Craft Shows?

[smiley_miley]

Hello. Before I start, I am not trying to ask what $ everyone makes, lol

I am going to be starting to do craft shows. I make soy candles and incense, and I am now getting into lotions, and bath salts and things like that. I want to eventually do soaps.

I am ready to sell, everything is tested and prepared, but I had a question.

If you set up at shows, and have a good selection and good prices, can you make a living at it? Or do most of you who go to shows have to have jobs too? I need some input. I go to college right now, but I just started doing this stuff as a business, although I have done it as a hobby for a while. It would be really nice to go to school full time and do crafts, without having to worry about a job. Just school during the week, and shows on weekends. What is everyone's opinion?

[Scented]

In time you may get there, but you've got the expenses of a set up and the entry into the shows, gas to get there and not to forget about having product on hand and the materials to keep making product. You know your costs. We hold regular jobs to keep bills paid and roofs over our heads. What we've made in shows goes back into product and materials etc.

[Fire and Ice]

Ditto what Scented said. I tried doing it without a full time job and could barely make ends meet. You must keep a job. Either the candles buy more supplies for the job does and the candles pay the bills.

And you must not forget that there are slow periods of the year. This is different times of year depending on where you live. Mine is Jan, Feb and part of March. Very few sales because everyone either got candles for Christmas or they are busy paying off credit cards and have no money to spare. When tax returns come in, things pick back up.

[Guest EMercier]

I think it would be fine for you while in school. You may build a good enough client base that once you finish you may not have to work. It depends on how you market yourself. I understand where you are coming from. If I did candles when I was on campus that would've helped a lot. I could've sold them to my fellow dormmates. We frequently had people sell their things on campus. I say go for it. Just know your audience and stay on top of everything. I just think it helps especially for extra money.

[SnowCow]

i think you could make some extra money at it, but probably not a whole lot. a big key for me is to limit what i make. i only do pillars, although i am pondering containers (they scare me a little). since i limit it to a few shapes i know burn well, it is easy for me to not go overboard with spending on new things. i don't buy a whole bunch of new fo's each year.....maybe-4-8, depending on what i find.

if you can keep the "gotta try this" itch away, you could probably do decent. i've been doing that for about a year, and although i haven't made much, i have been able to only spend what i make from sales and not tap into my personal account. it's hard, but i think it is worth it if you are willing to do it. my customers know what i make and that i make it well. i tell them when i have a new scent coming out and often give my good customers votives of it.

depending on your town, you may be able to do some small shows in the area and get a good return on your money. start looking at different websites and see what you can do. also check with the school to see what they have going on. i work at a university full time and sold candles at a breast cancer awareness event -made all kinds of pink and purple candles and donated part of money to ACS. it was free. check with the school district to see if the cheerleaders, choir or dance team do craft shows for fundraisers. they don't seem to do that in my area, but many do. fee would probably be pretty low for that too.

many optionsout there....just gotta look for them! btw, i started experimenting when i was in college too.

[Common Scents]

Hello, I go to school full time, work part time, do candles part time, and I am planning a wedding full time! LOL! Seriously though, I would definately keep a part time job. I am lucky that I live with my fiance and he has an excellent job so he pays for most of the bills. However, I still have my own to pay and I help him out too so I need a part time job. Mine is great though, I am off on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I can focus more on candles (and my upcoming wedding) or if I need more hours I can work those days. I am just now to the point where the money I am making off of candles is supporting my candles. It used to be that I was spending as much of my $$ as I could on candles but I just got a HUGE fundraiser so I've been able to stock up on supplies. As for craft shows, like everyone said they come with expenses. I am doing on this weekend and that will be it for me until after my wedding in October, but thats the busy season so I will be diving right back into it. Try doing home shows too. They can be an excellent source of income and there's no booth fee! I completely agree with what everyone has said so good luck!

[Trish]

I have done 2 craft fairs and they were horrible. Granted, nobody had much luck so it wasn't just me or my product. But it felt like a waste of time and money. Pay a booth fee, wait all day (or weekend) and HOPE to sell a few hundred dollars worth. You don't know what will sell, so you bring as much of everything, take awhile to set up and take down... BAH! Not for me. LOL

I like fundraisers because I know EXACTLY what and how much of everything to make.

With that said, you won't know till you try and it just might be the thing for you. Many people on here do lots of craft shows and end up with a following of customers. I just don't know that it would be enough of an income by itself. JMO!!

[mountainmadness]

I do a farmer's market on Saturdays and I could make a living at it.... the reason why I don't is because selling soaps does not give you insurance and retirement... I guess I am looking at the big picture.

I am crazy busy working my REAL job and doing market, Christmas shows, and some home parties for the holidays. I think about what I would do in Jan, Feb, March, and April if I soaping was my only job... I think that is where wholesale would come into play.

I want to make it my full-time job in 2 years and have a store-front. That is my goal. I am starting to set myself up for this but I am taking baby steps.

You might want to do some market research in your area.

Good luck!

Jennifer

[smiley_miley]

Wow, everyone has great ideas, I am so glad that I found this website! Well, I don't have a lot of bills right now, thank God, so I was thinking that since I am not really tied down, this would be a better time than any to go for it and see if it will work. I guess I am more in a position to take risks because I don't have my own house, and I am not married or have children, so I don't have a lot of the responsibilities that would require me to work. I was thinking that I could do it now, and then maybe build it, so that when I get out of school, I might be able to do it when I DO have those kinds of responsibilities. Maybe if I start now, I can grow and maybe be in a place where I can make a living by the time I get out of school. What do you guys think?

[Meridith]

I am just starting out doing craft shows. In fact, I am in the middle right now of a week long one. They are alot of work and take so much time to get ready for. I just recently got my first wholesale account but I'm not sure yet which direction (shows or wholesale) I want to go. Our market where I live doesn't really support my pricing my candles and B&B to triple my cost. So that makes it hard to figure out wholesale costs.

[linda]

After nine years...I am just now doing it full time...I have been away for awhile...have given up all my jobs...but a part time job(one day a week)..I now give workshops on how to create lines and make better soaps and create new products...I did not even fill out my profile report here..Because,I wanted to be able to hang around and just enjoy..the friendships...I have seen them come and go...Kind regards,linda

[BarbaraC]

I have been selling candles for 5 years and been doing it full time for 2 years I do about 50 craft fairs a year and I do very well at the fairs. When I first started doing craft fairs I had some really bad luck at them but as time when on and I knew more about the shows I was doing I started to make more money. I still kick my self in the a$$ every once in a while cause I sign up for a craft fair that I know that IM not going to do well at. But how could I resist the both fee was only $25.

Most of the craft fairs that I do cost between $30- $400 a day It seems the more I pay for my booth the better I do. But that's not true all the time I do one show that I pay $30 for a sell over $1000 in product every year.

So the point to my story is you do not know till you try them.

Best of luck

Barbara