Bead Fest: A Vendor's Perspective

Last year I decided to take the plunge and sell my beads at a bead show.  I figured Bead Fest was the perfect place to do it since I'd been attending as a buyer for years.  Go big or go home, right?

On Thursday, we headed out from NJ to the convention center.  It seemed so strange wheeling my stuff in and seeing everyone setting up their tables.  I admit, I squealed when I saw my empty booth.

 Getting the tablecloths, lamps and jewelry on the table wasn't too bad but figuring out how to lay the beads took awhile.  The tables they provide are much narrower than what I had practiced on at home.  Eventually, I had a layout I was happy with.

When I saw all my beads on the table I started to spazz out, thinking I didn't have nearly enough stock.  I slept that terrible feeling off that night.

When the doors opened on Friday morning I felt so anxious.  I really wasn't sure what to expect.  I put on my biggest smile and waited...  It wasn't long before my booth was hopping.  I had friends, online friends and total strangers come over.  It was pretty cool when people held up their lists, pointed to my business name and said they came to see my beads.

Funny faces greeting customers.

Friday ended up being a wonderful day for sales AND a great day of meeting new people and making connections.

I shared the booth with my bead partner-in-crime, Jan Onipenco/Molten Mayhem.  Here she is with Colin (aka The Suburban Guy).

Colin was a wonderful help.  He handled all the transactions and provided Jan and I with much needed shopping/social/bathroom/food breaks.  We really couldn't have done it without him.  He was an important part of this well-oiled bead machine.

So, what kinds of important things did I learn during this experience?  Well for one, you never really have any clue if you have enough or too much inventory.  It's a learn as-you-go thing.  Friday was a bang-up day for business but then Saturday slowed and Sunday was almost a dead stop as far as sales were concerned.  Make what you can make.  You can't ask for more than that.

The reality of what it looks like inside your booth.
  

Also, smile at your potential customers.  A warm smile welcomes people AND you never know who might be shopping your table.

While I didn't make my goal, I did do pretty well for my first time out.  I also made some excellent connections and just had a real fun time.  I certainly recommend every bead maker try a show at least once.

Keep the cloth down and no one will ever know.

It was a great experience and I can't wait to do it again next year.