yes!
I had a small collection of stickers, shirts, tote bags, posters, buttons and postcards. I wasn’t quite sure if anyone would buy anything because the event was held at a food truck park where people mainly come to get food. But, a ton of people came by to support my work and celebrate 420. It was an eye-opening experience to connect with my customers and hear their feedback IRL.
5 tips on how to find the right market
So, how do you find the right market? There’s tons of craft shows, makers’ events, farmers markets, etc. across the US. The easiest way is to start with local ones in your area.
Here’s 5 tips on what to consider:
Tip 1: Event Organizer
The event organizer will set the mood of the event and impact the turnout based on their marketing efforts. Do they have a following on social media? Do they market the event before & during the event? Are they responsive when you contact them? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself to evaluate the event. An event that has signs, decorations, and music during the show will definitely attract more customers. Plus it’s more lively & fun for the vendors too! I participated in a makers’ event last year that was a couple blocks from a busier road. But there weren’t any signs or music to attract passersby and the turnout was extremely low. All the vendors were pretty much just sitting around waiting for people to show up. It seemed unfair to the participating artists & makers who paid to be part of the event.
Tip 2: Location & Foot Traffic
A highly populated area will guarantee heavy foot traffic but each neighborhood attracts different types of people & vibes. I was more successful at events that were in hippie neighborhoods or popular spots where young people hang. If the information isn’t visibly available, you can ask the event organizer about their expected foot traffic. They’ll provide you with their expected or historical turnout. An event with 1000+ foot traffic is decent. Larger events that come with a higher booth fee could get up to 30k foot traffic.
Tip 3: Fees
Most events will charge a booth fee ranging from 0 - $700+. Cheaper booth fees seem more appealing in the beginning, but those events generally don’t have as much foot traffic and the marketing efforts by the organizer could be pretty minimal. Most events that are $100 - $300 will be good ones to try out. Larger established events like Renegade Craft Fair or West Coast Craft charge ~$750 but they have hefty foot traffic (10k+), huge following on social media (200k+), and great marketing. Another thing to note is these types of big events charge a non-refundable application fee ($25 - $50). If you’re just getting started, try to avoid ones that charge an application fee because the competition is usually quite steep and there are other options to explore beforehand.
Tip 4: Participating Vendors
You can get a rough idea of the event vibes by checking out other participating vendors. The vendor list is usually available on the event’s website or social media page. If not, you can ask the event organizer for some contacts. If there are vendors that have already done the event you’re interested in, reach out and ask how their experience was. Makers usually advocate for other makers so you should be able to get valuable insights this way.
Tip 5: Hours
Personally, the most ideal event hours are the ones that run between 11 - 3 pm. It’s during the day in the afternoon and it’s just 4 hours of work. There are some that are in the evening, all day (8 hrs) or across a couple days, but those depend on your preferences and bandwidth.
What to ask when you contact the event organizer
Most events will have their own website or social media page with contact information. The 2 key things you’ll want to ask about is traffic & audience to help you decide if the event is right for you. If you get ghosted, well.. that’s already a bad sign.
Traffic
Knowing the expected or historical foot traffic will give you an idea of the turnout and help you plan your inventory and goals. Ask what they expect or how they did in the past.
Audience
Foot traffic doesn’t matter if the audience doesn’t match what you’re offering. Ask if the organizer thinks there’s an alignment between your products or service and what their customers are interested in.
Email example:
I have a couple questions that will help me get to my final decision. I know that attendance to events can vary based on a bunch of factors, but I'm curious to know as much about the foot traffic as you can share. Can you share how many people normally attend an average sized <name of event>? Do you think that there's alignment between the products <your brand> offers and what your attendees are interested in?
List of maker friendly events in California
Head West Market Place | San Francisco
Ferry Building Farmers Market | San Francisco
SJ Made | San Jose
Santa Cruz Mountains Makers Market | Santa Cruz
Creative Communal | multiple locations including San Diego area, LA, San Jose, etc.
Ocean Beach Farmer’s Market | San Diego
Makers Arcade | San Diego
What you’ll need
Essential equipment
Most events will only provide a booth space, so you’ll need to bring your own table, tent, umbrella, chairs, etc. Some smaller events provide a table and/or umbrella if it’s available but it’s best to check beforehand. I’ve been lucky so far and avoided purchasing a tent or umbrella but I’ll be getting them soon along with a wagon to help me transport everything on my own.
Payment device
You’ll also need a payment device like Square to process cards or contactless pay. Most customers prefer convenient payment methods, but I’ve noticed a lot of customers pay in cash at farmers markets so have change ready for those types of events.
Display materials
On top of the essential equipment, you’ll need to consider how to display your products to attract people’s attention. Displaying at different heights will give dimension to your display. I started using wire racks which improved product visibility and gave me extra space to display more products. Other than that it’s really up to you to unleash your creativity. If you have extra time, use your creative skills to make vibrant artwork for people to enjoy, or create a fun activity for customers to participate in and win a prize.
Here’s a list of some things I use for my booth set up:
10ft Eurmax tent: Sturdy, comes with 4 sandbags & stakes, one person set up possible. If you’re in California, the tent material must be fireproof and meet CPAI-84 fire standard specifications. This one does! Make sure your tent comes with a fireproof tag!
4ft & 6ft folding tables: Major big stores will carry these folding tables. These are regularly discounted so if you’re cost sensitive like me, scope out those money savings. I scored a 6ft table at Big Lots for $53 and a 4ft table at Target for $20.
Square reader: Square offers a free mag-stripe reader for new customers. I love this contactless chip reader for chip & contactless payments.
Stackable wire rack: Great for displaying prints & other products vertically.
Holographic display stand: Great for displaying small products.
Felt letter board: Great for special announcements.
Mini clothing rack: Great for apparel display.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this was helpful ☻ If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a note! Don’t forget to:
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