Monday 15 October 2012

When is a craft fair not a craft fair??? (and the 2012 Pop-up shop is launched)

Good afternoon

So the big questions - when is a craft fair not a craft fair? and what is a craft fair?

To me a craft fair is somewhere where you can buy handmade items direct from the maker - it is not a place where plastic wrapped goods are sold from cartons of maybe 30 of the same item. Craft fair goods in my view do not have barcodes on them.

Sunday should have been great - a biggish venue, lots of advertising and plenty of footfall. My sister and I had worked hard on our makes and we thought we'd do well;



Oh dear - we were wrong. Too many stalls with barcoded new goods - made in china and being stored in their shopping cartons behind the tables. 

Don't get me wrong  - there were some lovely handmade items available direct from the makers. Sadly the buyers only seemed interested in the first stuff. Comments we heard included 'oh homemade - how quaint' - grrr. None of the makers did very well - some didn't cover their costs - luckily I was sharing a stall with my sister so our loses weren't as great as others. The organisers were told by several people that the day had not been good for them and most of the makers would not be bothering to have stalls at that venue again.

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Anyhow - rather than just put stuff away till our wounds have healed, I thought I'd try selling direct via this blog and my Facebook page.


 Large raggies - one girl & one boy - £7.50 each

 Small raggies - Pink or Blue - £6.00 each

 Gingerbread men - light bake - £3.50 each

 Gingerbread men - dark bake - £3.50 each

 Felt hanging stockings with knitted tops - £3.00 each

 Wise Owls - £3.50 each - state colour

 Gingerbread Cottages - £3.75 each

 Christmas Trees - £3.00 each

 Gingerbread hearts - £3.00 each - state red or green

 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - £3.50 each

Felt Poppy Brooches - all proceeds from these will go to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal - £3.50 

Postage and packaging regardless of quantity will be £3.00

At the moment these are all the items I have - if I sell out or you'd like a specific colourway then I can make to order (payment require with order).

Payment for items can be made via Paypal, direct transfer or cheque - email me and I can give you the right details.

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Oh to top yesterdays poor sales - when I got home I was told that our dishwasher was dead - it decided Saturday night that it would rather be a floor washer :( MrVV had taken it apart yesterday and tried to repair it - it washed the floor again :(

See you soon

xxx Vicki xxx

13 comments:

Miss Magpie said...

I had a similar crap craft fair experience on Saturday but for different reasons!

thriftwood said...

Oh Vicki, what a shame! Your stuff s so lovely, I'm sending you an email now with an order. Can't believe you didn't sell everything ... Some people have no taste!

love, Claire xxx

magsmcc said...

I'm really disapppointed to hear that. I thought craft shows and handmade were the new/old British culture! Your stuff is fabulous, as always- and I really liked the Christmas tree display! If I was spending any money this month, it would be chez vous!

Vix said...

What a shame, your stall looks lovely. I get cross about vintage fairs, too. We're often one of only a handful selling clothes over 25 years old, many others just flog second-hand Primark. x

♥ emma bear forever ♥ said...

This really bloomin annoys me! Craft fairs are for crafters, I don't go to them expecting pre packaged items. The other annoying thing for me (although I have never had a stall myself) is overhearing people moaning about prices. 'Oh don't buy that decoration, you can get them a bit cheaper in Wilkinsons' Hmmm, maybe you can get SOMETHING cheaper, but not that item as its been handmade.

Claire said...

:( can i ask where it was? A certain woodbridge school? I nearly went there on Sun but in the end i was tooo lazy!! I did go to that one years ago as a buyer and there were a lot of nice crafts there, it must have gotten bad over the years :(
I love all your things, i shared your album over on my fb page :)

Crafty Helen said...

Oh - was it a school up the road from me beginning with F? I've given up with craft fairs, for this very reason. For my last one I was selling felt Xmas decorations for £1.50 each and still heard the "too expensive" mutterings. I'm now strictly crafting for pleasure, as I never seemed to make a profit anyway. XX

Teapot Lane said...

'Craft Fairs' like that make me so cross!

I used to organise craft fairs, and only let handmade goods people sell there so that they were genuine craft fairs. Anyone who tried to sneakily fit some bought goods on the tables was told to take it off. I was very strict!! lol

But the genuine crafters appreciated it, and we had a thriving fair community!

*You* could organise one of them couldn't you my dear???
(Specially now in the days of..handmade AND vintage?) ;D

Love and hugs your way,
Donna xx

Connie said...

I'm so sorry to hear of your bad experience . . . I agree craft fairs should be a special place to go and see lovely handmade items. If I would attend and a craft fair that had turned into just another store . . . I would not go back. There is an enjoyment in hand-crafted items . . . that can not be substituted.
Don't let this put a damper on your crafting. Have a great week.
Your blogging sister, Connie :)

The Custards said...

Lovely things that you have made - the highs and lows of selling is something I know only too well. But barcodes!!! That is just odd I think! Keep ploughing your furrow (as I always say to the children) - as for CK 'stuff' my sister lives in Thailand and buys it 'direct' for a teeny, tiny fraction of the price it sells for here - someone is making money and it is not the makers in Thailand!!
Take care
Best wishes
Jenny

Marjorie said...

I am sorry the fair was a dud. You do beautiful work and if I didn't have to deal with the horrid overseas postage, I would buy some of your work. You have a real talent.

Andrea@Familyconnect said...

Those owls are just adorable

Unknown said...

Wow! Wow! And Wow! It’s truly an honor. Thank you so much! I’m new to this and working hard to get out there. Three Musicians