Arty Business Ep.3: Markets

Hidey Ho, patrons and friends! Welcome to another episode of Arty Business with Ragonia! Today, I'm excited to tell you all about markets! 

Tabling, vending, selling your wares in person, however you want to call the process of putting yourself and the things that you made physically in front of people who want to buy it. If you've never sold in person before then I totally understand that doing it for the first time can be intimidating. But I think overall it's SO helpful to growing your business, making an income, and building confidence in your work. 

This business technique is hugely important to my business, and I think all kinds of artists and creators can benefit from it! A few huge positives to selling in person include:

• Opportunities for online friends to meet you in person!
• Getting new future customers/friends/fans!
• Finding future clients, wholesale buyers, and other markets!
• Seeing the reaction to and connection with your art!
• Making some nice money to grow your business or pay your bills!
• Building connections with your local art scene!
• Getting off of your computer and out into the world!

As with most of my business advice, I want to highlight that it is absolutely possible to start small with vending and grow along with your business, skill, and knowledge. If you're like me, the thought of immediately applying to a huge convention was overwhelming and terrifying. But I worked my way up to it in my first year of business, and by the time I tabled at my first convention I was feeling confident and in control. You can do it to! Push yourself to take the biggest next step you're able to, and before you know it you'll be... a Con Artist.

So let's get to it!

My first table, at an art walk in an office building. You have to start somewhere!

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O P P O R T U N I T I E S

+ Search it! Hop onto your search engine of choice and get looking for some creative spots you could vend! Try searching for craft fairs, maker's markets, artist markets, farmer's markets, artist pop-ups, comic/anime/fantasy conventions, flea markets in your city. Also scour your local newspaper!

 + Ask people! Ask local shop keeps if they know of any vending or art show opportunities in the area. Ask cafe managers if they ever have art shows for local artists! Chat with the cashier at local art supply shops/ framing stores (I got my second Art Walk show this way!) Email someone who might know, ask questions. No need to be afraid of just asking.

+  Keep a list! Seems obvious but get a physical piece of paper and write down a list of opportunities you find. Maybe even make some check boxes for whether you've visited or applied to them!

+ Scope out the scene! Still nervous about applying or tabling? Visit some of the markets/art walks/etc. that you found, talk to the artists, check out that Arty Scene! I was very intimidated by visiting my first convention, but visiting a local art walk felt more inspiring and achievable.

+ Apply! Fill out an application or write a few emails! Just go for it! You can always change your mind later! I still always psych myself out before applying to conventions and craft fairs. So I have to like "surprise myself" and fill the application out real fast before I have time to talk myself out of it.

M O N E Y

+ Get licensed! As I was leaving my kitchen job, a fellow artist coworker said he'd never known an artist to get registered for taxes or get seller's licenses. Depending on where you're selling, and how much you estimate to make in a year, you may not need to report/pay taxes or get a license. Do some research for your state and country, and double check with the organizer of the event.

+ Price of tabling!  I've only been doing this for >two years, but here's a range of prices I've paid to vend with a business/market in Seattle, Washington.

• Free! It's rare, but some small events are free, and even offer to lend you a table!  
• $15-20 at small monthly flea/punk markets. Very accessible!
• 20% of original art profits at an Art Walk  (which now seems a little high...) 
• $200 for a table at a small-ish local convention. 
• $300-$500 for a table at bigger conventions, makers markets, craft fairs. 
• $1000 for a booth/tent at an expensive Seattle music festival. (I didn't go for this one.)

+ Possible revenue! This is hard to predict, especially if you've never tried vending before! I usually go in just hoping to make back what I paid for the table, but I have actually always made more. Again, this is just my experience thus far, and it's entirely possible to make way more or way less.

• $50-$100 at the smaller flea markets. 
• $300 at my each of my first art walks. 
• $1300-$2000 at smaller/less busy two day conventions/ craft fairs.
• I haven't vended at a super busy craft fair or convention, or during the holiday season, when the majority of revenue is made. So I'll have to update this in the future!

+ Point-of-sale! Also known as POS. I use cash and Square with my iPad. Square mails a free card reader when you sign up for the app. It's great for keeping track of stock as well! Keep your change in a cash lock box, fanny pack, big pocket, small over the shoulder bag etc.

My favorite display so far, in June 2019!

D I S P L A Y

+ Research! Go to events that you're interested in, and pay special attention to how other artists display their wares. Make a Pinterest board and search "Artist Alley display", "Convention Artist Display", "Craft Fair Display", or maybe "Retail display". Save your favorites and pay attention to the details!

+ Start small! It's tempting to buy everything you could possibly use for your display brand new, right away. I recommend starting small and scaling as you go. Buy a piece here and there as you see what you truly need. Check out thrift stores, Facebook free markets, borrow from friends, etc. Get creative with things you already have at home.

+ Table! Look for opportunities that will offer a table for you to borrow or rent if this is your first time. Buy a few tablecloths in colors that you like (I get mine from Goodwill), iron them if they need it!

+ Display the goods! Treat your table like it's your storefront, because it is! Use the reference images you gathered for inspiration, but don't feel intimidated by expensive shelving systems, it's possible to have a nice table very affordably.

I've used nice looking Birchbox cardboard boxes that I found at a recycled arts and crafts store to hold stickers and pins. Buy picture frames from goodwill, take out the glass, fill it with brightly colored paper to display stickers, or cut corkboard for pins. Or just use them display prints! Get creative with random things you find at thriftstores or at home: Tori and I used a $3 IKEA shelf from Goodwill to prop up our zines.

+ You raise me up! Especially important for conventions and craft fairs, because there might be a lot of people looking at your wares, and you don't want to lose a customer because they couldn't see your stuff! Get nice boxes for prints, maybe stack some crates for shelves, or get those wire modular shelves online or secondhand. Again, get creative, experiment!

My handmade sign and fruit decorations! Kids love these things...

+ Decorate your shop!  Have fun, think of what goes well with your brand!  Try goodwill again, decorative things in your house, party section of Target. Some people use fake/real plants, party decorations, whatever you like! Keep an eye out for little things to create a specific atmosphere with your table. My favorite table decoration is a set of felt fruits and veggies I found in the dollar section of Target during gardening season.

+ Have a sign! You can definitely make a sign by hand if you're brand new to tabling, but it's nice to have a way for customers to quickly identify what your table is/who you are. This is even more important at conventions, where, again, it's busy and hard to see. I made a sign with cardboard and acrylic paint, which I know I need to update. I've seen other artists make really lovely handmade painted or sewn signs. You can also of course just order a vinyl sign from Vistaprint.

S T O C K

+ What to sell! There's tons of awesome things that you can bring to sell in person! In order of difficulty/expense, some ideas for things to sell include:

• Prints, stickers, original art.
• Zines, handmade/enamel pins, posters, small commissions.
• Screen-printed shirts/totes/sweatshirts, notepads, sketchbooks, mugs... whatever your beautiful creative mind can imagine and your artsy hands can create/order!

I don't recommend ordering your products from print-on-demand sites like Society6 or Redbubble, and then selling those (I've seen this before.) It's very hard or impossible to price up these enough to make any profit when you make your products this way.

+ A range of price points! Try to bring a range of products for all price points! This applies no matter what kind of creator you are, not just artists/illustrators.

• $2-$5 items like stickers, postcards, or buttons. 
• $5-$20 items like prints, pins, zines/art books, charms. 
• $20-$40 items like giclee archival prints, tote bags, shirts, posters, jewelry.
• $40-$200 items like original art!

+ Pricing! Price your goods the same or similar as in your online shop, to keep customers from getting upset. Prices should generally be 2x-4x the cost of production and labor. (If an enamel pin cost $3 to make, sell for $6-$12.) I figure my prices fairly intuitively. Double check other similar artists' shops, or visit some markets to see how people price things for comparison. Keep the price rounded so you don't need quarters/change ($5 instead of $4.75.) Combine sales tax into price for same reason.

+ How many to bring! Comes with practice, and it's really hard to tell even then! Roughly estimate how busy the event is supposed to be, and do your best. And remember, leftover stock can be sold online or at future events!

+ Business Cards! TOTALLY WORTH it! So many people take business cards and later on they follow you, purchase from your online store, or order a commission. Order 500 at Vistaprint. Moo.com's cards are beautiful, but too expensive, especially early on. 

Don't be like me when I first started. Don't wait until the last minute, then buy cards from FedEx and hand cut them yourself. I thought I was being so smart and quick and saving money. I wasn't. I really wasn't.

Tori and I practicing our first Artist Alley table

P  R  E  P  A  R  A  T  I  O  N

+ Practice your display! Find out the size of the table, tape it out on your floor and make your entire display! Take a picture so you remember what you want it to look like. That said, be prepared to be a little flexible with your display.

+ Organize your stock! Especially for busier conventions/markets! Get some binders with big pockets from the office supply part of Goodwill. Put things in boxes, folders, envelopes, whatever you need to do. This might not be necessary at smaller events where your whole stock will be on the table. But! It will save you a headache in setting up your display if you organize your stock before you get there.

+ Packing! Suitcases and backpacks are really the most you need when you first get started. You might feel weird dragging a suitcase around your city but heck, it's easy and portable and you don't have to buy anything new! Later on you can get some plastic crates and a hand cart, but suitcases work great too!

 + Pack up early! A few days to a day ahead of the set up date. It seems like it won't take a long time, but it does. And for me, packing everything up is the most stressful part of getting ready for a market, doubly so if I'm trying to do it the day of set up.  Please, trust me.

+ Find a buddy to help you!  Enlist the help of your SO, roommate, friend, coworker, parent, or sibling. This is especially helpful when you're first getting used to tabling, but really useful anytime! They can help carry things, set up, grab stock, ring customers up, go out and buy lunch, cover the table for you to use the rest room, and tell you you're doing a great job.

+ Enjoy the process! It's really easy to be hyper focused on all the things that need to get done, the next step, and the things you didn't finish. But the best advice I ever received before my first market was to remember to enjoy myself. To be proud of all that I'd accomplished, to enjoy watching the reactions to my art for the first time, to have fun talking to people. Try to find this for yourself. You deserve it.

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T H I N G S  T O  B R I N G

• Tape
• Scissors
• Cut Paper/ nice markers for last minute signs
• Water!!
• Snacks/ Lunch / A lunch plan
• A backup charger/ portable battery
• Change! (~$100 in $1s, $5s, $10s)
• Lip balm (dry lips from smiling/talking)
• Hand! Sanitizer!!!! HAND SANITIZER!!

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R E S O U R C E S

• Artist Yoshi Yoshitani's amazing Twitter thread 
• How to Be A Con Artist tumblr page 
• Artist Alley Guide (mostly about tools/items)
• Artist Alley International Facebook Group 
• Friday Thoughts: My first art walk 
• Friday Thoughts: My second art walk 
• Friday Thoughts: My first convention!! 
• Friday Thoughts: My first craft fair 

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Like I've said, tabling at a convention was my number one business goal for 2018, and it was  also the number one scariest thing I could possibly imagine in 2018. And having conquered that goal, it's now one of the things I am most proud of myself for achieving in my life. 

All that to say, you can do it too! Just gather information, ask questions, scale and learn as you go, and give it a try. You've got this.

That's all my advice for now! I hope this guide provides some assistance to people who are considering selling their art in person but don't know where to start! Or if you've been selling at markets for years (as I know some of you have) I hope there's some helpful new tidbits!

If there's anything I missed in this Market Guide let me know, I'll do my best to add it.  And as always pass me any requests you have for August's Arty Business article! Right now I'm considering Marketing or Branding, but I'd love to hear what you're interested in.

Okay buddies! Have a wonderful, empowering, inspired week!

xoxo

Ragon