Which Craft Shows Do I Choose?

Every weekend, nearly 600 craft shows take place around the
U.S.—that”s around 30,000 a year—offering more than 10,000
full-time craftspeople a place to sell their craft show items.
According to a National Endowment for the Arts survey, nearly 70
million people attend craft shows annually.
Now, you”ve selected the craft you want to produce, you”ve
started production, you”ve tested prices and set up your
business. You”re ready to take your craft show items on the
road. In order to do that, you need to decide where you will
test your wares. Initially, many new crafters begin with local
one-day shows that cost under $100 to enter and require no prior
jury selection. This means anyone can enter as space allows.
This is where you will get your feet wet, iron out the kinks in
your product and learn the ropes of “hiccraft show” business!
It”s preferable to make mistakes when you”re paying a $25 entry
fee and no travel expenses than when you”re paying several
hundred or even several thousand dollars to attend and even more
for motels, gas and meals.
Although there are wholesale as well as retail craft shows, we
will address retail craft shows only. In a wholesale show you
are selling your craft at about half of the retail price to
buyers who are looking for products for their stores or
galleries. You have to sell larger quantities to make up for the
lower price, so you may wish to do this down the road when you
are more seasoned.
Wholesale craft shows might be a good option for you if you have
a way to make your craft show item efficiently and with a good
amount of quality. You can make money with your crafts by
selling them to larger vendors, and having them peddle them in
other craft shows, or even in their studios or stores.
The retail craft shows come in every shape and size, from church
bazaars with 20 booths to the Harvest Festival with hundreds of
vendors. The attendance varies as well from several thousand at
a one-day local craft show, to several hundred thousand at state
fairs. How do you decide where to sell your precious products
made with your tender loving care? Various factors will affect
your decision, such as the type of craft show, the types of
products at the show, the types of customers the show attracts,
how vendors are selected, the type of promoter in charge of the
show, where the craft show is located, the costs to enter and
probably a few more. This doesn”t make your job of selecting
shows any easier. It”s just one part of your business you will
improve on as you learn and grow.