Craft Market Reflections
2024 was Sunset Patterns first year! And wow - what a year it was. I’m going to sit back and reflect on my year when I have a quiet moment in January but I wanted to share my learnings from the 2024 craft market season while they are fresh in my mind. I learned many invaluable lessons about inventory, displays but most importantly, who is my customer and what they like. Here are a few insightful and practical learnings from my 2024 holiday craft market season.
Wear comfortable shoes - you’re going to be on your feet for a LONG time!
Everyone loves tea towels - they are great as gifts or as a special treat to brighten your kitchen.
Friends and family are my biggest cheerleaders. I had friends biked across Toronto to attend a craft show and drive in from the suburbs to catch my pop up. I even had a cousin from Texas send a friend to my pop-up. That’s impressive!
It’s important to have your elevator pitch down pat. I only had moments to catch customers' attention and highlight the uniqueness of my products.
No one carries cash anymore. It’s imperative to have a square reader or a method to accept credit and debit payments.
Printing my patterns on a cloth backdrop was a great idea as it drew people in and highlighted the variety of patterns available. I even had two people offer to buy the backdrop!
Wear layers. I’m not sure why but every craft market was freezing. Perhaps they leave the doors open to draw the masses in.
It’s important to include signage that my products are designed and made by me. I didn’t have this signage in my first 2 craft markets and unless customers stopped by my booth they wouldn’t recognize the uniqueness of my products.
Lighting is important. I can’t be guaranteed to have streams of light shining on my booth at every craft market, especially in Canada during the winter when the sun sets so early. I invested in lighting for my last craft market and it made a difference.
Make it easy for customers to find/follow you after the craft market. I’m still not sure what the best solution is to this. Do I have a QR code for customers to scan or hand out cards or a combination of both? Do I refer customers to my social media or website? This is still a work in progress.
It’s important to nurture relationships with other vendors. I met some amazing small business owners at the craft shows. We chatted during quiet moments sharing business tips and challenges. I’m starting to develop a network of like minded Toronto artisans that will be invaluable as we all grow our businesses.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the craft markets that I participated in this year. I am already looking forward to the 2025 holiday season and considering what other markets to apply for throughout the year.
