Posted by Right, that’s it, I’ve had enough, I’ve thrown in the towel.
I’ve made the decision. There’s no going back.
My precious time is better spent on my own pleasures than stood behind a craft stall.
That’s it, no more craft fairs.
I shall politely excuse myself from the 2 remaining agricultural shows I have booked. I shall happily forego my stall fees.
My time is better spent enjoying my garden in the company of my daughter and my partner.
The Emley Show was a fabulous success for the organisers; raising money for agricultural bodies and societies. The queues at the entrance (and the toilets) were huge.
The footfall through the craft tent was the best I had ever witnessed.
The sun shone, the brass band played tunes from films and the West End shows as well as Yorkshire favourites, all day.
Livestock were paraded, dogs jumped through hoops, pet rabbits were judged, and bakes and jams and crafts were awarded Golds, Silvers and Bronzes.
Very few spent money in the craft tent.
The stall cost me £50.00.
I took £56.00
After a 5.50am start, a breakfast snatched at Starbucks, an ice cream, a coffee, a coke and a water at the show; I came home with -£9.00.
I have conveniently forgotten the cost of materials (and my time).
I arrived home to my partner resigned to the fact that I had to admit that he had been right all along.
Tomorrow I shall have a lie-in.
The three of us will have a leisurely breakfast together.
I shall sit and crochet.
I shall complete this week’s CAL.
I shall progress my gecko.
I will make some biscuits.
I may mow the lawn.
I shall make a lovely roast diner.
I will relish my family.
At least I had a go.
Love, Lucie xx
p.s. A dog peed on my ‘Love, Lucie’ bunting.
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Love, Lucie 
At least you tried. Maybe you could make things to sell on Etsy or Folksy?
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I have a steady folksy shop. I’ll continue to sell through there for far less outlay and time. Just need to add on the things I had saved for the stall.
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Your stall looks lovely, I know what you mean though – my last craft fair I made £25, it’s so frustrating, I love your crochet cushions on here though!
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No more craft fairs! 😉
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This is why I sell online only. You reach a far larger audience for the same (or less) effort. Still, you had to find that out for yourself and nobody can say you didn’t try. I had to laugh about the dog peeing on your bunting – I bet that just summed up the day for you didn’t it? Have a wonderful lie-in, enjoy the rest of the weekend, then get your online shop stocked up with lots of your lovely things. You know it makes sense 🙂
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You are entirely correct. It is far, far less effort selling on line for greater return and no standing around! I have definitely learnt this lesson.
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Oh dear sorry it didn’t go well , enjoy what is left of your weekend now ,your stall looked great
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Thanks for that. I intend to have a lazy day today.
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I am really sorry for you. I think it says that the organisers charge too much for the spot. I really hope you have a brilliant day today. xx
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I think that historically the agricultural fairs used to generate a good return for craft sellers, with the stalls being taken up months in advance, hence the hefty table price.
It’s also a charity so not raising money for individuals. But they will have to drop their table costs in the future until the economy picks up.
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Sorry you didn’t have that great a day. But your schedule for today sounds brilliant.
I can’t believe someone let their dog pee on your bunting! X
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I am so sorry it didn’t work out for you- I have been pondering selling some of my things at a craft fair, but after reading your valiant attempts I shan’t- and maybe one day I will have the courage to try a Folksy shop instead. I love your owls, and I reckon the problem was the good weather- if it had rained then people would have been indoors and buying!
I hope you had a really nice Sunday>
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Really sorry to hear that. We are thinking about doing our first couple of markets later this year, have you had any success with them at all? I was hoping that around Christmas people might be more willing to spend! H
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I’ve done 6 now. I’ve not made a bean. But I’ve never done Christmas. I think you have to consider your fair carefully. Make sure it is more artisan/handmade only than ‘pile em high, sell em cheap’. I also work full time so can no longer justify spending another day out of the home for no return on my time investment. I’m sure there are better fairs in other parts of the country; they’ve just not worked for me!
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Yeh, I can imagine that it can be really waste of a day and know I wouldn’t want to spend my weekend like that. I find it hard when selling handmade things to get the right balance between a reasonable price and paying yourself an okay hourly rate.. sometimes when you work it out it is horrifying. We will let you know how we get on if we ever manage to make up enough stock for a stall! Hannah
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The dog and the bunting! Oh my goodness. Hooray for leisurely weekends, at least…
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I should have named the post, ‘The dog and the bunting!’
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I love your booth! So sorry that you didn’t do well. 😦 Stumbled across this post while researching craft shows. The part about the dog almost made me laugh, except that it’s also sad. So far, I’ve found that craft shows can be tricky. Some just don’t cater to the kind of clientele you need for purchasing your items. 😦 Good luck on your other endeavors!
My crochet site is httpp://warmingtheheart.wordpress.com if you’re inclined to visit.
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Thanks for stopping by. Your blog is lovely; I had a good look round:)
Hope your craft fair is miles better than anything I’ve experienced!
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Aww, thanks for visiting! 🙂 The first one I did went decently. Here’s hoping subsequent ones do the same!
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Where abouts are you?
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Delaware, United States. 🙂 I was gather by your booth amounts that you’re in the UK somewhere? 🙂
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Yes, Yorkshire, north of England. Not the best place for selling hand made goods. I get lots of lovely feedback, but folks around here generally won’t or can’t spend the money. Or they are fellow crafters.;)
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🙂 I definitely have the fellow crafter problem too! Thankfully, my first craft show seemed to do well. I’m hoping for good things at my next one! 🙂 Sorry it didn’t work out for you, though!
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