First Step in the Outside World Part 2

I am back from my first craft fair experience as a customer.

I feel bad saying it but...to say I was disappointed is an understatement.

I expected to walk into a vibrant room with alot of buzz from a wealth of shoppers and stalls. What I actually found myself confronted with with was a dimly lit room with around 10 stalls and all except one stall holder more interested in either their phone or something else equally as important down behind their stall, anything in fact but the customer.

As I made my way around the stalls I was met with old tea cups and plates and glasses, not things I would have associated with a craft fair as they didn't appear handmade. They didn't actually appear to be clean either!

Don't get me wrong, there were some nice items there and some real talent hidden amongst the rest of the things, but nobody seemed to want to sell anything, there was no vibe, no welcome, barely even a good morning from most people. I don't think I'm alone in saying that if you want my money the least you can do is look up from whatever it is your doing to try and make a sale.

This leads be back to part of the reason I attended the event (I won't name the place as it seems a little unfair). I wanted to see what to expect when I do my first craft stall, are my items up to scratch, do I have what it takes to face the public and sell my items? I believe the answer is yes I do.

Based on what was on sale I really do think that I can offer a better experience for a customer. I'm not going to sit here and tell you all how much better Jacqueline At Home items are and how great I am because thats not what our world is about, but what I will say is that I am willing to give this a go and go out there with the attitude of giving a good service and experience to those people that have made the effort to come out and show support to what we are all trying to do.

Everyone can sit and complain about how slow the foot fall was, or how the weather kept people away, but in reality more people would attend this type of event if the experience was worth going for.

Certainly there are the big famous national events throughout the year and people will come from miles but they come not just for the stalls for the whole experience.

The local scene is never going to thrive and grow if the effort is not made by everyone involved. Nobody should expect to simply turn up and just sit there, everyone should be showing that handmade items are just as good, if not better than what a chain store down the road can offer.

I realise that not every craft fair is like this, but my worry is that there are more like this than there should be. I am going to attend another one next week and get a comparison before then putting my own stall into the mix, but I think the point is still valid, not just for craft fairs but for anything people want to make a success of in life. Whether you want to make a living from it or just enough money to be able to keep making items, if you don't put in the effort, don't expect people to put their money into your till. 

Thanks for reading.

Jacquib
www.jacquib.biz