Home Based Craft Business.com

In today's mail… came an invitation to a really wonderful craft fair. It's one of those craft events that every homemade crafter dreams of… One of those shows that are so popular that you can't help but sell out of almost everything.

I've been waiting to get an invitation just this special for a long time. It's a dream come true and I better get busy making more inventory.

I am early for a change the day of the craft show. I need to spend extra time setting up my booth and attend to every last detail. Arranging my best products in eye catching display is very important to me. I worked very hard to get into this invitation only craft show… and I want to make a good impression. 

photo credit: Ebua Libana

The show has been open to customers for several hours and I haven't had nearly as many sales as I really thought I should have. There has been lot's of foot traffic and I see many customers hauling around armload's of merchandise.. so I know the wallets have been out.  

I take a short break from my booth to take a quick walk around to the other booths. Shockingly... I spy an amazing booth filled with merchandise similar to mine. the booth isn't any larger in size than the space I rented, but the set up is very unique.

The lighting is just right to showcase the colors of the merchandise.  

The booth backdrop colors are rich and gorgeous.

The table displays are not fancy or expensive but they are innovative and eye catching.  

I step closer… and see the advertising materials are stunning. Not expensive (in fact they probably cost much less than mine).

The crafter is standing in the center of a crowd… explaining in detail how she created one of her products. And if I peek around the crowd… I see her assistant, who can't write up the receipts fast enough.

Discouraged, I hang my head and head back to my booth.  I stop 10 ft. short of my booth and look with a critical eye at my empty and lackluster craft booth filled with crafts very similar to the others I had just witnessed flying into shopping bags. The prices were about the same… the colors and quality every bit as comparable… my booth was clean and neat. 

I have just learned the hard lesson of how someone selling the same craft… can out compete mine, not with price or better craftsmanship… but with style. 

[this isn't a true story that happened recently… it is a true story of my progress through the craft fair business and some of the lessons I learned the hard way] 

What are you doing to out compete your craft business competitors?  

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