Everything Mac Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 Well ladies and gents my first ever show has finally come and gone. I thought after harping on about it on here I had better post some pics. The show was in my home county of Dorset England. Called the Oak Fair, it was a full weekend and had several thousand people through the doors over the two days. Saturday was a lovely day, bright and sunny and a little too warm to be stood by a forge all day but on the whole much better weather wise than the Sunday. That said Sunday wasn't too wet and we only had a couple of showers. I was demonstrating and had my fiancé with me who was primarily manning the stall very well despite bing a bit under the weather. We also had the dog with us, who thought he was the centre of attention and drew in more people than anything else. Lots of lessons learnt and things I would change next time round. My anvil stand needs major improvement, the wooden stand was fairly light but didn't have much stability on the uneven ground.I should have bought some bags for people to put their purchases in. In my defence I meant to, I just didn't get round to getting any in time. It was hard to know what to make. Items I expected to really sell well, didn't sell at all. And a few things I expected to be coming home with me sold like hot cakes. One thing I couldn't make fast enough was sets of horseshoe hearts with peoples names stamped on them. I had more than one couple ask for a set. - Perhaps in hindsight I should have charged a little more. I thoroughly enjoyed demonstrating on top of selling things. As you all well know - actually seeing your item being made was nice for a lot of people. My little portable forge was great. I might be tempted to make the hearth a little deeper but other than that it worked well. - I used charcoal for the weekend which I normally love but the stuff the maker provided was not the best I've ever had. It spat a lot and I've numerous burns all up my arm from the fire fleas. That said - I brought far too much steel and far too many tools with me. I'd prefer to travel much lighter on that front in the future. My theory was "have but not need, rather than need but not have" - lesson learned. At one point I was interviewed by the local radio station which was rather cool. All in all it was a great weekend. I am thoroughly looking forward to my next event, where hopefully I will be a bit better prepared. All the best Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 The more thought into a post the more chance of forbidden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted September 8, 2015 Author Share Posted September 8, 2015 I thought I was pushing my luck with that one. Glad it made it through though - took me ages to upload the pics. Cheers Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Congrats on the first show! I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown leading up to my first, you look all calm and normal in the photos! Love the personalized horseshoes, there's someone around here that does those and he also says they sell well. Are those little mushroom shaped things on the table drawer pulls or?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 Cheers Spanky. Those mushrooms are just little paper weights/ ornaments. This is one of the personalised horse shoes. They were rather popular. The other option was to link two together. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Very nice indeed Andy, paper weights are real cute. Hearts speak for themselves excellent work. Now that you have the first one under your belt the next will be "easier". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Cheers bud. Yeah the next one will be easier for sure. I'm not certain when that will be as it's near the end of show season now and I'll be off to visit the USA next month. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Where in the uSA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senator Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 My first "show" will be October 3rd. Its a mad scramble now to get things done. I am trying to have a broad range in prices and items for sale. Its a tough trying to figure out what will sell and how many you will need. I am trying to stick to $15-$25.00 range with items for guys, like bottle openers, and personalized Fredric's crosses (Christmas ornament size). The event asked me to bring a gas forge and anvil....I am hoping if I bother to haul all that stuff out we have good weather; that and I hope the nearby booths are tolerant of me pounding out a few items. Thanks for the post.Senator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 I was at a demo last week and someone asked the blacksmith how he determines pricing - his answer was both funny and TRUE: "I ask my wife." What can I say, we women have a good feel for shopping! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 My first "show" will be October 3rd. Its a mad scramble now to get things done. I am trying to have a broad range in prices and items for sale. Its a tough trying to figure out what will sell and how many you will need. I am trying to stick to $15-$25.00 range with items for guys, like bottle openers, and personalized Fredric's crosses (Christmas ornament size). I feel your pain. After the week at the Grange Fair I needed to "restock" for the craft show I was asked to attend by my township last weekend. It was a real push to get stuff done to have out on the table. Surprisingly none of the stuff that did well at the Grange sold on Saturday. the leaf key chains and Fredrick's crosses that usually sold after I made them didn't move at all. Same went for the bottle openers that did really well at the fair. "Wall" is a 2'x 6' scrap of bead board paneling left over from a job that was already painted white. I added some legs to raise it a bit and stiffen it and a piece of hinged plywood for a stand, sort of like one of those fold out cheap picture frames. "Table" is an old T&G bead board barn door I salvaged years ago that makes a good rustic table. The legs were scavenged last week from one of those heavy particle board tables the school was trashing. Makes set up a lot easier than 2 saw horses I'd been using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 14, 2015 Share Posted September 14, 2015 Senator; be sure to have someone sitting the table and doing sales while you are forging. It is very hard to do both and sometimes can be a safety issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everything Mac Posted September 16, 2015 Author Share Posted September 16, 2015 I know what you mean about what sells well at different shows. On the two days I was there different things sold well. But it is hard to know what to focus your time in to. Even the experienced smiths at the show said they found it hard to know what would sell at a given show. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senator Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Senator; be sure to have someone sitting the table and doing sales while you are forging. It is very hard to do both and sometimes can be a safety issue.Very good point Thomas. Thank you. I have managed to talk both my wife and daughter into going with me for the day. I hope to make the most of it. I just bought one of those "square trade" card readers for the iPhone. What does everyone use? Of course I prefer cash, but I realize this isn't always practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I use the Amazon version of that because I like Amazon, have found them easy to work with. The last time I used it on a card a guy said, "Your reader won't read that card, they never do," but my Amazon one did. I've tried the PayPal version, also, as well as the Square. I just prefer the Amazon because the $$ turnaround is so easy/quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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