moon01945 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hi!I have been testing and tinkering with soap for over a year now. I make mostly CP soap, but I do make a few other products. I have been giving my product away to friends and family. I am thinking of starting a website and getting this going more as a business but I haven't done too much on this at this point. Right now it is a very expensive hobby! Well recently I was invited to a small local farmers market and have been preparing for that. I will have about 14 different types of soap to display. 10 cp that will be cured enough to sell and 4 melt and pour "fun" soaps. I am hoping to finish up a few more of the fun soaps before then. Do you think that is enough? I also have bath salts ready. My table is 6 feet long. I am still testing bubble bars and bath bomb I don't feel ready with the recipe to sell them. I wish I did feel ready! I also have made lotions etc but I've only done small batches for myself or close friends. I still need preservatives so I won't be selling any of that stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted August 26, 2011 Author Share Posted August 26, 2011 oh and i should mention that the 10 CP soaps are batches of 2 lbs or 4 lbs cut into 4 - 5 oz bars. The batches of melt and pour are batches of 2lbs cut up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recyclights Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Good luck at the Farmer's Market! I have my first show coming up soon too. I'm selling Candles at a Labor Day Fair and I'm super excited. Candle making has been an expensive venture as well. I've given many away as gifts, sold a few to friends and had some minimal sales on Etsy. I'd love to start a site someday, but I can't handle the extra cost right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted August 27, 2011 Author Share Posted August 27, 2011 I am excited also!Good luck on yours!!!I am super lucky. My boy friend is a super IT guy. All I had to do was purchase the domain name and he is doing the rest. He is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Good luck at your market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recyclights Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Moon01945, You're so lucky to have a built in IT guy. I'm sure we will both do great at our first markets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asheebeans Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 So how'd the market go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Finally heard back from the promoters of this craft show in October and I was accepted! Yeah! I'm only doing two this season. 1 in Oct and 1 in Nov. This first one is suppose to have 10,000 people attend so hopefully I should get some good sales. It's at a private school to so maybe the people will have lots of money in their wallets! ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Moon - how did the show go?Jack - congrats! Fall shows are the best! Anything with the name 'harvest, apple butter, fall' etc. in the shows name usually are big money makers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Jack - congrats! Fall shows are the best! Anything with the name 'harvest, apple butter, fall' etc. in the shows name usually are big money makers!Thanks Candybee! That's good because it's called The Pace Fall Fair- If You Dare. This is a Halloween/Fall themed show for sure and I can't wait! I may need to ask this in another post but do gift baskets do well at the shows? I thought about having a example basket and then people can pick 3 products of whatever they want and have a custom basket. Not sure if it would be too much but I have my partner there helping me with customers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 So how'd the market go?i don't have my market till next weekend september 3rd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Thanks Candybee! That's good because it's called The Pace Fall Fair- If You Dare. This is a Halloween/Fall themed show for sure and I can't wait! I may need to ask this in another post but do gift baskets do well at the shows? I thought about having a example basket and then people can pick 3 products of whatever they want and have a custom basket. Not sure if it would be too much but I have my partner there helping me with customers.Personally I hate making baskets and gift sets didn't do well for me. But you should start another thread to ask others how they did theirs and how well they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monvi33 Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Good Luck for your first show!! It sounds like you have a good amount of product. I would see how the first show goes, then you will know how to adjust how much you bring. I have a few shows this year also, and it's always hard to know how much to bring! Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Thanks everyone! I love this forum BTW!!!Getting nervous.. also getting ready. printing lables and applying ... packing up display stuff in bins. All and all I am putting last touches together so I can pack up Friday night and be ready to go saturday morning. I have the soap I mentioned and bath salts, sugar scrubs, massage bar and whipped body butter. I hope to have more next week and the week after. I have no idea what will sell for me. Should be interesting! I started a FB thing and I was contacted by 2 local places about possible product in their stores. it would be great if this could grow into something real. I so wish I could quit my day job. But that will take a whole lot more work I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 The Market went well for me. It was a bit slow with foot traffic because of the holiday weekend. (it is a local farmers market and I think a lot of people were away or at cook outs) but I sold some things, got some feedback and got my name out there. i have two more farmers markets with them. i also am working on getting some displays in stores and thinking of what I want to have ready for next spring for mroe shows. I would like to start doing craft fairs and farmers markets but looks like I am too late for many of the christmas fairs. How did the other person do at their show? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Its never too late to get into some shows. So many biz have closed or left that promoters don't always have all their spaces taken. I always call a show I want to be in even if its the last week before the show. 9 times out of 10 they have a space. If not, ask them to put you on their mailing list for next. Either way, call them and then next year you are sitting pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 yeah I was actually thinking the same thing.... calling getting on lists.. etc. I just re-read my post and WOW I can't spell. lol I was trying to type way too fast at work. Also I wanted to know what everyone thought about the cost per show. Some are really inexpensive and some are really expensive. When is is worth it to dish out $$ for a show?I am thinking when it is a really big forum. I don't think I am ready for that anyways but I wanted to see what everyone thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recyclights Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 My show went well. It was a local Street Fair, the turn out was smaller this year. We've have nonstop rain in the area and it was threatening to come back that day. I've been to this show as a patron before and this year was just off. It was an overall good experience though. I'm comfortable that my pricing is on target and I have a sense of what type of scents people gravitate towards. The sales were good, not great, but I handed out a tons of cards and got the word out there. I'm curious about cost per show as well. My first time out wasn't a huge money making day, so I'd be nervous shelling out big bucks at this point. The one I did wasn't expensive and it was literally a five minute drive from my house so there was no travel cost to take into consideration. Since I'm a newbie at doing shows, I'd probably keep doing the cheap ones until I built up the business more. After awhile, I figure sending email blasts to existing customers and posts to the facebook page that maybe repeat customers would come out to the big shows to make it worth while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 Hi! I am on the same page as you. There are shows that are big money but I just can't do it just yet. I need to build more of a customer base. Glad to hear your first show went well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Is it normal to have a place sell tickets? Their $15ea. This is also not just a craft fair, it will have games, rides, pumpkin carvings and a haunted house too. About 9,000-10,000 people come to this every year. The market place area is where I have a booth. Only about 40-50 crafters excepted. Not sure if that's small or large. Check out their video promoting it. http://vimeo.com/27873594 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 14, 2011 Author Share Posted September 14, 2011 Hi... I've been to craft shows where you had to pay to get in. 15 dollars seems expensive? But is it for charity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted September 14, 2011 Share Posted September 14, 2011 Hi... I've been to craft shows where you had to pay to get in. 15 dollars seems expensive? But is it for charity?This will be held at a private school in an upscale area. The "craft show" part is a part of a school carnival that is throughout the grounds. I believe the all monies that are being charged are to help raise money for the school. It is advertised and draws about 9-10,000 attendees per year. So I think the "tickets" that are being charged are more for the carnival end of it and oh yeah there's also a craft show here too. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Ah ok... I think it is resonable then. I've been to some where I had to pay 5ish dollars and it was just a craft fair. I would pay that to take the kids to the carnival and wonder through the crafters if the money went to the school.Sound like a good venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackbenimble Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Thanks moon! I will be posting pics for yall to see after It over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moon01945 Posted September 15, 2011 Author Share Posted September 15, 2011 Awsome.. can't wait to see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.