Tips/advice for 1st craft market tent?

[Mulesaw]

This thread contains a wealth of information about selling and setting up at events.

I like the U shape table idea or if there is not room, then one table but lengthwise (not like a counter that you stand behind). Also bring lots of water+ food + snacks for yourselves, buying stuff is costly. 
Bring lots of change. 

Have fun

Brgds Jonas

[chuck123wapati]

On 9/15/2025 at 3:08 PM, fredk said:

Good point about the bags. I forgot about that. 

I use white paper bags with handles on them. They cost a fraction more than than plain brown bags but look so much better. Sometime in the future I'm going to get sticky labels with my brand printed on so I can stick them on to the bags

You have a sewing machine, make cool cloth bags with your logo on them, they are eco-friendly, "sustainable", and blah blah blah LOL.

[bruce johnson]

Good advice so far, and I will throw out a little more. Some based on being a vender (leather shows) and some as a person who visits a lot of antique fairs, shops, and some farmer's market/craft fairs. 

You have three things going on in one booth - teas/botanicals, crystals, and your leather work. You need separate signage for each. That signage should be readable from at least a 10 foot distance from the front of the booth. You have about the 3 seconds it takes for them to walk by to grab their attention and for them to decide if there is something they are interested in. Sometimes I look at a booth and immediately think - too unrelated and stirred together, not serious. Other times I see a booth with signs for Tupperware and used motorcycle parts and I'm like "That's a hell of a mix! I need to talk to these people, they gotta be fun!"  No reason to assume in either scenario but I guess I do. In the later case I am probably leaving with a food storage item, a greasy crescent wrench, and new contacts that I didn't have on my radar screen walking in. 

Candy dish - wrapped and all that. The 1 pound tub of Red Vines? - I ain't touching that when it's had 27 hands in it already. Mix of chocolate (fun size and not those minute mini's), some kind of soft mints, and something like individual wrapped licorice. The whole world loves Tootsie rolls and again - midgies and not the little rabbit turd size. MY wife has put the "no hard candy rule" in for us, choking risk for kids.  Have a garbage can or basket with a little sign by it available for wrappers. That little bit of time when they are opening and tossing the wrapper is an engageable moment. Here is something that became HUGE for us. A separate bowl with signage for sugar-free candy. Several years ago one of our fellow venders asked if we had sugar free, she is diabetic. I told her for sure we would next time. I am still amazed at the response. First show with sugar free a lady with a diabetic kid was all over us thanking us. At the Prescott leather show one guy thanked us and said a lot of the people in Navajo Nation are diabetic. Our booth is now his first stop! At the last several shows now we have expanded to about half regular and half sugar free, and often run out of the sugar free first. 

Take home stuff - business cards at a minimum. Maybe brochures. Brochures can be printed on your computer probably with a software template you've got pre-installed. After our first show I was looking at giveaway promo stuff besides business cards - pens and stuff like that. My friend suggested 6 inch rulers with my info on them. handy size to go in your pocket, you always need to measure stuff, etc.  OK, I'll try some. Let's just say that 13,000 rulers later - it has been a good suggestion. Ditto for stickers. You don't have to give away expensive stuff, but have something that helps to keep people remembering you. Start small and grow. 

Bags - definitely. You can buy paper bags and a rubber stamp and stamp your logo, apply stickers, something to get started. One I got rolling - my promotional products guy again. I can buy good sized reusable shopping bags with my logo cheaper than most paper bags.

Talking to people - some of this is from a seminar I was at eons ago. First and foremost - engage people with what you have to sell. You are there to sell not chat it up like you are in the checkout line at the grocery store. Don't comment on the weather first - you are not a meteorologist and they know if it is hot/cold/humid/raining/nice weather same as you. Don't ask how they are doing if you don't know them personally. Most people are going to say fine or OK and go on. If they stop, you are screwed. You are going to hear about their dental or medical issues, ingrate kids, crummy neighbor, or latest car repair. Start with what you have - We are a little family business. My daughter has beautiful crystals, my wife has some really good teas and botanicals, and I do handmade leather goods and am also the chauffer that lugs the heavy stuff guy.  You don't have to be a used-car salesman, but let them know YOU made it and you can do more items than what they see there. I can go to some 'handmade" craft shows and see the exact same items in three or four booths. Unfortunately, that can be the mentality of your buyers that handmade means some village or cottage industry in another country. Not many people wake up and think "I'll go to the craft show because I need a new handmade belt or wallet". Probably more like "Honey, I know I've played a lot of golf this week, how about we do something together - maybe go to the craft show tomorrow and we can get lunch after". It is his get-out-of-jail-free card. Sales on site are nearly all impulse buys - but they plant the seed for the good orders with the right people. 

Feedback at and after the show - Once you are set up ask someone in show management for suggestions on your booth space for next time. They see it all, and they really want to see you succeed and come back. Same for other venders - ask what they think. Ask customers during the show. You might get the chatty one that you can ask what they think about the layout. For items you have laid out you can ask them what else they might be interested in besides what you've got, either a custom order or suggestion for next time. As the show winds down talk to other venders - maybe everyone had a bad /good/average day.  If you like the experience want to try it more, ask them about other shows that might be a fit for what you sell. Debrief with the family on the way home. what could we do different, what worked and didn't. 

[fredk]

1 hour ago, bruce johnson said:

Don't comment on the weather first - you are not a meteorologist and they know if it is hot/cold/humid/raining/nice weather same as you.

Different nations; the true Brit will not start talking to you unless you start with the weather.      At a show today I must have made about 50 new friends. All conversations started with small talk about the weather  

@ThisIsMyFirstRodeo I do not recommend you doing what we did at shows to get round the regs over food & drink.

We were showing typical medieval foods and drinks. Some was for sale but we didn't say that. We let ppl try 'our lunch/snack'. Then if they liked it they could pre-order and pre-pay for it. Delivery was later. Like 20 -30 mins later

I sold my medieval style mead by selling the fancy bottle and including the mead in it for free. An inspector tried to say that wasn't legal but he checked and came back to me and said as long as the ppl could buy the empty bottle and got the mead free there was nothing he could do about it

 

[Handstitched]

There's  a heap of great advice  here. 

A few more bits to add to that list: good music:, my most recent market at the weekend,  the  muso was good, but he needed to expand his ' repertoire ' , it was a bit  repetitive. The type of music being played can make a difference  at a market, the overall  atmosphere,  the way people  browse  and buy, and so on. Crap or too loud music can drive them away.  The music at one market I went to made it sound like a funeral.  At another,  the 'singer' couldn't sing,  the only thing  missing  was a howling  dog and the vendors had their hands over their ears  👂 🙉 

Food stalls near by :

Depending on the food, ( aromas)  can either invite people to a market or drive them away. Location  Location  location 🎶 

I have some ' goth boots ' with spikes all over them  ( they are on here somewhere), and wow , they sure attract  people   IN  to my stall.  They ask questions,  take photos etc.  I then, talk leather,  show them pics of everything I have made in my folders, my machines, a few ' how to ' pics and so on,  keep them interested,  i at least sell one or two items😀

HS

[ThisIsMyFirstRodeo]

On 9/20/2025 at 9:45 AM, bruce johnson said:

Good advice so far, and I will throw out a little more. Some based on being a vender (leather shows) and some as a person who visits a lot of antique fairs, shops, and some farmer's market/craft fairs. 

You have three things going on in one booth - teas/botanicals, crystals, and your leather work. You need separate signage for each. That signage should be readable from at least a 10 foot distance from the front of the booth. You have about the 3 seconds it takes for them to walk by to grab their attention and for them to decide if there is something they are interested in. Sometimes I look at a booth and immediately think - too unrelated and stirred together, not serious. Other times I see a booth with signs for Tupperware and used motorcycle parts and I'm like "That's a hell of a mix! I need to talk to these people, they gotta be fun!"  No reason to assume in either scenario but I guess I do. In the later case I am probably leaving with a food storage item, a greasy crescent wrench, and new contacts that I didn't have on my radar screen walking in. 

Candy dish - wrapped and all that. The 1 pound tub of Red Vines? - I ain't touching that when it's had 27 hands in it already. Mix of chocolate (fun size and not those minute mini's), some kind of soft mints, and something like individual wrapped licorice. The whole world loves Tootsie rolls and again - midgies and not the little rabbit turd size. MY wife has put the "no hard candy rule" in for us, choking risk for kids.  Have a garbage can or basket with a little sign by it available for wrappers. That little bit of time when they are opening and tossing the wrapper is an engageable moment. Here is something that became HUGE for us. A separate bowl with signage for sugar-free candy. Several years ago one of our fellow venders asked if we had sugar free, she is diabetic. I told her for sure we would next time. I am still amazed at the response. First show with sugar free a lady with a diabetic kid was all over us thanking us. At the Prescott leather show one guy thanked us and said a lot of the people in Navajo Nation are diabetic. Our booth is now his first stop! At the last several shows now we have expanded to about half regular and half sugar free, and often run out of the sugar free first. 

Take home stuff - business cards at a minimum. Maybe brochures. Brochures can be printed on your computer probably with a software template you've got pre-installed. After our first show I was looking at giveaway promo stuff besides business cards - pens and stuff like that. My friend suggested 6 inch rulers with my info on them. handy size to go in your pocket, you always need to measure stuff, etc.  OK, I'll try some. Let's just say that 13,000 rulers later - it has been a good suggestion. Ditto for stickers. You don't have to give away expensive stuff, but have something that helps to keep people remembering you. Start small and grow. 

Bags - definitely. You can buy paper bags and a rubber stamp and stamp your logo, apply stickers, something to get started. One I got rolling - my promotional products guy again. I can buy good sized reusable shopping bags with my logo cheaper than most paper bags.

Talking to people - some of this is from a seminar I was at eons ago. First and foremost - engage people with what you have to sell. You are there to sell not chat it up like you are in the checkout line at the grocery store. Don't comment on the weather first - you are not a meteorologist and they know if it is hot/cold/humid/raining/nice weather same as you. Don't ask how they are doing if you don't know them personally. Most people are going to say fine or OK and go on. If they stop, you are screwed. You are going to hear about their dental or medical issues, ingrate kids, crummy neighbor, or latest car repair. Start with what you have - We are a little family business. My daughter has beautiful crystals, my wife has some really good teas and botanicals, and I do handmade leather goods and am also the chauffer that lugs the heavy stuff guy.  You don't have to be a used-car salesman, but let them know YOU made it and you can do more items than what they see there. I can go to some 'handmade" craft shows and see the exact same items in three or four booths. Unfortunately, that can be the mentality of your buyers that handmade means some village or cottage industry in another country. Not many people wake up and think "I'll go to the craft show because I need a new handmade belt or wallet". Probably more like "Honey, I know I've played a lot of golf this week, how about we do something together - maybe go to the craft show tomorrow and we can get lunch after". It is his get-out-of-jail-free card. Sales on site are nearly all impulse buys - but they plant the seed for the good orders with the right people. 

Feedback at and after the show - Once you are set up ask someone in show management for suggestions on your booth space for next time. They see it all, and they really want to see you succeed and come back. Same for other venders - ask what they think. Ask customers during the show. You might get the chatty one that you can ask what they think about the layout. For items you have laid out you can ask them what else they might be interested in besides what you've got, either a custom order or suggestion for next time. As the show winds down talk to other venders - maybe everyone had a bad /good/average day.  If you like the experience want to try it more, ask them about other shows that might be a fit for what you sell. Debrief with the family on the way home. what could we do different, what worked and didn't. 

Bruce —

Wow, thank you. Your experience, especially being much closer (3hrs or so) to me helps a lot. Most definitely individual wrapped candy, and SF definitely. But more importantly, the ideas for what we called an “elevator pitch” in school (I barely passed speech class…), and communication with the promoters/managers. 
 

The general ideas I’m gathering from everyone are how to successfully invite people into my stall, and create a connection, however brief. Definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, but necessary for the potential of success. 
 

Returning to ideas for setup, what are people’s thoughts regarding a couple cable spools stacked to create a rounder, with my concept being to bring people in to see what else is out of sight? I’m wavering though, as I don’t want something too big to see around or take up half of my tent. I haven’t bothered yet to flesh out how to keep the design clean. But, if it winds up looking a little too redneck, it won’t be leaving my garage. At face value, I like the concept of a rounder, but what are other’s thoughts?

— AZR

[fredk]

Whatever you use as a show table use a cloth covering it.  I/we found dark red or brown best with leatherwork. There are websites which tell you which colours are welcoming or 'cold' et cetera 

[bruce johnson]

19 hours ago, ThisIsMyFirstRodeo said:

The general ideas I’m gathering from everyone are how to successfully invite people into my stall, and create a connection, however brief. Definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, but necessary for the potential of success. 
 

Returning to ideas for setup, what are people’s thoughts regarding a couple cable spools stacked to create a rounder, with my concept being to bring people in to see what else is out of sight? I’m wavering though, as I don’t want something too big to see around or take up half of my tent. I haven’t bothered yet to flesh out how to keep the design clean. But, if it winds up looking a little too redneck, it won’t be leaving my garage. At face value, I like the concept of a rounder, but what are other’s thoughts?

— AZR

     A craft show is a little different than a "theme show" like a leather show, auto swap meet, or Renn fair. The attendees at the theme shows have an interest in most everything offered. They are a slower pace, I'm gonna take my time and not miss a treasure event. They are there for the vibe and will be there as long as it takes. They have time to chat, might ask what else you have. Pick your brain and you pick theirs kind of affairs. Attendees at a craft show or artisan's fair are generally not as deliberate. If they don't have a specific interest, they keep walking. That is where you either get their attention with signs or a spiel. A quick glance tells them a bit about about what they need to know. With three kind of unrelated sections, you need to let them know what you've got and you only have the time it takes for them to walk past to do it. 

    There is an art to displaying stuff and no rules. In my case at shows I have to break some recommendations. I have a double space  - 5 to 6 tables. Tools are laid out by type and sorted into trays by sizes. we fill these tables. We never know what is going to sell and take a representative amount of most tools. Some tools I still haven't got the best way to display yet, but we evolve. We lay it all out at the start. It is too hard and we are busy enough usually that we can't lay out a few and restock as some things sell out. 

   I liken craft fairs to antique malls almost. I go to an antique mall and I have tools and KaBar pocket knives on my radar screen. A quick glance as I walk and I can size up most booths. I don't need to stop for stacks of linens, plates, and curio cabinet of figurines. A bucket with hammer handles sticking up and a glass cabinet of knives and I'm drawn in. If I see a really busy display with stuff piled up or mostly touching each other - I usually keep walking. I want to see it spread out a least a little. At a craft show - I probably am not stopping for anything that hangs up - our walls are covered. Jewelry is in my wheelhouse because my wife is well-loved. Handmade knives - I'll stop and chat it up. Not everyone will have an interest in your wares. Some of these booths that don't have much of a sign and I can't see due to people in there or whatever, I appreciate it when someone stands outside and tells me what they have. I can say thank you and go on or go in.

    The round spool displays sound good in theory. The problem will be space. Limited space on top for displaying. People need to get all the way around them and not interfere with the flow around the booth with other displays. It would depend on booth size.