Hi All
Does anyone have a stall at a local fair/market and if so what has been your experience? I’m new to all this craft stuff. I’m looking to get to grips with the very basics such as…do you make your own stall structure?, is a van a must, typically what are the fees and cost associated, other considerations I haven’t even thought of etc.
Any info greatly appreciated and thank you in advance!
Kind regards
Dave
I don’t do fairs very often, but a few thoughts.
Tables are usually provided at most fairs, you’ll want a cloth to make it look nicer (that preferably hangs over the front so you can hide any mess/extra stock under your table without everyone seeing).
It’s good to get height in your display, it helps you fit more stock in the space and makes your stall look more interesting. How best to do this will depend on what you sell - shelves, freestanding display boards, upturned wooden boxes… just remember you want things high enough at the back so the items at the front of the table don’t obscure everything else.
A large car has always been big enough for me.
Make sure you’ve got public liability insurance, most craft fairs will require you to have it to have a stall.
It’s probably best to know what sort of crowd they usually get, so it might be good to visit before having a stall. A high end, art market might expect a higher quality of work, but have people who are willing to spend more on individual items (it will probably also have a higher stall fee). A fair aimed at families with a lot of children around will probably do better with lower priced items.
Last year I did an art event with quite a few children around and learnt it’s good if you can have some items £5 or under… because if the children are spending pocket money they’re not likely to have more than that, and although it might seem like a small amount, those small sales can soon add up. I wouldn’t have covered my fee if it weren’t for them.
Hi Kim
Thanks for your response and brill advice. I am considering signing up for my first craft fair in 6 weeks time. I will need every moment of that to get ready. I have just been looking at Public Liability Insurance and am getting quotes north of £300!! Its just me and a stall. Surely I can’t do £5m damage…can I:)
Anyway, thanks a million.
Kind regards
Dave
Try see if there are any craft groups that include it in their membership. I’ve got it through a-n (an artists group), that costs just £38 a year for membership including insurance, but you have to fit their criteria.
Thanks a million Kim. I’ll do that right now.
Hi @UisceCloch, there’s lots of beginners to craft fairs info on The Folksy blogs.
Here’s one for starters!
Thanks Petra. That’s great. I’m fumbling my way about. So much info on here!
One thing to note- last fair i did I didn’t take any cash at all, everyone paid by card. You might want to consider a card payment system, although it’s worth checking with the venue about available WiFi/mobile signal. I use iZettle but there are plenty of other providers available 
hi Dave, good luck with your fair - everything that Kim has said above I echo.
I have found being organised before hand, having practised how you’ll set up your stall in advance (and take pictures to help you remember how it looks), really helps to settle any pre-market nerves. I’ve made a check list on my phone so I know I have everything that I need.
If the venue has free WiFi or a good 4G signal, a card machine may come in handy. I was amazed at my first fair how many people didn’t have cash on them and expected to be able to use credit card. I use iZettle but there’s a few to choose from including one from Paypal and they are all fairly cheap to purchase and easy to use (and you feeling really professional using one 
).
If the venue doesn’t provide a chair for your pitch do consider taking one and also a length of cardboard or something similar (and non slip) to stand on to stop any chill from the ground + a flask of something warming and nibbles that aren’t difficult to eat/messy to keep you going!
Take plenty of business cards and offer them to potential customers who are showing an interest but not actually buying, I have found some do actually purchase online once they’re back home!
Finally, it can be really difficult (trust me, I found this so hard to start with), but try and interact with those that come to your table - a friendly “good morning/afternoon”, “are you enjoying the fair”, “if you’d like any help just say” will go a long way. People are often interested in learning more about your product and sometimes don’t want to make the first move.
Have fun! Elaine
Thanks a million Catherine. My to do list is growing rapidly:)
Thanks Elaine. So much to do, so little time. Really excited though!
That’s great - you’ll have a fab time.
A note about the credit card machines - many operators have just updated their readers and/or app, with the result that some no longer work! Read the small print to check your phone is on the list of supported devices.
I’ve used a Worldpay card reader happily for years, but I just found out the hard way that their new app is not compatible with my phone. My phone contract runs until the summer, I can’t go back to the old device and app, so suddenly I have a useless card reader.
Thanks Simone. That could be an issue. I still have an iPhone 4 from 2010. Computer says no!
Hi All. Had a look at card readers which look pretty reasonable (izettle and sumup) however, the printers look a bit pricey. Do you typically print receipts for customers at a craft fair or can you do without?
@rosesworkshop, My husband used to have Worldpay and when they changed something a few years back, he could no longer use it with his phone (had a Blackberry at the time). He contacted them and they refunded the cost of the machine.
thanks for the heads-up on this - best check mine.
I don’t use a printer with mine, you can key in the buyer’s email address so they get a receipt sent to them or I write a similar receipt on the back of a business card. Usually they don’t want one though!
I use SumUp with an old Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablet and give an email or mobile number receipt - some people don’t want one at all. I find that I use it at every outing now but I still take £30 float as £20 notes seem to be ones always offered.
The only thing I would add is to put prices on everything on your table - some people don’t want to ask and they just walk on.
Thanks Elaine & Silvana. I had a walk around a local market on Saturday morning. It’s surprising what you notice when looking from the sellers perspective. In particular I was taken by how deep some of the tables were and the barrier effect it had when trying to converse with customers. I suppose its a trade off when trying to show off as much of your stuff as possible.