I’m neck deep in yarn show preparations, and as a yarn show newbie I’m forever discovering new things that I haven’t considered before. I’ve done small community craft shows before, but next month heralds my first “big yarn shows” and to be honest, I’m equal parts terrified, excited, and stressed. I’m like a Venn Diagram of emotions, or a pie chart of negativity and anxiety. If I were a visual representation, I would look like this:
Here are some things you have to consider when preparing for a yarn show, especially for the first time:
Labels!
Anyone who has received an order in the past few weeks will have noticed the EXCITING NEW TAGS that now grace the yarns, with a new logo designed by my other half. Did you know that tags are actually quite expensive?!
Payment!
Aside from getting a chunk of small bills for change from the bank, it’s also important to figure out a way to take card payments. Some people use the PayPal card reader, or the Square Reader, I got an iZettle and so far, it works. Let’s just hope it continues to work, right? (This is another thing that costs money; not only is the little machine a cost, they also take 2.5% of every sale.)
Stand displays!
Here’s a confession: I still have no idea how I’m going to tackle this, and I’m 4 weeks away from the Perth Festival of Yarn. Those big grids are not only expensive, and heavy, but LARGE and probably won’t fit in our small eco-friendly car or in fact, our apartment for all the time we AREN’T at shows. Storage is at a premium around here, so it’s likely that my display will be slightly…more rustic. Stay tuned.
Stock!
It’s one thing to have stock for online orders, and it’s another thing entirely to build up enough stock for a large show over a weekend, especially when you have no idea how much you’re going to sell. So if you come by on day two of Yarndale and I’m standing amidst empty boxes, you’ll know I made a crucial error in calculations (that probably won’t happen, I hope). But buying extra raw materials is, again, another cost.
Kits, patterns, printed stuff!
Leaflets with information, patterns on paper to purchase, kits with patterns, bags, business cards, flyers, it’s all stuff to get ordered and hopefully delivered before we get into the car.
Accommodation!
You mean we can’t just sleep in the car and wake up fresh as a daisy? No?
Probably a billion other things:
I have so many lists right now. Lists for my lists for my lists. A billion notebooks with half-legible writing that are probably important things that I won’t be able to read when it comes time to think about finishing up these plans. At this point I won’t be surprised if all the yarns make it, but I forgot to pack MYSELF.
First times at anything are definitely about learning- and you’ll figure it all out. In a year, you’ll be an old pro at this. I wish I could come see you, but I’m at least one ocean and one continent away. I hope you have the best time ever!
[…] I’ve been putting everything together, and as it’s my first large show there’s a lot to think about. Check out this post if you want to know what the heck I’m talking about. […]