Hey Everyone,
I wanted to share how my first craft market went with everyone, both to help me critique myself and get my thoughts down and to also share lessons learned that can maybe help others.
What went well:
1. My location in the Market turned out to have a lot of foot traffic. I would say once the market opened there was a constant flow of people.
2. Human Interaction - Despite Finns being in general a bit reserved, many people complimented the work I was doing, the products and the tools. Over all I guess I presented something quite unique and professional. The sight of someone performing a obviously highly technical skill was something that stood out.
3. Over the course of 2 days I gave 6 short workshops. The item I chose to teach about was simple enough to construct within a hour or 2 and at the same time the students were able to produce something pretty professional looking. I dont know if that says more about the level of students or my own teaching abilities.
4. I gave out around 20-30 business cards - remains to be seen if thats a sign of anything.
5. I took this time as well to start to work on my Instagram presence and upload photos. Something that was overdue.
6. I dont feel that my prices were too high or too low. The sales that I did make were done by men who didnt blink at the price and with minimal interaction or talking. In other words, the sales experience was not making or breaking the sale.
What didnt go well:
1. 2 sales over the course of 2 days. Nothing really to add beyond that....
2. My impression from the beginning was that hand crafted leather goods are a natural fit for a craft market. It turns out that at least this specific craft market, it was not really a good fit. I would say that most of the booths there were selling craft supplies ( beads, mosaics, string) or sellling women's fashion accessories, hats, or clothing. There were some booths selling crafty sort of house decorations but that seemed to be the limit of truly hand made goods. All in all, the level of "hand crafts" was very low, on the verge of it seeming some of the participants made big Ali Express orders and simply packaged them in Finland.
In comparison to what I was doing, it was very very different.
3. Understanding the demographic - I would say 85% were middle aged to elderly women in the age range of 40-70. As most of my goods were angled at a more male clientele Im sure this was a factor in the lack of sales.
4. Under pricing my workshops - I think my workshops were way to cheap (10 euros) for the one to 2 hours I spent with students combined with the fact that they walked away with a hand stitched monogrammed card holder.
That about sums up my thoughts on this experience. Im unsure how to approach the Craft Market side of things. This was a nice experience but it is financially completely unsustainable as I wasnt able to even cover the costs of the both.
Any and all thoughts, advice, or comments are welcome.
Thanks
What I got mostly from your comments is that you got to "lure" them in to with a very good visual presentation, which is why to Fadi's point (I think) about different goods, thoughtfully placed decoration (why not a calf-skin tablecloth, lined with goat skin). You could have a veg leather with differrent stages of patina. I would love for others to come in and add their viewpoints here as I have little experience to share. I am curious of what would be better:
- "less is more here",
- One of each possible item (from backpack to powerlifter belt to key chains, etc)
- A few very specialized items
- etc
This makes me think of two things:
#1 Most people are "visual" learners, and I also believe it is the sense that is most dominant (amongst smell, touch, hearing, etc).
#2 My impression is most people do not really know "quality". This is not meant as a slight, but I believe this is because knowledge (of quality) comes at a price of time and effort which you have paid and they have not. In leathercraft this is particularily true as it is a niche subject. How many know difference between veg tan and chrome tan? I think in general most professionals often take their knowledge for granted.
To obtain new knowledge effectively: Research shows that when we are learning, the learning experience is greatly enhanced the more senses you activate.
Once the visual is in place, have them "touch" the high quality material and "smell" the leather. Since most people will carry (cheap) leather, have them compare to their own product, or maybe one of your own designs with both high quality/hand stitched/perfectly finished vs "regular"/machine sewn/no edge finish. Now they get to see and feel what quality actually means, instead of you telling them and they "kind of" get what you say. This will turn your booth into a great learning experience, where you can truly show your skills and knowledge. If you can find a suitable music, you are now activating 4+ senses at once, rather than just 1. GOOD VIBES.
Now the customer is extremely interested in your craft and you can start showing of more of your own products, telling a story about the leather you are using, or the process of making the goods, what quality actually means, etc. Your products will sell themselves. There are some great points in other threads about how to price your leather goods, but it looks like you price yourself way too cheaply, and people sometimes connect cheap price with a poor product.
At this point, if they balk at the price, you "could" also present your homemade Birkin bag (easy to find pattern, not a complex build). From there, explain how that 12000$-tag is marked up x10 vs the actual cost and labour. The main message is that while they do not pay you extra for a famous "brand", they are indeed paying that extra for QUALITY, which creates lasting products, and therefore is not really expensive over time.
Congratulations, they have forgotten about your own products and want you to make a replica Birkin bag instead, but at least you got plenty of paying customers.
You're welcome.
(Birkin story was entirely fictional)
Picked up leathercrafting a couple of years ago and found this thread very helpful, as I am not at this stage yet. Thank you and to Fadi for sharing your experiences and thoughts!
Great advice from @Fadi there, especially this:
3- In fairs usually, craftmen should have a lots of quick/cheap products (keychains, cable ties, bracelets, etc.). And all of these items should be make from the leather scraps that fall out from other projects. And they should not take more than a few minutes for each one to make. This will help you reduce their cost and sell them for relatively cheap, but since they come from scrap and took no time, you can consider that their sale would be 80% pure profit. For example, you could have had a cardboard stand (which you can mek youself at home) with a bunch of keychains on, you have clearly written in big on it "Customise your own keychain for 10 Euros" (for example) and you can then hot foil/stamp their initials on it. This would, first of all help you clear your pile of scrap at home, but most importantly, it would generate movement around your stand, make more sales (even if not for huge money) which in turn will give you a morale boost and make you feel like the fair was a success
Hey Fadi!
Thanks for your detailed feedback. You brought up some excellent points.
1. Duly noted. I was too excited to actually get out there and actually participate. In hind sight I realize that I actually wrote off the whole market as an experiment in my mind. Something to change for the future.
2. Message received about presentation. I need to get 2 matching tablecloths and make sure they look normal. Also noted about making a nice card holder or maybe buying a simple metal one.
Regarding the tools, this is actually something I was torn. During the market I had some tools out on the table or displayed. The positive of that was exactly what you mentioned and people engaged in conversation partially for that reason. The thing that I was worried about and felt nervous about during the market was that if I was focused on my work I wouldnt notice if someone took one of the tools, or maybe damage them. A possible solution would be to display them out of reach of customers...
The lack of logo/company name etc. was intentional. Currently, I am employed full time and my employer contractually doesn't allow for employees to work in tandem for themselves or other companies. Ill be finishing my contract in the summer and will launch the brand/company then.
3. Products - I completely understand and agree. I need to expand the products and offer simple options. I think some simple valet trays could be nice and some luggage tags along with more keychains. I want to stay away from too basic stuff though as I dont feel it works with the aesthetic im trying to aim for.
4. As a result of this market I received an invitation for a DIY craft fair in May. From what I understand, I think the larger focus will be workshops. As such I will be raising the prices for sure!
Thanks so much for the feedback and the critique. It is helpful, and gave me directions on which to improve.
Hey mate,
Ok, so I have personally never participated in a craft market myself as a leather artisan, but I did participate in lots of fairs both for my day job and helping fellow artisans (mostly handmande jewelry and accessories), and this is what I have to say (I say it in a nice "I want to help you" way, not in a mean way):
1- From what you wrote, the fair was mostly a fair for craftsmen to get supplies, so it wasn't really a good fit for you. What we usually do before signing up for a fair, is that we ask for a list of all participants in the previous 2 to 3 years and quickly look them up. This will usually give you a very good idea of what/who the fair is directed towards
2- Presentation, presentation, presentation (some people believe this is not a big issue in fairs, I believe the total opposite, you make up your own mind):
a) You have 2 table cloth, each in a different color, and both of them were not steamed. For someone walking by, this give a subconsious feeling of sloppyness. You and I both know that you make good leather items, but a person walking by who sees unironed table cloth presentation might think "Uhm, that guy did not bother ironing the cloth, maybe he is also sloppy in his leather work". It puts them on the defensive when looking out at your items.
b) I would have gone with 1 color, whatever it was. Make everything the same. Whether you go for black or red or white, choose one color and stick to it. And you don't have to go big and spend the big bucks, simple white table cloth for like 5 euros each can do the job.
c) Get as many tools as you can, put them on display in mugs or whatever. You don't have to use them, it just makes you look more artisanal :)
d) I loved the handwritten price tags! There is something that says "artisan" when you see a nice hand written script.
e) The thread spools inside the leather box was also an extremly nice touch! Bravo
f) The leather side on the wall, also niiiiiiiiice
g) The business cards in the Valet tray bothered me, because they do not fit straight, you had to put them sideways to fit. For the average person, this screams of "uhm, he doesnt even have a holder to place his cards on". Personaly, I actually like how you displayed your cards, but you need to remember that your customers are not usually craftmen, they are everyday people who wants something that looks nice, that makes them feel like they bought a luxury products and they want it for regularly cheap
h) I did not, in one single pic, see your name/logo/brand anywhere apart from the business cards. Why? When a customer walks up to your stand and sees a name/etc. it gives them a "woah, that guy is not kidding, he is not a newcomer to the craft" vibe
i) The above mentioned points are not what will make the final sale, these are psycological assaults on the client before he arrives to your booth and start looking at your products. These are all so that when he arrives at your booth, he allready has a very positive subconsious feeling about your booth and products. And when you psyc out your opponent, you are allready well on your way to victory
4- More product variety and quantity (and this is a hard one): Variety because to each his taste and with only 4 products to offer, customers have a limited choice. I am sure many customers loved your longwallet and appreciated the work that went into it, but where like "I love this, but it not for me". Maybe if had more choices more people would find stuff for them. Quantity will also give a "this guys has lots of stuff, he must be gooooood" vibe. And I believe this is the hardest part of any fair, preparation! It takes hours upon hours to make the goods, which is time hard to come by!
3- In fairs usually, craftmen should have a lots of quick/cheap products (keychains, cable ties, bracelets, etc.). And all of these items should be make from the leather scraps that fall out from other projects. And they should not take more than a few minutes for each one to make. This will help you reduce their cost and sell them for relatively cheap, but since they come from scrap and took no time, you can consider that their sale would be 80% pure profit. For example, you could have had a cardboard stand (which you can mek youself at home) with a bunch of keychains on, you have clearly written in big on it "Customise your own keychain for 10 Euros" (for example) and you can then hot foil/stamp their initials on it. This would, first of all help you clear your pile of scrap at home, but most importantly, it would generate movement around your stand, make more sales (even if not for huge money) which in turn will give you a morale boost and make you feel like the fair was a success
4- 10 Euros a workshop AND you were providing the materials??? nope!
5- DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. This was your first fair, and first fairs are usually hard for any person. If you read your own post and your analysis of it, I would say it was worth participating just because you learned all of that.
That's it for me, I think I talked enough :)