Glen Gardner Craft Show Recap
Last Saturday, I was a vendor at a craft fair for a local fire station. This was the second craft fair I've done. I decided to buy a 6 foot folding table for $40 since most shows charge an extra $10 to rent a table.
I learned a few things from the first craft fair, so I made some changes. I had less on my table, so it wasn't over crowded. I didn't bring the extra rack or Christmas tree. I had a bargain bin filled with greeting cards. I created postcards with a QR code to sign up for emails since no one utilized the form last time and it took up a good amount of table space. (Spoiler: I think only one postcard was taken. It may be a wasted effort.)
At the get go, my card reader wouldn't connect. I ended up sticking with tap to pay on my phone and it all worked out just fine. I used up a lot of phone battery trying to get it to connect. Next time, I will make sure to connect the card reader at home before I leave and bring a portable battery charger. I didn't need it, but good to have just in case.
I heard at least three people say "I don't have my glasses." Signage describing products isn't helpful if they can't read it. After I heard that, I started giving a little information when people walked up to the booth. In the future, I may just stick to signs for prices.
The interesting thing is there were multiple people asking me about my products and art. Some wanted to know the story around why I created something. The people at the craft fair last year didn't really want to have a conversation, at all. And even though this show was only 10% as big as last year's show, I sold more.
Another thing I liked about this craft fair is the atmosphere was calmer and it was much quieter. They had some Christmas music playing low in the background. Last year, there was a lot of noise and it was hard to hear. This year, there were times it was hard to hear, but it wasn't the entire time.
There were 25 vendors and only a few were selling similar products. Yes, there were other ornaments, but they were a completely different style than mine. I think I was the only one selling greeting cards and photography. So that was a plus as well.
