• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Start Here
  • Shop Favorites
  • About
    • Welcome To My Repurposed Life Home of Repurposed Furniture
    • More About Gail
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Information
  • Gallery
    • Repurposed Furniture
  • Repurposed Items
    • Building Supplies
    • Miscellaneous Household Items
    • Picture Frame/Chalk Board
  • DIY
    • Home Reno
    • outdoor living
    • Painting
    • Shop Talk
    • Tips for Around the House
    • Build It
      • Furniture
      • Home Decor
      • Storage
    • Crafts
      • Dollar Store
      • Easy
      • Holidays Seasonal
  • Furniture
    • Chair
    • Desk
    • Dresser/Chest
    • Headboard | Bed Parts | Cribs
    • Kids Furniture
    • Table
    • Kids Furniture
My Repurposed Life® Rescue Re-imagine Repeat
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Start Here
  • Project Index
  • Furniture
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Crafts » Successful Craft Show Tips

    Successful Craft Show Tips

    Published by Gail | Published October 25, 2017 | Updated April 9, 2019
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    Every Fall I do the Glendale KY Fall Festival, and each year the goal is the same. To have a successful craft show. There are people who definitely do more craft shows than I do. But I’ve been at it for years and have learned a few things along the way. Glendale 2017 was definitely the most successful craft show to date! The weather was perfect, there was probably a record crowd. Those are the top two things to be successful, but totally out of your control.

    tips for a successful craft show MyRepurposedLife.com

    PIN IT!

    I hope these 12  successful craft show tips will help you with your next show!

    Tip #1 Preparation is the Key for a Successful Craft Show

    u-haul packed for glendale 2017

    I have been renting a u-haul for a few years. The craft show is on Saturday. I spent Wednesday gathering all of my projects to one area. I picked up the u-haul on Thursday afternoon and loaded it in just over 2 hours. (with help from my neighbor Rodney). I arrived to set up at the show around noon on Friday—the earliest I’ve ever set up. Preparation is the key to a successful craft show!

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    Tip #2 Make an Inventory Price List

    Make a Price list spread sheet. You can do this on Google Drive. Listing your items by category and giving them each a price will make it easier to fill out price tags. In addition, if a price tag is lost, anyone running the booth will be able to know the price at a glance of the sheet.

     

    Tip #3 Pack Carefully

     

    wrap projects

    Most of these projects have been on the blog, but how many can you identify? Very few. I use sheets, towels, moving blankets and more to wrap the projects to protect them on the ride. Bungee cords and nylon rope are also helpful to keep the load from shifting. While driving down the interstate, the constant bouncing can create stress against painted objects and rub off the paint.

    hint: take a handful of emery boards to distress any paint that may chip along the way.

     

    Tip #4 Fill up that booth

     

    fill up craft show booth

    Staging is pretty, but it’s more important to fill up that booth. I rent two booths that create a walk-through from one aisle to the other. If your booth looks empty customers will pass you by and not come in.

     

     

    Tip #5 Don’t SIT

     

    successful craft show tip do not sit

    This pallet potting table had just enough room for me to stand behind. That allowed me to be available for questions, but kept me out of the way of traffic in the booth. Running a booth is a lot of work, and a long day. We arrived around 6:45 and didn’t sit down until after 2:00. After the crowd died down, I went to the u-haul to bring out the craft show chair. IF you must sit, sit high. It makes you more visible to your customers or passersby.

    hint: don’t eat in your booth unless you are manning your booth alone

     

    Tip #6  Hire Help

     

    successful craft show tip 5 hire help

    Working a booth alone may cause you to lose sales. Hiring help will increase sales and allow you to take breaks when necessary. My cousin Terry has been helping me for the last several years and it has helped me have successful craft shows. Having an extra pair of hands and an extra set of eyes will make a big difference.

     

    Tip #7 Use quality tents

     

    tip 6 use quality tentsQuality white tents are a must. I have two tents. The first one I bought when I first started attending craft shows. It is a King Canopy. It is very heavy duty. I found it on Amazon, but I don’t see it there currently. The other is an EZ UP tent. If you use a blue or red picnic canopy, it will cast a funny hue onto your projects. I recommend going the extra mile and buying sides for your tents. It helps secure your items overnight, and leaving the sides up makes your items show up better.

    hint: waterproof your tents (they are not waterproof when you buy them) Heavy dew will seep through. Before you open the doors to your tent, use something to knock of the dew from the roof. Not doing so, will cause it to drip for hours. If, like me you join two tents together, don’t display any items where the two tents come together during the overnight hours. Dew (or rain) will make it through the crack and ruin your projects.

     

    Tip #8 Use “S” hooks and zip ties

     

    s hooks and zip ties for successful craft show

    If you space out your items, “s” hooks will allow you to hang many items from the side rails of your craft show tent. In the beginning I used rope and string, but I quickly realized that hooks are so much faster and easier. Zip ties come in handy as well. We use them to connect the two center poles together to help secure the tents together. For this craft show zip ties were also used to hold the console table to the slatted bench since there are no walls.

     

    Tip #9  Protect Furniture Legs from rocks and debris

     

    protect craft show projects

    Protecting the feet and legs of furniture projects at your craft show is a must! You’ve worked hard on your projects and you want to make sure your customers get to take home damage free furniture.

     

    Tip #10 Be creative with pricing signs

    creative pricing signs for craft show

    Small  rustic chalkboards or pedestal signs make great pricing options. Note the small chalkboard on top of the grateful thankful blessed headboard describing the price of the cutting boards above.

     

    Tip #11 Offer to hold large items to assure a Successful Craft Show

    2017-10-20 16.31.31

    Because I sell a lot of large items, I always offer to hold items till the end of the day, or when the customer is ready to leave.

     

    Tip #12 Make Claim Tickets

     

    claim ticket price tags

    Take a good look at the price tags that I make. I buy perforated raffle tickets for my price tags. I started doing this because one year a customer asked me to hold something, and at the end of the day she didn’t remember where I was located.

    claim ticket price tags 2

    The front of the perforated tag has my name, phone number, and my location. The back of the tag has the price and a description of the item. Customers must present the claim ticket when they are picking up their item. This is helpful if you have more than one person working the booth. It’s also a good idea to write the customers name and phone number on the large part of the ticket in case they don’t return to get their item.

    hint: save the claim tickets as a quick source of keeping track of your inventory and what was sold.

     

    Tip #12 Condense your booth as items are picked up

     

    craft show tip condense booth as items sell

    Because my booth is 10x20, it starts to look sparse as large items are picked up. This year was the first time that we moved available items to one end of the booth as the day went on. As a rule, most of the large items are sold by noon, but not picked up until around 2 or 3 as people are leaving the show.

    In other words, we left the sold items in the far booth, and brought the available items forward. If your booth starts to look empty customers will pass you by. Near closing time, the available items were in a space near the size of 10 x 4. It was a warm day, so I made the decision to keep the sold items on the sunny side, and the available items on this side in the shade. We did that soon after my friend Nova took this picture of us.

     

    Terry has been helping me for a few years. This is her advice if you're new to the craft show circuit.

    Just relax. Anticipate problems and be read to adjust. Have fun. Learn from others around you. Watch what they do and adjust it to fit your needs.

    If you have any tips for me or those reading this post, please leave them in a comment below.

    gail

    A short video

    here's a little Facebook Live video I did after we finished setting up the booth on Friday afternoon

    https://www.myrepurposedlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Facebook-Live-Glendale-2017.mp4

    Projects shown:

    Vintage Suitcase Makeover
    Chalkboard Speech Bubbles
    Door Chalkboard
    XL Blue Corkboard
    Tufted Upholstered Bench
    Metal Leg Tables
    Rustic Full Length Mirror
    Console Table
    Black Chair
    Double Column Console Table (second to sell)
    Small Side Table (first to sell)
    Pink Dog/Doll Bed
    White Chippy Porch Chair
    Pallet Potting Table
    Wooden Slat Bench
    Portable Folding Pallet Bar
    Large Gray Glazed Shelf (6 hooks)
    Small Gray Glazed Shelves
    Vintage Gray Glazed Drawer Shelf  (didn’t sell)
    Tall Kitchen Drawer Shelf
    Pallet Coffee Cup Rack
    Grateful, Thankful, Blessed Headboard Sign
    What I Love Most about My Home (headboard coat rack)
    Small Window Hook Rack
    Porch Post Coat Rack
    Cutting Boards
    Christmas Trees For Sale Sign
    Stockings Were Hung Headboard
    Black Shutter Shelf (donated to a local high school)
    Red Ladder
    Gray Ladder
    Easels to Display Large Items

    Print Friendly, PDF & Email
    Pin
    Share
    Tweet

    Related Content:

    • Most Popular Projects of 2017
      Most Popular Projects of 2017
    • Magnetic Chalkboard Flower
      Magnetic Chalkboard Flower
    • Dogs, Cats, and Fleas Oh MY!
      Dogs, Cats, and Fleas Oh MY!
    • Dollar Store Chalkboard | Easy Project
      Dollar Store Chalkboard | Easy Project
    • craft show Glendale 2016 recap
      craft show Glendale 2016 recap
    • Reclaimed Stair Stringer Tiered Plant Stand
      Reclaimed Stair Stringer Tiered Plant Stand

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      See comments Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. chris tucker

      October 25, 2017 at 1:54 pm

      after working your fingers to the bone and your butt off, i am so happy for you, but i am always sure you will sell most if not all because what you do is awesome xx

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 26, 2017 at 5:58 pm

        awww, thanks Chris! It's good to sell out, because that is definitely the goal-to move all the stuff I make for the blog. Without Glendale (and Vendors' Village) can you imagine how much stuff would pile up around here?

        gail

    2. Jennie

      October 25, 2017 at 12:32 pm

      I’m happy to hear itwas a successful Glendale show. Now to make more goodies for the next show. I do have a question. What do you do when someone offers you less on an item? I’ve done one show and it was many years ago. At the time I was making jewelry.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 26, 2017 at 6:02 pm

        Jennie,

        It's a great crowd at Glendale. I heard there were over 20k this year. Rarely do people ask me to come down off my prices. They are very, very reasonable. Most people say "that's ONLY $35?!" If they do ask nicely and it's late in the day I will generally take some off. If it's early-no way! There are still too many people to pass by.
        Many times people do ask for a discount on my projects in my booth. I will take some off. Recently I had a price of $90 and they offered $50. I think that might be a little insulting and pretty bold. I countered with 67.50. They haven't bought the piece yet. So I guess they thought it was too high.

        I like taking large items, they sell very quickly. I took the cutting boards for those who are hanging out with people looking at the furniture pieces. 🙂 That worked pretty well this year.

        gail

    3. GirlfromWva

      October 25, 2017 at 10:56 am

      loved seeing all the blog projects in person, and you and Terry! so happy most if not all of your beautiful items sold.
      how do u handle cash/cards, etc.?

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 26, 2017 at 6:03 pm

        It's always so much fun to see you!!!

        Cash is always nice, I took a couple of checks this year. Cards? I use paypal. I do charge a fee because I have to pay a fee to accept the credit cards. In addition-somehow paypal has put a limit on my account because of "strange" activity. grrrr I'm having to jump through a lot of hoops. Looks like I'll find a new app before next year.

        gail

    4. Lori Lawhorne

      October 25, 2017 at 9:56 am

      What a great post, very helpful! Glad you had a successful show! I just had one tip, and I'm sure you already know this but from my personal observations, there are MANY artisans who do not; attitude makes all the difference. Back when my friend and I were doing a lot of shows, we always had a crowd around our booth when others did not. Our secret? We made our booth more visually interesting, but mostly it was because we acted like we were happy to be there (because we were) and would still be happy even if we didn't sell anything. We joked with each other and with the shoppers, smiled and laughed, and always went home with full pockets. Other vendors who did not smile or engage the customers or each other watched people pass by their booth all day. We treated everyone like a new friend and not a potential sale and people appreciate that.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 26, 2017 at 6:05 pm

        Great tips Lori, thank you! We try to do that as well. I am happy to be there, and I love what I do. When others admire my workmanship it makes me even happier!

        gail

      • Beverly

        October 30, 2017 at 9:23 am

        I think this is huge! One vendor near me this weekend never smiled and had her head down working on projects 90% of the time. The vendor across from me had a great smile but looked bored a lot.

      • Gail Wilson

        October 30, 2017 at 7:46 pm

        Beverly,

        Not all people can be good salesmen, but everyone has it in them to ACT like they are having a good time. Fake it till you make it? 😉

        The only vendor I know of that didn't do really, really well at Glendale had very high priced repurposed items. They were a very friendly couple, and do great projects. But their prices were probably 6 times what I would sell the same project for.
        I hope you had a great sale!
        gail

    5. Claudine

      October 25, 2017 at 7:00 am

      I'm so glad to hear you had another great year at Glendale, Gail. I look forward to these annual reports. lol Your work is beautiful!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        October 25, 2017 at 9:02 am

        Thank you Claudine! Your comment made me smile! Thanks for being a good friend of MRL.

        gail

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

    More about me →

    Join Our Mailing List

    ​

      Click the topics you're interested in below:

      Subscribing above means you agree to our Privacy Policy​

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      SEEN ON

      Might I Suggest

      • Start Here
      • Furniture Makeovers

      Newsletter

      • Sign Up! for emails and updates

      About

      • Gail's Favorites on Amazon
      • About

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 My Repurposed Life · Privacy Policy · Disclosure