I sold at my second craft fair on Mother’s Day weekend. Here are some pictures of my booth and the items I sold:

I was lucky in that it was a nice, sunny weekend with great weather and very little wind. My mom and Phillip’s mom both helped me out and made some things to sell to help me fill the booth. Also the lady in the booth next to me was great and we spent much of the time chatting. She made jewelry so I asked her for some advice on a project I’m planning on starting and she gave me a little jewelry-making lesson! So cool. Oh yes, and then there was the lady with the two parrots who stopped by for awhile (we got to hold and feed them), the dog who came over from next door to rest on our mat, the girl who was pushing a bunny in a stroller, and the minstrels/face painters behind us. Lots of entertainment!

I had done fairly well at the last fair I sold at in November, and hoped to build on that and sell even more this time. However, by the end of the weekend I had mixed feelings about the whole experience. For one, I made about half as much money than the last time. Granted, the money I did make was purely profit for me, because my aunt owns the store the fair is held at and she didn’t charge me for the booth space, but when I thought of all the time spent making everything and the stress the deadline caused it didn’t quite seem worth it. I know that much of this has to do with the vibe of this fair (sort hippie-eclectic), and the crowd it attracts, and the sort of older and rural demographic of where I live, but it was discouraging to see so many people pass right on by. I really appreciated the few who did stop in and said a few kind words about the booth and bought something (at least a few people “got” my aesthetic!).

 It all made me wonder if my time and energy would be better spent with improving my online shop and trying to market my creations that way. I would like to separate my handmade and vintage items into two different shops and then really get my photographs and my banner looking awesome. Then possibly look into advertising on blogs. Any fellow crafters/sellers have some input or advice? Have you had more success selling locally in-person or online? I’d love to hear some feedback!