This past weekend I did another crafts show. It cost me $20 and a Saturday of my time. I forced my daughter to help me...She wasn't having any of it and was quite annoyed.
It was in a rural community that my sister is a school teacher in. A really cute typical midwestern town. However, when it comes to selling more unusual items, like shrink plastic jewelry, and odder designs, it doesn't really resonate well. I made a total of $77. It would have been $87, but I undercharged for one item... We ate the rest of the profits in gas and shaved ice! LOL
First, "know your audience", is spot-on. Had I made some earrings that were of John Deere tractors, and the local school mascot, it would have generated more interest which would have led to more sales. It's that easy. No, I'm not being catty, it's true. These were farmers.
Second, "check the weather". It was HOT, flaming hot. It was humid, and 88 degrees F. We both ended up with sunburns and packed up by 3PM. It was far too hot, this also added to slow sales and was probably the biggest factor in few sales. People would come under the tent and comment about the sweat burning their eyes. So yeah, it was too hot for a crafts show. What we should have done was get there, pack up the canopy which had been put in place the night before, and leave. We would have been ahead of things.
To put a positive spin on it I'll say this. We didn't lose anything other than 7 hours of a very hot Saturday. We made enough to pay for everything else.
Final thoughts: If you know the weather is going to be bad; too hot, too cold, high winds, or rain. Don't go. If your items are something that may not be too well received by the demographic, don't expect to sell much, and, make some items that may interest the demographic, local teams, colleges, etc.
