Friday, November 1, 2013

Marion's Mittens are Heading to a Craft Fair!

On Saturday, November 2, Marion's Mittens will be for sale at the Polish American Citizens' Club of Albany.  This is our first craft fair and we're really excited!  Here are the details:


If you're in the area we'd love to see you!  If not, the Etsy store will be open for business as usual.  :)

I did quite a few things to prepare for the craft fair and will share them below.  Next week I'll report on what I didn't think of but will know for next time.

Display & Signage

  • I ordered a vinyl sign and some business cards from Vistaprint. They are great because they always have sales.  I love the neutral polka dots of this business card, and the M at the bottom looks like it's sitting on a ball of yarn.
  • At this point I don't want to spend a whole lot on a display.  So I'm going with a white sheet for the front of the table and a sheepskin/suede throw for the top.  Cozy!
  • I wrote up a description of the shop and price list and printed it out.  It'll go into an 8x10 frame on the tabletop.
  • We are debuting a new product tomorrow (it's a surprise!) and it's really tiny, so I'm using a basket to display those items.
  • The Marion's Mittens email newsletter is sent through Mailchimp (sign up by clicking the button on the top right of this page!) and they have an app for sign-ups on the go.  It's called Chimpadeedoo and I have it all set up to capture new subscribers at the show.

Selling & Packaging

  • PayPal Here sounds like a great way to accept credit cards. I haven't tried it yet and hope that my reader comes in the mail before the show!  Of course cash is always good too, so I got some small bills to make change.
  • I found some receipt books with carbon copies - both for receipts and for tracking what colors/sizes are sold.
  • I ordered some white paper shopping bags from Nashville Wraps and stamped them using the logo stamp I ordered from Vistaprint last year.
  • My tissue paper stash is still going strong for stuffing the bags.

Other Supplies

  • Some basic office supplies like a notebook, pens, stapler, tape, and scissors seem like they will be useful.
  • Snacks and drinks for me and my assistant.
  • A little table for behind the scenes.
  • An extension cord to charge my phone and iPad.

What else would you bring to your first craft fair?

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