I was a little apprehensive at first, I have to admit. It's really easy to sit at home behind my online store front and just let things happen as they may. But getting out there and facing the public and putting it all out there in person is kind of a scary thought. When you just have a store front, there is no rejection. I feel the thrill when someone places an order, but I'm not out there being a "sales person"... did I mention I hate sales? I've been officially employed in sales in the past, and I'm just not very good at it. I'm too nice... that's only made worse by the fact that it's now MY product out there, and MY neck on the chopping block so to speak.
I had been approached a handful of times in the last couple of months about doing a show, and nothing really sounded appealing until I was invited to one in the Heights. (very "artsy" part of Houston) After much discussion, planning, and encouragement from my wonderful husband, I decided to give it a go. Booth space was cheap and I figured, what do I have to lose, right?
For a minute there I was afraid I had bitten off more than I could chew. With holiday sales starting to roll in, I was really low on inventory and had to really put my nose to the grind to get a good stock. I found some tables on Craig's List, got a cheap banner printed, and was ready to go. 2 nights before the show my hubby showed up at home with a surprise for me... a brand new 10x10 EZUp tent with walls!
YAY! Pretty friggin' cool, huh? He's such a sweetie... secretly I think he's hoping my little onesies will be an overnight success so he can stay home with me and baby too! LOL
Anyway, my mom came in town to visit and ended up helping out a TON, and hubby's best friend came out to help too, so I had quite the support team! It was wonderful. :) Here's some pics of the booth set up. Of course, it's a work in progress, but I am super proud of the way it turned out for my first time.
See the baby bouncer in the background? HAHA! Of course the munchkin came along too, and she may have been my best salesperson, HAHA!
Thanks to everyone who helped out, I cannot begin to tell you all how much it meant to have you all standing beside me! We got some great orders, and I met some other great etsyians who were also in attendance, so I deem my first show a success!
Whew! So when's the next one? ;)
6 comments:
That's awesome Rachel! Your husband sounds like a sweetie! I also love that our little ones can come along. I think I will have to start bringing a bouncer too when the littlest one is old enough. (And maybe even an entire play area for the older one too!) Do you have any more shows coming up?
Thanks! He's totally a sweetie, I could not do this without him! I loved having the baby there... and of course she drew plenty of attention, you know how people are about babies. haha! I don't have any scheduled just yet, I don't even really know how to find them. This one came about because the organizer found my shop on etsy. Any tips? :)
Congrats on your first craft show! Your tent set up looks great! Where did you get your banner made on your table. It looks awesome!!
Thanks Meagan!! :):) I ordered my banner from vistaprint.com SUPER cheap, and lots of designs to choose from and customize.
Kudos to you for taking the plunge! I'd like to do a show also but keep getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stock I'd have to make up front. I'm impressed you did it even with a little baby!
Thanks Becky! It was pretty overwhelming for me too... I was working on my stock for a couple of weeks beforehand, but I wished I had started sooner because I needed more! Each one is a learning process, I'll know better next time! :)
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