art festivals and fairs

i have a little extra time while the washer is going, so i'll throw in a bit about arts & crafts festivals. Again, I'm no seasoned veteran of these festivals, but i'll share what i know. first: apply online for an OPAL permit...it's free, and you must have it in order to collect tax on what you sell. it is required by the festivals, and very very often there are representatives from the IRS walking through looking for them to be displayed. when yours arrives, make a color copy to file, and have the other one laminated. this is not a tax ID number...this simply shows that you have the authority to collect tax. and pay tax. quarterly. do not be late, even if you owe nothing. this permit also will allow you to buy certain materials without paying tax on them. if the item will be used in resale, then no tax is collected by the seller. READ the tax website about this, though...don't trust my memory on that part. Regarding festival applications: sept, october-ish is the time to start deciding where you want to apply. many applications are due in the early part of the year, believe it or not. There is usually an application fee, sometimes non-refundable. there is always a fee for your booth space at the festival. fees generally run between $50-$500+ and depends on how many years the fair has been running, how many people generally visit, average sales, and the level of professionalism of the artists that are accepted. this fee should be factored in when pricing your product. most require a jury process to get in. some require that your booth jury in as well. if this is your first year doing festivals, contact them and explain that. be prepared for them to either reject your application, or require a detailed description of your planned setup. the items that jury in are generally the only ones that will be allowed to be shown, and if you run out of necklaces and decide to put some of your collages up instead, the people running the show can ask you to shut down, forfeiting your fees and your time. There are many types of booths you can buy. the most popular is the ProPanel. it's a bit pricey, depending on what you add in, but plan to pay around $1200. absolutely essential is the EZ-Up tent to cover the booth. there is nothing EZ about setting up the tent or the booth. just sayin. it is well worth the investment to get the screen sides with the regular sides that come down. this will allow air flow with the tarps rolled up, and protection from the rain with them down. (and it always rain at least 1 day!). practice setting this up at home a few times before getting to your venue. you often have to squeeze in between 2 other vendors that are already set up. invest in the weight set for the legs. some sporting goods stores have them, too. they are weights that have a cut-out in them that fit around the legs of the tent. the propanels are inside the tent, and attached by velcro strips. be sure to get a tent with a vent flap at the top, but be aware of where it is, in case it leaks. the vent is important in case of wind - if your tent lifts off, it will take your display with it to Oz. and should it decide to knock into a neighboring tent and smash their beautiful display of blown glass, you are technically (and legally) responsible for the damage. you can afford weights more than you can afford the damage. and hard feelings. and possibly being black-listed from festivals. also, have a high desk or table near the back, with a directors chair and stool. people are more likely to come into your booth and look around if you are out of the way. sitting near the front entrance may provide more room inside, but the customer will have to turn away from your work to talk to you, rather than stay engaged. it also makes them feel like they're being watched. when someone enters your booth, greet them warmly, and let them know you're the artist and will be happy to answer any questions. stay off your cell phone during the show. it is rude, and lets potential customers leave. if you do any type of craft that can be worked on during the show, bring a piece to work on. it will give interested prospective customers a chance to see why that small beaded purse costs so much...all that work! plus it gives an opportunity to establish a rapport with a potential customer. if you do custom work, this would be the time to explain that. any person who sets foot inside your tent is a potential customer. treat them like a guest. at a recent art fair, the guy in the tent next to me started selling bottled water from a cooler for $1. he made a ton of cash. it was scorching hot out. i'm not sure how the health department felt about that, or if there are rules/licensing regarding that. but certainly keep a cooler packed with small "pods" of bottled water in the back, behind the desk. i can't see a problem with giving a free bottle to a customer who made a purchase, telling them "you look warm! here - take one of my waters." you are now a hero. always always put your biz card in with the package. I use Vistaprint for my cards. make sure they are easy to read. i made the mistake of putting too much on the front of my card, and when they arrived, i could hardly read my contact info. they were only $3.99 for 250, so i redid them with just my biz name & contact info (usually website and phone) on the front, and splurged $6.99 and had the description of my business on the back. this will free up enough room to make the font bigger. Spend some money on boxes and bags, too. I use ULINE or Clearbag and have found their service and quality spectacular. (i recently bought some mats for prints at Clearbag, and noticed that the top mat was a little fuggly, due to the shrinkwrap. i called to let them know, and advised them that it wasn't an issue for me at all...just wanted to let them know. guess what? a few days later, they sent me a pack of new mats -free- with a personal note from the head of the QA department thanking me). you can attach your biz card to the top of a plain gift box to eliminate buying a decorative box, and also have your name right on top. the boxes at ULINE are so ridiculously cheap that there's no excuse not to have them. and it presents a much more polished appearance. ok, so now you've applied, paid, juried in, paid again, have a booth, a tent, a directors chair, boxes & bags, your cell phone & charger with your Square, a receipt book, and pens. stay organized...get 3 large sterlite tubs for all your supplies. 1 tub should have the miscellaneous hooks and screws and velcro for the tent & booth. i usually also put in a hammer, screwdriver, extra roll of velcro from hardware store, T-pins, straight pins, safety pins, table cover, and a small basic tool kit. in the 2nd tub, put your signage (including your beautiful banner from Vistaprint that matches your biz cards), your table cover could go in here instead of the other bin, all of your cashier items: bags, boxes, Square, change purse/bank bag, pens, shipping style tags, extra price tags, a small Dollar Store clipboard to put your receipt book on, a biz card holder, scotch tape, scissors, stapler, a notebook for people to sign up for your mailing list, another notebook for special orders (or use a different section of the other notebook - but don't forget those orders are there!). anything that you would touch to write up and package a sale should go in bin #2. This is your office in a tub. just a quick note about money: always keep it ON you. it will get ripped off, i promise, unless you do. people have had entire cash boxes grabbed. i wear a small pouch that crosses in front of me AND ZIPS SHUT, so my money is always either in front of my body, or on my hip. every so often, i'll clip a bunch of bills together, so when i reach in to make change, i'm not pulling out a super-sized wad of cash. it feels nicer to a customer to think they have just purchased one of a small number of sales. plus, a wad of cash is not safe to flash around. i usually start with $100 bank, mostly 1's and 5's. figure out how much your items will be with tax, and see if you'll need change change too. The 3rd tub should be for your miscellaneous personal stuff: a cooler or insulated lunch bag (i use one of those large Wegmans insulated zipped bags) with your lunch, snacks, lots of water, a wet washcloth, paper towels, aspirin, travel sized deodorant/mouthwash/hand soap, baby powder, and anything else you can think of to freshen up, should you get the opportunity. Last summer, I had a booth at the Downtown Arts & Crafts festival. the bathroom was a block away, and my booth partner had to cancel the day before the show. It was hotter than the hubs of hell all 3 days. I was lucky to have a friend come relieve me twice a day, and when I got to the bathroom, i took full advantage of the time to wash my face, reapply deodorant, brush my teeth, etc. It improved my whole outlook, and i'm sure the customers appreciated it! I know some of these suggestions may sound silly, but trust me, if you are comfortable, you'll project a happier, more inviting image. you only have 2 or 3 days to make some money, after all. If you accept checks, make a photocopy of the name/address before depositing them. add these people to your mailing list. make friends with the other vendors around you...you may learn about other venues, or venues to avoid. there is a camaraderie that develops between the vendors that's nice. If the organizer comes by your tent, thank them for their hard work in getting everything together for the show. it is one of the most difficult jobs to juggle all the details, and all the egos, involved in putting on a festival. try to plan a day off after a festival. you'll need it. Festivals can be very lucrative, or they can cost you money in the end. there's no way to tell ahead of time. for an artist like me, it gives me an opportunity to be out in the public for a change, as opposed to working in my studio alone. but it is a gigantic heap of planning and work to participate. personally, i would never do a 1-day show. there's just too much involved in setting up and tearing down, to make the middle part worthwhile to me. if you have any further questions about festivals, send me an email, or post a question here, and i'll try to answer as best i can. I hope this was helpful!