Craft shows

[Rileyrock]

i have been smithing for 4 years and was thinking of doing some local craft shows. looking for any advise from those who have done the craft circut.

[Dave Parker]

I have never done one but have watched a few demonstrations. The problem I saw at them was the smith needed an assistant to explain what was going on. One person could talk and sell merchandize while the other worked. Even if you are planning just to sale and not demo I would suggest you have a few business cards on a table placed between you and the public. Make a show board with your wares, prices and have small note cards explaining the process, time spent even the material used. People are less likely to balk at prices if they can get an idea of the time and effort involved. Pictures can simulate a demo. Pictures in a binder of bigger projects and a few trade items will help bring in interested parties and help start conversations. So bring an anvil a few tongs, post vise etc.

The one problem I have seen at both craft shows and demos is smiths are not salesmen by nature. I go to different types of shows and collect a variety of goods, sales are lost because the public will start conversations and the craftsman gets wrapped up in the topic and doesn’t see the customer holding a wallet walking away. Always acknowledge each new arrival and let them know if they need help feel free to interrupt. You can easily excuse yourself from the conversation and return to it later. The customer should come before someone reminiscing about his/her grandfather the smith. Ultimately, your purpose is to sell, stay focused on the goal. I walked away from a table at last years Florida Token Kai show and spent several thousand dollars a few tables down. The dealers that ignored me were discussing politics and not willing to acknowledge me long enough to make a sale. My one purchase would have paid their fees and room for the entire three days, guess they did not need the money. Consider everyone that passes by you a potential sale and work from there. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Dave

[Rileyrock]

thanks alot for your input

[dablacksmith]

i have done craft shows and currently do different shows and there are a few things ide reccomend. first check out the show .. find out how many people attend ask other vendors about sales get a feel for the type of items sold . are they handmade ?are they quality? are they in the style that complements your ironwork?if your into traditional ironwork it generally dosent sell where there is a lot of modern artwork and vica versa. how much is booth space? can you get them to give you a price break of even give a spot for free if you demonstrate?how close can you get to your booth space (this one can get ya) if your supposed to setup on the grass but no cars are allowed on grass and you have to pack everything a hundred yards well you get the idea.... what price range of items are there ? if its primarily 20$ and under but you have mostly hi end stuff it might no work so well.. is it juried ? i prefer juried but sometimes hard to get in (ironwork isnt there normal fare and if the person jurying in stuff dosnt like it...)juried shows generally keep out the inports so no china junk. hows security? do you have to pack everything out each night?its something you might try but dont bet the bank on doing good ... ive done shows where it was 1000$ for a booth and barely made back booth fees ... was a real high end show but they had gotten lax on the jurying in part and let a bunch of inport stuff in... it killed the show for the crafts sales so within a few years no crafters were in it.. a good show can make your buisness and be a pleasure to do tho ... there is a lot of positive energy in selling a lot of the things you made.. and a dead show can suck the life out of you and make you wonder why your doing this... good luck!

[J W Bennett]

I do 7 local shows a year. First year or two was sketchy. Now people look for me because they know I'll be there. I don't travel. The shows I do are in the same location 7 miles from my home and shop.
Make business cards and give them out. Put up safety ropes and don't let people crowd you. Smile and answer questions with an honest answer, If you don't know the answer tell them you don't... then try to get the answer before the next show cause they'll be back to see if you found it out. The one big show I do I hire a woman to take money and show items and answer what questions she can. But I only do that for the one show.
I always try to give a few things away each day, hooks, Key rings, Leaves and nails.
If you burn yourself or your having a bad day keep it to yourself...no one wants to hear about it.
Keep the anvil ringing, If you don't tap the anvil as a habit...start, It really does draw customers.
No matter how many times you here"My so and so was a blacksmith" listen and act interested.
The one thing I don't do well is tell stories, I'm just not good at it. I have had people comment on that once or twice but I'm just not good at stories.

Hope this helps.

John

[Rileyrock]

thanks guys

[unkle spike]

I do a few a year, and don't sell a whole lot, but it is fun from a demo point of view. I try to engage the crowd, and do small projects that can be finished in under 10 minutes. It amazes me how people will stand for an hour just to watch a blacksmith work. At craft shows it gives the husbands a manly thing to do if you are doing a live demo. I occasionally pick up a custom on site hook or thing to make.

As far as business cards, keep them out of reach, here they will grab them just to grab them. I went through a BUNCH at one demo, with no calls of course. If the need one, they will ask, and then you can engage them in conversation about what they had in mind.

[Andrew Smith]

There is a really big trade show about 15 minutes from my house (First Monday Trade Days in Canton Texas- in case you heard of it). During the fall and spring time when the weather is nice they sometimes get 400,000 people in a day. The market is so big it would literally take you the hole weekend to look at everything. I am most likely going to start selling there this fall.

[ken leedy]

Keep your wares well behind a rope, as in out of reach. My brother usualy helps me at demos and has an eagle eye. Expect to have something small "lifted" from your table. Age and gender do not matter, thieves come in all shapes and sizes. I love to demo and will continue to do them but at the end of the day I look to see what they got me for. This is just my experience, YMMV.

[jason0012]

When I started out I demo'd at a few fairs. After a while it got pretty rough hauling all the tools, watching the crowd and keeping an eye on my tables of goods for sale. I did make ok money and after a while the show promoters usually wanted me to pay for the booth. When I had to pay I simplified quite a lot. I quit demonstrating. It made shows a whole lot easier, actually helped sales too. Since I wasn't messing with the forge the whole time I could pay better attention to customers. A good book of photos seemed to be an acceptable substitute . The best demo alternative I have seen was a video demo a fellow at one show had. I never got that sophisticated. In the end I put a rule into effect- I'm in business I can demo and get paid for that, or I can set up to sell and pay some fee for that. When a show promoter or organizer got confused on this I would politely remind them. One should get paid for demonstrating. You really cant make much that's worthwhile while showing off to the public, answering questions ect. On top of that most of my production items require tooling I could never take to a demo so I'm loosing shop time when I set up at a show. Shows where I would sell and not demo would generally bring in a minimum of $2000 a day. I would be lucky to make $500 when demonstrating. Now I haven't done a show or fair since about 1998 so the economy may be different now.

[BRForge]

I have been blacksmithing for several years and doing demos for about 6 years. There are a few things I really like to do and several that are expected but not that fun. I mostly demo at living history events, usually Rendezvous. I've done a few craft shows and several Fall Festivals.
Be prepared well ahead of time if it is a big event. You don't want to be on day two with nothing to sell. Have several of each item done well in advance with enough stock with you to make a few items while you're there.
I LOVE to represent history and share factual events that involved blacksmiths. Do a little research and come up with some decent stories one to two minutes each. School kids will eat it up and Parents will usually buy something. Be prepared to repeat the stories and be sure of your facts. Realize ahead of time that just about everybodies Grandpa was a blacksmith. Comes with the territory.
I make nails and S hooks while talking, save the involved projects for when you have a helper. Remember little kids eye line and your anvil height are very similar. This is DANGEROUS if you forge weld in the public. No one behind the ropes, period. You don't want to see who has the best lawyer!
Don't take everything you own with you. Try to pare down what you take to just what you need. Nobody cares if you have 75 hammers, just if you know how to use the one in your hand.
Remember to rest occasionally and drink plenty of Gatoraid and water. A weekend event can go from fun to hard work if you are tired or dehydrated. Try to give yourself some down time throughout the day. People do love to hear the anvil ringing constantly, but if you are a part time smith, you won't be able to scratch your nose on day two, much less have good hammer control.
Be safe, have fun!

[promotive]

If you demo in a tight location, use a propane forge. My buddy did an arts festival a few years ago with a coal forge. The smoke drifted through the show area and damaged textile products and was bothering people in general. He was asked to turn his forge off. Also use some lexan panels as safety shields to keep the lawyers away.

[dablacksmith]

If you demo in a tight location, use a propane forge. My buddy did an arts festival a few years ago with a coal forge. The smoke drifted through the show area and damaged textile products and was bothering people in general. He was asked to turn his forge off. Also use some lexan panels as safety shields to keep the lawyers away.

that is why i use coke! once the forge is started there is no smoke!it makes all the cloth merchants so happy when they realize there will be no coal smoke from my forge!!most of my demoing is for a spesefic time pereod so propane isnt a option .. charcoal has a problem in that it throws lots of sparks (fleas).

[mtforge]

I did 22 shows last year. I mainly do reenactments. Most of my income comes from shows or orders from the shows and I'm a full time smith at this time. When I started I was a one man show, demonstrating and selling what I had off of a table. Now I don't do an outdoor show without someone along to sell from the tent while I demonstrate. I was told by other smiths early on that demonstrating didn't add to the sales at the show but I have found different. When I'm not hammering the crowd walks by but when I'm working I can get a lot of lookers and some buyers. ABANA has a demonstrator's guideline at http://www.abana.org/downloads/demonstrator_guidelines.pdf It's a start but I have found I don't bring a lot of tools. Adjust the list as you go. I do however bring a supply of raw material as I'm asked to make a lot of items for the camp. Like something they forgot, something they broke, something they always wanted, and such.

[FieryFurnace]

I haven't been down in this section yet so I just saw this.

I've done the craft fair thing for a couple of years now. I've watched other demonstrators and learned some of what to and what not to do.

My advice:
1 Talk! Talk alot and talk loud. It is difficult for a large crowd in open air to hear very well, and on top of everything you have blower and fire noises. So speak up!

2 What to talk about? Steel temperatures are very interesting as well as forge fire temperatures. People don't realize how hot it really is.
The forge! Tell them it's known as a solid fuel forge, that you burn coal (or whatever,) tell them what the blower does, how old the blower is, tell them about the anvil, it's age, the purpose of rebound, etc. (Be carefull not to burn the steel while you tell all this! )

3 When prompted, tell a little about the history of smith work, how it's progressed, etc.

4 Don't do long demonstrations often. I find the following great demo pieces becuase they sport very interesting aspects of smithing, while still keeping the time short allowing the potential customer to see the start and finish. This makes the watcher more apt to purchase products.
Dinner bells, leaf necklaces, j-hooks, hearts, and other trinket type items. Keep the demo under 20 minutes preferable 10-15.

5 ALWAYS request FREE booth space as a demonstrator. Kindly infor the jury committee that you have a large amount of heavy equipment to carry, that you work throughout the weekend just as you would in the shop, and that you are entertaining/educating the public. Since you are doing all this, tell them that in order to make the trip worth it you need free space. Usually this works!

That's all I know! Hope it helps.....good luck!

Remember, even if you don't know what you are talking about sometimes, they don't know that you don't know! :D

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

At the last Ren Faire I went to there was a traveling smith. He did something different with his demos. His wife would tell a story that related to smithing while he was making items in the shop behind her. He made 4 of the same item, and it was timed so that he finished when the story ended. He used a Freightliner FL70 with a castle built on the back as his living quarters/shop/stage. Hay bales were arranged for seating, and everyone got a free ticket as they sat down. When the story was over, 20 minutes, they held a drawing for the items that he had just made. The two shows I attended he made kilt pins, and unicorn shoes.

The stories were entertaining, and had some ancient roots. One story was Loki having his hammer stolen, and how he got it back from the giants.

[Larry H]

loki didn't have his hammer stolen, he stole it, Thor had to get it back, which he did by.... awww fergit it

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I stand corrected, hey it had been awhile since I heard the story. Loki helped recover Thor's hammer from Thrym king of the giants.

[hildenmw]

i have been smithing for 4 years and was thinking of doing some local craft shows. looking for any advise from those who have done the craft circut.

A lot of towns have a Art day or evning once a month. Entry fees are low . Sales are not always great but you get to meet other crafters. Net working with them you can find out about good shows or bad shows.

Your friends may tell you about shows they like . But whats good for a customer or visiter is not always the same fot a vendor

[Geoff]

I never done any demo myself. Only a hobby.
I went to two shows nearby where I moved to and met the same smith at both shows. He gets paid to demo. Won't do it for free and won't do it if he has to pay. Says it is not worth it.
He also commented that he needs to change what he makes as chinese imports are killing the fire tools amrket. Not a lot of artistic stuff either. Just good camp tools. Also mentioned that candle sticks are not selling either.