Sunday, May 2, 2010

Craft Fair Recap Part 1: The People

I am happy to report that the craft fair was a complete success!  The weather, although extremely muggy, hazy, and cloudy did not not follow through with the promised thunderstorms.  The foot traffic seemed to be lighter than normal due to the threat of downpour, but the faithful Athens town-folk still came out to support handmade.
I decided to breakdown the recap into two parts: 1) The people 2) the booth display.  
I am a firm believer that the people you choose to either share with your booth with or help you make sales are a huge component to your success at a fair.
This is the lovely Lesley from Homemade Grits, a super talented seamstress and one of my oldest friends.  Our design aesthetics are similar in that we both offer colorful items but they're different enough so that there's no direct competition (i.e. I wouldn't have wanted to share my booth with someone else selling jewelry). 
I suggest choosing a booth partner that you'll enjoy spending long hours with, that you trust will have a positive attitude throughout the day, and that will be responsible for taking care of their own items and sales.  I can't imagine anything worse that having a booth partner that runs off every few minutes to leave you in charge, that has a stinky attitude and could ruin potential sales for you, or that simply doesn't want to be there (I witnessed this yesterday with a different vendor who openly cursed Athens and stomped around with a grimace on her face.  Needless to say, I did not visit her booth).  Look, we even have matching shoes:) 
Lesley brought her amazingly supportive and kind husband Sam with her to help out.  Sam has his own shop and understands the amount of work that Lesley has put into this important day.  He was a great helper to choose because he's personally invested in Lesley's success and him and Lesley simply get along.  Bringing along your significant other can be a GREAT decision or it can be a terrible decision if you're fighting or if your partner isn't supportive or is more hands off with your business.
I tend to be a little bossy and protective when it comes to selling my work (see, I can admit my flaws) so B probably wouldn't have been the best choice for my helper (I don't like mixing business with pleasure if you know what I'm saying) so I brought along one of my best friends Katie.  She has helped sell my work before in public, she knows me almost better than anyone, she's very good with handling money, and I know I can walk away and she works on selling my pieces with as much enthusiasm as I do.  Basically, I trust her.  Choosing a helper is one of the most important choices you will make when it comes to selling at fairs so choose wisely!
So now you know the people that made up our booth.  I had such an amazing time surrounded by these friends.  Even if I hadn't have met my sales goal (which I did, woot!) just being surrounded by these people was enough to keep a smile on my face.
Tomorrow I'll share the details of our booth display.  Thank you for everyone who came to see us and for you all of you who wished us good luck and sent good thoughts our way.  I even met a few people who read this blog regularly and I can't thank you enough for coming out and saying 'hello!'
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

31 comments:

Helena - A Diary of Lovely said...

Congrats Chistina!!! So happy for you!! Your photos are great and you all look gorgeous!!!

Unknown said...

Well done Christina!!!! I'm happy for you, your hard work payed of!!! You had a great time with your friends/helpers, that also count, customers have a nose for a good atmosphere, and sales went well!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO.......now you can crash and relax!!!!

See you tomorrow!!

Greetngs
Lynda

Pinecone Camp said...

so important to have a fabulous booth partner! Wish I could have checked out your wares in person!
Have a lovely Sunday.

WinnibriggsHouse said...

Always good to work with true friends. You sound like you got it right. cant wait to see the pictures of your booth.

Kristen said...

You look simply fantastic!! I am so glad you had such wonderful people to share your day with!

naphtali said...

I'm so happy for you Christina. I thought about you yesterday and was sincerely hoping for much success. P.S. love your dress!

Karena said...

Christina, congratulations, you nade a really good team!!

Karena
Art by Karena

avant garde design said...

looked fun! wished i could have come. and your shoes, both of you, i love :) have a great rest of your weekend and see ya here soon!

BonjourRomance said...

Bonjour Christina,
Congratulations on the sale, you look beautiful - As do your fabulous friends. WIshing you Much success,
Mimi

###### said...

love the hat chick! you always look so fresh to def.

Wally said...

Happy to hear that it went well :-)
Love your red shoes!

Anonymous said...

Can't wait for tomorrows post!

Jill GG said...

congrats on a job well done! I love your hat/dress combo! Very chic.

Rachel said...

Hi, I've just discovered your blog and I love it. I'm preparing for a craft fair myself and your advice is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Simply Mel {Reverie} said...

Christina ~

You are a total pro! Look how incredibly great you look, and that smile speaks a million words! So thrilled to know the fair was a success!

~Melissa

Jessica said...

Congrats, I'm so glad the fair went well, if I could've transported myself there from France I would've sounds really fun!

Speaking of congrats...they are in order to you!! You won my giveaway for the Etsy Voter! Thank you so much for your support in voting for my product on Etsy, it means a lot!

I'm gonna need your mailing info via email embellishedbyjessica[a]yahoo

Congrats again!

Claire Kiefer said...

You all looked so cute, and I'm so sad that I couldn't be there! Looks like so much fun, and am super excited that you met your sales goal . . . let us know what people bought! Miss you girls, and hope I get to see you when I'm home in June. xoxoxoxox.

Morgan said...

You looked adorable! Looks like a total success!

Samantha said...

Glad you had fun and made a few bucks.

georgia b. said...

glad it was a success! may more follow.

{and how cute are you!}

stephany said...

happy it was a success!

Jennifer said...

Sounds like you had a great team. Those are cute shoes!

(P.S. You are very beautiful!) :)

Unknown said...

Awww awesome, Christina! You ladies look like you've had a great time judging by the big smiles. Your jewellery is so amazing they can almost sell themselves I think ;)

Anonymous said...

I want to know where those cute shoes are from!!

looks like a great day!

alexkeller said...

everyone looks fantastci - and i love the cute shoes photo :)

Felicia|DaLipstickBandit said...

love your hat...so cute!i worked a flea market for an hour and had to leave. it was the worst!

Iva Messy said...

you look soooo beautiful Christina!!!! I am so glad the rain stayed at bay!! :) and that is was a success!

Sam said...

Look at you cutie!!! I love your display too - very inviting - I bet it went well for you!!

Marsi @ The Cottage Cheese said...

You guys are too cute! I wish I could have been there. I'm so happy to hear you had a good time and made lots of sales!

Diana said...

You guys are adorable!!
I love how you have matching shoes!

Unknown said...

Aww, I didn't even notice your matching shoesies!! And I'm so sorry I ran off without saying hi that Saturday. It was getting crowded in your booth and I was getting antsy that if I chatted too long, then it might drive off potential sales.

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