Book Review: Crafts and Craft Shows

Well this week I have been having major problems with my sewing machine and had to take it in for repair. Sniff! So in turn I was able to finish a book this week with all the time left over where I usually would be sewing!

I read "Crafts and Craft Shows" this week to hopefully find ideas on what to do for my upcoming first craft show on December 5th at the Handmade Holiday Bazaar in St. Pete. This book was pretty decent, I didn't learn anything new. But it did help come up with a lot of ideas on how I want to setup my booth. The author writes about crafts shows with a lot of detail in producing the craft, setting up the booth, pricing your work, and dealing with customers. I found it interesting to read, but a little dated. The author did craft shows for roughly 15 years as his sole income. The book is design specifically on what to do and what not to do to make a profit. The book has a few images on examples of craft booths they found selling well. Some of the images I though looked a little tacky, but that could just be my style choice.

If anything, the book made me aware of how much more work there is to craft shows then I thought. And for that I am glad I read it. My list of things I need for the show has gone up, but I think it will make me better prepared. I am glad my first show will be an 8' x 5' space and not a 10' x 10' space. After my first show I can decide if I want to invest in the equipment that is needed for a larger space. I do think I will only be doing shows near holidays, as in I believe that's when my craft will sell the best.