Craft Fairs: Are they worth the effort?

It’s been a few years since David and I have set up our metalwork display stand at a craft fair. As we sail rapidly though Autumn towards Christmas and I see posters around Hawick advertising local makers markers, I’m reminded how fun they can be, and am almost tempted to give it another go… This blog is drawn from Black Fox Metalcraft’s direct experiences of exhibiting and selling our weathervanes, hanging signs and other metalcraft items at craft fairs, county shows and makers markets, from when we first set up the business in 2012, to 2020 when I found out we were expecting twins and decided this was one area of the business that would have to be knocked on the head for the time being!

The trouble is makers markets and the like take up a lot of your valuable time, and more often than not, the success of an event rides on factors out of your control. A pitch at a well publicised craft fair with high footfall will not come cheap, so it’s extra important to select your events very carefully, however a good event for a small business is about so much more than takings on the day:

On the day sales vs long-term value

As a small business producing made to order hanging signs and weathervanes, we often didn’t get many sales on the day, but as we’d given out plenty of flyers and chatted to loads of people, orders would come in over the following weeks and months. Conversations with passers by could lead to custom weathervane commissions, but it was rarely instant - we relied on people taking fliers and going away to think about it. One downside of this  was that it could be hard to tell how successful an event had been, as orders came in later, and people didn’t always say where they had heard about us.

Brand building & visibility

Getting Black Fox’s name out there was especially important in our first couple of years so even if we weren’t selling much at the events we attended, it got our name established locally, and also got people looking at the website which was great for our online presence.

Conversations and custom commissions

Speaking to customers in person is a great way to build trust in your products. We found it easier to explain the quality of our metalwork face to face; people appreciate the quality from being able to see your products in person, touch them, and feel the weight etc. People could feel the strength in our hand forged coat hooks, spin a weathervane sail, and touch the hand painted text on our house signs - non of which you can do when ordering something online.

Purely from a job satisfaction point of view, it was always nice having chatted to a customer, to know a little of their story, and understand the importance behind a bespoke weathervane commission. And, when you’ve had some actual contact with a customer beyond just a couple of emails, you’re much more likely to get a testimonial or review, which can be so important for a new craft business.

Supporting local and other makers

One of the things we enjoyed most about exhibiting at craft fairs and county shows was meeting other makers and artists, sharing stories, getting tips and even trading our products for theirs on occasions. There was a sense of community among other crafters, and we looked forward to seeing familiar faces at other events.

Not All Fairs Are Equal: What to Know

When you book onto an event, you are placing a lot of trust in the event organisers. It’s well worth contacting them before signing up, asking questions; visit their events to get a feel for whether your work would fit in; speak to other traders and crafters and learn from their experiences. Because, as we've seen in practice:

• If the makers market is not advertised properly, people will not come. We did a craft fair in a seemingly deserted hotel in Penrith and it was like no one knew we were in there. So many of the craftspeople there did not sell a thing, but fortunately for us one of the approximately 5 people who walked through the door bought a weathervane!
  
• Some organisers will literally book anyone who will come.  We even had a hoover salesman next to us at one 'craft' event! It puts us, who had spent hours welding, forging, finishing and painting everything on our display on the same level as someone who imports cheap hoovers.
• If the layout at a large event is badly planned, you could end up with a stand tucked away at the back, which can dramatically reduce the number of people who walk past your stand.

From our experience: Craft Fair Wisdom

• Always bring flyers or cards with contact and social media page details.
  
• Visit events, phone organisers, try to get a feel for where you will fit in. Find events that suit your business, not necessarily local.
  
• It’s not just the events with the biggest footfall that are the best. Often these come at a price out of reach of a small business anyway.
  
• Have a stock of small items people can walk away with on the day, even if the main purpose is getting larger commissions for made to order items like our bespoke weathervanes. These sometimes happen, sometimes don’t, so it’s nice to know you’ve at least covered your costs on the day by selling a few bits.
  
• Be as friendly as you can.. people are more likely to remember you and your work and maybe make a purchase if they stopped for a chat.
  
• Prepare for bad weather and take snacks!
  

In the end, despite the sometimes long drives, the hard work packing up the van and setting up our stand, plus the fact that bad weather can make for a bit of a miserable experience all round, we genuinely enjoyed our time travelling around the country exhibiting at county shows, craft fairs and makers markets. We felt proud seeing the weathervanes, hanging basket brackets and farm signs we'd made displayed with colourful posters and photographs, and enjoyed meeting both customers and other makers. Maybe one day we will do again, but with a bit more experience behind us we'll certainly be a lot more selective about what is and is not worth attending!