Retail Buy/Sell at Craft Shows *vent*

[rascal418]

I do @20-30 craft shows a year but I'm pulling away from craft shows that 1. allow retail or 2. promoters that deceptively advertise or promote the show as 1 thing when it's another.

A craft show that allows partiers, retail, "on sale" retail, hostesses or consultants is not a 'craft' show. A craft show should be CRAFTS.

I used to frequent crafts shows (long before I was a vendor) for the unique artisan variety not to see Avon or Tupperware. If I were a buyer walking into a craft show today I'd wonder what happend? I supsect the reason attendance is down at these events is because the shows aren't being promoted accurately. People walking into a craft show expect to see crafts not bargain basement on sale retail.

I just did a 'homemade only' juried show. The person at the booth next to me was selling beautiful homemade jewelry right across from Connie Lee. The caterer/baker was placed alongside Tastefully Simple & Pampered Chef. My candle booth was within spitting distance of Bittersweet, Mia Bella & Home Interiors. How exactly did this happen at a show the promoter advertised as Homemade only? I won't do that show again but this isn't the first promoter that juried an event based on check.

venting.. venting.... venting.....

[sudsnwicks]

I've noticed that for the craft shows around here, they would check on new vendors but then to renew for each subsequent year it is automatic as long as you sign up by the deadline. This could mean that the vendor's wares might drift from being truly homemade. I see a lot of store bought items where the vendor did some additional decoration to it and now it's considered homemade. I have even seen commercial candles sold at such places. Perhaps if they were strict about their rules, might there not be enough vendors to fill all the booths? Perhaps if there was a long queue of vendors wanting to sign up then they might be stricter. As far as I have observed, the average customer certainly cannot tell the difference between homemade and non-homemade products. This is judging by the number of queries I get on "where did I buy the products that I am re-selling".

[Rebecca]

This type of thing pissed me off so bad last year that I walked out on 3 craft shows! I wrote letters to them and got stock answers that the people running the shows were new this year so they didn't know how to look for things that were manufactured. :rolleyes2

I was like the plastic bags labeled "made in Taiwan" didn't do it for them?:rolleyes2

I of course didn't get my money back. There is one place here that has all but run itself out of business because the homercraft's won't go there anymore. What I have found is that because of the economy going bad these places that host the shows will sign anyone up because they want the money.

It does ruin it for crafters because all the imported sh!t is so cheap that crafters can't compete and it leads people to not only expect those cheap prices but are now equating handcrafted with junk.

I have noticed in my area that more and more shows are putting in in their apps. that manufactured items are ok like accessories but not flea market stuff...

[Vicky_CO]

That is the main reason I have almost given them totally up I would rather do a festival where I know going in I will be competing with retail stuff. But what has got me up in arms about craft show more than anything else is the fact at most you have so many like items. It like they don't want to restict the vendor to just one or two like items. The last craft show I did had 5 candle people, 4 soapers, 8 people that sold woodcrafts that where almost exactily alike this was a small show only had about 1000 customers. Most of the festivals I have been doing are more restictive than the craft shows.

There is no fine crafts any more or the fine craft people are like me and tired of the same old same old stuff. I use to do my Xmas shopping when I went to shows now I wonder through and I am lucky if I find one both that has something that interest me.

[rascal418]

ok ok so its Cookie Lee -- guess I need glasses LOL

I agree, there isn't much variety anymore. I used to be able to count on craft shows to buy buy buy unique items for gifts (& me too), I love unique homemade items. Of late, it seems everything looks the same. Even my stuff now thanks to a new vendor

A few shows ago a candlemaker set up near me with product almost identical to mine. I was curious so I went over, got em talking. Turns out they just started, saw my work & liked the looks of it. I 'guess' imitation is a form of flattery but I wanted to freakin debrain them. This happend at a juried show I had done before too!

[celicagtca]

I have found over the years that the attendance at craft shows is decreasing and the organizers of the shows are skampering around to fill spots and make $$$. It is unfortunate that they request that it be homemade, yet the vendor beside you is selling rings and necklaces made in China. I have given up on the whole craft show business as I find it has turned out to be nothing more than a money grabbing business for the organizers.

[RobinInOR]

I guess I haven't hit too much of this because the fairs I do are mostly art fairs, or fundraising type setups for specific things. My Sept 3 day one is one, and the other 2 I do are as well. The Labor Day one has a Mary Kay consultant, but that's as far as it goes.

About all you can do is make sure you tell the organizer that you are unhappy about what's happening, and that you might not be back if it continues. They might not know that they're hurting themselves by trying to fill up a fair. Short term gains might mean long term loss.