tinalee334455 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Well I will be attending my first applefest.Expected attendance is 40,000-60,000 over a 3 day weekend.I have NO IDEA how many candles I should have ready.I have been testing for a year and 8 months-I was finally comfortable with selling my product this spring so I have been selling at the local country market.I sell an average of 40 candles in a 4 hour period at the market,everyone has good feedback and they come back for more So with a festival of that size what would you prepare? Thanks in advance..BTW I dont know how candle making could be an addiction but it is,Its like you get addicted to the FO,guess Id rather be addicted to FO than something else:laugh2:Oh sorry one more question,for the 8 ounce JJ's(hold 6 oz wax) I sell them for $6 each or 2 for $10.I read that was the going rate on the JJ's but wanted to be sure that was still about right as we all know prices have gone up so much... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safetysue Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Holy Buckets did you bite off a big one or what! You're a brave soul. For me the time involved and cost to prepare the inventory for this show would stop me dead in my tracks. I still work a full-time job that requires traveling so most of the time I'm not home during the week to prepare inventory. Anyway, I read somewhere that on average you can expect 10% of the attendance will make a purchase. That's 4,000 candles on the low side or 333 cases and 100 times what you normally sell. That's where my knees would start knocking. If those numbers are anywhere close to correct you're going to need some help making them, transporting them and booth help to sell them. I wish you the best and please keep us posted on the numbers. As far as pricing goes it's been written here many times to figure your cost - x2 for wholesale and x3 for retail. Myself I find a happy point between x2 & x3 that minimizes the amount of change I have to tender. I really like when it's and even dollar amount. Between that and checking out the competition you should be able to come up with a price that's competitive and profitable. Good Luck :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whisper Girl Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I also have a large show doing up in the Fall (40,000 for a one day show) and have been concerned about amount of stock to take. I am not going by th 10% idea. I am going to figure how much I am comfortable in making at the show and make enough candles to fill that amount. I would much rather sell out than try to make 4000 candle and have a ton of candles left over. This is the first time I have been at this show so I do not have any history to go by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnvyCandles Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Wow, you are brave to do that large a show without doing similarly sized ones first. We have some gigantic shows coming up, but we have slowly increased to bigger shows... We also have been planning for months for inventory, displays, product placement and setup/travel time/ expenses.Wishing you the best, but please make sure you are ready for such a large show. Generally I go backwards to see how many products I need to sell to cover booth fees and expenses. Then I determine how many candles I need to make a profit,. then determine my inventory and what I need to order to make more inventory. Something big that is important is to make sure your displays are up to par for a particular show. Many large- trade show like- shows have hardcore vendors who have gigantic displays, lighting and banners, tvs and the whole 9 years. Make sure you are on that level (at least in my opinion) because I know how it feels when your set up is not up to par...:tiptoe:Let us know how it goes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinalee334455 Posted July 7, 2011 Author Share Posted July 7, 2011 Ive never posted pics so I hope these pics show up.This is my average set up at the market.I plan on making another set of steps for more jj's as they are my biggest seller.(yes I made the steps myself and I love them The show isnt until Oct 1st so I have enough of time to prepare.I have a wonderful husband and my 13 year old daughter helps with the candles.I do have 3 banners that I use for the tent,so have that covered and bought a 5x8 enclosed trailer with our candle name on it so have that.I guess I took this applefest on because I have worked SO HARD for a year and a half to get my candles to where I want them and have all the supplies now I guess I have to get to the shows and festivals to market them. Did I mention I have anxiety?? I will be sure to have my Zoloft script filled,Oh boy I have to be strong...lol...My parents did not do much with their lives(alcohol was their addiction not FO) so I want to try and do something successful with my life I can do this....Any helpful advice will be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deb426 Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Your stand looks great. What's the worse that can happen? You sell out too soon. Wish I had that problem at all my shows If you have a crafting friend who makes something different and wants to share some of your space, that might be a solution if your stock gets low. Just clear her or his product with show organizer first. Good luck! And make lots of pumpkin scents for that time of year...and apple scents of course. I can't keep enough pumpkin from August to November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnvyCandles Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Your 2ndp icture, jj close up- looks great! Since you have time, I would focus on making as much product as you can. The large shows by me can run up to $2,000- so I have to be sure I can make my money back and then some... It is great when you have support at home, it is great for morale and strength! Agree with Deb426- stock yourself with fall scents! Apple stuff is BIG during apple fest!In my experience, make sure restocking is easy for you to do during the show. This helped me greatly, just making sure that excess stock is easily reachable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChandlerWicks Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Looks like you've already succeeded! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScentsofHeaven Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 OMG!! I am so excited for you. I haven't any words of wisdom for big shows because I haven't had the chance to do one yet. I think if I had the chance I would sure do it!! What is the worst that could happen you sell out?! Good luck and God Bless your bravery. Please keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 (edited) I am doing a show in November and waiting to hear back from another about October. deb464 mentioned having lots of pumpkin candles. I only make 12 scents and pumpkin is not one of them. Do you think I should add that for the fall?Good luck with your show tinalee! Edited July 7, 2011 by jackbenimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EnvyCandles Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 I only make 12 scents and pumpkin is not one of them. Do you think I should add that for the fall?Jack-Pumpkin spice does really well in the fall, one of the top 'winter' scents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks Envy! I am going to test CS pumpkin pie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safetysue Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 You're well on your way to having a successful show. You booth looks great and you're right - you have months to prepare inventory. You've covered a lot of ground in short time. Wishing you the best. And please do keep us posted. What may seam trivial to you may be the answer to someone else' question. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlwaysWondering Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 I hope you do really well! You've invested a lot of money into this, a closed trailer with your company name plus I can't imagine how much the cost of making all that inventory will be as well as time, booth fees, etc. Do you think the show organizers would share last year's list with you and maybe you could contact someone who sold at last year's? Like this forum, I think most crafters and sellers are very nice about sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinalee334455 Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Yes I do have alot of money invested into the candles.When I started it was to make candles for myself and family members to save a few bucks because I used to burn Yankee,Bath and Body and White barn candles.So like most I started out thinking you could just put wicks,wax and FO in a jar lighter 'er up and walla scent everywhere:rolleyes2 WRONG....After about $8000 in testing I was finally down to where I knew which wax,wicks and Fo I would go with.I have finally narrowed it down to ordering from Natures Garden,Candle Science and of course Peaks, there are a few must haves from Candlewic and WSP.Anyway,like most of you I became addicted to 'getting it right' and reading this forum which I must say THANK YOU to everyone who gives wonderful advice on the forum,I can honestly say without the forum I would still be clueless with candle making.Like all of you I ordered hundered of samples from so many suppliers and waited at the mailbox like a little girl on Christmas morning till my scents came so I could smell them and test them :smiley2: After all the money spent(the $8,000 does not not include the trailer,caravan tent,tables,banners etc-JUST testing alone!) I realize I could have bought myself and my family members candles to last them the rest of their lives :rolleyes2 But I love it. I will keep you posted on the outcome. Again thank you for all the advice and luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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