Having had decent sales at the Cedarburg strawberry fest behind the cultural center, I decided to test my luck at this event. Unfortunately I do not consider it worth the $100 booth fee. The customers are mostly families, and the majority of people I saw carying purchases were children with cheap knickknacks, food, and toys.
Despite the show being juried, it does not do the best job. I noticed several vendors with resale items. That combined with the farmers market and rummage sales near the event means the people who attend are not looking to spend much money. If your stuff (like mine) is priced above $20, don't expect too many sales. And if you're selling items below that point you will have to sell a considerable amount to make it worthwhile with the fees involved.
Maybe if your booth consists all of family friendly items sold for cheap you could find this show worthwhile. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.
Replies
First off, your work is very nice. I don't see too much of that in shows, so you indeed have something different.
I went to your page and saw that you have been doing shows for 3 years. You have gotten enough experience where you can honestly decide whether or not you want to continue doing this.
Now you're at a point where you must pick and choose your shows more carefully. Your work is not geared to $100 shows. Those are the family outing shows you described above. You need to find shows where the people appreciate your work. And those are usually $250 and up shows run by professional promoters who charge a gate fee.
And even at many of those shows, a first timer doesn't do as well as expected, because it takes time to get established. Being the "new kid" doesn't always mean success. You have to give the show a chance to have the customers remember you.
Maybe it's time to kick it up a notch in your show selection. At a $100 show you got what you paid for. You need to find shows where the customer appreciates what you do. You should be in a better market than the cheap shows.
Your work is wonderful and very reasonably priced. If you couldn't sell enough to cover your booth fee there, those people have no taste.
I got more than the booth fee. But I have a rule of making 5 times the booth fee to make it worth going back someplace. Particularly if it's the first time trying it. Though I only did as well as I did because I went to a nearby artisan shop to use the bathroom, and happened to be wearing my work which started a conversation with the lady running the shop. She closed the shop for 5 minutes to come and check out my booth.
There can be exceptions for certain shows for keeping a presence in the area, or if the show in general is a delight to attend. But considering cost of materials and travel, it's not an unreasonable rule to set.