County Fair

[danielle06]

So I survived the County Fair!!!!!! Set up was Tuesday and the plan was for my dad & I to get there around 3pm to set up the tables and displays. I wasn't going to bring the merchandise until Wed. Well, we didn't make it until 7pm bc my dad cut his eye working outside and we had to take a detour to the dr. (he's fine - healing nicely). We set up and I was very pleased w/ my location. I was right next to Sand Art and across from the rides.

Wed. we had another late start but managed to finish set up at 5:02 - 2 minutes after the fair opened but noone had made it down my way yet so they didn't see the last of the plastic baggies being put away. My dad left afterwards since his eye was bothering him and there I was. There were crowds but it wasn't crowded although I didn't expect too many people since there were storms in the area and it was a Wed. night. Around 9:30 the skies opened up and the rain came pouring in. The tents have flaps but we weren't allowed to pull them down or close up until there was an official announcement. THey closed early and the vendors had to wait until all patrons were cleared out before we could leave. I did well considering the weather and early close. I did have 2 bows shoplifted, one by a group of 5 teenagers - 3 distracted me by trying to tear apart one of my tutus. The other bow I don't know who took it as it happened while I was writing up a receipt for another customer.

Thurs. the weather was great and the crowds were better, although not super crowded yet. I did better than Wed. I was always being asked if I made these or if it was distributed by somewhere - anyone else ever get asked this? My parents brought the kids and they had fun; DD was able to go on a couple of the rides, but DS was too small.

Friday was great! I did unbelievably well; I think I may have sat down for a total of 10 minutes in the 6 hours the fair was open. I sold out of stuff that was popular - ribbon art and big/lil sister bows, also some onesies I made; my mom ran to buy more onesies and she started to work on those and even cut some tulle for more tutus. I also sold one tutu bow holder as well. I gave myself a 1 hour power nap and worked through the night to fill in stock in anticipation of Sat.

Well, Sat was all day 11-11. It was sooooo disappointing! There were crowds but not like Friday (which I thought was odd esp. since it was the Kids' race day - exDH brought the kids and DD ran in the toddler 18-24 mos division) and the people just were not buying anything. It really showed the effect the economy is having on families around here. I made some sales but nothing like Thurs. or Friday. THe sand art people told me they didn't even make half of what they made last year. We also noticed that where we were located wasn't as great as we thought. There was another entrance/exit to the rides area before you hit our tent so the majority of people were going through there. THe only people walking by us were those on there way to the food, and since there were about 5 different routes to the food tents, we missed a lot of the people. By the end of the night, I was feeling the effects of staying up so late; it didn't help that it wasn't that busy to keep me going, but I was hoping that Sunday would bring more people w/ the pie eating contest, the antique car show, and $15 bracelet ride day.

Sunday was a complete flop. The fair was open for 10 minutes and there was thunder and a downpour. It cleared up after 10-15 minutes and the sun did come out but at 1:30, the floodgates opened up again along with wind, thunder, lightening and hail. The fair officials closed the fair and hoped to open at 3. They gave the vendors 10 minutes to close up and secure their area, again not closing the tent flaps. We were told to 'run for it' and sit in our cars until they made a decision. exDH had brought the kids again to see the clown show later in the afternoon - his sister was also there so she took the kids home and he stayed w/ me to wait for a decision. My dad was on his way up with the truck so we would be ready for take down. Eventually we are all sitting in the truck, waiting. We were told at 3:30 that they were taking the animals out and we had to wait for that to be cleared. Then we were told breakdown wouldn't begin until 6pm - that was at 4:30 and the thunder and lightening had stopped and they were still removing the animals. We were allowed back in at 5pm. My area wasn't damaged, the plastic tarps did fly off some areas so my bows got wet - I later used the hair dryer on them and have them laying across the dining and living rooms. By 6:10 we were pulling in the driveway. Exhausted.

Here are some pics of the display

Your display is so fantastic! I love that little tiny chair! Is that for business cards? It looks like you were well under the circus tent but there is no way that they can tell you not to pack up. Screw them. It's your stuff, your time, your money. If I'm at any event and rain threatens I pack up anything that will be damaged if it gets wet. Since you put everything on cards, that means everything gets damaged. It sounds like you at least did ok considering the weather. Every event is a live and learn experience. Koodos to you for letting someone bring your kiddos. I can't deal with my family when I'm at a show. They always want stuff and I'm there to make money not spend money! LOL

how much do you charge for your tutu bow holders? just curious

[danielle06]

I wanted to pack up BUT if you do they ticket you and you aren't allowed back in next year. So I put clear plastic draping over the stuff so you could still see the items and be able to shop until I was allowed to pull the stuff down and secure the area as much as possible.

I charge $40 for the tutu bow holder.

[Amber427]

Compared to what you made and what you had to spend for the show.. was it worth it?

[mrsshokrok1]

I love your set up even though it was set up outside, I still thought I was looking at a boutique.

Can I ask what you charge for your headbands?? I loved the little chair too.

[danielle06]

Was it worth it? I would say yes bc it put me out in the public which was great since I'm just starting. In my area, bows are hard to come by - in our malls they are expensive for a small 2 1/2" bow ($6 or more - not lined or sewn) and the colors are limited. I was the only bow/tutu person there so I'm taking advantage of being a 'loner' Even those who did not purchase anything, I handed them a business card and info about my bow parties. I handed them out to everyone - moms, dads, grandparents, even teenagers bc you just never know who they may pass it onto. Case in point: I did a very small show at my church last month. Someone took my card and I received a phone call from a woman who is getting married next JUne. It turns out her neighbor took the business card and passed it onto her; I met with her on Friday and she signed a contract for $275 for Save the Dates and wedding invites and ensemble are being calculated.

I also gained a lot of exposure with my invitations. I had 3 women from other organizations hand me applications for their vendor/craft shows based on my merchandise and the display. So the weather stunk and I would have loved to have made more, but I was overall happy with the contacts that I made - I met a woman prior to the fair while at the fabric store buying tulle and she asked if I made tutus for dance studios; I'm bringing mytutus into her studio in September for her pupils to purchase and I met 3 cheering coaches who took my info for fundraising and competition bows. I gained a nice list of email newsletter subscribers as well. Had I not had the fair, I wouldn't have been buying tulle for bow holders and never would have met the dance studio owner.

Will I do the fair again? Yes, I will, but I now know how they operate when it comes to weather so I can try to prepare myself better by having an emergency closing procedure and some better methods for securing my area.

[danielle06]

Originally Posted by mrsshokrok1

I love your set up even though it was set up outside, I still thought I was looking at a boutique.

Can I ask what you charge for your headbands?? I loved the little chair too.

Thank you. Many people asked me where my store was located and were surprised to learn I'm working out of my h ome (actually out of my bedroom/parents dining room table to be exact). My exDH is trying to persuade me to open a boutique store now. I'm not ready for that yet.

I sell the headbands for $6 (1/2") and $7 (1").

[LilysMommy]

Everything looks GORGEOUS!! That's awesome that you made so many contacts! I love the onesies. Did you screen print them?

[kaneohegirl]

You have a AWESOME display!!! the tables ere not crowded and that was nice I thought. I hate a over crowded table, too hard to take it all in when its crowded.
Id like to know what you have in the frames with the writing on them... would you share?