Well, I promised to report back on my craft show experience and I have to tell you all that it was a total bust. For me anyway, opK had better results.
Honestly, I just have to laugh about it. It clearly was not the right venue for me. Our booth did rather stand out amongst the Pampered Chef, Scentsy, socks and American Girl doll clothes. There wasn’t even very much Christmas decor, let alone any that was vintage.
The location itself was a bit of an issue as well since there was very limited cell service. I had service on my phone with t-mobile, but anyone who had AT&T had no service at all. That made both Venmo and credit card transactions difficult. Luckily we had an exterior door right in our booth, so people could step outside to get a signal. It definitely was not a great set up.
opK’s clocks and lanterns were a big hit. She sold quite a few of them. In fact, I even purchased one of her clocks myself.
The original turquoise paint really spoke to me.
On the other hand, I only sold two things all day. The first was a vintage measuring cup with a little faux feather Christmas tree in it.
It was only $10.
My second sale was one of my stenciled drop cloth stockings.
The woman who purchased it loved that it looked like a vintage grain sack with German writing on it.
Although I had also had some stockings with red stripes …
and also some stockings with stencils in English …
She just wanted the German writing, and unfortunately I only had one of those with me.
My friend Sue sewed these stockings up for me out of drop cloth, and I stenciled them back in 2022. I’d attempted to sell them at the shop in 2022, and again in 2023. I’d finally priced them super low at $5 each and tried to sell them at the Carriage House sale with no luck.
So, yeah, if you’re doing the math, I had a whopping $15 in sales for the entire day.
It was definitely disappointing, but now I know that this sort of venue isn’t going to work for me.
It probably didn’t help that there was fierce competition, especially for people who love vintage. The Holly Jolly Market was also taking place this past weekend.
I definitely think I’d fit in better there.
Well, as they say, live and learn. I’m not sure if will ever pursue doing another market of this kind, but if I do I’ll try to find one that better suits my style for sure.
How about you? Have you ever sold at a craft show or market? Or do you have a favorite holiday market near you? Leave a comment and let me know.
q is for quandie 
I’ve never sold at a craft show or market, but we had a yard sale over the weekend. Saturday was great. Sunday we made $7. The takeaway – Sell only on Saturday, and make it a one-day sale!
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LOL, I had a similar experience with the occasional sale at my house. I made 95% of my sales in the first two hours. I’m not sure it’s worth being open any longer than that 😉
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oh Linda, so sorry! Been there too many times! I will never do a “first time “ show again. You would do fabulously in a vintage antique show! I went to a “vintage craft show” on Friday. There were 2 vintage booths. Both of those booths were full! The Scentsy, vibrating pillows and the world’s best brooms booth not so much! I hope the booth fee wasn’t too high. I love your style and goods! smiles, Alice
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Wow, if they were billing it as a vintage show you’d think they would have had more than just 2 booths of vintage. That’s discouraging isn’t it?
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The key here is that it was not your audience. I mentioned in another comment that we have a vintage Christmas market here every year and you would do amazing. Of course you would have to come to Missouri and that may cut into your profits! So many of the local church and school craft shows here have become exactly what you describe with the MLM products and nothing really creative. I save my pennies throughout the year and only go to the one vintage show. They have really curated it over the years with only quality vintage and handmade items. The prices are high, but so is the quality. I am a basket weaver, and I learned a long time ago that people won’t pay for quality handmade baskets unless you are at an artisan venue. It is so depressing to hear people say how much they love your stuff, look at the price, and smile and walk away.
Hopefully you enjoyed the day chatting with your friend and like you said you probably won’t waste your time anymore. Sorry this wasn’t the venue for you. It’s a lot of work to get everything there and set it up and then pack it all up again.
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Yes, I agree, it was not my audience. But it was worth a try, and I’ve learned from the experience. And I did enjoy chatting with my friend, and I will also say that the other vendors were a friendly, supportive bunch.
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Craft shows in our areas are horrendous anymore! I went to one in a school last year and it literally took me 10 minutes to walk thru. Everything was the same jewelry, soaps, candles, etc. etc. Oh, I did stop and talk to a friend at the Independent Cat Society who had a booth there trying to raise funds for the cats! So make that 15 minutes. Years ago, there was such creativity and so many wonderful items, you didn’t know where to spend your money. Not so anymore 😦
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Yep, I hear you on that!
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Sorry to hear that, Linda. Argh.
About 10 years ago a friend spent six months making wreaths out of ornaments; many were themed to the local college/pro sports teams; others were traditional. She decided to exhibit at a seasonal craft fair at a local church. Another nightmare: She didn’t sell a single thing. Not only did she invest all the work/money into the wreaths, she spent a fortune on bubble wrap and high-end boxes for them.
I helped out that day and my theory was that most people were attending as an excuse to get the kids out of the house, rather than to buy. Most were spending their money on the bake sale items and beverages, or really tiny things like $3 reindeer made out of twigs. Felt so bad for her.
Had I been there I would have snapped up quite a few of your items!
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Oh man, not a single sale. That would be even worse. So disappointing for your friend.
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There is something out here (northeast) called Vintage Bazaar New England with various locations throughout the year. I think your style would fit right in and do great there! Maybe there is a Vintage Bazaar Midwest?
P.S. I’m originally from Michigan, but have been in Maine for 43 years. I love it here, but I still miss the friendliness of the people there!
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I’ll definitely have to do some research if I decide to try again. There are a few vintage style markets around here, but none that are super close to me. I’m just not sure I want to pursue it further.
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I am so sorry for your experience. I never apply to be a vendor at shows that allow multi-level marketing vendors. As you found, that is not our target market. It is a whole different vibe. I hope sometime you try again at a true vintage/vintage inspired market. The camaraderie of being among sellers and buyers that love and appreciate our items is truly fullfilling.
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Yep, you are so right Teri. Well, I’ve learned my lesson. If I try this again, it will be at a vintage market for sure 🙂
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Linda, I’m so sorry! At least you were inside, and with a friend, but I know how disappointing it is to sit there all day, and only sell 2 things! I did ONE outdoor craft sale about 15 years ago and I was exhausted and sun and wind-burned by the end of the day. So much work planning my booth space, setting up, waiting for customers, freezing in the morning, sweating in the afternoon, watching one vendor nearly sell out of what I considered “tacky” embellished solar lights, and then packing it all up, taking it home and unloading. I was lucky to sell two items and make back my booth fee. After that fiasco, I rented my own booth space in a craft mall, and have been as happy as a clam ever since! So much more rewarding for me. I agree that you would likely do much better at a vintage-themed sale. I love your creations and you have been an inspiration to me for years!
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I’ve heard a few disaster stories about markets held outside, rain, wind, heat, cold … it’s all very unpredictable. I’m glad you found a booth space that works for you!
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