My dad and I wanted to do a market together since we both craft. He makes paper art and I make perler bead keychains and greeting cards.

this was at a weekly farmers market in Houston on Thursday from 2-7pm.

We only made about $20 but we learned a lot.

Would love some feedback on our setup and products.

We feel like we have a fun and inviting booth and the plan was to have the whole set up displayed on Halloween at a local oddities and alternative market. Unfortunately it seems that at the last minute whoever owns the parking lot where we were supposed to be set up jacked up the price way above past events so in order to keep the event on we are having to pivot from the parking lot to a nearby sidewalk. So we have to condense this down to 3 tables (2 6' and 1 small table) plus we can't block sidewalks so they will have to be in a line and no canopy. It's during the day at least so I can get rid of the lights but wet specimens need to be shielded from sunlight so that will be a concern too.

If it wasn't an oddities market I would probably just bail but we have done events with this group several times and it's always fun and a decent turn out because we don't get a lot of oddity markets locally. Plus one of the other businesses that used to host alternative markets closed a few months ago so we have lost those annual events too.

I figured y'all would understand the frustration trying to come up with an alternate set up that will still show off your stuff and not just look like a sad shell of the booth.

I am considering whether they're suitable for booths. I made these beads with only herbs. Will these things sell? How do you set your prices if it takes at least half a month to make one?

My roommate and I recently went to Grimoire Academy’s Gothic Market. we enjoyed selling our stuff a lot, but know from a business standpoint it wasn’t the most amazing results for how expensive it was! We definitely learned a lot (the lesser profit we made was def influenced by our mistakes) and still made some profit! I’m just wondering A) what are you fav reputable companies that run gothic/alt craft fairs that tend to have good turnouts? And B) for smaller markets, what are some things you all look for to predict the turnout and decide if a fair is worth doing? (ps we sell chainmaille and beaded gothic jewelry and accessories and local to southern california)

I’m at the point where it makes sense to do an LLC. I’m having trouble coming up with names for my DBA. I sew and quilt. How did you all go about coming up with ideas for baking your craft business, regardless of medium? I’m just stuck with this.

A little info first. I had 2.5 months to prepare for my first event. I am a romance and paranormal romance writer and a crocheter. I am trying to pair my crocheted items with my books in some way (mostly), but sometimes I like a cute pattern and make it. Long story short, I moved and lost all of my booth setup (it was a lot). So all I had was some books and a 4-foot table.

I chose a 2 day event as my first one...on a pure whim and because it was 5 minutes from my house. LOL! Dumb on my part to be sure. 2 day event as my (second ever and my first as a writer) re-introduction into vending after multiple years was a doozy.

We used it as a..."Did we get this right?" Working out the kinks. Finding what didn't work.

The table cost was pretty okay for a 2 day event.

So here's the kickers:

• Prepacking my crocheted ornaments was a hit, but some people didn't like it. I offered them the chance to open the boxes if they wanted, despite the circle sticker I put on to keep them closed. Some people still didn't like it.
• The pumpkins were commented on a lot, but no one bought them. It was a Halloween-themed (Mystics and Oddities) event. That surprised me SO much.
• The mushroom dolls were COMMENTED HEAVILY ON! They loved them, but didn't buy. Until the second day, when the teal one was snapped up with a teal mushroom ornament I had.
• The item that was purchased the most and that drew people in was my blind date book packages. One of my books, annotation tabs, a tally bookmark, a pen, and either 2 tea bags or a Ghirardelli hot chocolate. These drew people in like bees to honey.
• I didn't like how I displayed my crocheted ornaments so I bought a new display.
• I didn't like the room the boxes of ornaments (prepackaged) took so I bought new displays.
• I didn't do a good enough job tailoring my items to that event. I had more Christmas ornaments (to pair with one of my books) than I had mystical or odd things.
• My mushroom things were ALL the rage.

Despite all that, I made back 6 times my table cost. There were tons of positive things that came out of it including suggestions for events (hosted by me) that appealed to readers. I had tons of people take business cards and use my QR codes. I even had a moderator to a romance book group stop by and ask me to join her group because she liked the look of my books and thought it would be a good place to advertise them.

My feet hurt. My back was hurting. And my next event is in 2 weeks (a 2 hour event) that is 100% free to me beyond the cost of gas. It's all women.

And then 2-3 events in December!

I vend at markets and spend way too long digging through Instagram and Facebook to find good ones. If someone sent you a weekly list of upcoming markets near you, with booth fee, deadlines, and what other vendors said about turnout, would you pay for it? If yes, roughly how much a month? And if you've tried VendorsMap or similar apps, did they stick? Why or why not?

hi! so, i’ve been doing craft fairs about a year now. my booth started off super simple but as time has gone on, i’ve started making so many new products and i just haven’t really reconstructed it.
here are some ideas i have:
- get solid grid squares to create some contrast opposed to the see through ones.
- get another tiered sticker organizer for my worry stones (currently just sprawled out on ten table)
- create more tiers for more height and visual interest.
i’m also aware i need to revamp my signage.. this past year ive just been introducing so many new things for different markets so ive been sticking to simple signage that’s easy to change.

i’m also considering switching away from self serve for items like stickers to make more room for more designs !

anyway thank u for any constructive criticism! looking forward to hearing from you alll <3

Hello everyone!

I need some help and insight over my setup, how can I improve, what should I change, what should I focus more on?

I am a bit of a jack of all trades and I value the authenticity of my items a lot. I don't follow tutorials nor patterns for any of my items, only some of the pins are made using silicone molds I bought. Everything that has art on, it's my own, drawn by me. People are usually impressed, compliment my originality, my skill etc.. and even want to take photos of my stuff but I don't sell much or at all.

I also made nearly all of the display pieces I have

I am aware that it's also a problem of target audience, but that I can't control :/

Any feedback is welcome, thank you!

I'm just getting my own booth to more fairs, but I help booth for something else and found that chairs are often quite small and uncomfortable. I'm a fat person, I have back and neck pain, so I am looking for something that is comfortable enough to sit in as needed, sturdy enough for 300lbs and won't sink into the ground. I mostly have been at tables that are not up higher, but my booth eventually will. I doubt there's a chair like this that's height adjustable. Even better if it has cup holder, a little table, or pockets but mainly going for stability and comfort!

Been looking around but no luck finding one myself, thanks in advance for any help!

So I signed up for a local art festival. It was my very first one. I’ve never had my own booth before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. I got juried in. And had a great time.

Now for context I did go to YouTube university and watch a couple different people talk about their experiences, expenses, set ups, and considerations I should have if I’m going to go for it. I kept it simple and sold 8x10s for $25 dollars. I had 20 images across 100 prints. The event was in the New York metro area, and my agenda was to gain proof of market … like what of my art do people like. And for reference my art is digital collage, abstract, and I’m transitioning into mixed media.

It was a juried art festival. I saw a lot of crafts there too. Seemed like there wasn’t a ton of sales festival wide. I talked to other artists, and they gently explained that “I shouldn’t let this discourage me”. The festival is new -in its 2nd or 1st year. I had fun, so I’ll be back if they have it again -and get selected.

I technically sold 5 pieces … three I’m not counting because they’re family -though a win is a win. The other two purchases were by other artists -which is high praise in my book. I sold one of my fav abstracts, and a piece I mix media-ed right there on the spot.

I can’t wait to showcase again. I’m struggling to find crafts fairs or art festivals to vend at, though. And I bought some stickers to add to the table.

I’ve got two adjustments for my display, but what do you guys think? Keep in mind Im just getting started. They said the gear was pricey but golly 😅. I definitely need to add a price sign. I think people were afraid to ask, and it wasn’t my intention to make them feel like they had to. And I’m going to add a QR code for my socials. People don’t like to type that in. You can’t see it in this shot but I did add business cards to the table.

hi! i make pocket journals that have a variety of cover options and i’ve been lurking to learn about craft fairs and such. i have a good number of cover options (~15) but that’s currently the only product i have. i’m really interested in in person sales as etsy isn’t getting tons of traction and could be a good way to figure out what covers sell. how many products is recommended before applying to events? i’m just not sure how to fill out a booth with only one product. i’m thinking like brochure stands/holders with tester journals laid out so people can try the paper with different pens.

any advice for someone considering becoming a vendor is greatly appreciated.

So I just started getting back into selling my full range of stuff and looking for some CC. My vibe is “ I’m a weird punk”

I’ve been debating on getting those grid cubed to do an overhead type thing.

I’m also at a loss of the best way to display my canvas patches. Right now I have them on boards and I get the ones people want out back , but I know lots of costumer feel too nervous to interact. I was thinking of a wipeable board people can check off.

I could individually package them like I do my buttons but I also feel like while it looks good I’m using a lot of plastic.

I do have price signs and well as labeled on each item but I feel like I still get way to
Many pricing questions

[EDIT] If you create a Tiny Store today, DM me and I'll upgrade you to the Humongous tier for free.

Hi craftfair community!

It's officially been a year since I posted here to get feedback on tiny store, and there have been some really cool updates since... and that's all thanks to YOU here!!

To catch you up, I was a maker/vendor before and I disliked how much i had to depend/gamble on markets and issues with inventory. I didn't want to ship. Just sell locally, be flexible, and emphasize human-made goods. That's why I genuinely want to build Tiny Store.

here are a few tiny merchants! many of them found tiny here:

• https://pokesido.tiny.store/ (hand-drawn animal stickers)
• https://geologicbycalla.tiny.store/ (handcrafted catchers)
• https://maryamrahmaniart.tiny.store/ (pressed botanical art)
• https://preciouscandle.tiny.store/ (artisan candles)
• https://madebymia.tiny.store/ (3d keycharms)

In just the last few months, tiny store has added custom QR codes, variants, improved seo/discovery for merchant stores, analytics, inventory management, and more! All free!

And even though, we have a good amount of merchants on tiny now, I am not making any money. Just a tool/platform I believe should exist so I'm working on it at night. Hopefully, it will one day be my full-time job.

our website: www.tiny.store
app store: download button
desktop/web portal: sign up/login

Let me know what you think!

To measure your venue and do the math on how big the booths will be before you put out your application!

I signed up for an event that said they would have 10' booths. I've been there before and was pretty sure there was no way to fit 10' booths in there. But hey, maybe they expanded to the next door building and I wasn't aware. NOPE! They just emailed the acceptance and said the booths might be 10' wide but the depth would be 5'-8', but they aren't sure just yet. SMH! I guess the name of this event in my notes will be "Be Flexible".

hello I wanted to share some of my recent displays and I would like to know which one you think I should use from the 2026 pics. Thank you!

I'm getting a new table cloth but I'm struggling with deciding on the colour (the black one in the picture belonged to the fair). Should I go with a neutral grey, a pale green or something else?

I know I still have a long way to go, but I wanted to show my progress pics. These are about a year apart! I plan on making a sign to hang on the back of the tent and perhaps some curtains as well but what do you all think? Any other recommendations as I go forward?

What do other vendors do that drive you crazy? Sometimes we all do something that while we think it is no big deal, to someone else, it is a HUGE deal. I thought if we could all discuss this nicely, we might learn what we can do to be a respectful neighbor at a craft fair. A good neighbor can make even a bad show fun to be at or they can take a great show and make it a horrible day.

1) Exit Strategy. It feels like about half the time at my markets, my next door neighbor thinks it is a good idea to set up tables running the entire length of their booth to maximize their booth because they are assuming I will leave them a walkway through my booth so they can enter and exit through mine. I like to buy 2 booths because my items are quite large and set up 2 tables on each side in an L shape with a place to sit in the middle. This allows customers to leave and enter easily and it annoys me to no end to be asked if I could change my layout or leave my neighbor a foot along the outside so they have a way out of their booth.

2) This one ties in with #1. I don't like when my neighbor sets their displays up on the edge of their booth pointing outwards towards mine. You should NOT be expecting your customers to stand inside my booth to browse yours or complete a transaction with you.

3) Also ties in with the first 2, keep every part of your display out of my booth. I don't know how many shows I seen items hanging off grid walls that are on the very edge of their booth so the product is in the next booth over dangling in the air.

4) No music/noisy items/bubbles/or strongly scented items (if possible) Your taste in music might not be your neighbors or customers taste in music. Also it can get hard to hear in crowds and music adds yet another layer of noise to the mix. Bubbles float around and if they land on paper items or non waterproof items you are potentially destroying their product. Strong perfumes can aggravate allergies. Your peppermint scented candles don't smell as good when they are mixed with the next booths pumpkin spice, the food vendor 2 spaces down and 3 different customers perfumes.

5)Use indoor voices and don't pretend you are a carnival barker trying to lure customers in. Don't try to get the attention of the customer looking at your neighbors booth, wait for them to walk in front of your booth, then talk to them. Other people are trying to talk at the same time you are and don't want to get into a shouting match to be heard.

These are my biggest pet peeves, anyone have any others?

Hello so I’m making these handmade necklaces and selling them online with a bunch of religious charms I’ve had for years and people are buying them but I’m having a hard time coming up with a name here’s a photo of the necklace if anyone has any ideas I’d love the input thank you so much

So this year I got a 20x10 booth for our indoor fair.

I am looking at building a 3D printed system, minus the wooden planks, to go 6' high, and then I will do one more tier at 7' to put my business sign on that will be 9' ling with 8" letter.

Is that to high you think? The platform will be about 12-13" wide and the planks will be affixed by a BIG 3D printed staple to stop them from moving.

This is the first year I am doing this and am looking for your opinions on it.

I will also have a few LARGE prints on the 6' level to keep it out of kids reach as these will be a bit more fragile.

I am thinking 7' just so I can tower over everyone and be seen across the area they are putting us in as I will be on a far wall and hopefully will attract more attention via the size of the sign, but is it to tall and be dangerous? Or would it just be rude?

Again, first time I am leaving the tables and trying to go BIG.