Greetings, everyone! I finally seemed to have recovered from the craft market hangover, and I’m feeling close to a human being again. My local community had its first ever Witch Market this year, and I felt like I really wanted to support them so this could become an annual thing. I stopped trying to make a living with craft fairs in 2015—when I realized I couldn’t handle the physical difficulties that came with setting up more or less on my own, with a canopy and tables. Luckily for me, this market was inside—and tables were provided. So I only had two rolling tubs I had to bring with me. 

What I Made

I wasn’t really sure what do do this year, since it was the first time I had vended in over 5 years. I realized that I didn’t have enough time to get art ready and stickers and such produced, so instead I concentrated on handmade goods. 

I decided on deckbags, headbands, cup cozies, necklaces, and plush familiars.

Deckbags seemed like an obvious pick for a witch market. But, curiously….I didn’t sell any. I made several based on this pattern.

My thoughts are that the amount of labor that went into these both raised the price, and also made them too busy for many peoples’ tastes. Perhaps something that took far less time, and thus cost less, could have done better? Something to consider for next year. 

The headbands I made were all based on this pattern . I also only sold one of these—which was surprising. Several other crochet artists have noted that it’s very difficult to get the proper price for crochet items, since they take a lot of time to make. 

The plush familiars are something that I have made since the very beginning of my time as a crafter. They take quite a it of time to hand-make, and thus they tend to be on the pricy side. They very rarely move, and I often only need 5 or 6 for an entire season. However, they actively serve a different purpose—which is to draw people to the booth. The power of the cuteness is too much for most. 

The cup cozies were a last minute addition, because I learned that there would be two drink vendors at the event, and decided that was a good opportunity for cross-promotion. I sold by far the most of these, and the sales really only started slowing down when I started running out of different patterns. These were also my lowest-priced items, which supports further the idea that my main weakness at this show was not having enough low-priced items. 

Necklaces were another surprise success. I really like these, because they are chunky and bring a lot of texture to many outfits. I sold 3 of the 5 I brought, and I think they might have done even better if I had a better display. 

What I Couldn’t Get To

First off, I had considered making scented sachets. I found a very cute pattern for some persimmon and maple leaf shaped ones. But, I put these at last priority…since Americans don’t really carry scented sachets around. They’re rare to see in Asia these days, but used to be an every-day, must-have accessory for many. 

Stickers and prints were also something that I couldn’t find the time for—mostly because I know printing and shipping have been quite slow. I also have been having difficulty with concentration due to burnout related to graduate school. So I wanted to work on things I knew I could work on, instead of trying to force myself. 

I also couldn’t find enough low priced items to bring out the gachapon machine I had bought, and couldn’t find the right sized coins for tokens. This was something I really, really wanted to do. Hopefully next time!!

Considerations for Future Markets

My main take aways were thus: 

First, I need far more low-priced options. 

Second, my display was overall pretty good for something I threw together last minute. But, there are definitely things I can improve upon. 

Third, doing an indoor event solved like 90% of my vending woes. This was the most fun I have ever had as a vendor, and I think it was very much due to the fact that I didn’t wreck my body in the process. 

Fourth, so many people asked for an Instagram…so I decided to make one. There are no posts currently, because I did a whole OPE and misspelled the account the first time. But, here is the official Planets in Gatorade Instagram.

Also, it was maybe not the best idea to set up directly across from the biggest treat vendor. Those bastards were wafting smells at me the whole event. 

In Conclusion: 

I feel like I learned a lot, but also I had a really great time! I think that is the most important thing about this.