Setting Up Your Booth

There is one question that I have been asked about doing craft shows and that is when setting up your booth do you find it more advantageous to arrange it so that you are located out front to greet the public, or behind your table? I have tried both and they have equal benefits as well as equal problems.

It has been my experience that where you locate yourself is not nearly as important as your attitude, how you greet your customers. I have heard that you should not sit but be on your feet to meet and greet. Even if you have a table where you sit make your booth a "U" shape so the customer must walk into your space. Set up your check out to one side of the "U" where you can see people exiting your space.

If the space is small set up a table to block the front on one side. Place the items that can walk on their own on display behind the table but when someone is looking offer to move it to the table so they can see it better.

Since I am disabled I must sit most of the time so find it most convenient to sit behind a table with something in my hands. I usually have a cheap easy to make item for sale that I sell finished and in kit form for under $5. While sitting I work on the item but always look up as people come by.

It gives them something to talk about that is non threatening. Most people ask what you are making etc. This is usually a sewing project for me (favorite is hobby horse on swizzle stick ornament, a few stitches, small amount of stuffing and a little trim) along with this I keep a bowl of sewing balloons attached to my business cards.

On one side of my card is all my business information and on the back I glue (1 small dot) a water balloon. and the message reads: "This is a sewing balloon not a blowing balloon." Everyone asks "What is a sewing balloon?" I tell them to keep it in their sewing kit and when they have trouble pulling the needle through the fabric, to just use the balloon as a needle grabber and it will pull that needle right through with no problem.

When asked why I use a water balloons My answer is that they are too hard for the grand kids to blow up so they don't disappear from my sewing kit as toys. During one 2 day show a woman got her balloon the first day went home and tried it. She came back the next day to tell me she didn't believe it would work but it did. That second day she was my biggest promoter. That was the only time I ran completely out of cards/balloons I started with over 300 and this was a smaller show. Of course everyone that stopped for the "sewing balloon" found something they just had to purchase.

Check out the ad for Vista-Print very inexpensive business cards. I couldn't buy the blank cards to print my own at that price.