Craft Show Checklist: what to bring with you

Indie Craft Shows, Special Topics in Calamity Busines 11 comments

image by Arcane Arts

As a continuation of my craft show series this season, I thought I’d share a list of what to bring with you to a craft show. I’m going to focus on outdoor shows, considering we are in the midst of the outdoor season, but most things will apply to an indoor show as well. My last posts in this series were: 15 Tips to increase your craft show sales & 14 Craft Show Display Do’s.

What to Bring With You to a Craft Show?

  1. Scissors
  2. Tape (Various types – Scotch, double-sided, masking & duct)
  3. Pens
  4. Cash – $120 is a good amount to start with. $40 ones, $40 fives & $40 tens.
  5. Someplace handy to store your extra cash and credit cards slips.
  6. Credit card processor. Whether it’s a knucklebuster and slips or an iPhone app.
  7. Clipboard for customers to sign credit card slips.
  8. Business cards
  9. Bags and boxes & other packaging
  10. Your crafting tools to make minor repairs.
  11. Signage – both on the tent and on the table.
  12. Notebook for newsletter sign-up
  13. Mirror
  14. First-aid kit
  15. Sunscreen
  16. Change of shoes & clothes (in case it rains).
  17. Apron with pockets!
  18. Tent with removable walls.
  19. Plastic sheeting for rain coverage. You can use it to cover your tables in an emergency.
  20. Bungee cords
  21. Twine or rope
  22. Sewing kit
  23. Handiwipes
  24. Lint Roller
  25. Ibuprofen, Anti-histamine & and other meds.
  26. Paper towels
  27. Trash Bags
  28. Toilet paper
  29. Snacks
  30. Water
  31. Lunch – you can never be sure what will be there.
  32. Chair or stool
  33. Tent weights
  34. Helpers!
  35. Extra price tags
  36. Stick pins – pin lightweight objects to table to keep from blowing away & pin the edges of table cover to keep from blowing.
  37. Binder clips – can be useful to keep table coverings from blowing around as well as for other stuff.
  38. Camera
  39. Calculator
  40. Mints!
  41. Basic beauty kit for you – brush, lip gloss, hair-ties, barrettes, hand lotion, deodorant, etc.
  42. Receipt forms for cash transactions.
  43. Tissues
  44. Basic tools – hammer, screwdriver
  45. Dolly or luggage carts
  46. All-natural insect repellent – don’t be spraying chemicals around other people.
  47. Sunglasses/hat
  48. Cell phone
  49. Laptop – if you need it for processing credit cards. Otherwise, leave it at home.
  50. Blank notebook to record sales, take custom orders, etc.
  51. Promotional materials besides biz cards. Stickers, pins, pencils. People love freebies.
  52. Candy to give away and to eat!
  53. Fishing line – good to hang stuff from tent and affix items to table.
  54. Paper weights
  55. Extra backs for earrings & other extras suitable to your craft.
  56. Business license
  57. Craft show details – starting time, break-down time, organizer’s contact info, etc.
  58. Sales tax chart
  59. Credit card sign. Don’t assume people will ask.
  60. Checklist of everything you want to bring.
  61. And, of course, all your crafts, tables, display stuff, etc.
image by Modern Crush

image by caitlin is nice
image by by birdtracks
 

11 comments

  2. I bring all those goodies to craft shows. I have been at many, many shows where someone need twine, tape, a safety pin etc and I’m the only one who had whatever they were looking for. My daughter would come back to the table with somebody looking for something and say I know my mom has it, and sure eneough I did. 🙂

  4. I’m doing my first craft show in October and am so glad to find this checklist! Thanks for supplying this information. I’ll be checking back to it often!

  5. Whew. Thanks. I have been thinking about making this list, and getting myself organized so I can start selling at the local fairs and shows. That’s one less thing I have to do!

  7. Thank you for the helping hand. Just finished a weekend with no babywipes or papertowel and realized how important a comprehensive list was going to be! One less thing to have to do for the next show. Bless your generous heart.

  9. Wow! Thank you for thinking of practically everything! What do you estimate the cost of this grocery list of things you need to bring? The whole thing seems incredibly daunting. Definitely sounds like it’s time to call in the reinforcements. Thank you again for the amazing list.

Comments are closed.