It's fair season!!! Like for instance, we'll be out at the Far West Fest this Saturday, selling our wares . . . . and the following Sunday, July 24, we'll be at Beach House Style in Fairfax, CA, for another one of their terrific Under The Sun flea markets.
In honor of fair season, here are the first five of ten tips for starting to sell your wares at fairs.
1. Stage your own.
This is the easiest and least expensive way to start. Advertise and have an art sale just like you would a garage sale. Post signs in the area, on Craig's List, your social media spots, and anywhere else you'd be telling people about a garage sale. Clear your studio space of things you don't use any more. Then bill your event as an "Art and Supply Garage Sale," and get even more people to attend.2. Make it attractive.
Your set-up is your own little itinerant brick & mortar store. Make it attractive. Easiest and most universal: tables covered with solid-colored tops, topped with your wares displayed on varying levels of props consistent with your wares' aesthetic (for instance, shabby chic wooden shelving; antique objets d'arte; modern plastic boxes).3. Provide a range of pricing.
Yes, some people will be willing to pay several hundreds of dollars for items they find at fairs. But many more won't, or can't. If your product is at the high end of the fair pricing spectrum, consider turning your images into other, less-expensive products that you can offer as well. Even if your product is already inexpensive, it helps to provide a range of items at different prices.4. Experiment with other fairs.
The benefits of selling at bigger fairs are clear: more people banding together provide more advertising, traffic, customers -- which means more potential sales and helpful connections. Look on-line for bazaars, fairs, and farmers' markets in your area that seem like a good fit. Local art organizations provide good leads, too. Plan ahead: many fairs have entry deadlines long before the event, and application requirements may take time.5. Bring your kit.
Along with your products and fetching display system, make sure to bring a supply kit. It should include 1) enough small bills to make change; 2) bags/tissue/wrapping system for purchases; 3) handy tools like scissors, tape, push pins; 4) pads of paper and pens to write down notes, inspirations, contact info; 5) food and drink, in case you aren't able to step away from your booth for breaks; 6) breath mints :) Remember, selling at fairs provides excellent opportunities even beyond the chance to sell your goodies. Fairs allow you to gather lots of information, to practice your marketing, and to make contacts with all sorts of interesting, helpful folk. Have at it, and have fun!
Next blog post: five more tips!
2 comments:
Tamara, great post! I have a love/hate relationship with selling at fairs. I started, as you suggest, by doing an open studio at my house . That's still my favorite way to sell, but it's a lot of work getting people to come. I do a few select shows a year, because it's so much work packing, setting up, and breaking down. Sometimes it's worth all the work, often not. I've gotten much valuable advice from a yahoo group started for photographers who do shows, but most of the posts apply to any medium, not just photography. It's http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artshow_photo/ Check out the archives, just about any question you can think of has been answered by one of the generous experts.
Anyway - I agree with all of your advice, can't wait to see the next installment!
Heidi
All that you say is right on, Ms. Rand! Thank you for this insightful comment, and for providing the link for all of us! And I find it fascinating that people's modes of selling -- which venues work best for them -- are as varied as people's artwork. How one gets one's work out there in the world is just as varied and creative as doing the art itself!
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