Hey everyone! Today I’m going to tell you how to prepare for a craft fair. I know preparing for a craft fair can be overwhelming, so I’m here to break things down for you. This will help you better understand exactly what you need to bring. I will also include a free craft fair checklist for you to print up for reference. Enjoy my new craft fair series!

First off, congrats on being accepted as a crafter/vendor at a craft fair! You may not realize it’s a big deal, but with craft fairs becoming more and more competitive, you should feel amazing that you were chosen.

Now it’s time to get busy!

Trust me—you don’t want to be that person who is up late the night before trying to prepare everything for the event. It’s much better to start sooner rather than later in order to be better organized and less stressed.

All the little things can add up, and before you know it, it’s after midnight because you’re busy tagging items, printing off signage, etc. I know I’ve been guilty of this in the past, so let’s learn from my past mistakes and make use of my how to prepare for a craft fair suggestions.

CRAFT FAIR PREPARATION AFTER ACCEPTANCE

After you’ve received that acceptance email (and right after your happy dance), there are a few things you should mark off your list:

• Mark the Date of the Event-this is important as you don’t want to forget, but you also don’t want to double-book yourself at two craft fairs. By putting this event on your calendar, and setting up reminders, this will ensure you stay on track.
• Determine How Much Stock to Make-this basically means how many items do you plan on bringing with you to the event. Once you determine how much stock to bring, you might want to set mini goals for yourself. For example, say you want to bring 100 items and you only have 30 days. You may set weekly goals for yourself on how many items you would like to complete by the end of the week. While you don’t want to bring everything you’ve ever made, you do want to have a nice selection to have some different options.
• Get Everything Booked and Planned-book any hotels or travel accommodations, notify people if you need a helper for the day, and figure out how you want to collect money. Cash may keep things simple, but nowadays a lot of people don’t carry cash on them. It might be worth looking into a credit card reader such as THIS ONE so you don’t lose any potential sales.
• Purchase Materials-you will need to make sure you purchase everything you will need for the amount of products you plan to bring to the event. Be sure that if you decide to order supplies online, you order them in advance so nothing is put on hold due to shipping delays.

Some supplies you may want to consider for packing supplies include:

• Tags
• Boxes
• Shopping bags
• Tissue paper
• Ribbon
• Business cards
• Brochures (I include brochures, which include my policies, example photos of items I can crochet, and a ton of other useful information)

PREPARATION (WEEKS BEFORE)

Besides preparing and creating stock in the weeks leading up to your craft fair event, you should also consider the following:

• Craft Fair Display-do you need to purchase a tablecloth, risers, or other display fixtures? It might be best to sketch up a display setup or even prepare a mock setup at home to get a feel for how you would like things to look. I often do a mock setup at home as it helps me visually see everything and helps me alter things before the big day. After all, you don’t want your table to look too cramped. Once I’m happy with the setup, I take photos so I can refer back to them while I’m at the craft fair.
• Prepare for Sales-do you want to include a promotion for repeat customers? Maybe you want to organize a giveaway for those who stop in your booth and purchase something. Whatever it is, you’ll need to think about what you would like to do and execute it.
• Prepare Your Craft Fair Sales Pitches-think about what shoppers should know about your handmade products and what makes you stand out from other similar vendors selling similar products. Don’t just wing it or think displaying your items will be enough to make sales. I know this can be my least favorite part of craft fairs, but you can find ways to make it a more natural conversation. Sharing information about your products can result in sales.

PREPARATION (DAYS BEFORE)

It’s helpful to have all of your products completed at least a few days before your event. This will give you enough time to check other things off your list.

Here are a few preparation tasks you may still need to complete before your craft fair:

• Tagging, packing, documenting inventory of items
• Gather and prepare props
• Preparing wrapping supplies such as pre-cutting ribbon or stamping shopping bags
• Pack your car (you can do this the day/night before if you have a secure garage)
• Plan and prepare your outfit
• Prepare snacks
• Update online stores (if any) by putting your shop on vacation mode or removing any items you plan to sell at the craft fair
• Make sure you have the address and directions to the event as well as enough gas in your car

When it comes to craft fair preparation, the more organized you are, the better you will feel. This will alleviate a lot of stress off your plate. Craft fairs can be a lot of work, but they should also be fun. If you know you’re going to attend an upcoming craft fair, you can check out my FREE craft fair checklist.

Craft Fair Checklist

I hope you enjoyed this installment of how to prepare for a craft fair. Do you have any tips or tricks you would like to share? Leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you.

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