Monday 10 September 2012

So how was it then ?

... or the rise of the Lavender sashet !


Well here is my postmortem of the craft fair. I'll do it in bullet points because I think it is easier to read and also because I wrote most of it on Sunday morning sitting behind my stall when it was a bit more quiet.

  • First things first. Did I make enough ? Yes. I had a successful show and  was already in profit 6 hours into the show (stall money was GBP 100). Money-wise absolutely no complaints !
  •  If you are organised you can set up the table within the hour and do it in half the time on day two


  •  Labelling each item with prices is important because people don't like to ask for fear the item is out of their budget (I did just that and was glad)
  • I lost my voice on Saturday because it was so busy
  • I was and still am incredibly grateful for friends and family who  stopped by and bought me tea and coffee and manned the stall while I dashed to the toilet (special thanks to Michael, Amy, Corinn, Fiona, Mica, Shiobhan , my brother and my lovely neighbours)
  • I was shattered at 10 pm on Saturday and only had a very restless night
  • I loved chatting to people who appreciate my craft and showed real interest
  •  I got a buzz from each sale


  •  People loved my London fabric lavender sashes (never do a show without them as they are easy money)
  • Kindle covers went like hot cakes
  • I-pad covers were coveted but didn't go quite as well  at first
  • I started with fairly high prices on Saturday but was happy to reduce prices of items that weren't dear to my heart on Sunday (just to shift the stock)
  • Another two lavender sashets gone - they are walking of the stall
  • To many people just want cheap
  • Many took my business card and asked if I had an online shop
  •  I wanted to use the show as an exercise in marketing and I am fairly confident I will get the odd sale or custom order resulting from the show
  •  It hurts when people raise their eyebrows at the prices if they haven't got the foggiest what goes into making each product
  •  Camping chairs are surprisingly comfortable and invaluable
  •  Why the hell do people feel the need to smoke dope in crowds ?
  • Other stall holders are nice and have stories to tell



  •  How can two days be so different ? Saturday so busy that I hardly sat down and Sunday so quiet that I almost finished knitting my cowl
  •  The show was very well organised by 'We make London'
  • It was a blessing that we could leave our suitcases overnight in a provided van
  •  It was heaving with people to the point were there was at times no movement
  •  I got a bit cranky on Sunday morning after little sleep and the prospect of having to sit there until 10.30 pm that night
  •  I should not have signed up for two days, one would have been just fine
  •  There walk another two sashets of the stall - good by boys
  •  The atmosphere was fab on both days. Saturday was wild Brazilian music and Sunday everything went folksy in the morning
  •  I had to much stock which really surprised me
  •  I could not have wished for better weather
  • Will I do it again ? Not sure yet but if then only again at a show like this one where all I need to do is rock up with my makes, no additional costs like insurance, table, car hire etc....
  • One or two shows a year together with other people might be good fun
  • It is nice to chat to other stallholders and compare experiences
  •  Folk music is a bit depressing, bring back the exuberant Brazilians from Saturday
  •  Once you are in profit everything is more enjoyable because the pressure is off
  • Got a really nice chat with the other ladies of neighbouring stalls going on Sunday afternoon that made the time go by much quicker and a few sales helped along the way
  • I really had to much stock. Given the money I made I am surprised how much I carried home again
And the last sashet was sold to a little boy that had his heart set on it two hours prior.... 19 sold , one gifted.....

I also wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you for your support over the past couple of weeks. I will start listing all the purses, i-pad and kindle covers (only one left actually) in the shop and will give out a discount code when I am done as a little thank you. Some of you had specific request and I'll contact those directly this week.


20 comments:

  1. Really well done. People can be tight fisted as they have no idea about the cost of material and the time put into each item. I really have enjoyed reading this post (post-mortem). Di x

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  2. Yay! So pleased for you that it went well, and you came home in profit with stock left to sell, brilliant! Well done :-)

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  3. I'm glad it went well and you made a profit - well done!!
    P.S. Your stall looks wonderful!

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  4. Glad it was a success, I loved your items, and the stall looked fab! Those people who want cheap prices, and raise their eyebrow at realistic prices have no creative soul, they're clueless about the real time cost to make beautiful things, unfortunately due to the mass produced rubbish they see on a daily basis on the high street!

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  5. Great roundup.
    What a fab sale - so glad that there were enough savvy people there to mean that you made enough. I think a lot of people still don't realise that this type of handmade is far superior to the cheap tatt they can get on the highstreet.
    I need to know more about these lavender sachets. I just inherited a whole tub of lavender, so I need to make some quick smart.
    So glad you had a great sale. We were all rooting for you.
    xxxxx

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  6. So, so pleased it went well!! Congrats on a successful weekend. Hope you catch up on sleep soon.

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  7. I would like to know about the Lavender Sachets also. I could use an "easy money" project.

    so glad your sales went well.

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  8. Well done you, sounds really succesful. I think it is a common theme from craft fairs that people want lovely handmade items, but want to pay nothing for them!

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  9. so glad it went well - I was working all wekend so couldn't come down :-(
    laughing at the dope smoking ;-)

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  10. Yay for you Judith - your stall looked amazing and colourful and had a fab selection of items to purchase. well done :) Hope your voice comes back soon so you can sing Folk music!!!!

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  11. so glad it went well... you have stock left so that you are ahead of the game for next time xx

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  12. Wow, that stall looks fantastic. And given you have other places to sell it, better to have too much stock, so that people get drawn to your stall and spend longer looking at everything (and maybe then make a purchase because they feel bad taking up your time!) than too little.

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  13. Fully understand the issue of too many people wanting things cheap - we battle with just that attitude with the catering business, equally so with the raised eyebrows at prices when they don't understand how much work goes into it.

    however, brilliantly well done so glad the show went well :-)

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  14. Sounds like a brilliant w/e J! Well done! Jxo

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  15. Sounds like a memorable time, thank you for sharing all your thoughts.

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  16. I love the fabrics you picked for your items. It all went so well together and thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  17. Great post! Glad it went so well and the stall really does look fantastic!

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  18. Hi Judith, I came down and the crowds were so intense I couldn't seem to find you - it didn't help with a little one in a buggy. But I'm glad it was a success for you, well done:)

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  19. Your stall looks absolutely brilliant! The raised eyebrows thing is maddening and offensive, but it's really just based on ignorance of the time involved in something handmade and unique. I'd be on a mission to educate but it probably wouldn't do any good:-) Maybe better just to find a niche where your punter is a bit more clued up.

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  20. So glad you did so well. You had some great items.

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Thank you for your comments! I love reading them and will answer every question you have on my projects. But I have a very busy daytime job and am therefore not able to thank each and every comment. Please don't be offended if I won't reply.