Selling at Fairs and Festivals

We'll help you succeed when selling at craft shows, whether it's your first time exhibiting or you have hundreds of craft fairs under your belt. The DIY display ideas will turn your booth into the snazziest spot at the show. We share tips on everything — from rocking your next show application to choosing the right event — to make selling at fairs both lucrative and fun.

Sci fi con art show display. Photo courtesy of Deb Kosiba

Selling at Sci Fi Conventions: An Interview with Veteran Sci Fi Con Vendor Deb Kosiba

Sci fi conventions can be a great place to sell your art or handmade crafts if your style leans at all toward the alternative or geeky. Veteran sci fi con vendor Deb Kosiba shares her experiences from selling at these unique events over the past 20 years, and offers tips on how to start showing your work at sci fi conventions.
The best craft shows have well-placed ads. (Photo courtesy of James Allenspach)

Selling at Craft Shows: Choosing the Right Craft Fair For You

When you're selling at craft shows, it's important to choose fairs that are right for you and your art or crafts. Of course, you can never know for sure whether a show will be awesome or horrible, but there are always signs that can help you decide whether a fair is worth your while. Visit our resource article, Selling at Craft Shows: How to Choose the Right Fair for You and Your Products, for our tips on how to tell whether to say yes or no to a show.
Community Media Workshop's "Getting On Air, Online & Into Print" guide

Market Your Art: How to Get Your Gallery Listing Into Print or Online

In Part 2 of her two-part series on marketing for artists, Elizabeth Burke-Dain shows you what to do with the gallery listings that you wrote for your upcoming art exhibition -- who should receive it, when to send it, and how to help ensure it gets into print or online. Visit Part 1 for tips on how to write a gallery listing that gets you noticed.
Frustrated Artist by BlotoAngeles

Market Your Art: How to Write a Gallery Listing

Marketing yourself can sometimes feel like an exercise in frustration, but it doesn't have to be. Even if you'd rather be in the studio creating your next masterpiece instead of sitting in front of the computer pitching your show to the press, these tips from Elizabeth Burke-Dain will help you write a gallery listing quickly and painlessly. This is Part 1 of a two-part series on marketing for artists — stay tuned for tips on what to do with your listing once it's written.
WBEZ logo

Be Your Own Boss - Start an Indie Business!

IndieMade was invited to present mini-sessions at the WBEZ event "Making Your Own Job." The event was well-attended by plenty of artist entrepreneurs and indie business owners. Welcome to the new economy, one that is driven by micro- and small businesses. These "indies" are either filling in the gaps with their niche businesses or freelancing, often replacing jobs once held by full-time employees.
Urban Folk Circuit organizers Kelli Wefenstette (left) and Jessica Duff

Indie Craft Fair: Urban Folk Circuit Travels Around Chicago

Chicago artisans Kelli Wefenstette and Jessica Duff believe that every Chicago resident should have easy access to quality handmade wares, right in their own neighborhoods.  As they grew their own handmade businesses, though, they realized that most craft fairs were concentrated in the same parts of the city, and many were costly for crafters in both time and money.

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