Road to Renegade

I told you that I got into Renegade Craft Holiday in Chicago...Yay! I'm a bit nervous about some things though as this is my first craft fair. I've been reading and researching and excitement is overcoming nerves the more I feel prepared.

I'm going to share my journey to my first craft fair with you in hopes that it will help out anyone else new to the craft show scene.

The application is the first step.

To get into a juried show, you need to go through an application process. Rejection is hard but it is important to understand that so many people apply for shows and there simply just isn't room for everyone! Sometimes, getting bumped may be as simple as a need of variety amongst vendors. Either way, there is always another show around the corner!

For the Renegade Craft shows, they have forms available online. You need to give a bit of background info, explaining why you're awesome, and some images so they can see your work. Images are one of the most important parts since it's how they're able to see what you're selling.

For me, I just linked to my Etsy shop. I don't know all the details behind the decision process but I'm sure that the number of my sales were involved, feedback given from customers, how long my shop has been around and cohesiveness.

It is very important for your banner to reflect your work and aesthetic, as well as any other websites, icons, etc. linking to your business. Craft fairs are looking for established shops with a good sense of branding. (I'll discuss branding more later on when I talk of packaging and presentation at the show)

You should also be prepared to foot some cash at this point. Some shows have high entry fees and some are very nominal. Make sure that your business can afford the fee and keep in mind that you need to make up that money, along with any other expenses involved for the show (travel, hotel, food, display) before you're actually making money.

And then, you wait...