I have done this ALL of my life,,, being military it allowed me to stay home with kids and SEE things too....I come from a family of artist/crafters, so I come by it honestly....the addiction to selling your wares that is...
anyway... you have to do your homework...really know your area, your markets, your show promoters...etc...
it takes so much time to do shows...IF you are doing large shows..
I make just as much money at small shows...rural OK has more small shows anyway! AND being the HOME of Hobby lobby, everyone here thinks they are the Martha of homemade stuff!
This fall the most booths were filled with crappy gaudy costume jewelry and rhinestone everything....oh, and crocheted baby headbands with giant flowers on them...eeewww...
you see little to NO sewn stuff and NO quilted stuff..reason...this is OK..they think they invented quilting and everyone sews and or quilts!
what few you will see are the stuff made from Hobby Lobby fabrics, usually backed with fleece and tied..and they do sell...for about $35....yeah, you can not make money on that!
I learned my first year here that sewn stuff was out of the game....I do hand made goat milk soap, and all natural organic herbal bath products! Not my first love, but it sells better than sewn stuff!
IN Alaska, it is was sewn stuff....everyone loved a good wall hanging, sewing cases, you name it....if you sewed it, it would sell! Same with anything knitted or crocheted!
In MI, I sold to 3 markets, up in the thumb was rural farmers, if it was not useful, they did not buy it! period...
over in Saginaw, it was yuppie time, anything trendy sold..at the time it was all things wooden and painted!
down around Detroit (Utica) it was ALL things...
the funny part of MI was if I sold an item in the thumb area it had to be priced so that I made NO money on it...in Saginaw I could make about 50% return..but in Utica/Selfridge, I could make 300%! All on the very same item!
In Italy, I had a great market...anything hand made by an American sold like crazy! I specialized in doll clothes & Christmas stuff there....what a market I had....
So, there you have a wealth of useless information..hehehe
the bottom line, do what you love, never follow a trend, do your homework, and remember, if you make more than $600 a year, you have to pay taxes on that!....