For Craft SHow Vendors

<p>I apologize if this is in the wrong category....I wasn't sure where else I should post it.<br>

I am planning on doing a small benefit craft fair in my local area. This will be my first craft fair. I was wondering what size prints/how many might be good to take? I know that some people come to craft shows just to look for photographs but what sizes do they usually like? Should I do them all in color? Or some in black and white, sepia, etc? <br>

Any other tips or ideas is greatly appreciated.</p>

Hi Jennifer,

 

I do many shows, the size prints are usually, 4 x 6, 5 x 7, 8 x 10 and a few 11 x 14. They are all matted and in mylar sleeves, I have some framed in blk gallery frames. I print black & white and color. Most people buy the 5 x 7 with a 8 x 10 matte. Try to be creative with the space, each size print has its own basket, also inexpensive easels from a craft store to display the framed prints is nice. Also a nice portfolio for browsing your photographs. I haven't invested in anything fancy because most displays are expensive and are quite heavy to carry and setup. I do quite well with my little setup. Hope this helps, good luck.

<p>Since this is your first time, you might also consider selling bare prints in sleeves. If you're interested in making a profit doing craft fairs, keeping your expenses low is a good first step.</p>

<p><a href="http://redimat.com">redimat.com</a> is a good source for pre-cut mats, backer boards, and sleeves. If you get the sleeves with the adhesive on the body of the envelope instead of on the flap, you'll be able to take a piece out and put it or another back in without ruining it.</p>

<p>I don't know how many different images you're going to take, but you might consider taking at most two prints in each size and presentation (2 bare 5x7, 2 matted 5x7, 2 bare 8x10, etc). Unless your work is <em>really </em> good, you probably won't need more than that.</p>

<p>The best pricing will depend a great deal on how you want to position your work and the people who come to the fair. $20 seems to be a fairly common limit for most people: price your work above that, and you've eliminated 80% of the people right off the bat.</p>

<p>is there a good source for finding out about the various craft and art fairs around the country?</p>

<p>Thanks for the wonderful help! Do you reccomend some prints in canvas? And would it be a good idea to take order froms with me?</p>

<p>Yes and yes! I've found canvas prints to be very well received. Also, the order forms are a great idea. Somebody always wants something a little different than what you have on hand.</p>

<p>As far as where to find out about fairs around the country, <a href="http://www.sunshineartist.com">SunshineArtist.com</a> is a good source.</p>

<p>You may want to consider accepting credit cards (with a photo ID)....-Aimee</p>

<p>this thread is so right for me too! I will be doing my first craft show in two weeks. Thank you for sharing great tips!<br>

Jennifer, good luck with your first show! I am new to this as well, but I will try to have fun.<br>

Since I am in the middle of preparations to this show, I just wanted to share some of my ideas.<br /> First- most of pieces for sale are matted to 8x10. I think it's one of the most common sizes for most people and it will allow me to keep the pricing within $20.<br /> I will have about 4 or 5 actually framed photographs and maybe 4 larger matted prints (16x10 with11x14 print in the mat))<br /> I have decided to print some photo cards- and used the Museo Artist Cards, which are really nice for photographs- great paper quality and love the color reproduction.<br /> Another thing I am planning to do is to take my laptop with me (my show is indoors, so hope for outlet close to my spot) and I want to make slide show with my photographs. This way I can offer portfolio for viewing.<br>

I hope I don't forget something really important... but so far I am making my list and checking it twice!<br>

--<br>

Joanna</p>

<p>Great tips here. I've been looking to get into something like this for some time. I'm currently a student, and something like this is within my budget, and can possibly get me some spare money on the side. This approach also works well with my school schedule as opposed to other jobs. I live in an area where there are at least 5 or 6 farmer's markets nearby every week, and our area gets a lot of tourist traffic. All of the photos I'm looking to sell are nice representations of unique place in our area that I'm hoping would appeal to both tourists and locals.</p>

<p>I'm a little curious about the those Museo Artist cards, are they like a postcard? I definitely need to come up with something like that to be able to sell on the low end.</p>