Craft Booth Tips & Improvements

It’s been a while since my craft table at the Festivus Games at my husband’s gym. I didn’t feel like writing about it because it was honestly really disappointing.

I’m an extreme night owl and an extreme introvert, so it was really exhausting to wake up early and be  around people all day. I also spent about a lot of time preparing, and for all that, I made less in sales than what I spent on setup materials. 

It was still nice to get some sales and interact with buyers in person, I just didn’t feel that the experience was worth the effort overall. 

So I have a few things to keep in mind for next time, like making sure the event is the right fit for my business, communicating with event coordinators, finding out if local people are interested, and being prepared for weather conditions. 

But mostly I would like to share about my table setup. I am by no means an expert, but I think I made some improvements from my first couple events – including the products themselves! 

I tried to think outside the box with my displays. You can save money and make your booth more interesting by using random items like crates, shelves, racks, easels, etc instead of purchased displays. I used some of each and painted, added nails, etc where necessary.

But with my first table, the multi-colored cards and displays were very distracting. Because my items are already colorful, they look better with a neutral background. And because they’re nature-inspired, a touch of rustic works too. 

I separated my items into categories and placed a few sets on busts in the center. I made sure everything was pretty visible, minus my extra stock, and that the price signs were readable. 

Lastly, I found it helpful to bring a few extra things like a checklist, free magnets, a visual of how my canes are made, and beading for my down time. 

Here are some of the resources that helped me: 

Booth Makeover

Top 5 Craft Show Display Trends

Craft Show Checklist

There’s more on my Craft Business Resources Pinterest Board.

If you’re a crafter, let me know if this was helpful, and your most important or most forgotten craft fair items! If you’re a shopper, what would make a booth most attractive to you? 

Introducing Handmade Supplies

I’m always looking for new product ideas to make and sell. After a few custom requests and some research, I decided to add handmade supplies to my offerings.

A few of my jewelry supply sets (available with or without holes).

I’m starting with pendants, earrings pieces, and a few beads. They are made with some of the same nature-inspired polymer clay designs as my finished jewelry items, mostly canes, but without the findings and at a fraction of the price. 

This way, because I have honed my skills with polymer clay and especially canes, you can combine my pieces with your own beading, wire wrapping, or other skills to create unique pieces to sell in your own shop. 

And if you’re not a professional jewelry maker, these pieces can also be finished simply with bails & chains or ear wires for yourself, gifts, or group DIYs. 

I might try to put together some ideas on how to use these so let me know if you’d be interested!

Also if you’ve purchased and photographed any of my products, use hashtag #noellelewisart or #pasticheaccessories on social media to be entered into giveaways!