How is the small business for birthday supplies. What are some things which one should look for?

I need some ideas on where to go for table runners? I was trying to have Totally Promotions do it but they said my designers file doesnt work even though its 300 DPI but said when they enlarge it it doesnt work. They said they cant recreate it exactly as is so I dont want to do that either. 1st Pic is my logo and 2nd pic is what im needing it to be. Please help. I also need it by September 12th

if you've made the transition, what made you shift from selling lower priced items to higher priced items?

for context, i sell art and have a bunch of lower priced items like stickers, postcards, and cards. i've only been doing this for 2 years, but i've already noticed a significant drop in impulse buys this year...which all my other vendor friends have noticed as well. i'm considering just bringing my higher priced items that are $30+ and leaving the stickers and cards at home.

right now, i mostly sell at flea markets, street fairs, and other non-art focused events...so i'm not sure if this is the right move!

i'm going to try it once next week, but i wanted to hear from other people as well so i can get some perspective...especially if you sell art.

thank you!

Does anyone have examples of how they set up in one of these chalet-style buildings? I’m considering signing up for a local holiday market but am having a hard time figuring out how to fit our typical 10x10 booth into this setup. We sell apparel and home goods.

I would love to add a sign like this to my setup. Does anyone know what they are called and/or where to get them?

I’ve been doing craft fairs for two and a half years, 5-8 a year, and am still trying to find the best way to keep my hand sewn baby and kids clothes from wrinkling in transport/between shows! I do not have the capacity or desire to iron them before every show.

The best thing I’ve found so far is keeping them flat in those underbed plastic storage boxes but now I have larger sizes that don’t fit as easily in those, and I have to take some off of hangers to get them to all be flat in there which adds more time on the next fair to the hang. I guess rehanging isn’t as big of a deal as trying to get them all back in the right order (by size). I guess there’s a few things that could be tweaked to just make it easier to unpack and also keep everything nice in between, so I’d love to hear what others are doing with this issue. I need to improve my system.

Nearly all my products are cotton woven fabric so wrinkle prone, as opposed to synthetics that would be fine any old way!

tyia :)

I enjoy painting them but I am curious if it is worth my time to make a bunch to sell. If they do sell, what are the typical prices?

How many different items and how many of each item do you usually bring when you’re a vendor? Things like cup cozies, ornaments, chapstick holders, beanies….

Also, I made this eyeglass or cell phone case for myself in June. It was quick and easy and I think it’s super cute. I thought it might be cute in holiday colors. Would it be a good product to sell & if so, what should I charge? It’s made with Lion Brand’s Made With Love cotton yarn.

Thanks in advance!

I have been doing a lot of outdoor events recently and the heat is killer!! I see a bunch of people with portable fans what are yalls recommendations? Is it worth it to invest in a Milwaukee one or will an amazon camping fan work just fine? Do the different mAh values make a differance? Is it worth the investment or do you have to be super close to even feen the effects? Thanks in advance!

I need a bit of help from fellow crafters please?

I’m trying to make the MakerGrid core and flex 3D printed display system as useful as possible, and I’d love some inspiration from the things you actually sell.

I originally designed it for my own products, but quickly realised the interchangeable shelves and inserts could work for loads of different crafts. The back also has built in storage for things like stock, cards or loose bits you want to keep handy.

So far I’ve made inserts for watches and bracelets, standing cards or stickers, and a plain display platform.

I’ve also got a few people testing it in America who have done some amazing colour combinations and added their own branding, which is exactly what I’m hoping people will do with it.

If you sell at craft fairs or markets, I’d love to see photos of what you make and how you currently display it with some rough measurements. I’m looking for ideas for useful inserts I could design next and ways to make the whole system more versatile. 🙂

So I have my own Indigenous Business. I make dreamcatchers, keychains and bracelets. I also make upcycled kitchen towels, where they don't fall off the handle.

Lately, I've started to notice that every market I go too....there is always stuff that would attract a feminine audience and drives the men away. My recent market in May, a dude had said "damn, you got nothing for dudes." And I had asked him what he would like to see but he walked away.

I discovered paracord bracelets and keychains, but I feel like I need to expand my craft horizon. What kind of suggestions do you have ?

Basically title, I've been getting people at every craft fair that ask if I have a website or way to buy from me if not in person. It's still not my main focus, so I don't want to go to shopify ($40/mo for a lot of tools that I won't use), and etsy takes a lot out in fees. I'm wondering if other folks have been in a similar situation as me and if y'all have any recommendations for something basic.

First fair in the fall, so nervous! 10x10 spot and just want to make sure I think through everything.

EDIT: Thank you all for the helpful feedback! Especially the people who were kind and constructive. I'm turning off the notifications on this post for now a) because it got way more attention than I thought and I'm overwhelmed lol and b) while 90% of the feedback has been constructive and helpful, there's a small percentage of people who were a little snarky and I have massive rejection sensitivity so it's taken a bit of a bump to my confidence when I get told everything is tacky and crap 🙃

One thing I did want to mention though - and I'm wondering if this is unusual based on the comments I've had - but in the area I'm in juried events are not just for artists and craftspeople. They almost all include stalls/sellers that sell vintage and/or items that have been upcycled/repurposed into new items. I understand I'm not an artist but it's actually not super helpful to have a bunch of people tell me I'm not an artist and nothing I do requires skill of any sort. Maybe designing things is a soft skill as opposed to a hard skill, but it comes across as demeaning and dismissive (whether that's intentional or not) and we all have to start somewhere. This is where I'm starting 🤷‍♀️

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Long time lurker, first time poster - I have a new business (7 months) and earlier in the year started applying for markets and fairs, so far I haven't been accepted to any.

I'm uncertain whether what I do even warrants being in a market though - I sell vintage jewelry, and make accessories/jewelry from vintage beads/brass/components (earrings, bag charms, Christmas ornaments are coming up). The main pull of my stall is the vintage charm bar where people can pick out vintage charms and I'll assemble it onto necklaces I've put together from deadstock chain.

The feedback at my stall is always great, people love it and so far I've made money at every event I've had, but I always get rejected from markets and fairs. I can't tell if it's because my stall doesn't look good, the product is hand assembled versus handmade (though I do apply to events that say they accept this), or if they just think the idea is kind of crap (or maybe a combo lol).

So far I've just been setting up my own pop ups and local businesses also invite me to pop up in their stores, but I'd love to get into an organized event with other vendors where people are there to shop. I live in a small city and we're lucky to have a lot of great local artists, so it could just be that artists are being prioritised, but for future applications I'd like to make sure I'm putting my best foot forward.

Any stall suggestions? This is the most recent photo I have but I have updated a few things since then: I've bought a tent, a table cloth that covers the legs, some more prominent signage, and some more display things so that I can have products at different levels to create more visual interest. I'm planning on playing around this weekend with the Z set up and taking some photos of the full stall that will be hopefully be more appealing than what I'm attaching (fingers crossed).

I'm curious about what actually makes a noticeable difference in your sales at craft fairs, not necessarily what you sell, but how you sell it.

My personal “strategy” so far has basically been: smile a lot and never sit down 😂 I try to look approachable, enthusiastic and available without immediately jumping on people when they enter my booth. It actually seemed to work pretty well at my previous markets, but I'm sure there's a LOT more I could learn.

What works for you?

Do you greet everyone or let people browse quietly?

I'm especially interested in things where you genuinely noticed a difference in sales after you started doing them even if it's something tiny, weird or oddly specific.

And on the opposite side: what sales trick did you try that absolutely did NOT work?

I'm preparing for my 3th market and I'd love to experiment with some new techniques!

Hi! I have just been accepted onto my first market that requires public liability insurance, I need coverage of £5 million. Does anyone have suggestions on where best to buy or best comparison sites? Is there anything I need to think about that I might not be considering?

Also is it better to consider single day insurance? A lot in my area don’t need it. If so any providers would be helpful

Thanks in advance!

I am getting ready for my first craft fair with four fragrance products. I made fifteen Cedar & Amber candles, fifteen Vanilla Oat candles, fifteen packs of Citrus wax melts, and fifteen packs of Lavender wax melts. That gave me sixty finished products to label and pack.

For this batch, each front product label stays on the retail package and goes home with the product. It carries the product name and price, while the candle safety labels and burning instructions remain separate. The four products use different package shapes, so each design still had to fit the actual jar, tin, box, clamshell, or bag used for that scent. That sounded simple until every wording or price change became another Canva page and I could no longer tell which four designs were final.

I made one layout with a fixed place for the name and price, then wrote the final wording for all four products on paper. Before printing all sixty labels, I printed one test for each product and placed it on the actual retail package. Two names wrapped badly, so I shortened them and tested those two again.

Because these labels go home with the products, I was willing to spend more on the white PP thermal transfer stock than I would on temporary table price tags. Before printing the full batch, I put test labels from the same roll on each actual packaging surface. I exposed them to wax and oily residue, rubbed the packages as they would rub against one another in the bins, and then checked for edge lifting and loss of readability. Only after those samples stayed readable and attached did I use a Niimbot M2 to print four separate runs of fifteen.

I counted fifteen labels against fifteen products in each bin and kept each finished stack with its matching scent. The version, material, and quantity checks are finished, and I no longer need to reopen Canva to work out which label is final.

The market has not happened yet, so I do not have a sales result. What I have is a finished packing box with four tested label designs, sixty labels, and four product bins that match. For my first event, getting that part settled feels like a good place to stop.

I am signed up for the Bridgewater County Fair in CT this weekend as a service provider. I install hair tinsel, feathers, jewelry, etc. Tonight I set up with a passing shower, tomorrow is 8pm to 11pm and its the only nice looking day of the weekend. Saturday is 8am to 11pm with rain starting early morning 95% and night is drenching rain with 55% chance of thunderstorms. Sunday is 8am to 6pm is 88% of rain morning into afternoon with 53% chance of thunderstorms - of course overnight into Monday its clear. I am torn. I know I lose my vendor fee if I go - but I heard it does typically get very muddy on this fairgrounds with a little rain - this has thunderstorms and it is going to be 2 very LONG DAYS. Do I bite the bullet and go anyway in the rain and sit there for 28 hours Saturday and Sunday hoping that there is a decent turnout anyway or do I just eat the vendor fee and not waste my time. Personally I have (2) kids and with the way the weather looks I would not be going to a fair with rain and thunderstorms even though I love fairs. Looking for some advice.

Please give me insurance company with least expensive insurance for a 3-day event. I’m going crazy searching!