Tips/advice for 1st craft market tent?

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

Hey all,

So I’m biting the bullet and getting my business license. While I work on finding locations for retail displays, I’ll be selling at art/craft markets. 
But, my first market is approaching in about 2mos, and I have no clue what I’m doing. 
My initial thought is just to focus on small-dollar items (bookmarks, bracelets/cuffs, keychains, etc.), with the initial goal of covering the cost of my next Tandy run and the booth fees. We aren’t strictly selling leather, either. My wife packages her own tea blends and topicals, and my daughter is a budding crystal dealer (it’s actually her business, I’m really just an artist-in-residence, so to speak, and handling day-to-day operations while she’s in school).
But this will legitimately be my first rodeo, so to speak, and I don’t even know what I don’t know, nor what questions I should even be asking.  
Any help, tips, advice, dos/don’ts are appreciated.

TIA,

AZR

[fredk]

You'll be doing a lot of talking. Take some confectionery and keep a large bowl-full on the table. That attracts ppl like flies to horse manure. Then when they're over talk to them, about anything, their coat, the weather, anything.  Ppl will find you very friendly. Don't be shy or reticent, thats for losers

Find out what ppl like in leather. Talk leather. Talk their hind legs off. When they're ready to talk

Something I saw done once but I've never tried it: have a sign with a price on it $(hundred dollars) and put that on something small like a wallet or purse. Ppl will ask 'is that right?!' then you say 'oops, that sign shouldn't be there . . . '  gets their attention so it does

Have plenty of freebies for the trainee grups. A happy trainee is a happy and interested grup

[bladegrinder]

Are you set up to take credit cards? if not you can lose a lot of sales.

[toxo]

Big step. First of all, what's your weather like? Over here in the UK the outdoor show season finishes around October time. Rain can ruin a weekend and can be a big factor over here, less of a problem where you are. If you intend to do it full time you might consider paying the extra cost of indoor shows in which case gazebos are less of a consideration. I've seen many cheap ones in the bins after a windy weekend but the good ones are very expensive. If it's to cover three pitches it'll need to be a big one which will make your eyes water. As is often quoted on here, "buy once, cry once".

As for the display itself, try for an open fronted "U" shape which is more welcoming than a straight table. Fabricate some vertical tiers, especially at the back where you can put the bigger items especially some brightly coloured stuff. People walking past won't see stuff that are on a flat table. Lighting is a must and raises you to a different level. Use it to spotlight your more expensive or more interesting items and it will attract a lot more than those stalls that don't have it.

When choosing what shows to book your first consideration should be footfall. Don't imagine for a second that everyone will like your stuff as much as you do. Only a small percentage of your stuff will appeal to MOST people. Now, after looking at the total footfall you have to face some facts. The promoters will lie about the total footfall because they want your $. Now take out the number that are only making a day of it and have no intention of buying anything. Then take out the number that would be a customer if only they had some money including the tyre kickers. You can think of many more that won't be giving you their money. The number that's left is where you'll make your money. So the higher the footfall, the more chance of making some money. Unfortunately these are the shows that will cost the most.

Another important factor might be the type of show. I've paid £40 for a weekend at a steam rally (not with leather) and took well over £1000. I've also paid £600 at an air show with a huge footfall and didn't get the pitch money back because I booked too late and had a lousy position. Lesson learned, when you have all your ducks in a row you'll book your shows for the year just after the new year to guarantee a good pitch. Over here there's a publication called "The Showman's Directory", it lists every show through the year with footfall and contact details. Although primarily a UK thing there was a lot of international shows as well. Maybe there's a US version. Good luck.

Edited 17 hours ago by toxo

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

17 hours ago, fredk said:

You'll be doing a lot of talking. Take some confectionery and keep a large bowl-full on the table. That attracts ppl like flies to horse manure. Then when they're over talk to them, about anything, their coat, the weather, anything.  Ppl will find you very friendly. Don't be shy or reticent, thats for losers

Find out what ppl like in leather. Talk leather. Talk their hind legs off. When they're ready to talk

Something I saw done once but I've never tried it: have a sign with a price on it $(hundred dollars) and put that on something small like a wallet or purse. Ppl will ask 'is that right?!' then you say 'oops, that sign shouldn't be there . . . '  gets their attention so it does

Have plenty of freebies for the trainee grups. A happy trainee is a happy and interested grup

 

17 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

Are you set up to take credit cards? if not you can lose a lot of sales.

I’ll start with the easy one first…

Bladegrinder: yes, we are set to accept credit, Zelle, CashApp, and Apple. 
 

Fred: thank you for the idea of the candy bowl. It’ll also be just a couple weeks after Halloween, so maybe I won’t eat all my.. ahem… my daughter’s candy… I think it will indeed draw people and keep them closer to strike up conversation, especially because I’m not the best “people person” and I’ll need to push myself outside of my comfort zone. 
I definitely need to talk leather and find what the local demographic is actually looking for. 

Thanks!

AZR

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

15 hours ago, toxo said:

Big step. First of all, what's your weather like? Over here in the UK the outdoor show season finishes around October time. Rain can ruin a weekend and can be a big factor over here, less of a problem where you are. If you intend to do it full time you might consider paying the extra cost of indoor shows in which case gazebos are less of a consideration. I've seen many cheap ones in the bins after a windy weekend but the good ones are very expensive. If it's to cover three pitches it'll need to be a big one which will make your eyes water. As is often quoted on here, "buy once, cry once".

As for the display itself, try for an open fronted "U" shape which is more welcoming than a straight table. Fabricate some vertical tiers, especially at the back where you can put the bigger items especially some brightly coloured stuff. People walking past won't see stuff that are on a flat table. Lighting is a must and raises you to a different level. Use it to spotlight your more expensive or more interesting items and it will attract a lot more than those stalls that don't have it.

When choosing what shows to book your first consideration should be footfall. Don't imagine for a second that everyone will like your stuff as much as you do. Only a small percentage of your stuff will appeal to MOST people. Now, after looking at the total footfall you have to face some facts. The promoters will lie about the total footfall because they want your $. Now take out the number that are only making a day of it and have no intention of buying anything. Then take out the number that would be a customer if only they had some money including the tyre kickers. You can think of many more that won't be giving you their money. The number that's left is where you'll make your money. So the higher the footfall, the more chance of making some money. Unfortunately these are the shows that will cost the most.

Another important factor might be the type of show. I've paid £40 for a weekend at a steam rally (not with leather) and took well over £1000. I've also paid £600 at an air show with a huge footfall and didn't get the pitch money back because I booked too late and had a lousy position. Lesson learned, when you have all your ducks in a row you'll book your shows for the year just after the new year to guarantee a good pitch. Over here there's a publication called "The Showman's Directory", it lists every show through the year with footfall and contact details. Although primarily a UK thing there was a lot of international shows as well. Maybe there's a US version. Good luck.

Toxo: We’re in the American SW, in Arizona. Monsoon season is already petering out, and it should be sunny and perhaps a bit cool (by our standards at least). 
We will be set up in our 3m x 3m popup tent (good quality), and we do have enough tables to set however desired. 
Great idea for the vertical displays, and hey, it’ll give me another creative puzzle to solve with all of the random bits of salvaged wood and scrap in my yard! 
Thank you for the note to work with the promoter for table position, it honestly had skipped my mind. 

Thanks,

AZR

[fredk]

30 minutes ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

Great idea for the vertical displays, and hey, it’ll give me another creative puzzle to solve with all of the random bits of salvaged wood and scrap in my yard! 

In medieval times leatherworkers who traveled about had rails to hang belts, scabbards, gloves and pouches and other items from. A clothes rail will work too but one made of wood suits leather better. I'm not a wood worker by any means but I made myself a wood one which could be knocked down into its parts for carrying in my car. Mine was an A frame spanned with two 4ft pieces each side, at different levels, between the end A's

Have you got camp chairs? a couple spare for weary customers. A flask of hot water, to make coffee?

This may be very different but you'll get some ideas; when I published a few magazines we bought an old caravan and converted it to a hospitality caravan. At shows we were after subscriptions and selling odd car related items. (like books) We had seats in the caravan and a kettle for tea & coffee on all the time. We always came away with plenty of paid up subs and far fewer books and such.

You need to push yourselves to the front, far beyond your competitors. Then people will remember you; maybe not your name exactly but 'those nice people who had candy/coffee/a seat for us'

Actually thats how most of the car enthusiast ppl remember me; 'didn't you have that blue caravan with tea and a seat?'. And it was 30 years ago!