Holiday Marketplace 2011

A few weeks ago I participated in the Kingwood Women’s Club Holiday Marketplace. This show raises funds for local charities in the community. It is the one and only show I will do in 2011. Which is actually one more than I said I would do. Every year I say this will be my last show. I have blogged about shows before, and how I stress out over them. Do I have enough things to sell? Did I price my things right? What about packaging and display? These are just some of the things I worry about.

This year I opted to simplify things by taking less of a variety. In past years, I had too many different items. My display table looked crowded and I think a bit overwhelming. I also didn’t take any of my stained glass panels. Stained glass panels are a pain to pack and transport. Displaying them is difficult as well. It has been my experience at “holiday” shows that stained glass panels don’t sell well. Most shoppers are looking for Christmas gifts at lower price points. In retrospect, I should have taken one panel to display just to let shoppers know that I do custom work.

My booth location was not the greatest. It forced me to make eye contact and engage people as they walked by. I learned just how important this is. Normally I don’t like to “bug” people. But talking to passersby, letting them know that all the items were handmade by me and one-of-a-kind brought people into my booth and resulted in sales.

Sales were up slightly from last year. My biggest seller for the second year in a row was the recycled glass wine bottle dishes. Coasters were also popular, and along with a few other fused glass pieces, I sold the plate pictured above. I concluded that I definitely need a better display to show off my fused glass pieces.

All in all, it was a success. But will I do it again next year? Can’t say for sure; how many years in a row can I sell recycled wine bottles?! Oh well, I have a whole year to come up with some new ideas for next year.

If you sell at shows, I would love to hear what works for you and what your biggest seller is.