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Hello everyone! As you might have noticed, the posting here has slowed to a standstill, as we here at Crafty Scout have been busy packing up for our big move to the Pacific Northwest. A den of art, music, and creativity, Crafty Scout is excited to relocate to the Portland area, with all its crafty splendor! We will be resuming our normally scheduled post-gramming (like ‘programming’…) in September, and look forward to getting back to bringing you the best coverage of crafty culture from around the world!

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In 2005, St. Louis-based mechanical engineer turned knitter Danielle Landes began the World Wide Knit in Public Day, hoping to bring the community of knitters out into the open and together on the first Saturday in June. What began with just 25 events around the world quickly blossomed into over 200 in just a few years!

We at Crafty Scout are huge fans of artists and crafters doing their thing out in public. It’s one thing for a “non crafty” person (though we believe there’s no such thing) to see art and crafty goods on sale at a show or in a shop, but it’s an entirely other thing altogether for them to see those goodies being made live, in person. We hope that WWKIP day will inspire people all around the world to pick up some yarn and needles and find the crafty person within.

Curious to know if there’s a Knit In Public Day event going on in your neighborhood? Head on over to the event finder on the WWKIP Day website and find out!

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The fair grounds are pretty massive, and there’s a ton of stuff to see, and in the middle (well, corner) of all this craziness is Bazaar Bizarre, one of our favorite big craft shows on the West coast. The 2010 vendor gallery shows an impressive collection of wares, from jewelry to art prints, textiles , clothes, soaps, edibles… you name it! We at Crafty Scout always feel the people behind Bazaar Bizarre to a fantastic job of curating their shows, and this one looks to be no different!

One complaint we heard from last year’s show was that Bazaar Bizarre wasn’t well-promoted once you were inside of Maker Faire, so if you happen to be wondering to yourself, “Where in San Mateo’s green fairgrounds IS Bazaar Bizarre?”, we’ve taken the liberty of pointing it out for you on this map, here:

We hope to be putting up pictures and updates over the weekend, but even more than that, we hope to see you there! Directions can be found on Make’s website here.

Bazaar Bizarre Maker Fair: http://www.bazaarbizarre.org/sanfrancisco/

Maker Fair: http://makerfaire.com/

[UPDATE]: Make Online has put up an awesome map of the Maker Faire as well as the schedule of events! Check it out here, and get your plannnnn on!

Don’t forget to R.S.V.P!!

A poorly merchandised booth will blend into the general chaos of the show without encouraging customers to make a purchase and can make for a very long day!  But never fear- below you’ll find a clear guide to planning out the merchandising for your booth!  You can click on any photo to visit its merchandising mastermind.

A well merchandised booth does the following things:
- It conveys the brand in a glance.
- Invites customers from across the room.
- Creates an emotional connection with the customer.
- Compels shoppers to linger, touch items, spend money, tell their friends, and come back for more!

The following are elements present in table-space rentals and booth rentals, and should be tackled one at a time, always keeping the big picture (your brand) in mind.

The table- the easiest table to use is a flat folding table, which often has a handle for easier carrying and can fit in the trunk of your car.  You can use a 5 foot, 6 foot, square, or round table, depending on your needs.  A 10 x 10 booth will require more than one table, or one table and several other pieces of furniture, such as cute shelves, plant stands, etc.

Pollyanna Cowgirl uses vintage suitcases and a child’s chair to utilize space more effectively.

The tablecloth- Whether you use a simple bed sheet or have a custom made table cloth, you’ll want to choose fabric that fits your style and brand, but doesn’t compete with your product.  Many people use the front of the tablecloth as a place for their company name.  Make sure that your tablecloths are neat and even, and that they cover the table legs completely so that you can store extra merchandise and packaging items out of sight.

Display items- These should consist of lightweight, easy-to-store/travel items that will show off your merchandise at a variety of heights.  This is where you get to really use your creativity! You can use ugly plastic bins hidden underneath the table cloth to create much needed height, or use beautiful vintage trunks to create the same effect on top of the tablecloth. Don’t forget all the space above and below the tabletop!  You can string t-shirts at the back of the booth, banner-style, hang purses from S-hooks, place large baskets directly on the floor, etc.  Remember that your booth fee covers more than just your tabletop!

My own booth, using a hidden plastic tub and shoe stand!

Merchandise- Put your most eye-catching items within 3 feet of the aisle; pulling customers into the booth is the first step to making a sale!  Even if you’ve had the same 3 ft. tall Swarovski-encrusted teddy bear sitting in inventory for a year, bring it and put it front and center!  Other items can be displayed in a variation of ways:
- By usage- cell phone cases near cell phone charms
- By color
- As it would look in the home/ in use.
- By price point- least expensive, mid-range, and most expensive, grouped near each other
- By theme- cowboy aprons, cowboy bibs, and cowboy blankets together.
- Or by any other aesthetic means, as long as it is well thought out!

Signage- You’ll need a sign with your company name as well as signs with prices and/or item descriptions.  These should be simple and straightforward with information that illuminates the nature of the product or invites the customer to experience the item for themselves.  Make sure that they fit in with the look of your booth, because this is part of your branding!  Simple, handmade signs can do the job if necessary, as long as they’re legible and fit the brand.  Signage can also be used to sell an item that you don’t even have in stock!  For example, if you offer custom work, a sign with pricing and a few examples laid out can be an excellent way to secure a custom order.

Roscata uses witty signage to curb parents from letting little hands make a mess of her table!

Tent, Lights, etc.- Tents come in a variety of styles, but the most common tent for vendors is the 10ft. pop up tent.  First Up is a popular brand, which is easy enough to put together in about 10 minutes with two people.  Tent canopies come in a variety of colors, but you’ll want to make sure that the inside of the tent is lined with sun blocker (a silvery lining) so that the tent color doesn’t interfere with the color of the light inside your tent.

For outdoor shows lighting is rarely an issue, but when working indoors the lighting can often be icky fluorescent, or just dim.  Some show coordinators will advise you to bring your own lighting, but it’s a great idea to keep some backup lighting in your show kit.  When electrical outlets are unavailable (or if you just don’t want to pay for the use of electricity) you can use battery-operated lighting.  (thanks to Elegant Sparrow for the tip!)

A last piece of advice is to keep your booth tidy throughout the show!  You can use the moments in between customers (or while you’re chatting with an especially enthusiastic, non-shopping customer) to tidy things up and refresh your table.  This is a great opportunity to keep note of which things are selling out and which items are left untouched.

And just for fun, here’s some booth porn that I hope inspires you to get creative with your merchandising!

Finally, I leave you with the image of the perfect craft show . . . teeming with eager customers! Click on the photo to see which fair this is!