I haven't really participated at any craft shows for some years now, not since I moved to Ontario. But I am going to do a small one this coming weekend at the
Annual Collingwood Leisure Time Craft Sale. It is from 9am to 2 pm on November 14 and 15. So if you are in the area, do stop by and say hello!
I have no idea what to expect. But like any craft show, one has to prepare. So I have been busy putting together what I need. Including promotional material. Not just the basic business cards and Square sign but a poster and postcards with pictures on one side and a short bio on the other. The postcards are a good idea as people who buy jewelry for gifts like to include a little something about the artisan.
Joining a mobile credit card payment program (for e.g. Square, Paypal, Etsy) is a must. Not many people carry a lot of cash these days. Not having one means you might miss sales. I certainly did in past craft shows before I had Square. As soon as the service was available in Canada, I signed up.
In fact the founder of Square, Jack Dorsey, actually got the idea when his glass artist friend lamented he could not take a credit card payment for one of his expensive works of art.
The mobile technology is moving on to chip readers and contactless payments. These are now available for US Square users but Canadians like me will have to wait for these to come in.
Read this article for more information about such EMV payment systems and what it means for sellers.
EMV stands for Europay, Mastercard and Visa. I make a lot of earrings - they are my most favorite things to create. I also prefer to mount them on earring cards so that meant a lot of hole punching! If you remember
from this tutorial, I made a simple punch with resin clay and a couple of push pins.
I also bought the punch which allows me to hang lever back earrings - it's the one with the flap.
Then there was the mounting of necklaces on displays. Bracelets will be displayed in open boxes on the table. Pricing and price tags was next. I like to have everything as near ready as possible so that set up is quicker.
I also have a toolbox on wheels which holds the packaging materials, gift boxes, hand mirror, some tools and findings etc. This will be behind the craft table and easily accessible.
I know many of you are very busy now with the craft show season in full swing. So I wish you all good luck!
Everyone does things differently. So if you do or have any tips to share, please comment!
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