Friday, May 21, 2010

Getting ready for a craft show- part 2.

Checklist for Craft shows

Here are some items that we take to the shows with us. It's nice to keep a list handy from year to year and you can add to it. It is usually so busy by the time the shows come around that you may forget something. I like to keep a little plastic tote with a lot of these items in it and then I just pack it with my cash register.

tent
display
chairs
tables
desk
fabric for covering tables
broom /dust pan
bags- we have regular sized bags and then we take garbage bags in case it's raining out and they buy larger    items.
tissue to wrap fragile items
xtra price tags-for mark downs or items you missed
cash register/ register tape/ batteries or electric cords
Change- always take lots of extra change. Every year we write down how much we took and if we ran low on anything, then we know to adjust it the following year.
calculator
tax number to display- I use an old picture frame
tape
notepad
pens
business cards/holder
flyer/brochures
scissors
glue
wire, tools, and nails for fixing broken items
hammer
hot glue gun
paint/brushes- for touch ups
paper towels
wet wipes/ antibacterial soap
aspirin
hand lotion
cooler/drinks
snacks in case you can't leave your booth
sponge- I keep a damp one in a plastic soap dish so that I can dampen my fingers while handling money to keep dollar bills from sticking together

These are the basics. We also take items for decorating our booth. We get a lot of people asking if they can just buy our decorations!! In the fall we just use grapevine and some fabric pumpkins that my mom makes and at Christmas we use grapevine, clear lights and pip berrys. We don't like to put too much up because you want your crafts to be the main focus.

When we set up our booth we put all the fall items together and the winter/Christmas items together. I got a great display that holds 9 baskets and we put our ornaments and bowl fillers in it. Make sure to keep your booth looking neat. Anytime we get a few quiet minutes we go around the booth and fill any empty hooks and move things around. It's funny when we move something that hasn't sold all day, it always seems to sell as soon as it's in a new place.

You might want to print out this checklist and keep it with your supplies, and add to it after each show.
Good luck at your shows!

If you have any questions about craft shows, please leave a comment and I will try to answer all the questions.
Have a great weekend!
Jodi

5 comments:

  1. great tips! I make a list of all the little things I need too & keep them in a tote bag
    Helen

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  2. Hi Jodi,
    Where do you do those 2 shows? I live near Johnstown.
    Lois
    lois_ling@hotmail.com

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  3. Thanks Helen! Lois, Hello! We are neighbors! Ha Ha! I do a show in Mingo Park, in Washinton, Pa. It's the 3rd weekend in September. The other show is at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Washington, PA. It's the last 2 weekends in October. On my website http://www.craftsbyjodi.com ,I have the links for both of the shows.

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  4. Hi Jodi, I just found your blog after reading your article on ...by your hands... blog. Great articles there and here. Some things I didn't see on your list were a hammer and a hot glue gun. These are a couple of items some friends of mine always forget and have to come borrow from me. LOL I

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  5. Thanks "B"! I added them to my list! We usually have friends that have forgotten something too, it works out great because there is always something that we have forgotten or ran out of!

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