 The most exciting part of being in a craft show is the booth, hands down. All of my dreams about owning a small handmade store one day will essentially come true for 4 hours on a Saturday under a 10x10 tent with no walls. I have the freedom to arrange and decorate it however I like and the chance to let my inner child's desire to play with a toy cash register go nuts. (without the sound effects). The first element to this excitement arrived yesterday, the banner! It's the first thing people will see from far away and hopefully what draws them over. After his debut in Times Square, Hank the Hippo has earned the right to sit high and proud on this 8 foot outdoor vinyl sign and get the attention of children everywhere. The show I'm applying for requires a photo of your booth completely set up so they know what everything will look like. Easier said for people that have experience in craft shows! I, however, will be setting up my entire booth in the driveway just to take pictures for 10 minutes then break it all down. So I'm ordering all the parts now. I've got three weeks to get this done and upon approval, I'll be holding down the Simply Hooked fort on October 11th. I was surprised by the stickler requirements:
I've been so engulfed in filling these requirements that I ALMOST forgot about my inventory. Once I have all of these basics, then I'll get to do the fun part! Decorate with inventory. I'm going to put all of large and medium animals on my 4x8 table in basket trays lined with canvas. My 4x6 table will have my kitchen accessories along with space for flyers and business cards. Then I'm going to buy a 3 tiered basket shelf to go in to corner to display the mini animals (penguins) and seasonal items (pumpkins). I need to order my credit card reader to accept card payments, get an apron and change for cash, a calculator, pens, cut out my signs and place them around the booth with alligator clip sign holders...and the list continues. The booth is racking up in cost, but I find comfort that everything is a one time purchase then I'll be set to go craft show crazy whenever I want. I should have the whole booth completed in two weeks, I can't wait to post photos of the end product. Wish me luck! 
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 As I continue to prepare for my first craft show, I find myself running into all the small things...that are a big deal! First, there's inventory of course. My large animal inventory is completed, now I'm focusing on making smaller items that I can crank out faster and have a lower price point. Because let's face it, not everyone wants to spend $40 on a stuffed animal! I get it. So I'm making miniature versions...like the little penguins. For the sake of variety, I also started looking for smaller kitchen products. It finally dawned on me two days ago...magnets! They take very little time to make and I can sell them for $2 or $3 each, which is a great price point for market customers that want to grab something quick. I'm beyond excited about the possibilities of these magnets. So far I've only practiced flowers and breast cancer awareness ribbons, but the possibilities are endless. I can make anything small, stick an adhesive magnet on the back and be set. Experimenting is the best part! The 1st of September sparked my love for the Fall season and then it hit me...time for seasonal products! I'm going to have pumpkins and candy corn galore, then on to reindeer and snowmen. I'm excited to introduce my Simply Hooked Collections next month. Back to the drawing board...   I'm almost two years in to my crochet business venture and finally feeling prepared to do my first craft show. My recent move to Tampa, FL has presented several craft show opportunities and I'm anxious to get started. I'd say about 80% of my business is making stuffed animals, 10% kitchen accessories and 10% baby blankets. I feel okay about the animals, I have a wide variety of 30 completed and ready to sell (though I'm working toward 50!). The kitchen accessories and baby blankets I've only done on an as need basis so I'm lacking in inventory. Thus, I dedicated this past week to kitchen/home accessories only and I'm excited about the potential! I'll have two tables in my booth full of animals, but will leave space on one of the ends for the "Simply Hooked Home Collection" which will consist of ... 1) Coffee Mug Koozies and Coasters (Koozie Only Option Too)  2) Can Koozies (Solids, Multi, and Game Day Colors)  3) 100% Cotton DIshcloths (Solids, Multi)  |
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