Behind the Scenes at a Craft Fair with And Hope Designs
Once I’m onsite and set up, craft fairs and markets are some of my favourite days to be a small business owner. They’re a wonderful blend of community, creativity, and connection, and the atmosphere is like nothing else.
Craft fairs have helped me reach new customers and connect with other small, local business owners. They’re an opportunity to receive real-time feedback about my products, and I love giving customers the chance to see everything in person. They can feel the thickness and texture of the cards, inhale the scent of my candles, see the size of my mugs, and really get a sense of how things will look in their own home as they see colours in person rather than on a screen.
My Favourite Markets and Craft Fairs
My favourite markets are run by Arked. They’re beautifully curated and filled with small businesses run by Christians. They’re held in beautiful locations like the Titanic Hotel in Belfast, and Arked do everything they can to make them great for both traders and customers alike.
The Challenges of Selling at Craft Fairs
The biggest challenge is figuring out which craft fairs fit your business. I’ve been attending markets for four years, and I’ve had numerous experiences that were more depressing than life-giving. It’s a learning curve!
Sometimes the popular markets aren’t a good fit, while other lesser-known craft fairs are surprisingly good for your business. It’s difficult to predict the footfall, understand what people want, and determine whether your products align with what they’re looking for.
The next challenge is deciding how to display your products. Over the years, I’ve invested in display fittings, and I’m finally reaching a point where I’m happy with the way my stall showcases my products. It makes a big difference.
How I Prep for a Craft Fair
Preparation begins a few days in advance. I start by deciding what products to bring. I have over 200 greeting card designs, but I can only display around 40 on my card spinner. Then, I usually practice setting up my table at home. This gives me time to move things around, photograph my display, and assess what’s missing or needs to be changed.
If possible, I’ll pack the car the night before and create a checklist of everything I need – products, display fittings, and essentials like snacks and water for myself. I mustn’t forget the card reader, change, and a power bank. Annoyingly, my phone isn’t guaranteed to hold a charge all day.
Behind the Scenes at a Craft Fair with And Hope Designs
Here’s how I recently spent the day at Cohen + Co’s Autumn Market...
7am - Early Start
I wake up early, and as I’m taking my 11-year-old daughter along with me today, I make sure she’s up and getting dressed too. I take a quick shower and pull on my market day dress. I wear the same outfit to every craft fair as it’s one less thing to think about.
The car is already packed with boxes of prints, cards, stationery, and my display fittings. I do a last-minute check to ensure I have my float, card reader, and plenty of business cards.
7:50am - And We’re Off!
We set off with a full car and Google Maps to guide us. My timeslot for setting up is 8:20-8:40am.
8.22am - Setting Up
We arrive at the gorgeous venue, Tullyveery House, and find somewhere to park. Unloading begins. This is always a slightly chaotic part of the day, but thinking ahead about what I’ll need first definitely helps. My table is in the rear footwell of the car and my trolley is positioned at the front of the boot, so we can easily remove these items and begin unloading everything else in a logical order.
My stand slowly comes to life. Prints are lined up to create colour coordination and cards are arranged on my card spinner. Mugs, tea towels, and fairy lights complete the table, making it look warm and inviting. I love stepping back at the end to take it all in.
10:00am - Doors Open to Visitors
There’s a lovely buzz as people start filtering in. The first conversations of the day usually begin with, ‘did you make all of these?’ and it’s always so encouraging to see people’s faces light up when they spot a design that resonates. My favourite is when a customer says something along the lines of, ‘oh, I love this! I bought the card but having it as a print is such a wonderful idea’. This happened a couple of times at this market, and it’s encouraging to hear I’m creating things people love.
11:00am - Morning Rush
Entrance is ticketed, so every hour or so there’s a rush of people. By 11am, the fair is in full swing. There are crowds weaving between stalls, and I’m chatting non-stop. I'm not very good at starting conversations and prefer to let shoppers browse at their own pace. However, I do love to share the stories behind my products when asked, and I’m always happy to recommend gift ideas.
Sales flow, and I teach my daughter how to take card payments so she can be more involved. What an opportunity to teach a life skill in real time, showing her how this part of running your own business works!
One of the organisers stopped by with complimentary cakes which made for a lovely treat. I was caught eating when a customer wanted to buy some stickers, so I quickly wiped my hands and got back to serving!
1:00pm - Lunchtime Lull
There’s often a quieter spell around lunchtime. I usually bring a packed lunch, but with my daughter in tow, I decided we’d treat ourselves to something from the food vendors. We enjoyed a catch-up over our pizza and placed bets on how much we would take for the day – a fun way to gamify things and stay motivated for the rest of the fair. My guess was more conservative than my daughter’s, so we both secretly hoped she’d win!
2:30pm - Afternoon Energy
Once everyone has finished lunch, the footfall picks up again, and the afternoon brings new conversations. It’s always a little unnerving when everything slows right down for a couple of hours, but invariably people do start coming back. Some return for a second look while others are buying gifts for birthdays or ‘just because’. This is often when I sell more of my larger items as people don’t want to carry a heavy set of mugs or an A3 print around all day.
4:00pm - Slowing Down
Later in the day, I go for a wander around other stalls and admire everyone’s gorgeous creations. I also welcome other stallholders to mine, and we chat about small business life.
Today, a regular customer who lives close by popped in, and her sale made the difference between me winning and Bethany winning our bet. Her purchase felt extra special because she told me she hadn’t planned on coming in advance but decided to attend after reading my email where I mentioned I’d be there. I love that Cohen + Co. usually has tickets available on the day for later time slots.
5:00pm - Packing Down
The fair comes to a close, and it’s time to carefully pack everything away. The car is loaded back up (slightly lighter, especially in A5 prints, by far my bestseller of the day!), and as usual I feel a mix of tiredness and satisfaction.
6:30pm - Home Again
We stop off for a snack on the way home and return to the chaos of family life. Baths are in progress, there’s pasta on the floor, and it’s as though we’d never been away. I unpack the car and greet all the boys, asking about their day. My head is full of conversations, and my heart is grateful. I’m too tired to think about making dinner, so I order Chinese.
Over dinner, I recall, debrief, and catch up with my husband and our two eldest children. I tell them about the joy of customers who stopped by, the fellow makers I chatted with, and the pleasure of sharing my work in person. We also unveiled a little treat we bought at the market – a pot of Wonderfluff from The Mallow Makers.
See You at the Next One?
Craft fairs are hard work but so rewarding. It takes me about three days of non-stop work to prepare. I only need to print specific wall art or greeting cards ahead of a market, but for those who sew, embroider, or make all their stock to order, it would take even longer. It’s worth it though. Craft fairs always remind me why I do what I do – to connect with people, bring encouragement, and send a little joy out into the world, one product at a time.
To discover brilliant, local craft fairs in and around Belfast, and find out where I’ll be selling next, you can check this list or sign-up to my mailing list.
