Craft fair count down

Today, I started preparations for my third Steveston Christmas Craft Fair and will have to shut down my studio for about a week. This means no more jewellery making until after November 27th!

What kinds of activities take place during preparation? First of all, I inventorize all my pieces and make a detailed list showing the materials and price. This list comes in handy at the end of the fair when I need to figure out which items I sold versus the ones I didn't. Then, I figure out which pieces were made since my last craft show because they require display materials and labels. Next, I prepare the display cards and tie the tags to the new bracelets and necklaces.

When the pieces are done, I review the promotion I plan to run for that craft fair. I will be doing another gift card draw this time around, which means I will need to create signage and entry forms. I also need to make sure I have enough business cards to hand out - this is especially important because some people don't need jewellery when they are at the fair, but want to look at my Etsy shop later.

The remainder of the preparation activities is for supplies and day-of things. This includes having enough bags for the sales and for the first time ever, I will have jewellery boxes as well! I also like to cut and curl ribbon ahead of time because this saves a lot of time on the big day! Then, there are other activities like washing and ironing my tablecloth (there is nothing less professional than a dirty or wrinkled tablecloth), making sure I have extra pens on hand, and cleaning my mirrors.

On the evening before the craft fair, I empty my Etsy shop and put up a note saying all unsold items will be restocked after the craft fair. This is extremely important because most of my pieces are one-of-a-kind and I would have a major headache if something sold at the craft fair and online!