Selling your Art: Art and Craft Shows


Preparation - Part One



As you can see from this picture, my finished art pieces are taking over my studio.  In an effort to change this situation and sell some pieces I thought I needed to try a new venue.  A friend suggested that I get a booth at a local art and craft show.  If you have never attended one of these events, they are usually held in a church gym or community center.  The organization rents booth space to local artists and crafters who set up a table to sell their work.  I have attended shows in the past and began to think this option might work for me.

My next step was to gather information and spend a few hours researching.  Searching youtube.com using words like art, show, beginners, setup and how to yielded some pretty good results.  I stumbled upon a few videos titled, "what I learned", "if I had to do it again", and "what you should know".  These videos were my favorite.   A few things became clear, this is my top ten list: 1. You don't need a lot of inventory but, you do need a variety of items.  2. Have a card reader otherwise you will lose sales.  3. Bring a friend so you can take a bathroom break.  4. Bring something to drink and some snacks it might be a long day.  5. Have cash available to make change.  6. Price your items to sell, and have items with low, mid range and high prices.  7. Have a nicely displayed booth but don't go overboard.  8. Donot perch yourself at the back of your booth, stand up and talk to your customers. 9.  Have a business card, maybe even some free candy.  10. Dress nice and look professional.

Stay tuned for the next installment in this series.     

 

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