A Year Without Craft Shows
This is the year I created full-color flyers. These flyers had a long list of the dates and locations of my 2020 craft shows. Even though I have a website many people wait until they are at a craft show to purchase soap. 67% of my sales in the second half of 2019 came from craft fairs. It is a handy tool to give someone a list with their purchase. “Here is a list of my shows this year. It looks like I’ll be back in your area at the end of August!”
Crafters spend a lot of time choosing shows and applying to shows. Every year we evaluate which past shows were worth the money and effort. We research show possibilities, send email inquiries and make spreadsheets of fees and deadlines. Some shows require that we purchase additional insurance.
In March the first of these shows was cancelled. At that time I fully believed that by the fall the world would be somewhat back to normal and we would be having craft fairs again. I was wrong! As winter turned into spring, one by one my 2020 shows were cancelled. This was disheartening. I rely on my soap income and the primary way that comes is through shows.
The first blessing was immediately obvious. I was already set up for online sales. Many makers and crafters were not. Not only was I set up for sales, but I felt like my website was well done and easy for me to navigate. Thank you, Cousin Adam, for that.
My craft shows are sprinkled throughout the calendar and then September- December they are almost every weekend. I am more than happy to do the work, and they are all encompassing. I almost always do my shows alone, which means loading and unloading my van several times, and a lot of hauling. Initially, as an introvert, I found craft shows very challenging. But I have got used to them and now I quite enjoy my time with other crafters and customers.
It has always been a challenge for me to balance being away from home all weekend and also trying to accomplish what I needed to at home. So the second blessing is that this year I have accomplished more at home! Although I may have preferred to be out selling my soap, I could not be. I want to see the positive side of every circumstance and it is obvious to me that I accomplished a lot more at home than I ever have during a typical craft fair season. So I’m very thankful for that.
I don’t know what 2021 will look like, in terms of craft shows. Typically by now I would have already applied to many, and I have not. I’m thankful for online sales, consignment at local stores, wholesale and direct sales. Thank you for supporting my small business!