Crafting Success

I had soooooo much fun at my craft show! I thought I did pretty well for my first time out.  I learned a lot, met some great new people, and also made some contacts for some future sewing projects. So, all in all, I would say it was a crafting success. Here are some pictures of my table:

That's my sister... she helped me by being my cashier. My Mom was there too, she bagged up merchandise for me. Isn't family great?

The dryer vent pumpkins were a HUGE hit... I sold out of them!

The denim purses were also a favorite... I only have one of them left. People loved the idea of the crayon rolls, but surprisingly, I did not sell as many of them as I thought I would. I did, however, sell most of the tote bags with the matching crayon rolls.. go figure!  I didn't sell a whole lot of my fabric baskets either.. they were an item I thought would sell quickly. Just goes to show you that you never know what people will like!

Here are a few things I learned that I thought I would share with you:

• I read somewhere that the Chinese believe it is good luck to give your first customer of the day a discount or giveaway, so I did that. I think it worked!
• I also read that it is a good idea to make up coupons for a discount at your booth and pass them out to the other vendors. I did that and passed them out to the other vendors before the doors opened. Quite a few of them came over to my table throughout the day and used their coupon - it was a great way to generate some sales, and to meet other crafters.
• Smile and interact with your customers - my sister called me "the social butterfly of the craft fair" but that's okay... by getting up and talking to people who were looking at my items, I probably made a few more sales. I noticed that other vendors who did not interact with people did not do very well.
• Have candy at your table - I put some candy in one of my fabric baskets and encouraged people to take a piece. Again, a good way to strike up conversation or get someone to take a look at your items.
• Have business cards and pass them out. My Mom stapled one of my business cards to every bag. They are also good to have on hand for people who would like to contact you about custom orders in the future.

It was a lot of work preparing for the show, but I really enjoyed it and will definitely do it again.  Thanks for all your positive comments and well wishes, it was much appreciated  :)