RagsReborn's Spring Craft Show Review

~*~*Awesome pillows galore! ~*~*

This past spring, I decided to take it easy and only do five shows. I was originally scheduled to do seven but one show had to reschedule for a different date--and I wasn't available--and another one cancelled all together. While I would love to be selling at shows on a regular basis, I am glad I did not overbook myself. (Less stress is always a good thing, right?) I had more time to focus on new designs & patterns and try out different ideas creatively, which I believe turned out to be a better investment than participating in back-to-back shows. Per tradition, here is my recap of the previous handful of shows I participated in.

Each of the shows I participated in was a good one and I really don't have much of a critique. \(^_^)/ The event organizers at each venue did an amazing job with advertising and vendor hospitality. Unloading and booth set up was a smooth process at each event, the organizers and volunteers were friendly & helpful and a steady stream of shoppers was present all day. If invited back, I would definitely repeat each show next year. 

My first outdoor show was a success! Wanderlust Pop-up shops was one of the most fun shows I ever participated in. The turnout was amazing... I think around 5,000 people came out to support the local artists and crafters. I had the pleasure of borrowing a tent and being neighbors with some friends; the day went swimmingly. Not even the crazy gusts of wind brought our spirits down! The other show that I really enjoyed was DUCK Week. It was my first time sharing a booth and that was also a success. It was nice to have company throughout the day and to also have someone keep an eye on my belongings when I had to step away. Now that I've passed those tests, I will be signing up for more outdoor shows and sharing booths with Rachelle.

My shared booth with Moon Drake Soaps.

Unfortunately, the shows with the lowest grossing sales were at the Newcastle Fair Barn, Western Oaks Christian Church and the Quarter Mania Auction. I attribute the poor sales directly to scheduling (Quarter Mania occurred on Good Friday so turn out was very minimal) and weather...ugh, that blasted Oklahoma weather! *shakes fist at sky* The show coordinators did the best they could, but the weather was really out of their control. Despite that, my sales weren't horrible.. just not where I would have liked them to be. The show in Newcastle occurred on the coldest weekend in March and the show in Western Oaks occurred on the coldest weekend in April. I learned a fun trick from one of the volunteers in Newcastle. He said that whenever his son had a baseball game and they wanted to influence the weather, he would draw a turtle on the baseball field if they wanted rain and draw a cactus if they wanted sunshine. He drew a large cactus right outside my booth and the sun actually started to peak out! 

Speaking of sunshine, my summer show line up is getting finalized this week. I won't be doing too many shows this summer so my pillows will be "limited release" LOL I'll post the schedule on next week's blog post. You won't want to miss these shows!