It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post and unfortunately I missed last weeks Handmade Monday. Hello everyone, I hope you are well.
Since this blog is about my journey into running a small craft business I will be sharing with you the highs and the lows. I'm sorry to say that this post will be mostly about the lows.
I spent the week before last making some new handbags in preparation for a craft fair last Sunday. Unfortunately the fair was not very successful and left me feeling quite despondent.
I am trying hard to look at the reasons why it wasn't successful and turn those into positives that I can learn from, however I'm beginning to feel that the 'craft' in Craft Fair can be somewhat of a loose term.
I must admit I was very prepared in terms of my stock and everything I would need for my stall for the day, however what was lacking was my research of the actual event. Was this the right place for me to sell my handmade handbags? In the cold light of day, no it probably wasn't.
This particular fair had a number of sellers selling items which they've purchased from a wholesaler and then are selling on. I'm not saying there is anything necessarily wrong in that, however these are items which can be found on most market stalls in town centres these days and are certainly not individually handcrafted. In my case in particular there was a stall selling bought in handbags at very low prices. I could not possibly compete on price unless I was practically giving my handbags away.
However, I can compete on quality. I know my handbags are of good quality as I've had feedback which supports this. So the next question is, of the few people who actually attended the craft fair would they a) like my handbags and appreciate the quality and handmade nature of them and b) having liked and appreciated would they buy at the price I ask? On that particular day at that particular place the answer was a resounding no.
I will certainly be doing more research next time. I'm looking at some upcoming Craft Fairs which advertise as being 'handcrafted only' and where possible I will be attending as a buyer before committing as a seller.
I would be very interested to hear about other crafters' experiences. Please feel free to leave a comment.
As I always like to include a picture or two in my posts here are some of the new handbags I made for the fair.
A VW Camper Van Tote Bag and Cross-Body Bag. The tote bag is lined in the same taupe dotty fabric as can be seen in the photograph.
I also made a smaller version of the cute owl cross-body bag I showed you a few weeks ago...
I'm off now to check out what everyone else has been up to over at Handmade Monday
Have a great week.
