How to Prepare for Your First Craft Fair

Before you even book your table for your first craft fair or art sale, you will want to spend some time thinking about the nitty gritty details of what traveling to a show entails. You'll make decisions now that will affect how you handle craft fairs down the line, so don't skip this planning process just because you are in a rush to sell your work. In my last article, we learned about inventory and pricing your work. Now, we'll talk about tables and tents.

First things first: does the art sale or craft fair you are planning on attending provide tables and/or tents? If so, you are in luck. Even if you have to pay $10 - $25 to rent a table, it might be worth it for you if you are not sure that craft fairs will be the right marketplace for your work. Sometimes renting a table means less work, if the table and/or tent is already set up for you when you arrive. Most smaller venues are not going to provide tents; some won't even have tables available for rent. You need to know this in advance because you'll have to factor in the cost of rentals and/or purchases into your pricing and goals for the show.

If tables and tents will not be provided, find out what size tables and/or tents are accepted for the sale. You don't want to run out and buy an 8 foot table only to find out your space will only accommodate a 6 foot table. In my research, I've found that the standard size for tables is 6 foot. Indoor venues will usually provide one 6 foot table included in the price. Outdoor venues will typically provide about a 10 x 10 foot space, which is the standard footprint for canopy tents.

TABLES

Tables are the necessary evil of the craft fair world. Buy a table that's too lightweight, and you could end up in heartbreak if it breaks under the pressure of being loaded with your beautiful work. Buy one that's too heavy, and you'll be sweating and swearing before your sale even starts, which is never a good way to start your day. Plan for the worst when you buy a table: let's say you drive a truck, like me, you might be tempted to buy 6 foot banquet tables, the kind that don't fold in half, because they cost a little less. But what if your truck breaks down and your only transportation option is your friend's station wagon?

I recommend spending a little more to get sturdy, foldable tables with a sturdy handle. Expect to pay about $50 each at an outlet store or supercenter. You might want to get a hand truck, too, as these can be heavy. I bought 5 folding 4 foot tables at a yard sale recently for $20 total. It seemed like a good deal at the time, but now I'm not so sure -- they are light enough for me to carry a few easily, but will they withstand the wind gusts that threatened to destroy my display yesterday? I don't know if they would have. I'm going to try one sturdy table (borrowed from my boyfriend's fabulous mom) and two rinky dink tables at my next sale to see how they stand up. If nothing else, they will be good enough for yard sales in my future.

TENTS

Do you need a tent? If you are planning on doing one sale a year, or one sale ever, you probably don't need to purchase a tent. You might be able to find a rental tent in your area. Search the yellow pages, make some phone calls, and place an ad on craigslist to see if you can find an artist willing to rent their tent to you for a day. If you think that you will be doing lots of sales over the summer and in the future, you might want a tent.

What are the benefits of buying a tent?

1) A canopy tent provides shade on hot days, which is great if you are prone to sunburns.

2) A tent provides protection from rain, especially if you buy a canopy tent that has sides that can be velcro'd or otherwise attached into place. If it does rain and it starts blowing into your tent, you'll be happy you spend a little bit extra to get a tent with sides.

3) A tent can be useful for defining your space. It's nice to have an open-space so buyers can wander from one tent into the next, but sometimes you might want to have walls so you can hang up items like framed prints and canvases, thereby making more efficient use of your space. It's also like having a mini-shop within the sale, which you can style to your liking.

4) A tent can be rented out to other artists and/or used for gatherings and outdoor parties, so you get more bang for your buck.

5) A tent provides extra display options for getting tables up and off your table.

6) You can hang a banner on your tent to make it easy for customers who want to come back to find you again.

7) A tent has resale value -- if you stop doing fairs and your tent is still in good shape, you can sell it to make at least a portion of your money from the original purchase back.

Most of the tents I've seen at craft fairs fall into three categories: There are the cheap Wal-Mart variety that are most prone to flyaways and other problems, there are usually blue or green on the top of the canopy. There are the standard 10 x 10 white top canopies, with the most popular brand being EZ-UP. There are makeshift tents / canopies that have been built by the crafter or artisan or hastily thrown together as the need arises. At a recent festival, my neighbor didn't have a tent, but she had thought to bring a huge sheet of plastic. Luckily her neighbors, me and another woman, didn't mind her attached her plastic sheet to our tent when it started pouring down rain; you might not be so lucky so avoid this if you can.

Which tent is the right one for you? Do some research on the tents to figure out what tent best suits your needs. For me, I went with EZ-UP. I read some complaints about water pooling, but I also read other boards telling me how to prevent that problem. I find it, well, easy to set up and in the three times I've used it so far, I haven't had any problems. It came with velcro sides that zip together and a rain awning that can be assembled if needed. It also can with a wheeled-bag to carry it. I found my tent for $50 on Craigslist, but expect to pay at least $100 for a tent, unless you get lucky like me. If you can't afford that, you have the option of buying a cheap one and upgrading later or waiting until after you've done a few sales and can buy a better quality one.

I guess the decision depends on what you are selling. If you are selling handmade books, don't skimp on having a tent. If you sell pottery or glass, you might be able to get away without a tent for a few sales. I started looking for my tent online in February and found one to purchase in April. If you are willing to wait, you might find one good for you. If I were to guess at the best time to buy a tent, I'd say the end of the summer season. Perhaps you'll find a retiring crafter, like I did, or someone who just doesn't have anywhere to store their tent for the summer.

TENT WEIGHTS

Something you might not think of when you do your first craft fair or outdoor art sale are tent weights. What are tent weights? Tent weights attached to the legs and sometimes canopy of your tent in order to prevent wind gusts from flipping or moving your tent. (It really happens, I've send both!). Never assume that a nice day means that you won't need tent weights. Be safe, rather than sorry, and think about tent weights before the needs arrises.

If you buy pre-made tent weights, which are usually are either canvas bags that velcro one or plastic weights that go around the legs of your tent, expect to pay at least $50 for a set. Don't feel like spending even more money before you'd have a chance to figure out if you can make a profit? Make your own! You could get a few gallons jugs, fill them with water, bungee them to the legs, and do the job just fine. Empty the water before you go, and your weight home is less.

Experts recommend 40 lbs of weight per tent legs. Unless you want lots of water bottles, you might want a better solution. Here's what I did: I bought 16 bricks (which weigh about 5 lbs each) and a 50 lb bag of pea gravel. I spend less than $20 on these. I already had duct tape at home. Then I got 8 tyvec postal bags (recycle if you can) and some plastic zip ties. I divided the gravel between four Tyvek bags, duct taped the closed, then double-bagged each one. I used a zip tie to close the bags, then another to form a loop to hold a bungee cord. I wrapped duct tape around each of the bricks to prevent breakage and red dust everywhere.

When I set up my tent, I put two bricks on each leg, put a gravel bag on top of that, and bungee it securely to the leg. It's not the prettiest set up, but it's effective. I always have extra bricks on hand, which I can use if it's really windy, loan out to neighbors (I have, twice), and to hold displays in place on my table. (I have an earring stand that blows over in strong gusts, so I use two taped bricks to secure it.) Soon, I will stitch or buy small canvas bags to hold the Tyvek bags, but until then, I have a functional and low-cost solution. Heck, if you can find free bricks (often on craigslist) and use sand instead of gravel, this could be a free solution! We didn't have time to drive to the beach, so I just bought what I needed, but with more time, I could have gotten both for free.

Next time: Learn about creative displays that won't break the bank. Get a handy pre-show checklist.