Craft Show Checklist and How Much Money I Make

How I did at my recent craft show and a checklist of items needed when preparing for a craft show.
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David Picciuto
PO Box 2499
Toledo, OH 43606
© Picciuto, LTD

[@fastrivers812]

Did our first juried craft show this weekend. About 50,000 people attended. It was definitely a learning experience but not sure how many more we will do. We're going to try again next year and used what we learned to make our booth better and go from there. We studied, researched, and asked questions at this event. We would've done more of this prior if we had time but job is requiring 60hrs/wk right now. People in my area are extremely cheap I found. My son made 14 standard cutting boards w/ quarter round edges and a 1.5" hole to hang/hold on to and sold five at the fair. He had both cherry and white oak. The first day he had them listed at $30 and got one buy. The next day he lowered to $25 and sold two. The third day he lowered to $20 and only sold two. There were two men that came up to the booth and were impressed that he made them and asked their wives to buy and both wives said no. Many people walked by and scoweled at the prices despite the fact that these were homemade. I'm a woodcarver and I can get a minimum of $40 for some carvings I make elsewhere but at this show people scoffed at the $15 I ended up putting on them. Although it was a juried show there were plenty of Chinese made products there. Very annoying. I assumed going into this that more people would take time to actually peruse the booths but they don't. They breeze on by looking for eye candy. It's definitely a women's world at these shows as everything is tailored for them w/ decor and the like. Did I mention two men weren't allowed to buy cutting boards? LOL. Anyway, the vendor next to us had very simple welcome signs w/ cheap Chinese parts attached to them. Not even sure if he made them. He had about 80 and sold out of them for $35/piece. This was his second show in two weeks and sold 80 the prior week. I'm more fond of unique items because that's what I do so not sure if these shows are an avenue for that. It seems most booths that did well had one to two common themes in them and that was it. Welcome signs and crosses. Or, sewn headbands and scarfs. Or, paintings and prints. Etc. The one thing I did notice though that we can use this event next year for mere advertising of our online presence. People did ask for business cards and we didn't have any. So, working on that phase for next year. We did cover our expenses but hope to do better next time to make it "worth" it.

[@BlackBeardProjects]

Thanks David! Always a pleasure watching your videos :)

[@dannersmyers]

As a professional cabinetmaker I'm interested to see your hourly rate. So I did some math and estimated your hours for each project as low as possible to be fair. 10 laser cut journals 4hrs 2 note pads 1hr 4 clipboards 5hrs 11 pencil holders 6hrs 1 beer tote 4hrs 7 Ohio/Michigan 4hrs 7 wine holders 5hrs Random cutting board 6hrs Ramiken cuttimg board 5hrs 1 record holder 7hrs Craft show time to sell, setup and pack up 8hrs Totals 55hrs $1200-$200material=$1000 divide that by 55hrs =$18hr not to shabby!

[@ArtMechanicsLosAngeles]

Danny M according to homie's "day rate" pricing in the how to price your work video, all of these items including the show time would have been made and sold in 10hrs or less combined.

[@jonahnesmith7004]

I know this is an older video, but I just want to mention that you're undercharging for your art, man. It's worth so much more

[@techedfireman4981]

Again thanks for this series it is a huge help for those of us that are starting out or thinking of starting down this road. Have a great day!

[@soulphish48]

Just a quick comment to say thanks. I love that you do these videos, where you show complete transparency. This video where you say how much you made. Another video you showed how to find out how much KZbinrs makes. It is very enlightening. The main channel is faily behind the scenes as it is, so these are like behind the scenes of behind the scenes. I love it!

[@MakeSomething]

Thanks man!!!

[@BillSinWorkshop]

David that was awesome...Thanks for sharing your experience in the kraftshow, was very helpful!

[@Americana64]

Lots of great information before my first show. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@sumandl]

Craft shows are always fun. Im attending them since 25 yrs (since i was 15). Great video Dave!

[@Jesse_Phillips714]

I've always had trouble selling my work. More often than not when someone expresses interest in a project I just give it to them.

[@doveoo5]

Been there. done that. I am just so happy that some one finds my work worthy. I am currently looking for a good reason to make another mermaid tail. I want to make it. I want someone to love it. "priceless" is my goal.

[@alpaca7886]

Thanks for the inside info. Question, what method do you use to derive your sales price. I don't want to be too expensive, but not to sell myself short either. My prices now just cover materials to cover my "hobby", but would like to expand to invest in more tools.

[@mindylawrence3753]

I usually create with special friends and family in mind💫💫💫 I’m like a kid at Christmas waiting for them to receive them🤗🤗🤗 That’s my joy🐝🐝🐝

[@tonyioannoni4951]

AWESOME VIDEO, seeing the prices we can appreciate the fact that sometimes, we work because we like it, not because we make a lot of money, recently I gave the stuff I made and the smile and appreciation of the people was my pay. Your work is such quality work with a lot of taste, that it's worth every penny of it, wish you all the success!

[@SawDustMakerRJM]

I kept saying "Yep, we do that", on your long list of what to bring to a craft show. Great tips for beginning craft show vendors.

[@SomethingAboutMaking]

Thanks!

[@oceanblue4750]

@@SomethingAboutMaking is it possible for me to rent a woodworking shop by the hour in Ohio my friend?

[@franciscopadilla5653]

Thank you for your knowledge and expertise! Getting ready for our first ever show!

[@scottverge938]

Great information thanks for sharing the behind the scenes of the business side of things. I've often wondered about craft shows and their potential.

[@MojojoJenkins]

Thanks for the great information! I look forward to videos on both of your channels each week. Keep it up, brotato chip.

[@JMTosses]

Very interesting. I wonder how that translates to craft shows in my region. Thank you for being so open with these things, David, most appreciated! Great second channel! Cheers!

[@badbadwoodstudio9319]

Love the way you share all this valuable info! subscribed to both channels. Keep it up!

[@antonmessina5304]

Great tips on the craft shows! And well done on the sales!!! 👍🏻👌🏻👊🏻

[@deborah5568]

Awesome vid and you have a great recording voice to boot! I'm looking forward to our next craft show. I'm not ready to sell yet, but I enjoy going to them. Have a great day and Good luck with your business!

[@mc4kvb]

Really an informative video. I appreciate you taking time to make a video like this to help some of us who may be interested in Doing craft shows. I would never have thought of half of those things!!! I enjoy both of your channels very much. Take care and be safe!

[@Barrysworkshop]

Tons of great info here, David. Thanks for putting this together.

[@donnymcarter]

This is a great video with tons of awesome info! I gonna try a craft show soon! Thanks David for your time and sharing!

[@TheWindingRoad1991]

Congratulations on your sales! Great display! Awesome tips, too!

[@Dave-qv4sb]

broooooo.... I love your channels. I can't believe it took me this long to find it. Keep up the awesome work.

[@DanGamble]

I've thought it many times and I just want to tell you that I think you're an absolute F(redacted)G legend! Love your style dude. Love your vids dude. Kinda wanna give you a hug right now. I'm starting to kick things off in my own hobby to business conversion and this information, while being a year an a half old, is priceless and ageless. You have freely offered information and experience that would otherwise only be learned if i'd been in the business for... well as long as you have. And the depth to which you've gone to do it. Far out man! Thank you so much.

[@brettpenrod]

Awesome. Thanks for taking the time to share your information. It helped a bunch. Got my mind clinking away. I love the stool idea.

[@tomryderart6209]

David another great video! Thank you! I do a lot of craft/art shows and most of them are outside so my list is a little different. I would add sunscreen, a roll of duct tape, Leather Man, Hand Truck, Paper towels and windex for cleaning the products, My Drill for putting together my display shelves, bubble wrap, a few random size cardboard boxes if someone wants something packed and boxed really well. I bring a cooler bag full of snacks and coffee, a hammer and stakes to anchor my tent, bed risers to make my tables taller so 2 rubber maid totes can stack under the table. Museum wax to stick the pieces down if its a windy day. My main advice for people starting to do craft shows is to do shows that have more people going to them. My set up is the same if 5,000 people come see the show or if 50,000 people come to see the show more people means more $$$ more $$$ means more making!!

[@REDDRAGONWOODWORKS]

Greta tip brah and perfect timing for the holiday craft shows.

[@PPMOCRG]

Wow, you had a great day at the craft show! I'm not surprised, your work is beautiful.

[@clieb91]

Another great video with really good advice. Always good to make sure you have what is needed. Congrats on a good show. My wife and I have now being doing shows for 5 years.Some good and some bad, but we enjoy it in the end. We have found that everyone of them is just a little different in what the crowd wants. The one thing that always seems to help us is the diversity of the products we carry. You have a good smattering of items in all different price ranges and that certainly helps. I would encourage anyone that is planning to do a show to have a selection of items and not just focus on one sole item with one price point.. CtL

[@randywright7933]

It was great meeting you. Glad you had a good time. I hope you liked the lacewood pen

[@raisethedead13]

Great information. I've always wanted to do a booth at my town's summer festival and these are definitely some good tips.

[@Patricksworkshop]

great tips Dave good to hear things went well oh and the display is awesome

[@Maker_Bakery]

The flask is a genius addition to my list. Thanks, friend!

[@Simplecove]

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing the details, David.

[@diggler306]

Great information! Thanks for sharing, and congrats on your success at the show.

[@JedidiahShultzIrishCraftsman]

Thank you for the amazing tips!! I will definitely be taking that information with me the the next art fair!! Have a great day😁

[@mikenash1186]

Perfect video. I am planning on having a stand at a local craft show. This exactly what I'm after. Thanks very much

[@cp7859]

thank you so much for this video, definitely gave me some stuff I didn't think of. I have watched a few of your videos and they are always well put together. You got a new subscriber, cheers!

[@raymondfisher5552]

This is an awesome video. It was extremely helpful. You are the man! Sharing your insight with us is commendable. Thank you.

[@josephbert1]

Good stuff. Keep having fun.

[@ao235]

Nice haul! Thank you for the tips, I have had one show were I was very disappointed in my sales (no cutting boards, and just one set of kids blocks). I think having a lot of small items/products is key!

[@RichardMartin]

This is really helpful, I've done a few craft fairs but I can always improve as I go. Thanks for sharing.

[@Justinsatiable]

Just stumbled upon this great video. I'm just starting with CNC and I'm from the 419!!! Great work!

[@TheDustyBullDog]

Wow! I just realized that you're northwest ohio too! Goes to show how much I pay attention. I'm not a youtuber but I watch a lot of you guys for inspiration and ideas. Keep up the good work man!

[@Russ-od2yy]

I love the beer tote, I need to build one for myself!

[@CandiWare]

Wonderful video. I'm with you I only do a small handful of craft shows in a year. They take a lot out of you! Wonderful tips!

[@Customsmaker]

Thank you for sharing your experince David! Its very motivating!

[@mysinsareforgiven]

Great video! I didn’t even feel the need to “Red Line” it 😉. I will be showing my husband as it would be so fun to create and do a show together! Thank you for the project ideas and solid tips! You rock David!

[@PaulMeyette]

Good info David. Glad you made out well!

[@bazokie]

thanks as always for the transparency.

[@alanscott5942]

Although at the otherside of the pond I found this very useful and helpful hoping to do a craft fair this year and you have certainly given me "food for thought" 👍👍

[@fernandoarriaga8008]

I appreciate a lot your comments, really useful. Great idea to share with us your experience in this matter. It's not always about making things, it's also about selling them. You are great!

[@JoshMakesStuff]

I really appreciate you doing this, and being so open about what you charge and how much you made. When I did my fist craft show I was completely lost as to how I was doing comparably. And the checklist is a great resource for someone getting into craft shows. I brought a lot of those items that made life easier, but I did not bring weights and things to hold down canopies. Lesson learned.

[@salvadormonella8953]

He was not open about how much he made. He shared gross revenue. Big deal. Not important. See the comment I made directly to this channel's producer.

[@MikeMerzke]

Lots of good info! Thanks for sharing Dave!

[@michaelhorn9114]

It's just about TIME!!!

[@timguba8887]

Brilliant. This information is precisely what we need. More. More. More!

[@ToxicFlies13]

Great Video! lots of helpful info I'm doing a show in April.

[@denielbarnes]

thanks David, got a market coming up in a couple of weeks and the tissue paper and whiskey will definitely help. Long time fan first time caller.

[@soniarodriguez2072]

Love the notebooks. Great video.

[@edkillmer4601]

Im getting ready to venture out into selling my stuff. Very helpful and informative. Keep on sharing. ATL GA.

[@Darrenmccarthymusica]

Thanks for all the great information! I have my first craft fair coming up this Sunday, now I will certainly be more prepared!

[@SomethingAboutMaking]

Good luck!!!

[@Darrenmccarthymusica]

Thank you! It went pretty well. Now to prepare for the next one! :)

[@FlokrollProjects]

Very cool that you are so open about this. keep it up

[@teamplumstead]

I can see you're working like a crazy man these days, but wanted to let you know that the videos on this channel have been SUPER informative. Thanks man.

[@LivefreeanddiyTv]

Good info, thanks for being so open! 🤓👍🏼

[@WildmanTech]

Wow David! I can't fathom selling a cutting board for $200! Kudos man! I had no idea you could make that kind of money at a craft show! Thanks for sharing this.

[@steveweber4616]

Very informative, thank you for your thoughts and efforts making this.

[@ChrisGlitzosWoodTinkerer]

Thank you once again my friend for the good advice and letting us in on your personal business affairs it was helpful to get a better understanding of what our work is worth, and open our eyes to new ideas. Thumb Up and I will share with my social media as well. ;-)

[@aronlemman6649]

here's a few suggestions to consider before you begin a woodworking company Will you get help from your family? Are you someone who is self-motivated? Will you stick to the plan? Do you have the money to start? (I learned these and the reasons they work on Enata Wood System website )

[@zevadan2643]

+Make Something 2 here's a few ideas to consider before you begin your own woodworking business are you likely to get support from your spouse? Are you self-motivated? Will you carry out your plan? Do you have the funds to go ahead? (I learned these and why they work from Enata Wood System website )

[@jenniferwhite6089]

wow that have been very helpful craft show checklist never thought about it before and yea the card swipe machine are a must.

[@belinda9599]

Good advice and GREAT work!!! Thanks for sharing.

[@jsteih]

It was great to meet you at the show. Good insight on the show, I've always wondered if it was worth doing them or not. It was really busy when we were there, I was a little overwhelmed by the time we made it to your booth. I bought one of your "Michigan Art" pieces. I should have had you sign it, I didn't notice it wasn't til we got home. It was neat to see all the different projects that I watched you make on KZbin!

[@SomethingAboutMaking]

Thanks Jason! I appreciate the support! Great meeting you!

[@sithinstructor7303]

Thanks David. Really great tips in here.

[@jcmakes5977]

Thank you for sharing your experience. This is very useful!

[@patrickschardt7724]

I will probably never participate in a craft show. However, these are great tips. Many can be applied to other situations where you can sell goods Your channel is one of my favorite making channels

[@Woodcraftedworkshop]

Great Info. Thanks David!

[@zachpygall3063]

Great advice. I’d love to see more photos of your craft fair displays. I’m going to be looking to improve mine in a couple of months since its basically just all laid on the table

[@ARCWoodCraft]

Awesome video pal, loads of info! 👍👍

[@JonnySpectacular]

Hello Toledo! I'm happy to see local people doing great.

[@shaneknerr4014]

Go Buckeyes go Rockets Toledo baby born and raised Southside but don't live there no more I reside in Arizona Toledo fell to shit.

[@Thom4123]

Thank you so much great information to know before going out to a craft show. David have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

[@MakeSomething]

Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!

[@coreyjberg]

Most excellent video with great tips and info. Thanks!

[@nebelungpixie9373]

Hey, Toledo ! On the other side ! Great video !!!

[@ManCrafting]

David, making money doing something you enjoy is always a good thing. I would probably call the money after expenses income rather than profit. You have to pay yourself for your time. This video is filled with a bunch of great tips for the people who do craft shows. I have helped my MIL who does a bunch, and occasionally will put a few of my projects out for display. I had to stop though. I couldn't keep up with the orders. If, I was doing it full time, I'd be all over these shows. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Great info. Thanks. I'm sharing this on the ManCrafting FB.

[@bill7778]

ManCraftingTM Income is what you collect when selling, Profit is what is left over after overhead.. don't forget about the Taxes .

[@tlc3636]

i work full-time but do woodwork part-time, i had a rule that i have to buy all my tools with the profits i make in woodwork. 2 years down the line i have a good problem of trying to make tables ,chairs and all-sorts of things for customers and small retailer. i just wish i had the balls to say right I'm a full-time woodworker

[@jmccutc89]

Loving your Toledo shirt!! Fresh into woodworking, got the tools just learning the skills. I live in the point, might of bumped into you at some time.lol

[@tigersunruss]

Nice video, highly informational, loved it!

[@Torsan1977]

Cool video! Very good tips!

[@HAN_dMade]

Really great tips!! Thank you always!!

[@claterpult]

So much great advice! You're an awesome dude, thanks

[@johngennusa1317]

Very informative. Thanks for the great videos!

[@bitterclinger5876]

David, this is great advice for anyone considering selling at craft fairs. The wife and I tried outdoor, "market days" type events in the Texas Hill Country for about 2 years with poor results (I'm a custom cabinetmaker by trade, and she is very talented at a number of crafts). We got a lot of compliments on our merchandise, but sales seldom covered the costs. The small wood items were mid-range ($50 and up) so we may have had too high an entry price point, who knows. A number of the other vendors typically had poor sales, too. Seems like a lot of folks came out for fresh air and to walk their dogs, but seldom bought anything. The food vendors always seemed to make out like bandits, though! Two other points I would mention: event insurance, and a platform cart to get your goods and equipment between the site and your car or truck. There are a number of web-based companies that sell short-term liability coverage for this purpose. Our premium was about $40 for a 2 or 3 day show -- small price to pay for peace of mind in case someone twists their ankle in your booth and wants to sue for your kids' inheritance! And a sturdy hand truck or platform dolly will help minimize trips and save your back when setting up or tearing down.

[@kennykyle4813]

Great list David. One thing you could add to the list is lights. If it's a night show there are battery operated LED lights you can get to put in your booth. I saw you were in an indoor event, my wife and I were doing the art shows that were held outside and we had to have a tent but to be accepted to these shows most required booth shots so like you said take pictures of your set up so you can apply to more shows if you like doing them. Great advice though.

[@knightcrafted7]

Yo Brother - This is soooo helpful, thank you so much for being transparent, open and honest. regarding stolen items- yes its a loss of money but on the flip side - Someone wanted it soooo bad the took it. That's how i look it.

[@JonathanRansom]

Very neat to see the fruit from all your labor.

[@jamesdelmage986]

great info David

[@rumnahal]

Good man, very clear and informative... enjoy

[@planbcool4318]

Thanks for sharing. Very helpful and kind of you.

[@maspuding]

i'm following your path man.. you're awesome.. you just give me inspiraaaaaaations.. hahahahaha.. god i love woodworking

[@millerscustomwoodproducts4638]

Great info! Thanks for sharing!

[@ninoinreno]

Thank you so much for sharing this information! I am considering craft shows but they seem to be a dying business in my area (Nevada).

[@KBBAKTHA]

Brilliant video.

[@thegunguymartin]

Great advice brother ... Thank you !