A few years ago my sister, mother, and I all got a booth at a church fall festival/craft fair. In terms of giving me months of knitting with a purpose, having fun with my sis & mom, and spending two days in a hippie tent, it was a great success. In terms of making money... it was a bust. I profited a few bucks but nothing like the Scrooge McDuck money pile I'd imagined diving into post craft fair. As I reminded Kelly of recently, our prices didn't matter: no one was looking.
Long story short: I went to Pearland with a huge box of hats and an empty wallet. I drove back from Pearland with a huge box of hats and money for lunch.
My mom has a connection to a local shop and my hats sold surprisingly well there for the last few years. I'd already done all of the knitting, so all I had to do was give them a portion of the money and then be surprised by a check in the mail once in a while.
Another long story short: all of the local artisans were given the boot and now I have a big bag full of hats sitting on our dining room table.
"Start an Etsy shop" people say. To which I reply, "Why?" I'll just be white noise. Have you ever searched "knit hat" on Etsy?! Plus, who wants to deal with shipping? And annoying customers? And people who request items?
I've considered going to another craft fair. This time I would sit by myself with all of my hats and a sign that reads something like, "Donate money to my children's college education and get a free hat. Minimum $10 donation."
Actually... that's not a bad idea...
That is genius! Great idea! I'll contribute a batch of seed mix for nourishment.
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