I’m going to try selling some stuff at art fairs and festivals this spring and summer… so would love to know if anyone here been there, done that?
Done right, it seems like a potentially strong potential revenue source, so I’m super interested in comparing notes and learning how best to proceed.
Starting out, I plan to sell small, affordable things like polymer clay cameos and miniature watercolor prints. And staying local sounds better, maybe farmers’ markets with low booth fees.
Choose your sites to sell wisely. If it’s at all like a flea market type deal … you won’t be able to have a smooth sale. Everyone will feel the need to dicker with you and that’s a real pain in the ass
I’ve often wondered how people do at art fares. The ones I go to, it seems like a lot of people looking and only a small handful of people buying. I’ve often thought of trying to sell prints as a way of generating some passive income. Well, passive after the image is complete and the prints are made.
Keep us posted, please, about what you end up doing and how it goes.
Steve_O, I thought that too, until I talked with a vendor who just sells modified spoons and such… paid off house, car, trips to Europe… And that’s all she does.
I think one secret is to sell small, affordable items. I’ve seen a lot of photographer booths, and as a way to stand out, I’m planning to sell miniature tiny little prints. Like, framed in a cardboard slide mount. That tiny. I’m still trying to source other tiny frames.
One downside, at least to me, is I’m no extrovert. For money, I can sit at a table all day and talk to strangers. But I’d happily pay someone else a commission to do it for me. Alas, people want to talk to the artist.
And like RKK said, ya got to choose your festivals wisely. I tried a wine walk last fall and it was a total bust. Those people weren’t into buying art, they were buying wine and looking at art while they sipped.
The product that you will sell should be thematic for the place where you planning to trade. I, for example, cosplayer and I often see small shops at festivals with different attributes of anime and gaming industry. As far as I know, they are paying for their place to the organizers. But their income after the festival is pretty good.
I’ve sold notecards at the local Christmas craft fair in our town. My business was open to host another craft vendor, so I made a little money without trying too hard.
An artist friend vended at the same venue. She was successful, selling original paintings, note cards and reproductions in several different sizes, so she had several price points. It helped that she is very outgoing and well known about town.
I’m not, but I can fake it pretty good.