My first craft fair... help!!

LizzieMays

Hello all,

I set up business a couple of months back, making custom cakes, cupcakes and the like from home. It has been plodding along and I've been happy enough to let it start slow, as I've been figuring out what I'm capable of as I go along (turns out that's more than I thought!). However, it's time to step it up a notch. Or two. I was invited to take part in a Christmas craft fair for charity in Galway on Saturday 8th December; I accepted the offer as I feel I've spent too much time thinking and not enough doing!

I have a feel for what I want to sell (top quality cupcakes, iced biscuits, Christmas cake toppers), I am donating a cake for the raffle and I'll provide samples as well for tasting. I've roped in a friend with brilliant people skills to help me on the day. What I am struggling with is how much to make! This will be the first year of the fair so there aren't any footfall numbers from previous years to guide me; all I know is that it will be "well advertised" in local press and radio. It will be open 10am - 7pm, so a long day.

Can anyone help? I know this isn't much to go on, but with no experience of baking for a fair/market stall, I'm clueless Any advice or guidance gratefully received!

All the best,
Gail

www.facebook.com/lizziemayscakes if you would like to have a look!

Peterdalkey

Make as many as you can to fill your allocated space, if they are selling well, cut the freebies. If the stock is not moving, do bundle pricing for blowouts. If you are left with stock, freeze it or give it to a food charity.

If I was in Galway I would help you get rid of them!!

Make sure to have some sort of simple promotional literature to put with every sale advising punters how they can buy your produce in future.


Good luck

Peter

LizzieMays

Thanks Peter

I will have a 2m table but by the time I have a couple of sample (dummy) cakes out, some cake toppers, a cupcake stand etc, space will fill up quickly so I was planning on keeping some stock stored under the table and replenish as I go along - if I only make enough stock to cover the table (not overcrowding) then I really doubt that would be enough. If I have stock left over I will definitely bring it to a charity / shelter; freezing at that stage unfortunately isn't an option as cupcakes and cookies will both be iced and wouldn't defrost well. I want to do bundle pricing in any case.

I have business cards I'll give out with all purchases and hope to have a digital photo frame on the table as a promotional tool to show photos of some of my work to date.

Guess I'm hoping that someone who does this on a more regular basis might be able to give me a rough average number of what usually sells... I know, I don't ask for much ;-) I just don't want to be making e.g. 200 cupcakes when only 50 will sell, or worse, make 50 and have a much higher demand!

Peterdalkey

Only the cupcake angel can tell you how many cakes an unknown number of people will buy at an unknown visitor number fair. If you fill the available space, including under the table, you can't go wrong. Give them away as samples with a business card and at least you are promoting your business for the future, as long as they are yummy!!


cheers

Peter

LizzieMays

I realise that! Just with no previous experience of running any kind of stall, it's nigh on impossible to take even a best guess at what is a reasonable amount. I'd love a cupcake angel

And they're definitely yummy!!!

Thanks a mill,
Gail

Peterdalkey

I only know a cupcake fairy, but he is in Dublin!! :P

Sorry slow Friday afternoon here!

Peter

PS Dont worry about it, do your best and you will do fine on the day!

LizzieMays

Thanks! I probably need to overestimate, then shut up and get on with it

Cerulean Chicken

Yep there's no way to know how many you need, just have to estimate it the first time and use this as a benchmark for future fairs. Don't give freebies/big samples, if they want to taste it let them buy it.

Peterdalkey

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Yep there's no way to know how many you need, just have to estimate it the first time and use this as a benchmark for future fairs. Don't give freebies/big samples, if they want to taste it let them buy it.

Ah come on! First Fair and looking to make her name, dish it out in taster pieces. If it is good enough, the punter will want more. It is all about building the brand at this stage. If they taste as good as they look on the FB page, the girl is on a winner. As ever, the market decides.

In the interest of transparency, Gail and I are have intimate moments here on boards.ie.

Cheers

Peter

Cerulean Chicken

Peterdalkey wrote: »

Ah come on! First Fair and looking to make her name, dish it out in taster pieces. If it is good enough, the punter will want more. It is all about building the brand at this stage. If they taste as good as they look on the FB page, the girl is on a winner. As ever, the market decides.

In the interest of transparency, Gail and I are have intimate moments here on boards.ie.

Cheers

Peter

I said don't give freebies as in free entire cupcakes or big pieces, I never said don't give small tasters, but there's no point giving them a piece for free that will rival what they could pay for. Was just trying to help, considering I did exactly what the OP described, building a customer base using fairs/markets in the Galway area for the last few years, but I'll let you get back to whatever babble that was in the last line of your post.

Peterdalkey

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Yep there's no way to know how many you need, just have to estimate it the first time and use this as a benchmark for future fairs. Don't give freebies/big samples, if they want to taste it let them buy it.

I am missing something here, in one post you say if they want to taste, they must buy and in the next..... Doh, give them small tasters, free?
You are quite right on the last part, my babble is totally unacceptable
:rolleyes:


Peter

Cerulean Chicken

I said in my first post don't give freebies/big samples, I meant don't give free whole cupcakes or large samples. Because you didn't understand the first post by way of explaining I elaborated that I mean give small samples if you are giving some, enough to make them interested but not enough that they think they don't now need to buy something to taste it.

"Gail and I are have intimate moments" doesn't make any sense.

Peterdalkey

On boards.ie... It was just a smart ass remark.

I have no idea who she is and all I am trying to do is give her a bit of support and encouragement as she is clearly nervous about doing the fair. I just love anyone who is prepared to get out there with a new business venture and they and you deserve all our support.

Cheers

Peter

LizzieMays

Cerulean Chicken, thanks for your input, much appreciated :-) Good to hear from someone else who has been building business through fairs/markets etc. - I'm really interested to see if this fair brings in business.

Peter - thanks for your support... but "intimate moments"? I think not.

Thanks folks!

Whats up Cupcake?

Hi Lizzie,

Your cakes look great of Facebook. Cupcakes are great to sell at market. We have done several summer market and they all went down well. If you do get decent footfall and have a good location stall you will sell well.
Our latest market/fair to baked 400 cupcakes. The fair was a long day and with the last hour we had 50 left which we slightly discounted and they sold. We noticed as soon as we discounted them all the other stall folders bought one.

The main thing we noticed was that they sell slow in 1's. We sold them in boxes of 4's' 6's and 12's. People like to bring them home instead of eating it walking around. With them buying in bulk you will be able to shift more and make more money.

Something to watch out for is if there is any other cake or sweet stalls. If people pass there first they might have already bought something and not choose one of your delicious cupcakes. Check with the market organizer to see if there are other cakes or sweet stall. If there's not you should sell plenty of cupcakes.

I just liked your Facebook page. Please return like.

Find us by searching for Whats up cupcake. Where the Dublin based one.

I have put a picture of the fair we did in the summer on the page for you to look at.

Good look

LizzieMays

Hi Whats up Cupcake,

Thanks so much for the advice. 400 cupcakes... yikes!! I was thinking on just over half that, along with cookies and cake toppers.

I had realised that people won't be as likely to buy one cupcake (it's more of a sit down with a cup of tea thing :-) ) so was planning on selling in boxes... though taking that into account, I may have underestimated the total amount to make.

I'll get in touch with the market organiser to ask about other stalls selling similar items; I hadn't really thought about that. Probably because when I go to a market, I have a good nose round everything first then go back to buy what I liked best :-)

I'll check out your photo and page on Facebook when I get home!

Thanks again,
Gail