A list of some must haves that you may not think about for a craft fair!

I have a few live-saving items that I like to always take with me to a craft fair as a vendor.  Some may seem obvious, but hopefully you’ll pick up a few new items you’ll throw in your bag for the next event!

Wagon

This little wagon right here is a game changer.  I use this to make trips back and forth between my car and my spot and it is incredible!  I can get my set up materials and all of my quilts and plushies in 4 trips.  I could probably force it into three, but it has a 150 pound weight limit, so I don’t want to push it.  I also really like that it folds up into a very small space so it doesn’t take up much room when you need to store it.  I got mine at Dick’s sporting goods (not sponsored!) but I know you can get them from a lot of different places at a lot of different price points.

Handwork

I have on several occasions brought a quilt that needed to be bound.  I like to show people how I’m binding it and drive in that hey, I made these things!  I’ve also brought some plushies that only needed a few more stitches to be finished up.  I tried to bring some EPP with me before, but it just got out of hand!  I still have a box with a bunch of EPP supplies, but they’re just hanging out for now.  If you brought a sketchbook, some jewelry findings to work on or something like that, it would be along the same lines.

Chair

Okay, look, I know what you’re thinking. “DUH!” BUT just hear me out!  I have used two different chairs at craft fairs.  I’ve used your typical fold up chair that you’d use to tailgate or something, and I’ve used my tractor seat that I use in my sewing room.

I’ve found that when I use my tractor seat, I don’t seem so slouchy and people talk to me more.  I know, this sounds kind of silly, but it’s true!  And when people talk to me more, the more likely they are to buy things, or at least tell me how cute things are, so if you can find a chair that will keep you sitting up and you don’t sink back into, use that one!  A stool would also work really great, I just use what will fit best in my car. 🙂

Brand

This is a lot of things; I don’t just mean bring business cards and signage, I mean make your booth reflect your brand.  Even dress for your brand!  I think how I  had my booth set up at Crafty Nashville this spring is probably going to be what I stick with, because I have it set up where you kind of feel like you’re going into a bedroom or a playroom in a house with a big shelf full of little stuffed animals, a soft rug, quilts on display, etc.  Weather permitting, I’ve been wearing this really cute dress I got that so many people have asked me if I made it, because it just looks so cool.  No, I didn’t make it, I wish I did!  But it fits right in with my brand because it’s sweet, it’s white with rainbow paint splatters on it.

Music

A lot of events don’t allow you to play music in your booth for a number of reasons, and I don’t mean to do that.  I mean to bring some headphones with you so that you can get your head right.  Personally, I need sounds all the time.  When I’m setting up my booth, I like to have my  headphones in so I can focus on putting things together quickly and a good playlist always gets me pumped and in a good mood.  Like I said, craft fairs can be a bag of emotions, so getting your head straight is a big bonus!

If you want a more extensive list of things that I bring to my craft fairs, let me know!  I have done a blog about how to act at a craft fair, but I don’t know if I’ve done a specific to me what I bring when I go to a fair.

I’ll be out again this Saturday at the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, some come out and say hello!  Until next time, happy sewing!