Miso Funky's Top Ten Craft Fair Tips!
A lot of the exhibitors at the Miso Funky Market are first timers, so please read on for a few tips we have gathered from our own experiences!
Bring a piece of material to cover your table!
This could be a plain table cloth, or even an old curtain that is big enough to cover the table at the fair. Remember that some of the tables supplied by venues are older than you are and have served more craft fairs than you've had hot dinners, so it's best to cover them up!
You can also use your table covering to show off your wares too - e.g. if you have silver jewellery, a dark table covering would show off your lighter items. You can also store all your junk under the table, and use your covering to drape over the front to hide your stuff!
Bring Sellotape!
It's amazing how useful sellotape is! You can use it to stick stuff to walls, fasten bags closed, tape stuff to your table ... bring some and keep it handy, you'll never know when you might need it.
Other useful things to have handy are pens, scissors and a notepad.
Bring a project!
Bring along a craft project you are working on to keep you busy during the day. Nothing too elaborate, but, for example, if you're a knitter, then bring your needles! Your potential customers will love to see you working on something - let them see how the magic happens!
If the worst happens and it's a day for poor attendance, then you will have something to keep you occupied, but don't bank on getting your project finished - we hope to be stowed out!
Bring carrier bags!
It's often overlooked in the excitement of seeing your stock ready to go, but make sure you bring something for your customers to take their purchases home in. This could either be shop bought bags or even recycle your own stack of carriers (we know you've got loads under your sink). We at Miso Funky like to keep any interesting bags we get on trips overseas to use for our wares.
Smile!
It sounds daft, but people are more inclined to buy stuff if you smile! We've been to events before where people sit with their arms crossed behind their tables looking surly and really, it just puts people off. If you're shy, bring along a chatty friend to help - they can do the sales pitch, whilst you beam with pride in the background and wrap the goods!
We do the hard bit getting people in the door - you do the easy bit, working your charm and showing off your fabulous stuff!
Have a price list!
Again, it can be overlooked, but make sure you think about how much you want to charge for your stuff. Remember to factor your time in when you are coming up with prices, as well as materials. It's a good idea to have at least a mental idea of what you want to charge for things - you can always haggle with your customers on the day!
Bring your card!
If you have them, bring a stack of them to hand out to everyone, customers and fellow exhibitors alike. If you don't have a card, then make sure you've got something with your website address or email address on it, a flyer, or even handwritten cards. That way, everyone will be able to find out where to go to buy more of your stuff!
Be able to make change!
Remember to bring some loose change, especially one pence pieces, if you have x.99 prices. Better still, eliminate the need for change by charging whole number prices! Obviously you'll still need change, but only then a couple of fivers and some pound coins. It's better to be able to give change than someone not buying something because they only have a tenner!
Pack your stuff well!
You don't want to worry about humffing your stuff around in carrier bags - so pack a suitcase! One with wheels is a great idea, so you can roll it along behind you. It looks more professional too to have one well-organised bag than lots of carriers.
If it's a hard-bodied case, you can also stand things on top of it, or lean things against it. If you're not using it, then you can close it over, and stick it under your table out of the way. You could even keep bags and change in it out of the way, to give more room on your table for your wares!
Practice makes perfect!
Take the time to think about how you want to set out your table. If you have a lot of stuff, decide what will be best to go at the front to catch the customers' eyes.
Common sense applies here - if you have tall items, put them at the back so they don't hide any smaller items and put light objects against a dark background and vice versa.
Get a few friends to have a look and give their opinions - you can always tweak it as your stock dwindles through sales over the course of the day!
We're not saying you should follow this to the letter, but these things are all points we've picked up on through our own experiences and we hope they w ill help you too.
One last tip - HAVE FUN!
Remember why you're doing this, and have a great day
