Bohemian Mermaid Palace

First Day!! Things I Learned Having My Own Studio Storefront   What fun! I think every creative maker has a dream of opening their own storefront. A little place where you can work on your craft, while welcoming customers to shop. 3 1/2 years ago I did just that and it was so exciting! This month, I am closing it. I've been sharing a lot with people recently about my time there, what I loved about it and what I learned. Retail vs Festival I think the biggest thing I learned was that the Retail Life is completely different from the Festival Life. Not only for me, but for my customers. Most obviou sly, the high energy festival booth vibe is comp letely opposite the sit in a store and wait vibe. I love the rhythm of doing festivals. I work really hard, engage thousands of people, make a lot of sales, all in a few days. Then I retreat the rest of the week either into the woods if I'm traveling, or into my studio to make more clothes. I don't really enjoy havin...

Craft Fair Tips - Post List Lately I've been trying to organize my craft show how-to posts, adding proper tags so people can find what they need. I seem to have a lot! So I thought it would help to have a page of links. I'll do my best to keep it updated.  5 Steps to Start Selling at Craft Fairs: Step 1:  Find Your Shows Step 2:  Booth Display Step 3:  Marketing Materials Step 4:  Money Talk Step 5:  Show Time  Craft Selling Tips: 5 Essential Tips for Craft Fair Selling Are Craft Shows for You?   Take Your Show on the Road Camping Out Mermaid Style Why I Love Facebook Ads Things I Learned Having My Own Studio Storefront Ma ke the Switch to a Business Mindset   How to Plan a Private Pop-Up "Home" Party  What to Do When the Craft Shows are NOT Going Well Best Practices for Your Craft Booth Display    

At last we come to the fifth of my 5 steps to Start Selling at Craft Fairs. Click the " Start Selling at Craft Fairs " tag at the end of this post to see the rest of the posts #1 - #4.  Show Time! Okay! After all of your making and planning, now it's time to do the actual work of selling things in your festival booth. My first big piece of advice overall, and my motto when getting ready for a show is...   Always be prepared to do well.    Even for the dinkiest of shows or the iffiest of circumstances, I will try to put my best foo t forward. M eaning, I've done everything I can do to s upport having a good show. I have the proper stock, m y packing is organized, my paperwork is in order, I 've packed a healthy lunch , and ha d a good night's sleep. Every show is an opportunity to put my self o ut there, and any thing can happen. I want to be ready! It's also much less stressful and more fun for me when I know all my ducks ...