Have you ever thought about being a vendor at a craft or quilt show? It took me a long time to get up the nerve to do it but in 2023 I finally did. I had inventory and supplies lined up and I was ready to go. Overall I had a great experience, but I definitely changed up things for future shows. Here’s what I learned being a 1st time vendor. I hope my experiences will help you out.

For reference, my first shows were either entirely quilt, fiber arts or craft related.

Money

This is a big one. Originally I was only going to take cash. However, after talking to some friends, they suggested I get a payment processing card reader. Wow was I glad I did.

Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of people who paid cash, but a lot of my customers were pleased that I accepted cards. In fact, I would have lost a number of sales if I had not had the card reader.

Tip: Have a money box or money belt. I used a fanny pack. In one show I made a mistake of commingling my vendor cash with my personal cash. After shopping I realized I had mixed the money and I couldn’t figure out how much I actually made doing the show.

Make Connections

Get to know the vendors around you. I got a lot of tips from more experienced vendors and it was fun making new friends and connections.

I spoke to a quilt shop and gave them a copy of my wholesale catalog. We both happened to be vending at another show and they bought a bunch of quilt patterns from me. That was very exciting for me.

Another vendor asked if they could barter with me. I swapped one of my tote bags for a cool new quilt rack.

Have a Helper

If at all possible, have a friend to help you out. Not only does it help with set up and take down, it’s nice to have someone to talk to during down time. Need a bathroom break? A helper can watch the booth while you step out. That’s another reason to make connections. I found that the vendors I spoke to were always willing to keep an eye on my booth when I needed a quick break.

Bring Enough Supplies

Make sure to bring enough supplies. I found it hard to figure this one out and was short on bags at one show. If you think you have enough supplies, throw in a few more. It can’t hurt.

Be Organized

This may be one of the most important things I did. Make a list of everything you will be taking. Double check it a few times. This was a huge help to me.

What I learned being a vendor was that organization helped with so many things.

Think About Your Display

I’ll be the first to admit that displays are not my strength. I got this tip and it helped me. I did a practice display in my basement, making sure to use the same area that my booth was going to be.

My display supplies are not very plentiful so I made do with things from around the house. It wasn’t bad, but I definitely need to step up my game in this area.

Take a look at the vendors around you and see what you like. That helped me with ideas for future shows.

Have a Good Cart to Move Items

I cannot recommend this enough. Have a good rolling cart to help you when setting up and taking down. This was a life saver for me. In fact, in one show, a neighboring vendor did not have one and she ended up having to walk back and forth to her car many many times to pack up. I leant her my cart for a couple of trips.

I used a cart from Amazon and it works nicely.

Take Business Cards and an Email Sign Up List

I can’t tell you how many people asked for my business card and I was glad I brought a lot of them. One person even emailed me with an order because she had taken my card.

Another thing I suggest, especially if you have an active email list for your business, put out an email sign up sheet. I added a lot of new emails to my mailing list this way.

Bring a Copy of Your Vendor Contract

I only needed this once, but it came in handy. One of the venues thought I had only paid for one table, but I had paid for two. The mix-up was quickly fixed and all went well. I was glad I brought my contract along for reference.

Note: Every contract I signed said that vendors need to stay to the end. With the exception of one show, where everyone was told they could leave early because no one was there, I stayed. I was glad I did because I ended up having a nice sale about 10 minutes before a show closed down.

Bring Snacks

You may think that the show you are going to will have lots of snacks. That is not necessarily the case and I was glad I brought some water and a few snack bars to get me through a long day of vending.

Go With The Flow

When I was coming up with my list of what I learned being a 1st time vendor at a craft or quilt show, this kept creeping back into my head. Every show I did in my first year (5 of them) was different and I learned a bit from each one.

I had various results with each one, met so many wonderful people and made some money. Will I do it again? Yes I will, but probably not a huge show. I like to keep it on the smaller side. Maybe one day I will expand.

Happy Quilting!

• Claudia