Originally Posted by UglyCook
I didn't find craft fairs very lucerative. I've focused on clubs and music groups like choirs and bands. If you can get an "in" with the spouses of a senior (like over 70) team, they are good customers. I've gotten some school music accounts by offering a gift of a personalized shirt to the music director along with my price list. I offer free logo design and digitizing with a group order. I've never specified the size of the order but have never had an order for less than 12 and some as large as 400.
Donate 10 embroidered shirts to school auctions. I offer a simple, 2 color logo on t-shirts of my choosing in a color we agree upon. (10 t-shirts at wholesale are going to cost about $20). In every case I've gotten an "upgraded" order to more expensive shirts, more colors and more shirts.
Focus on pricing. It may seem exciting to sell 25 towels, but if your profit is only $3 each, that's a lot of work. It would be better to sell 3 stadium blankets at $35 each with a $25 profit.
Get a biz license and resellers permit for your state and set up wholesale accounts. Many places do not require huge minimum orders. Sanmar is very good for shirts, hats and bags.
I've heard good things about Melco machines and the support. I see them many places, too.
Go for it! :thumbup:
Thank you, and I never head of the above 70's? Hadn't thought about music groups either, thanks.
I do have a lot of items for Red Hat ladies clubs, thought I'd do a vender booth at a multi club annual event.
I have lots for golf clubs, some for darts and bowling leagues. Need some for adult softball leagues to approach.
Have ideas for personalized to baby shops and bridal shops. We have a Norwegian store, and I hoped to stitch some Rosemaling napkins/table clothes/towels/runners/aprons, my mom is very Norwegion heritage, has a house full of all sorts of this (like a store it's so much), and many folks up here are big collectors, we have what's called the Norsk Hostfest, HUGE, even the Prince of Norway comes, it's bigger than our state fair. I also make totes & blouses/jackets.
Then I'm making totes & bookmarks for the local library, very small town of 1200, so that will be in the tiny once a wk newspaper, and hoping publicity gains notice. I'm also making these multi-window framed samplers for various places in our community as a "thank you for service"...another way to get a tidbit in news and noticed. (plus genuinly wanted to show appreciation especially all the volunteer units we have).
I have an item for lost babies, to go through the local funeral home and the funeral home our son was in, that I'll simply donate each time..parents are grieving, I don't want to be a valture. BUT, these items also are good to market to photography studios as a prop for baby photos, I can sell them there.
And donations for all types of cancer to the AmCancerSoc, Cancer Walk for raffle fund raisers, my name will be there.
And the humain society, pet blankets to sell, framed stitcheries of dogs and cats I can personalize with names. And a 'pets' quilt for their fund raising raffle. I don't do the raffles, don't want to mess with it, but donate to these places to do it. Still, gets your work and name out there, they put in the program who donated what & contact info in a sm.ad box.
I have some extremely fancy ideas I believe will go over at certain craft fairs where the booth cost is minimal, again, get that name out, take custom orders. I made my dad a fishing denim coat, has the little fish with great grandchildren, fish with grandchildren, and pair of lures with my sis & hubby and my hubby and I, then mom on the front. EVERYONE wants that jacket, so I get lots of custom orders on that piece. Pricing is a problem for me lately..I don't feel I'm getting paid enough for the time involved. Maybe a big machine will adjust that for me?
How do you price? Any other brainstorming ideas we can share? Since DH works away from home, and I'm usually alone, I like keeping very busy especially the long winter months. Summer I have 21 acres & hay 32 with a neighbors land, and have 4500 sq ft of gardens, just planted 650 more flower bulbs last month for next spring. I have 3 acres I keep mowed lawn, haul water for tree's & gardens (too far out), and keep my home tidy which is a larger old house remodeled by my husband, 4800 sq ft, takes a few hrs to clean his apartment, takes a couple full days to clean that house. But winters..just need to keep busy, not so lonely then. I do travel to see him now and then, but this last trip, he's been on job 6 days I've been here, and home (aprt)1-1/2days, and gone again. We catch what we can, and we talk many times a day between his 'tasks'. Life is a challenge, but we're employed, been unemployed 9 months before this job, we count our blessings.
So... any other suggestions, anyone, as to places to market to? I won't be as big a set up for huge orders, but could handle couple hundred. Do you do caps? one lady don't like the machine change to do caps, so she don't do them. Just not sure how to approach businesses yet, that intimidates me until I get an approach worked out...help?