For years, I have been going to Michigan craft shows. In many ways, the Midwest is a cultural wasteland, but if there is one thing it has going for it, it is the prevalence of art and craft fairs. If you are a lover of handmade crafts or someone who wants to sell them yourself, there is no better place to go. Between fine craft shows, art shows, civic festivals, and seasonal affairs, there is always some place to sell your work – or at least to try to.
If you are starting your own craft business working the festivals, you don't really need to be good. Don't get me wrong – a certain standard of workmanship is required, but the most important thing is to have unconventional craft ideas. When people go to craft shows, it is because they want something handmade and quirky. They don't go to a craft show to get something meticulously built. If they want that, they usually will buy it made at a factory.
Although there are some musical instrument makers and other highly specialized folks at craft shows, the majority of people there sell simple little trinkets. I have seen people who make all of their work out of cut up scraps of tin, people who print out shirts with cute smiley face people on them, and folks who make nothing but incense holders shaped like whimsical wizards. All of them do exceptionally well at the craft shows.
You wouldn't think it, but the craft show business can actually be a rather cutthroat affair. Some of these craft show vendors are so fiercely competitive that it is unpleasant to be near them. Sometimes, because of this, I like to go to the craft shows as a spectator. Usually, I will go to a craft show where I am pretty sure that no one I know will be working. That way, I can pick up new craft ideas, listen to what people are saying about the different handmade works, and even talk to some of the artisans as if I were a customer. It definitely provides a refreshing change from my routine of selling arts and crafts, but beyond that, it allows me to appreciate the art again. When you spend too much time thinking about what will sell, sometimes you forget the beauty of it all. Out of town craft shows are a perfect place to remember it again.
