ReeHart – Blogging from the Heart

Posts Tagged ‘craft fairs’

My wife and I recently got back from the Spring Bada-Bing at around midnight yester night. I was highly satisfied with how the craft show turned out; I can say it was a very good show, indeed! We’re both very exhausted, of course, and things weren’t as perfect as we’d want them to be. But, all in all, we still had a good time and we made some sales.

We could not have expected a much better organized show. You’ll immediately note that the venue is arranged beautifully as you go inside; it’s perfect for an up and up craft fair. It was no problem to unload our stuff early in the morning, as there were a lot of volunteers to help us carry our goods to our booth. Along with two chairs, tables were already accounted for, so it was pretty good to not have to worry about bringing our own tables and chairs.

Lunch might have been a bit of a problem as there weren’t a lot of options near the venue, but fortunately for us, the Mafia of Richmond Crafts organized a lunch-in option for the vendors. It was stress-free, and they brought the relatively cheap meals straight to our booths. It was unsurprising, as this is the 4th time they’ve put on this show; the organizers really know how to handle it. I heard no word of anything that went wrong, and if anything did, I’m sure it was an easily fixed minor problem.

The number of people in attendance was a bit lower than expected, but as I never had a chance to actually see the attendance log, it could only be my perception. Besides, the place was nice and big, and there were a lot of places to hang out. I’d say that there was a light, but steady flow of customers.

Of course, the most important question is how much we made in relation to the costs of the show. I guess we did pretty good: My wife and I both had tight schedules on the days leading to the show, so we weren’t as well-prepared as we would’ve liked. This affected our sales a little, I believe. So, I’d say, for us, it was a good but not great show.

South Carolina is responsible for many of the agricultural products that circulate in and around United States. When you drink that glass of milk, or light up that proud cigar, do you ever stop and think about where it came from? Chances are, they came from right here in South Carolina.

In addition to agricultural products, we have also been able to make amazing textiles, machinery, automobiles, and even paper products. South Carolina is truly a land of many resources. That is why we are able to produce rich equipment such as this.

By day’s end, though, the majority of people never stop to think about where the things they see everyday come from. People take for granted how much work is really done to make the simplest of things that we use every single day; from breakfast cereal, to school supplies, to automobile parts. These have been made with much effort and thinking on someone else’s part.

This has been my calling for a time now. I haven’t quit my day job, yes, but I have made steps to increase my awareness of the people who are responsible for making these products. To do this, I make a lot of different crafts that depict their lives. I try to work on my art skills for about an hour each day, and I display them on one of the many craft shows held around South Carolina. I’m not about to brag, but I believe my crafts are well-received both by friends and strangers.

What makes my crafts special, perhaps, lies in the way that I depict life in South Carolina. You see, I use the very materials that are so commonly harvested by this rich State and show how life here is. For example, I have a diorama of a tobacco farmer using the very dried leaves that he harvests. It is a very personal way of depicting our life, and many approve of this method.

I only have one thing to say to you if you are not aware of Craft Shows: Where have you been? Don’t sweat it, though, I’ll tell you about them anyway. All over Maine, there has and always will be people like you and me; possessed of varying but equally skilled talents. Yes, you heard me right. You are talented as well. If you do not think of yourself as talented, the more likely scenario is that you just haven’t been able to hone it in a while. What did you enjoy doing as a child? Whatever it is, work hard to maintain it.

Back to the topic at hand; these craft fairs are, at the core, events in which people of varying talents show off their crafts for all to see. You will be amazed at the exquisitely carved statuettes, the fine-shaped glass wares, and even the rare craft made out of common items. Truly, craft shows are the place to go for art.

Now if you either believe that you can do this as well, or better than, the people you’ve met in these fairs, then we may have a prodigy in our midst. If this is the case, you would want to join as a participant yourself! All you have to do is find the right craft show to begin in, and pretty soon, you will be hooked. I will now describe the two basic steps in starting out a hobby of crafts below:

Starting off, we have to find the most appropriate craft fair for you to begin your trade. This is done by going to the Web and using one of its many search engines. In particular, look for craft fairs in your State. You will eventually find a website that catalogs all scheduled craft shows annually.

Once there, all that remains for you to do is choose the best ones; you will most likely prefer the events closest to you. But it doesn’t end there. You also have to contact them one by one, and ask them about their specific event. You see, different organizers have different ideas on how to handle the whole show, and it is these subtle differences that will make the difference.