Thank goodness we don’t sell origami! This was the thought that kept swirling around my head all morning this past Thursday during out final day of craft fair selling. We had set up a booth on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, and what a prime location! Shops everywhere, people all over the place, pocket bulging with money just waiting to be spent. The only problem?

We were experiencing what it might feel like to be part of a small hurricane. The flier said, selling during  “rain or shine”. Ok, rain, we got rain, WIND now, WIND was Not mentioned. Not just small gusts that make you cold, oh no, I’m talking about winds that were picking up peoples’ tables and throwing them across the street, spreading their merchandize everywhere. It was very scary to watch people as their tables were lifted up and thrown, we heard numerous crashes from people who sold such items as glass, ceramics or even one table who sold giant metal statues. After about three hours of attempting to sell our crafts, we gave up, just as the table down the way upended glass bobbles all over the place, creating a horrible crash. Some times the price of selling just isn’t worth waiting it out.

Here are some tips if you plan to sell in a big city which might have wind:

1. A tent seems like a good idea, it keeps out the rain, but make sure you have blocks weighting it down or it will be picked up by the wind. One seller had a bike hook in the middle of their tent and held on to it, immobilizing their tent. Great idea.

2. Either have very heavy tables or make sure you have blocks to it down.

3. Its best to have weighty products, the seller who outlasted everyone? He sold candles, his table was going nowhere.

4. Even the heaviest items can be blown away, if you have a table cloth under them. The people selling metal statues had a very billowy table cloth on their table and the wind picked it up and sent their statues flying. Make sure if you want to decorate to tape down all edges of the cloth.

5. Try not to have banner, loose cards, paper bags or light weight signs on your table, these items will find their way to the other end of the street, make no mistake!

6. Easy set up, easy break down. Nothing more unpleasant then spending time taking down each priceless glass bowl, when the wend is picking up. Make sure you have a way to get you products to safety in a quick manner. I placed my items under our table in boxes with lids.

7. If you sell an item made from glass or ceramics, DO NOT WAIT to pack up.   Don’t try to out wait the wind, it is stronger then your products. The second you feel things getting active, begin to pack up. Sure it sucks to not make any money, but better to only eat the vendors fee and not risk your merchandize.

8. Bring sunglasses, goggles, or any protective eye wear. Sure I looked a little funny with my cosplay steampunk goggles on but, I was able to protect my eyes from flying debris.

Good luck for all you crafters out there!

So my sister and I have finally branched out, stepped away from our safety zone behind the computer keyboard and have began selling our products in person, very scary. Over the last two weeks we have attended a total of four craft fairs, and what an ordeal they have been! Let me first start off by saying that I am still very new to the Bay Area of California and because of this sometimes I do not understand exactly how far away certain areas are in regards to my home. This geographical misunderstanding is how Rag Bag Artistry found itself in the social room of a Methodist Church in the out of the way city of Salinas. Now Salinas is a farming town, a small little home town (much like Milledgeville Georgia, where our family is currently living) and Salinas is a good hour and a half away from Fremont, when the traffic is good. Thus Ali and I set out for Salinas at five in the morning on November 5 to reach the Methodist Church by seven. For those of you interested in one day spreading your business from Etsy to Craft Fairs and such one suggestion, unless your product sells directly to older women, do not sell at church charity events, it’s just not worth it. Thankfully we were able to make our money back and pay for gas but altogether the experience was lacking.

Along with our trip to the Methodist Church we returned  Saturday for another event in Salinas which was very well advertised and was supposed to be very active, or not. Another tip for those interested in selling in person, just because an event is heavily advertised does not mean that there will be lots of people attending. This second event in the local Salinas’ Salvation Army community center was a complete bust, most of our business came from other vendors bored and walking around buying from each other. In situations like this the best thing a seller can do is stay put or they will find themselves spending money instead of earning it. Thankfully we were able to keep put and left not too depleted.,

Later Saturday evening Ali and I found ourselves in a sports bar on a golf course, about an hour away from home selling our crafts in their back room. Ali is an avid snowboarder (she just went this past weekend!) and was a member of “Rusty Bindings” an online meetup group for snow board and ski lovers. They host an event every few weeks at this bar and we just happened to stumble upon their holiday craft show meetup, and got a chance to sell at an event FOR FREE!

So the moral of this post is don’t give up selling at craft fairs, you will get some stinkers, you might get a good sell or you might find something unexpected.