Its over its done and it didnt go so well. I am trying to be optamistic. I have decided it was truly a good learning experience. For the rest of the summer I will be attending other craft shows as a spectator and taking notes on the ones that fit my product the best. This just wasnt the right market for me. By the end of the day we also realized people were out just to look and enjoy the weather they werent really a buying crowd. No one around us seemed to be doing utterly well. which isnt a good thing but made me feel less worse. The biggest thing for me was the fear of rejection. I still feel it a little but I am keeping my chin up and will keep trucking along for most success doesnt happen over night it takes years of hard work and I have only been sewing less then a year and my abilities have been growing by leaps and bounds in this short time.
I have to say though the people who stopped by the booth were very friendly and everyone had nothing but nice things to say. One women made my day by commenting on the shabby chic/anthropologie vibe I had going on. That was the exact look I was going for I am so glad that someone noticed. Its the attention to detail that thrills me!
So onward ho I say. I will be listing most of my stock within the next few weeks on my Etsy site (as long as Leila gives me a chance to take photos, she is teething again) and then this summer I am going to start sewing again for myself and myself only the whole reason I started sewing to begin with!
On a completely different note , I had come across a blog entry of somewhere out there in the vast crafting community that I thought I had bookmarked and can not find anywhere. So I am asking for anyones help. It was a crafter who signed up for a craft show I want to say a few days before it was to be held (she saw a sign for it driving home I believe) and she was sewing like mad for a few days. She made amazing linen bags and I wanted to see if she had an etsy shop. If anyone knows the crafter/post I am talking about can you let me know?!?!? Thanks a million, its driving me batty!
7 Comments:
Sorry to hear it didn't go so well, but at least you got the first one out of the way. Plus, all your bags look great and that still might generate some business for you.
Don't give up yet! It may have just been the wrong show for you and your type of merchandise. Do your research this summer. Take notes. Try it again!
I've been involved in a couple of craft shows that didn't go well - sold zilch at them. It's very hard on the crafting soul to work so hard and sell nothing. You take it personally I guess. BUT I too found at both sales that NO one was selling anything. Some festivals do well with crafts, and some don't. Keep your chin up though and don't give up. You just need to watch for the one for you.
I think the rejection scares all of us, but honestly, and I so didn't believe it in the beginning it gets better and better!
Another idea for you when you go to other shows talk to other artists and ask them for some inof some people are super nice and love to help others out.
I do believe that this is my first time visiting. I'm bookmarking you for future reading. I was thinking of attending a craft fair this fall. You're stuff is beautiful.
such sweet bags! keep your chin up!
I make and sell jewelry, and I did my first craft show last fall. It went remarkably badly. My jewelry is more funky than the old lady crowd that attended liked. I figured out very quickly that I hadn't research that particular fair well enough when it became obvious that none of the older ladies liked my jewelry but their granddaughters did.
Hang in there & keep trying. Your bags are beautiful!
Post a Comment