2 Key Points Your Craft Show Display Must Convey

Craft shows have been levelling up since I sold at my first one in 2005.

They’re in bigger venues, attracting bigger crowds, and are better organized, branded, and marketed.

Craft show vendors are no longer crafters making random items and seeing if they can earn a few extra bucks.

They’re business owners focused on profits and creating professional-looking displays, well-crafted products, and thoughtfully planned product lines. 

Craft shows are competitive and you need to bring your A-game.

To attract shoppers and optimize sales, you should be able to answer the following two questions, and clearly communicate them to craft show shoppers.

 

What you make & Why you make it

There was a reason you started your business right? You’re not simply making soap, or jewelry, or art because you’re capable of doing so. 

You started your business because you knew you could offer something better or different than what’s out there. 

That reason is the story behind what you do. 

And it matters to shoppers, so your craft show display must communicate that message.

Through your product selection (and with the help of props, signage, sales pitch, etc.), your craft show display should tell shoppers:

1. What you make
2. Why you make it

 

1) What you make

What you make may seem straightforward (e.g. I make jewelry).

But there are ways you can muddy the message and throw shoppers off. 

Shoppers must be able to quickly, easily, and clearly define what you make and whether or not it’s a fit for them.

You’re running a SMALL business. 

When people shop with a small handmade business, they want to feel like they’re shopping with a boutique business (i.e. a business servicing a small segment of the market and offering a specialized product or service).

When you make and display too many types of products or offer too much variety, you’re not specializing in anything. 

Craft show shoppers should be able to immediately define what type of “specialty store” you’re running.

Do you sell:

• Bath and body products?
• Pottery?
• Hair accessories?
• Jewelry?
• Bags?

What you sell may be defined by a category of product (e.g. bags) or subcategory of product (e.g. cosmetic bags). Often, the more you niche down, the clearer your “what” becomes.

 

Or it may be defined by a specific purpose your products fulfill in your customers’ lives. For example, a vendor may sell items that fall under a variety of categories (e.g. bags, hair accessories, coffee mugs, etc.) but every item is for bachelorette parties. 

A vendor selling too many types of products sends a confusing message. Are they a jewelry business? A home decor business? An accessory business? A soap business?

It’s okay for a big business or department store to check all those boxes. However, a small handmade business trying to check too many boxes will make a consumer question the quality of the products.

Imagine your ideal customer and how they might fill in the blanks:

I go to _________ (your business name) when I need the best _________ (what you sell).

 

2. Why you make it

Every business should serve a specific purpose.

Imagine another toilet paper brand showing up on grocery store shelves. Are you going to buy it if it looks identical to the brand you already know and trust and is the same price…or maybe even more expensive?

If a business is simply making the same type of items their competitors are, there’s no reason (in the consumer’s mind) to take a chance on an unknown business.

There must be a reason for a new business to exist, and shoppers must see and understand that reason if they’re going to buy.

>> Why does your business exist and why should shoppers buy from you?

>> What space are you filling in the marketplace and in your customers’ lives?

Again, if you’re offering too many styles and variations of your products, it muddies your message.

Focusing on a product feature, a niche, serving a different customer, etc. can create a strong “why” for your craft show table.

Bro Brick is one of my favourite (local) examples of a soap business with a good “why”.

When the majority of craft show soap vendors were selling bars of soap in floral or fruit scents and targeting women, Bro Brick featured soap scents, packaging, and branding that targeted men.

I first came across Bro Brick back in 2014, and as of writing this (2024), the business is still going strong. That shows the power of a strong “why”.

 

Bro Brick started their business with a unique angle.

But you don’t have to create something no one else is creating. You just need to be doing something that feels a little more special, or fitting, or different, than what consumers typically see. 

 

Focus on a product feature

You’ve defined the type of product you specialize in; now consider the way in which your products are slightly different or better than your competitors.

Explore your product’s features, such as:

• materials/ingredients
• colors/prints
• production process
• benefits
• who it’s for
• etc.

Are there one or two product features you specialize in?

For example, when selling travel bags, I could focus on:

• A feminine color palette and fabric prints (colors/prints).
• Leakproof bags for airplane travel (benefit)
• Cosmetic bags for men (who it’s for).

• A bath & body vendor may focus on using goat’s milk in the majority of their products (ingredients)
• A jewelry vendor may incorporate “love” gemstones into the majority of their pieces (materials)
• A vendor may make hair accessories that reduce hair breakage (benefit)
• A vendor may focus on creating throw pillows for children’s playrooms/bedrooms (who it’s for)

When the majority of your products incorporate that specific product feature, it helps communicate what you do differently.

Consider what makes your products slightly different or better than what your target market is used to seeing.

Highlight those products in your display and use signage/sales pitches to help communicate that message.

 

 

Feel free to share what you make and why you make it in the comments.