Craft fairs are becoming too costly for craftsmen
Is it the death of the British craft markets? I am wondering if anybody makes money at craft fairs and if they do, where in the country they live and the type of prices they pay for a stall.
I just attempted what I thought would be a great family day out, which it was, at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex where there was a antique, craft fair plus boot sale along with kids rides and live bands etc.
The stall cost 40 and I made 28! With a loss of 12 before coffee and fuel. Three weeks ago I did a smaller craft fair in Uckfield for 20 where only six customers walked through the door, needless to say nobody made any money.
And previous to that a very very large 150 two-day stall in Brentwood, Essex I made 25, with the loss of 150 plus fuel.
Talking to everybody else trying out all the different craft fairs or summer events, even food fairs are saying the same, nobody is covering their costs with the odd exception of the jewellery stalls just covering their money.
Most people seem to have tried three or four fairs at the most, because I am guessing, the crafters cannot afford to keep on paying the money out with no return.
I price my items cheaper at the fairs in the hope of bagging a sale on something like a cushion, and today as of all the markets I have done, the children want and love the skull andcross bone cushions I make but the parents say at 10 they are too expensive.
I would love for them to try and buy the infill, fabrics and have change of 10 before they have attempted to sew it together.
Maybe I have just hit a low point and have lost all faith in British people buying British, especially as they seem to be banging on about it on the TV!
People would rather go to Tesco and buy their matching aprons for under 5, made in India, (bearing in mind I put my half aprons down to 5) and then pop to Next for a 12 run of the mill cushion, made in China.
If British people don't support those crafters out there, then there will be no crafters, no craft markets, Christmas markets, no 'buying British' because people will just give up.
Karen Anderson
Willowfield Square
Eastbourne.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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