Selling at Fairs, Festivals, Flea Markets: Seeking experiences, tips, advice

[CityWoman]

I've got a few different ideas for supporting myself financially when I get on the road to live as a nomad. Having several microbusinesses appeals to me. I do intend to run an online service-oriented business, but I'm also pretty artsy and craftsy. So, I also want to see if I can make a profit by selling handmade items at various types of fairs, festivals, flea markets, and events.

I've been researching and keeping lists of ideas for crafts that are low-cost to make, not overly time-consuming to make, and easy to store and cart around in a vehicle. I'm familiar with festivalnet.com and have bookmarked a number of fairs and festivals that interest me. I have experience in sales and have run a small business before. I know there will be upfront space rental costs, and that some outdoor events will allow one to park behind/at their booth, while others will require parking some distance away.

I would like to read the experiences of people who have sold on the festival circuit while living as a nomad. Please share your views on the pros/cons, things to watch out for, how easy or hard it was, did/do you enjoy it, space issues and anything else you can think of that you wouldn't mind sharing. I am also wondering if there are ways to find out about foot traffic numbers other than via the organizers' marketing of their event. And any tips for record-keeping/taxes.

Also just wanted to post a link to this short article I found and enjoyed, written by a food vendor to describe their life on the road : https://festivalnet.com/other/news_letters/Commercial/06_17/life_on_the_road_cont.html

 

[Almost There]

Where do I begin....  

I spent 14 years on the road full-time doing art/craft shows, festivals and markets. I travelled all over the eastern seaboard and only retired from it because of moving back to Ontario to take up the slack on elder care for my mother. After 14 years I was finally making a decent income from it but was moving it more to a wholesale level than retail because I wanted to travel less and enjoy life more.

I would like to read the experiences of people who have sold on the festival circuit while living as a nomad. Please share your views on the pros/cons, things to watch out for, how easy or hard it was, did/do you enjoy it, space issues and anything else you can think of that you wouldn't mind sharing. I am also wondering if there are ways to find out about foot traffic numbers other than via the organizers' marketing of their event. And any tips for record-keeping/taxes.

Pros/Cons: - lived the life of freedom to pick and choose where I wanted to spend my seasons. I met wonderful people just like I have here on the forum and at the RTR. I got to spend an entire summer on Cape Cod! OTOH my travelling was limited by the seasons and by the need to keep going back to the proven good shows for me so I could keep money in the bank instead of being able to travel the whole continent at will.

Too many things to watch out for to just put in a short summary.

Yes, I enjoyed it. but I will tell you that the first few years were way tougher than I ever expected them to be. Learning to pick which shows are good for you personally as opposed to other vendors is a steep learning curve and there's no easy lessons. What is a good show for one crafter will be a horrible show for the next one. It all depends on your product(s), how you display them, your location within the show, how you are with the public, the weather goddesses, the season, etc. etc.

Show spaces are generally 10x10 or multiples thereof. The cheaper display tents say they are 10 x 10 but are not. That is the measurement at the feet on the four corners and they slope inwards. This results in you  having a display area that is inside the weather protection much smaller than the 10 x 10. Some are only somewhat less that 9 x 9 at the top losing you 40 sq feet of display space. Also some of the better shows will not allow you to even use the cheaper brands like EzUp. I invested in a KD Majestic canopy. The frame is now 24 years old and with the exception of replacing a couple of parts when damaged by @##%% backing in to it with her car and a bit of tornado damage, the frame is a good as it was when I bought it. The original canopy survived for 12 years until a tornado came through.

The better shows are juried well. Don't be insulted by having to provide pics of you working on your craft, sending samples etc. etc. Even some of the good shows I was doing ended up either filling the spaces with lesser quality products and/or allowing non handcrafted products in to the show. One of my best shows tossed a fake 'hand-crafter' out in the  middle of the show and got a standing ovation for it. The customers had no idea what was going on but the other vendors did. Others simply said 'oh dear' and allowed the imposter to stay...those shows got blacklisted by a bunch of us and lowered their standards even further in attempts to fill their spaces.

I know of no way of finding out about traffic other than asking either other vendors (be prepared for them to either protect their territory or not have paid attention). I asked the show organizers but then once google was so available I also looked for local news info, particularly if it was a festival. BTW, festival attendance has little to do with craft show area attendance unless the organizers have set the location of the craft show in such a way as to drive traffic to it. Also foot traffic has only somewhat to do with sales since feet on the ground isn't always correlated to cash in hand. For example a festival that has lots of headlining entertainment, a large carnival area in an area with only modest income earners ends up with all the money being spent on the kids rides and food with nothing left over to spend in the art/craft area.

Be prepared for extensive record keeping. When I quit the business I had 7 state income tax licenses to report on. Some wanted annual, some monthly and everything in between. And that didn't include the states that allowed me to have a temporary license for just that show/month etc. Today a website to also sell off of would be a necessity IMO. Remember that all costs involved in the business need to be accounted for even if you can't deduct them for income tax purposes. Knowing what it's costing you personally is different than what your income tax return says. Not to be taken as falsifying your tax records at all just that some costs of being on the road are not tax-deductible.

Feel free to ask specific questions.

Oh and food vending is way, way different than art/craft vending!

 

[CityWoman]

Thank you, Almost There. Lots of good info. I knew there was someone here with lots of experience, but couldn't remember who. I am still gathering info, so no specific questions at the moment, but I won't be too shy to ask when some burning issue comes to mind.

I was surprised that there haven't been very many threads here about selling at fairs and festivals. The few I found seemed to steer toward rather specific circumstances, while I am looking for more overall perspectives or strategies.

Btw, I only included the link to that article because I liked how the author described seeing other vendors at events and how they'd become friends. After many years in the restaurant industry, I have no desire to get involved with food and I know it's a totally different animal.

I hope some more folks chime in!

 

[travlinman and wife]

I would suggest stay away from flea markets with crafts most flea market goeres don't by crafts they know they can get it any time they want it. Festivals are different they are once a year shows and they know they must get it then or wait a year and hope you come back. And stay away from places that charge a admission fee. after a family pays $40 or $50 at the gate that don't leave much for you. I do have some experience at this I did it for 20 years.

 

[Almost There]

i don't think  you necessarily HAVE to stay away from flea markets. I did Shipshewana in Indiana for several years and my weekly sales were a much needed boost in the bank account. Were they my best shows, no, but they were consistent and decent income for the price paid. It all depends on the flea market - some of the ones out of Cape Cod the summer I spent there - well I made more money there than I did at the weekend art shows. Yes, people were looking for a bargain but Shipshewana in particular was known for it's home made items. The worst thing about it was when they were forced to start accepting those dealers with banana boxes on the ground sales types.

Some of my best shows were admission shows. Xmas time especially. The shoppers paid an admission because they were coming to shop. Seafood festivals were another one that people came to shop at and there was an admission fee to them, also beer gardens and lots of great food....

I don't think anyone can categorically rule out any specific type of show - it all depends on where it is, the product you're making and the shopper that comes.

That's why the learning curve is so much of an individual one. Each artist/crafter has to find what works for them. I shunned shows on the East Coast of Florida that some others would give their eye teeth to get in to...they were selling jewellery and I wasn't!

 

[debit.servus]

I've thought about this as well, my question is Profitability. How profitable is this (revenue - expenses = profit) AFTER paying yourself for all hours related to this side hustle?

 

[CityWoman]

Thanks, everyone so far. I'm still gathering info and writing down my ideas for crafts to make. I'll try a test batch of whatever I decide on and keep track of costs and time involved. Then I'll see if I can sell locally first, since I am not on the road yet. I have the feeling that it may be better to sell a lot of lower-priced items than a few higher-priced ones, but that it would also be a good idea to have both.

 

[SoulRaven]

The design of your craft TABLE! It is at the center of your store & is first thing people will see, if it is a booth it has walls and it is designed like a mini store. It makes people stop and look and often they will buy your goods. Like a store at a mall, it draws people inside to look, and that is the hook of getting fresh customers. 

Do a gaggle search for - 
How to design a craft booth 
OR  
How to design a craft booth that people can't resist

Pinterest has hundreds of good clicks on craft booth tips & tricks. Try a search there of the above, or just "craft booth" SEO terms.

Good luck, it is still quite a lot of fun.

edit: Check out your local farmers markets. I did well there. You may need a seller's license & all that jazz. Depends on your city's laws.