Keep your fingers crossed and wish me luck on the weekend November 11-12!
For the first time ever I will participate in a craft fair, and I´m a little nervous. I will present my crafts, to about 85% knotwork.
I sure hope they will sell… 
Lasse C
Hello my Friend,
My fingers are crossed but my legs are crossed too and walking… a bit difficult, but well protected… be safe. Have a good show and don’t take the results to heart. The crowd is fickle… not understanding the craft, or not having funds to spend… Put your best foot forward and have some fun. At our last show there was quite a bit of theft. Even then it is worth doing… the shame is on the thief, not on us for showing our skill. When you see what is selling… make more of that and pay no regard to what you might rather sell. I wish you luck, and I wish you Gods blessing (take it or leave it). Let us know what worked and what sold and that you had a grand time of it.
KnotNow:
Thanks, mate!
My ambition is to A: sell enough to break even financially (should be quite realistic) B: be seen and make myself known
As for the stuff I bring I have made few of many kinds rather than many of a few, in order to se what appeals to the public. I will also participate in another, smaller fair some three weeks later in a local museum in the town where I live. The crowds should be different in the two places, and it will be interesting to se the reactions.
Lasse C
Hi Lasse 
Long time, no see. Glad to hear from you.
I hope you have a great time, and from seeing the work you already do you will have no time to be nervous 8)
At the end of the day I bet you will wonder where the time went, and wish you could go on for longer.
Please let us know how it goes.
One word of advice; Do not sell yourself cheap Lasse, what you do is an skilled art, not just a craft, and deserves to be sold as art, I am sure that Hervey Garret Smith would be in agreement here
Take care and enjoy,
Barry ;D
Don´t worry! I´m letting my wife set the prices - she´s a lot tougher in business than I am! ;D
Lasse
Hi, just a short note about prices. Several shows back I was in our booth and Patrick was out and about. A wee person asked about the price of a knot and I shuffled my feet and said that the craftsman was away. She and her dad stood about until his return. When Patrick came back they asked about a price and he shot one out from the hip. The dad took out a wad of money , the size of which would choak a horse. The deal was done! What we do is an art and not a craft. I am having to think and think again but there are perhaps 10,000 people who can still do this work and many multi thousands who wish they could. So we teach and demonstrate.. But please do not sell your work at slave labor price. Often we can not sell it at the price of the “ships of the line”… not to change the fact. This is art. Fine art. Maybe a patron of the arts" should come to us but in the next day or so please don’t sell your art short of a dollar that is the worth of your skil. Sure, you need the dollar and I, who am selling my homestead am giving all… I still know the value of my art. I know the value of your art. Take your wife as the heart of it and double her price. hehehehehe. She knows. In your life time the work you do will keep up to the price of bread or shoes. Price your work of your hands as a project of the arts and keep up with the up and down of your monitary system. You are an artist, not a craftsman. That said, try not to go hungry. Starving artists abound.
The fair went well.
I did not sell as well as I would have liked, but on the other hand I did not really expect to…
My ambition was to sell enough to break even financially, getting back the money I paid for participation fee and materials. This I did, and even made a profit! A quite modest profit, I admit, but still a profit. What is interesting finacially is that on December 2 I will attend another fair locally. Since all costs are allready paid, the income there will be all profit! Nice! ;D
Perhaps the most important earnings of the fair was experience & Knowledge, however. Finding out what is in demand and what is not (I had a couple of surprises in both fields :o), how to expose stuff, and so on.
In addition to this I met quite a few really nice people! OK, there were also a few who tried to make what they thought of as “jokes”, and some making downright stupid remarks – but the vast majority were nice and honestly interested!
I might add: I had no problems falling asleep at night these two days…
Lasse C
Hi Lasse
It sounds as if your craft fairs are similar to the ones in England. Most people are reluctant to put their handses in their pocketses. Also, when Jeff is demonstrating how to tie various knots, we always get the smartipants who come out with silly remarks. But on the whole there is considerable interest and he usually has quite a crowd around him.
Craft shows are fun, but very tiring. We do several throughout the year, some of them are 3 or 4 day ones and we stay on site. That can be the real fun part, when the punters have all gone home and we sit around with friends that we’ve made at these shows over the years, usually having a BBQ and a few drinks. What a life!!!
Lesley
I agree, Lesley, it was very agreeable chatting with other exhibitors before and after the fair was open to public. As I mentioned, some things surprised me by selling unexpectedly well. The biggest suprise was tha cat toys I started making mostly to keep my hands busy. 2.5 mm black or red cotton cord, tied into a Monkeys Fist around a small rattle, and leaving a little “tail”. Very simple and straightforward, and I priced tham at 20 SKR (= 2,16 Euro or 1.45 £). They sold as fast as I could make them! The two last ones sold to two kids, maybe 7-8 years old, who came up to my table, each holding a 20 SKR bill (which is the smallest Swedish bill, smaller amounts are coins), and wanting to buy Christmas presents for their cats. That was so cute! 
I also have a kind of dog toy I make from Monkeys Fist, that has proven to be a reliable “Money Maker”.
Even those who did not buy did not argue about my prices, though, so apparently they were not too high. Another exhibitor, who has seen my work before, said “The point for you is not the quality of your work or your prices - it´s to reach the right customers!”
Lasse C
Could you post some pictures of the cat and dog toys? It’d be great to see them.
Diana.
How Do Lasse, And All
I am glad everything worked out for you, it would be nice to see some pictures of the fair if you had time to take any, my guess is by the time you had time to think about any thing you were already home ;D
I hope your next show goes well also.
Take care,
Barry
i made a cat toy for my daughters cat while in NY visiting. the cat loved it, actually climbed into it by it self then rolled around an bated at it. the cat would also “retrieve it” trhow it across the room an the cat would bring it to you so you would play.
I´ll try to convince my wife to take some photos at the next fair, and also to some photos of my stuff!
I will post a link to the pics when they are ready!
Lasse C
I know more of us want to do what Lasse did, and when I saw this question asked at Yahoo answers
Any hints on running a Saturday market booth? I make a lot of craft projects and want to sell some of them.?
and saw this answer:
first for YOU,...pack a lunch and beverages... and have shelter from the sun!..make sure to have business cards or contact information and a email sign-up sheet with your future show dates...for your display...if a tent, make it so they have to walk in...i usually have a candy dish and fresh flowers for ambiance...your display is best if done vertically....there are many creative ways to display...even tree branches work...make sure you have a table cloth....i have also found that a HIGH directors chair is best AND elevate your table so people are not straining to see items....display your name big and bold!....and make sure you are wearing/using the products......bring a tote that has..pens staples..scissors...tape..hand mirror....gift bags...receipt book....calculator..glue... painted rocks or paper weights.....anything needed to fix anything last minute...and a change box WITH CHANGE..lol... a waitress apron works too...an intriguing booth will draw in the customers...good luckSource(s):
MANY years of boothing!
I knew I had to post it here too.
I try a link to the question, maybe there will be more answers that are worth reading. But I would not know what to add to this reply to make it better.
Willeke
Here is another hint from the same page - much longer and more detailed but very valuable advice nevertheless!
http://glassattic.com/polymer/shows.htm
Looking forward to hearing more experiences!
SR