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5 dos and don't of craft fair display | increase sales | Hooked by Kati

Top 5 Dos and Don’ts of Craft Fair Displays

Double check your craft fair display for these Five “Dos and Don’t” that could make or break your sales for the fair. It doesn’t take much for someone to walk right past your booth, or for them to be drawn in to an inviting space. Your craft fair display is your first impression. If done right, it can offer your customers a wonderful shopping experience, which will inevitably improve your sales. Give these things a try at your next fair and let me know your results!

Do: Post prices in plain sight.

Make sure you have tags on every item or signs listing your prices in large print. If possible, don’t make them have to touch the item to check the price. Have you ever noticed that you second guess how badly you need something at the store when you can’t find the price? If you put out prices that are easy to see and close to the product, the discomfort of trying to sneak a look at the price tag is taken away, making for a more pleasant shopping experience for your customer.

5 Dos and Don'ts of Craft Fair Display | Hooked by KatiDon’t: Make customers ask for a price.

If the customer has to ask for the price, they feel overly pressured to purchase. It is hard to get up the nerve to ask for a price. Don’t make them! People want to be able to budget their craft fair trip without pressure.

 

Do: Have a consistent theme.

Your booth should not flow into the one next to you. It needs to be unique to you and your product. Can a customer easily find your booth again at another fair because your theme is recognizable or do you blend in to the crowd?

Choose a set of colors that mean something to your craft. Consider pastels for baby products, bright colors for children, neutrals for home decor so people can imagine the work on their walls at home.

Use the same font on all the signs and choose a material that you like for all your signage and fabric. I have wood shelves and crates with a small amount of painted metal for my display and use chalkboards in my handwriting for all my signs.

Don’t: Borrow from your house for your craft fair table.

Even if that baker’s rack in your kitchen works great for your display, resist the urge to use it. Some stray sugar or coffee grounds are not what you want to bring with you. And don’t move you living room decor to the fair.

If you take the time to be extra professional and have a setup that clearly shows your planning, it will show your customers how serious you are about your business. 

Do: Use a solid, full-length tablecloth.

I go into greater detail about this here, but the basic idea is that a solid tablecloth will prevent distraction from your work and could make the perfect backdrop that prevents people from walking by without stopping.

Make sure you tablecloth touches the ground to hide your checkout supplies, and gives you extra storage while never breaking the illusion of a crystal clear setup.

Don’t: Use a plastic, patterned or short tablecloth.

Take the time to get a fabric tablecloth. If you only take a few minutes to grab a plastic one, it will imply that you put less thought into the product as well. Check out www.linentablecloth.com for inexpensive but classy solid tablecloths. And make sure they reach the ground! Your customers don’t want to see your breakfast burrito or your cash box.

Do: Vary the height of your items.

When approaching a booth, the eye naturally moves in a certain pattern, and it loves to move in waves. Put a sign with writing in the middle, and then lead their eyes up to a taller shelf. Keep in mind that they eye wants to go in a wave, so if you put too many tall things together, some of them will get looked over. And don’t put something really important in front of your tall object because it will not be seen unless they do a second pass.

Top 5 Dos and Donts of Craft Fair Display | Hooked by Kati

Don’t: Lay everything out on a flat table.

Avoid clutter. Items laying flat on a table look less appealing. Put hats on stands or on overturned bowls or mugs to stand up. Put dishcloths in a basket. Hand jewelry at eye level or just a hair lower.

Do: Stand up as much as possible!

Stand up. Be proud of your work and your display. Do not look as tired as you are.

Say hello to everyone who enters your booth but don’t press. Don’t offer sale prices as they walk in the door or ask them questions about their needs for your product. Just a simple hello will do. 

Standing up and greeting people let them know that you are in the moment, you are ready to help, and you are attentive to their needs. If also implies that you are busy enough not to sit down and that you are active during the fair.

Don’t: Work on your next project at the fair.

A lot of fairs will go as far as suggesting that you bring your craft with you so that people can see you work on it. For me, this is a no-no.

I have tried both ways, and I can say with certainty that the times I sell the most are when I am attentive, smiling, and ready to make a sale. If I have yarn in my hands or I am sitting down, I look like the booth has been slow, or that I am being interrupted by them when I have to put down my work. Be ready to jump to their service. Don’t sit down! And leave the work at home so that you can be present for your customers.

Top 5 Dos and Donts of Craft Fair Display | Hooked by Kati
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17 Comments

  1. Getting ready for my first craft fair & I am not sure how to display my handmade tote bags. I have 4 sizes ranging from mini to large market size. They all have handles, I just don’t know how best to show them off. Any advice? I also have pot holders that I have made that I was going to put in a basket on the table, what would you recommend for pricing?

    1. I, too, sell tote bags. I just bought a hat rack from Amazon to display my bags, this should work for your bags of different sizes too. As far as pricing for your potholders (another thing I’ve made in the past), that depends on you. I always meet somewhere in the middle of what do I think my work is worth and how much will it actually sell for? Ultimately, it depends on the quality of your work and what you think you’re worth. People will pay a lot for things they think are high quality, so make sure that quality is there. If your stuff is priced too low, they’ll assume it’s low quality.

  2. I have seen some booths having wrapped candy in a basket to get people to stop. What about this with our crocheted items?

  3. Hello. I have a craft show coming up. We have resin pet tags. What would be the best way to display them.

  4. Thanks for these tips! The one I will avoid this time will be bringing my art with me. People will walk past you if you look to busy. Right? That makes sense.

    1. I absolutely love the grey shelving stand you have. Could you share where you got that? Or take a side and back angle pic so my hubby could make me one.

  5. I agree with speak to everyone. I have had countless people stop by my booth because I got their attention by saying “hello”. I even had some that told me that I was the only vendor that spoke to them on my whole row.

  6. Im My first craft fair soon. I always thought working on my project while people were looking at my things gives the impression that I myself made them rather than I went to a thrift store, and reselling? Ill have photos of my items being worked on though. I am using the same yarn as price tag ties too (on each item) which shows its actually my creation. Thoughts?

    1. I think it’s a great thing to do, but beware that people are hesitant to interrupt you when you are working, so it may make people walk past your booth or not ask you questions, whereas if you were alert, they would be more willing to stop or speak to you.

  7. Great tips. I started doing different heights for items on the table and not working on items as much items, let me just say even on a slow market day it’s better than before.

  8. Your tips MAY work in your country BUT here in Germany crafters are wellcomed to show how they do there work. Also stands here are mostly a lot larger than l have seen on your side ,that gives more scope for building your stand up and out.l am ALWAYS interested in other ideas for a good stand.
    English woman liveing in Germany.
    20 years of selling a markets

    1. Thank You so much for the valuable information. Going to have my first craft stall and the info you have provided saved me from doing a lot of ‘wrongs’ – avi

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