Some great craft market ideas and links

Things on the market front have been a little quiet with all the excitement of the Shop opening and now handmade living. announced - but we are as excited as ever about our upcoming "Winter Warmer" market on June 5th!

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If you are a first time stall holder or maybe even a seasoned stall holder, this article from Made on the Left has some great tips!

Here are some other blog posts on the subject. It may seem that everyone touches on similar themes but there is bound to be plenty of gems from each article:

• Tips for Market Stall Holders - Handmade Market blog :-)
  
• Craft Fair Tips - Etsy 'The Storque'
  
• Craft Show Check List - Disciples of Etsy
• Craft Show Display - Squidoo
• Craft & Show Designs - an entire blog of display ideas!!
• Tips for applying to a market - Handmade Market blog
  
• Craft Show Booth Ideas - Craft Show Success

That should keep you busy for a while... now back to making all that lovely market stock!!!

Tips for Craft Market Stall Holders

Definitely not an exhaustive list but some food for thought....

• Have business cards and make them easy to find on your stall.

• Professional presentation is always encouraged as stall holders are a reflection on the market you attend! (i.e. iron your tablecloths people)

• Signage is key to people knowing who you are, finding your stall, branding recognition and overall presentation.

• Signage is even more effective when people can see it! Get creative - 'height' is key. Signage on your table gets lost the minute you have a couple of customers stand in front of it.

• *TIP* - Pop up banners are the best for indoors - the Banner shop do a very cheap X banner for $49. These type of banners aren't suited for outdoors - you are better getting a vinyl sign with eyelets so you can attach with a rope or making your own!
  

• Less is more on print material - use one brilliant image with your logo/business name at the top.

• Why not entice shoppers with a bowl of lollies etc.. Make sure it is seasonal, i.e. not likely to melt or a wrapped lolly that can't be smudged all over your product!!

• A very clever marketing tool I saw recently was 'branded' fans in Summer - it was a very HOT day and everyone was walking around advertising for this particular stall holder - SMART! People were driven to the stall to get a fan... and while they were there....

• It is hard competing with fellow stall-holders for business when you have a similar product. Try and think outside the box with the way you display your items. Again, sometimes simplicity is the key...

• Have an emergency box packed with things like, BABY wipes (for you and all that dirty money you are handling), panadol, WATER, snacks, business cars, blue tak, pins for your tablecloth etc...

• A simple notebook & pen can be a great way to capture people's comments, what is your hottest product that day, what have people asked for that you don't have, potential sales to follow up on.

• Be nice to your neighbours and stick to the space you have been allocated.
  

• If you are feeling a little disgruntled with the organisers, it's best not to complain to your neighbours nor customers - the crafting community is very small and there are such things as secret shoppers :-)

• Look interested!!! Looking bored isn't very appealing to customers and please don't bring the paper or a book to read!

• A chair is handy but only on your break or for your helper.

• Everyone loves a friendly stall-holder as long as you let them peruse your stall comfortably - they are more likely to make a purchase if you aren't watching them like a hawk or looking like a desperate 'rabbit in the spotlight - dying for a sale'.

• Most of all have fun, try and visit some other stalls - you never know you could make a few friends and score some fabulous market loot yourself!

I collated this post for the Handmade Market blog ages ago and realised I didn't ever publish it on my own blog - so here it is!

Tips for applying to a craft market or fair

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I posted this blog post today on the Handmade Market Blog but thought I would share it in my own space too!

What makes an appealing stall-holder application:

• Supply quality photos of your products

• If you are relying on your blog, make sure these are quality photos & big enough to enlarge – don’t just use thumbnails

• Dark photos of your products detract

• Name your photos and other documents with your business name

• Sometimes less is more – stick to your genre and do it well, instead of trying to cover all bases or categories

• Use an email address that reflects your business name

• Be polite

• Make sure you read terms and conditions and the application CAREFULLY, you might find this answers a lot of your questions and saves contacting market organizers over and over again!!

• When you send a link to showcase your work make sure it is a direct link so it doesn’t have to be searched for! This is time consuming and when there are hundreds of applications to go through - yours may get overlooked.

• Be prepared for rejection

• There is a difference between persistence and stalking :-)

If perhaps you were unsuccessful:

• Be polite in your response

• Shooting yourself in the foot is unprofessional and unwise - burning bridges never helps future applications :-)

• Try not to take it personally

• Different markets target certain demographics

• There may be limits to how many stalls the market accepts, or how many stalls in the one category, get accepted

• The market may just not be looking for the type of product you offer