3 of 31 How much inventory should I make?

This is a very good question, but a hard one to answer.

So, Sara Duggan of crochetbusiness.com suggests to make items that are:

* Quick to make
* Small price points
* Cater to the largest audience attending the event

She suggests bows, flowers, dish towels, baby items like booties, blankets, and little layettes. She advises to stay away from extensive pieces as they rarely sell. This is not to say that they wouldn't sell, its just that they would be more appropriate for an art show rather than a family event, which is where I'm going to be.

Some questions Sara says to consider when thinking about what to make:

1. Traffic to the show - This event is geared towards families and anyone attuned to natural living. It takes place at a park on a Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. They want to focus on whole body wellness, Backyard gardening, green cleaning, fresh eating, yoga, music, art, nature conservancy, and basically anything Eco-friendly.
2. Season – Fall, but moving into winter and the holidays that come with it.
3. What can you make in the amount of time you have? - I have 9 months to build my inventory. 
4. Are your items quick sales? A quick $5, $10, or more? - I can make just about anything, but I will need to focus on items that are easy to make, and with low price points.
5. Variety – be sure to offer a variety and always make more than you think you need - For me and this event that means hair bows, market bags, flower headbands, little amigurumi animals, hot beverage cozis, play food, hats, maybe yoga mat bags.

2 of 31 Making the decision to do it

Making the decision to be a vendor at the Natural life Festival was pretty easy. I know my target market will be there, it's only a short trip down the road, I'll be there with people I know in a friendly environment, and it's an event I would enjoy to be at myself.

The fee is minimal ($35) in advance, and I have plenty of time to get ready for it. I'm asking the event coordinator all kinds of questions now, so I can be as prepared as possible = less stress & successful event!

www.naturallifefestival.com

1 of 31 Days to preparing for a craft show

One of my goals this year is to attend my first event as a vendor. Being my first go at doing something like this, I most certainly realize I'm going to have to put quite a bit of thought and hard work into this event. So, I've looked over the internet for a comprehensive list of things to consider in order to make this opportunity the best it can be for my first time. I found Sara Duggan at crochetbusiness.com discusses mollyeleen.wordpress.com 's list of 31 Days of craft show preparation.

Day 1 - Prepare for unexpected things

To me this means:

Duct Tape

Extra cash flow for making change

A portable charger for my phone

Extra business cards

Water on hand to prevent dehydration & fan to cool me off a bit

An extra person with me to help w/ sales and when I need to use the potty 

Extra inventory in case something sells out
Find out what to do if it rains because this is an outdoor event.