My last post was about a craft show we attended as vendors, but I unintentionally omitted a part that is important to me, questions that I wanted to ask you!
Do you attend craft shows? If so, as a vendor? or as a shopper?
If you attend as a vendor, what type of products do you take to sell? Do you prefer small to medium sized shows? Or do you only look for the huge ones with 100’s of vendors and even more customers?
As a shopper, do you try to find shows where everything is hand made? or do you attend the ones that have a mixture of artists, crafters, and representatives of larger businesses (such as Pampered Chef, Tupperware, and Candle-Lite)? Do you go to a show just to look and possibly buy something on impulse? Or do you go looking for something specific for yourself or as a gift? Or could you be looking for a vendor you’d purchased from before to see what else he/she might have created since last time?
Thank you for reading and perhaps answering some of these questions. As a small business, we’ve been doing craft shows for years, but this is my first attempt at some market research. I know the answers will vary, by individual tastes as well as by country, and city or rural locations. It should be interesting to find a general picture of what appeals to everyone.
Mulch and More Crafts 
I’ve done several shows as a vendor, and I’m still learning. I tend to do best at medium shows, big enough to get a good crowd but not so big that I can’t afford the table fee. Plus, some of the really big shows seem to have a lot of the vendors with new product rather than craft items, and I definitely sell more at shows that are specifically geared toward craft/handmade. I have all knitted (a few crochet) items, but I try to have a wide variety: hats, cowls, scarves bags. What I’m finding is that hats are the biggest sellers, so I’m focusing more on those while still going for variety in style/color.
As a shopper, I look for unusual crafts, things I don’t see over and over. I like booths with a variety of items, they’re interesting. I always think I’ll buy for gifts, and sometimes I do, but I almost always come home with something for myself. I’m definitely an impulse shopper, and I see a lot of them at my booth too.
Good luck! Craft shows are hard; they really seem to be a crapshoot much of the time. I’ve had good shows when I don’t expect it and vice versa. But they’re almost always fun!
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Thanks bonnyknits, for such a complete answer. I agree that they can be a crapshoot, as we have little control over who is going to come to shop on any particular day!
And I have heard “go where your target audience goes” That to me has been a puzzle-“knitters who appreciate and can afford quality yarn” can show up almost anywhere:) I also go for the medium shows, to keep overhead at an affordable level.
Your hats are very nice and you must be a very fast knitter to produce so many. Good luck at your shows and happy crafting.
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Go where your audience goes?? I’ve never heard that. I mean, it makes sense, but how the heck are you supposed to know where that is? But I would come see your quality yarn if I could. 🙂
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I wish you could see/feel it! It would be interesting to see the uses that you could design for it. But it sounds like you need to take time to heal too. Feel better!
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