Here are some comments and emails from craftspeople who have found  this site. 

Thank you!

Hello...well, gosh, what a wonderful site!! I have marked it and intend to read every word...but, you know what?  I would LOVE to see some of your "product"...or get to your website to view it...I probably have missed your crosslink, would you please send it to me? Also, have you considered perhaps listing lists by type of craft? THANKYOU FROM TENN.

I think it's great a friend and i are just starting out, and i'm seeing things i need that i never would have thought of.
thank you, kb

You have gone to a lot of work for us artists and it looks great.
*I have listed your site on the American Artist's Guild web site. *
http://americanartistsguild.org/  
When the database is finish most of the site will be closed to
non-members.

Just happened across the site while looking for the Pacific Northwest fair.  Good job, well written, comprehensive.  Not a craftsperson, myself -- a CPA -- but I recognize the good work you have done here.   Tom H.

I'm not sure how I found your site, but it is great. I have been doing
art festivals for six years and really appreciate the advice you've so
freely shared. I am the president of our local Arts and Crafts Guild
and can't wait for the next meeting to tell everyone about your site.
You are so right about artists willingness to share and to gripe.
Again, thanks.
Johanna

Thanks for your web site. I found the information the most useful and pertinent for exhibiting and selling craft that I've seen. Mary Y

Hello!
I just read the whole site and it is awesome~!
I got a lot of information that I needed to know.
Thanks,
Helena C

Hi--I got to this sight through google looking for craft show displays.  I am just starting--planning my first show for Nov. 6 (a small local one as you recommended).  Anywho--just wanted to tell you that I appreciated all your advice for beginners.  I was also very entertained by all your stories and read every single one of them (very unlike me).  You write very well.  I like your style.  I must say, I am dying to know what you sell!!  Thanks again.

Hi. Just checked out your beginners guide, which is terrific. Thanks for making that available. Wanted to let you know that you can reserve a domain name for $13.95 through www.123cheapdomains.com (and I'm sure others) so it is now quite affordable.

Also, Global Payments (available through Discover Business Services) offers Merchant Accounts without monthly fees. Their discount rate isn't as competitive as other services I've seen but without the monthly service fee, it's a better deal for lower volume sales.

Thanks again,
Susie

I just wanted to write you and thank you for your article for beginners.  It
was so informative and I printed it out to go by, as I am a beginner in the
craft world and have my first craft show (actually an outdoor festival)
coming up in August.  I really appreciate a veteran's eye view in this
business.  Thank you again for all of the information.
Sincerely,
C B

What a great resource this site is! I'll start recommending it today. One correction, however, the phone # for TACA (TN Association of Craft Artists) in Nashville has changed: the new # is 615-385-1904 (it's on their website, www.tennesseecrafts.org)

It's obvious that you love what you do, and I am appreciative that you are willing to share your knowledge and experience. Thank you...  you have inspired me to take yet another step towards my goal of participating in craft shows to sell my works of art

I found you by accident and Boy! What a find! Your site is a MUST and not just for beginners in this biz. I have surfed your site and read numerous helpful hints, and suggestions. And I will pass on your website to fellow crafter friends of mine.
Thanks again! You are a Godsend.
Keep up all your great work with this site.

Dear Advisor,
I cannot explain what a help this website of information has been. It is a wealth of no nonsense, practical advice for the beginner. I am a fabric artist and am preparing for my first of many shows I hope, to showcase my silk painting expertise on scarves, pillows etc. This website has been very helpful for me.
Thank you.

Very informative and I love your conversational tone of voice. I felt like you didn't "sugar coat" anything. Thanks! I will refer your site to others.

This is a great website...I am an artist and I've been thinking about getting into craft shows for awhile but was unsure how to go about doing so. This website has answered all my questions and has given me invaluable information on how to get started. The only question I have is how much, for a beginner like myself, does it cost to start out...I don't have a whole lot of money to spend on the setup...canopy, and so on...is it possible to get started without spending a fortune first?

All I have to say is thank you. I've wanted to do a craft fair since I was a teenager, but at 37 I still haven't done it. My goal is to do at least two shows by my 40th birthday. By sharing your knowledge, you've made my dream seem very doable. It might seem silly, but I'm so energized after reading this page, I can't begin to tell you. Much thanks.

Thanks, keep up the good work. What a service you provide to new crafters

Your web-site was very helpful. It gave me a general idea in all areas. I will be doing a small town craft fair in May. I'm trying to price my product fairly and was looking for tips on your wed-site. I hope in the near future I will be able to travel to do craft fairs. I make Hawaiian sheets sets and cool sheet & flannel Hawaiian blankets. I want to thank you, very much for all the information you have provided on this site. Aloha from Hawaii

I am excited to find this page!  I am in the research and planning stages of a crafts business and searching for good information.
Thank you for creating this

THIS IS A VERY INFORMATIVE WEBSITE AND I AM SO GLAD I FOUND IT.  IF YOU DON'T FIND WHAT YOU NEED HERE AS A CRAFTSPERSON, YOU'LL NEVER FIND IT.  GREAT JOB AND THANK YOU.

Hi my name is  Sandra and it is very helpful  for me that would like to be in one of these fairs soon to know all that involves the craft fairs
Thank you very much for your big help.

Hello,
Fantastic!  I really appreciate your information and guidance.  I am a beginner at craft fairs, and am interested in getting bigger and better!  You have been a real help.  I will read this over and over and over...

this has been the most helpful craft site I've ever visited! thanks so much for all the useful and practical information

Your site was EXACTLY what I was looking for. It answers every question I had about getting into the crafting business. You put to rest my fears of pursuing my dream. Thank you!

This is a super website, thanks.  One thing you may want to add is that through QuickBooks accounting software you can obtain a merchant account and accept credit cards for a fee of $14.95/month.
On another note- do have a resource where someone can buy a used EZup?

Hello I am a fellow crafter and currently on a committee for a local High School trying to advertise our annual Craft Fair festival. I will have a booth but what I want to know is how to advertise our event on your site?
thank you

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND KNOWLEDGE. I  HAND CROCHET BEDSPREADS, AFGHANS, BABYBANKETS. I WAS NEEDING TO KNOW WHERE SOME ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW WAS JUST FOR HAND MADE ITEMS. I HAVE BEEN DOING THE LOCAL FLEAMARKETS AND FAIRGROUNDS FLEAMARKETS HERE, BUT LIKE YOU SAID YOU DON'T GET THE PRICE THAT YOU ASK FOR THEM OR FOR WHAT I HAVE PUT IN IT TO MAKE IT. YOUR WEB SIT HAS HELPED ME A LOT. I HAVE BEEN IN THE FLEAMARKET BUSINESS FOR 10 YEARS BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS LEARN SOMETHING MORE WITH SOMEONE ELSE THOUGHTS. THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT I DID NOT KNOW THAT WAS IN YOUR WEB SITE, LIKE THE CREDIT CARDS INFORMATION. IF YOUR KNOW OF ANY OTHER ART SHOW THAT WILL BE COMING TO NASHVILLE, TN OR KY PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

thanks for the info. it was very concise. one of the best I've seen so far.:)

This site is fantastic!! I'm just starting out with a small business and I had no idea how to promote my product.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.
:O)

I would really appreciate your advice. Again, I would
be happy to pay you a consulting fee for your advice.
The information provided on your website is truly
amazing. There are many books out there at high
prices that are far less helpful than your website. I
firmly believe you would have a strong market for a
book containing your information.

WOWSIE!!! Great info. If you have no objections, I'd like to make a link on my web page to this site. I get a great deal of email wanting info and here it is, all in one spot! You sure have saved me a lot of research time! Now I can spend my time creating and making jewelry.

http://www.wco.s4u.org

Thanks for the very helpful and informative site!

I am an artist that was thinking about entering Craft shows but did not know where to begin or what steps to take. Your page and information has been excellent in giving me the information I need. Thank you.

Judas Priest!  I've been doing A/C shows for 25 years.  This is possibly the best and most complete information I have ever read about doing shows.
Thank you so much for sharing this info for free.  I'm going to post your URL on:
potterybasics@yahoogroups.com. I get questions all the time from beginners about doing shows.

You have provided an enormous amount of very important information for those of us who are just beginning our various craft endeavors.

I am glad to know that sales on the internet are not particularly profitable, because I was considering this avenue.

Thank you very much.

Just read the How and Where to Sell your crafts. Being a crafter for 20 years I thought it was very informative for beginners.  One thing that could be added has to do with rain.  Having lived in Florida and now Washington state....I have found this to be a life saver.  I use 4 hula hoops...at all outside shows.  I slip the hoop between my ez-up frame and top (canopy) in the middle on each side.  I secure the bottom of the hoop to the frame....the hoops hold the canopy out and prevents puddling of water.  If it is pouring....I turn the edge of the canopy up to make a trench like so water will run off the ends of the canopy.
The hula hoops work very well.  I have seen
canopies split open at the peak when the water puddles on each side.  The weight of the water really did a number on the canopy,
and of course the crafts inside.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you, for sharing  so freely.
There will never be enough words to thank you.

I'd like to thank you for your time and effort in producing your website. I make jewelry and have been struggling to find information on how to sell it at craft shows possibly for a living. Your insight has been extremely useful to me and has given me much to consider on my business venture.
Thank you
Lynn
P.S. The telephone number for GraphComm is no longer connected.

My company is called CardPayment Solutions.  We specialize in the wireless credit card devices you mention in your article (such as the new Lipman Nurit 3010).  We are a national company with fairly lenient approval terms for small businesses as well as low rates and good, honest customer service.  There is also a reward to anyone who refers an account.  My wife is a artist so I know some of the challenges involved  Please call me if I can be of any help.  Jon Allen (310) 724-9437

It was very nice ! I am a beginner have done some small shows in my town nothing big.
Thanks for the tips, they will help me out a lot .

Wow!  I am amazed at all of the information that you've shared and have available for others to learn from.  I appreciate you and the time you've taken to write this article for beginners and creation of your web site.
You are a generous person and wish you continued success

This site is fabulous.  If I found it earlier, it would have made my first weekend fair a lot less of a learning experience and more of a selling experience.  Thanks for all of the information!

Your website is a testimony to the generous nature of a true artist.
Thank you.
M

I think your website and the information contained here is fabulous!!  I am just starting out and didn't realize half of what you put in here.  Thank you for taking the time to inform the public!!  To inform ME!!

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to apply to my e-mail. I just returned from the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville, TN. It was a joke. There were several crafters who traveled long distances for the festival and they (all of us) were very disappointed. In the four days I sat there...I made @$400. That is not cleared profit...that is simply the total I took in before expenses. Needless to say...I went in the hole. For me this was also a trip to visit my family who lived there...but I won't do it again next year. Other vendors who drove a long way for the show were misled about the number of attendees (buyers). They were told that over 150,000 buyers would be there and that the organizers had to limit the number of vendors to 50 due to some construction work that was taking place. Well, there were about 20 vendors max!!! and about 500 to 800 attendees (buyers). Out of the 20 vendors, there were tow of us selling the exact same product...."WINE BOTTLE CHEESE BOARDS". As you can tell, the show was very bad. There were also 3 other shows going on in the same area...two of them were just a couple of blocks away. There were lots of people at those shows due to the advertising the organizers of those shows did .....but there wasn't much money spent on advertising our show...so we sat there from Thursday thru Monday...yes...I said Monday!!! Who knows why we were there on Monday...actually, by Sunday...half of the vendors had left...they were the smart ones....the others (like myself) kept hanging in there thinking something fabulous might happen on MONDAY!!! However, it was the worse day of the entire festival...as anyone in their right mind would have imagined. Well, I thought I'd pass the info on and that maybe you could put this in your feedback area for other vendors to read.

Thank you again for your help...as you can see, I need all the help I can get....I always seem to pick the worst shows that are out there. Hope you have a wonderful and productive year.

I am trying to get my foot in the door with selling my product and it is woodworking pieces. But shipping on the products go through the roof. How can you keep the cost down and make a profit when shipping sets you back???
 

I didn’t see Candy Dance in Genoa, NV listed among the larger draw shows.  It certainly is, and we found it to be substantially larger than (for example) the Gilroy Garlic Festival…though perhaps 2/3 the size of the 4^th St. festival here in Tucson.

By the way, I’m new to the business side of this and your site was marvelous.  Thanks!

As a guess, there are 150 to 200 artists at the Genoa show, which is generally thought to be the largest for 500 miles east of San Francisco. It is VERY dusty when the wind blows, and the wind blows in Nevada most of the time (one of the reasons I moved to Tucson). And there are years when it rains (or snows) creating a marvelous muddy mess. But for the most part it works and works great. The place is so crowded that you can’t walk through it, and the fees from the show are sufficient to be the mainstay of the Genoa budget.Of course, Genoa (although the first town in Nevada) is not precisely the largest city in the west. Nonetheless, it is a suburb of the capitol, just down the mountain (10 minutes) from Tahoe, and a half hour drive from Reno with a metropolitan population of half a million.  We considered Candy Dance the best show we could find in the west, comparable to the ACC shows, and in juried quality just a tad or two below a Sacramento fall show (don’t recall the name) that was indecently under-promoted. Just for the record, the show was organized around the turn of the century by a group of townspeople who were trying to get some funds into the town. The women made candy and organized a dance; the rest came about by accretion. Advice: don’t try the candy. Booths per person: no question that the Garlic (Gilroy), Asparagus (Stockton), and Prune (don’t quite recall) festivals are each better. But people don’t go to those for the crafts; they go for the event and the crafts are sort of included. At Candy Dance, the crafts are what it is all about. People go there to buy them.

APRIL 26TH IS MY FIRST CRAFT SHOW.  I FOUND THE ARTICLE TO BE VERY HELPFUL.  THANK YOU FOR THIS WEBSITE.  PLEASE CONTINUE TO HAVE ARTICLES OF NATURE AVAILABLE TO US.

ONCE AGAIN I SAY THANK YOU.

This site is great!  I definitely bookmarked it--what a wonderful resource.  Thanks for putting the time into doing it. 

One suggestion I have would be to add links to the galleries, promoters, shows, etc. that have websites.  Maybe you've already thought of this and the listings you have just don't have any websites (I just found this and haven't gone thru everything yet).  If some do and you'd like, I'd be more than happy to send you links when I find them (if that would help). 

Thanks again for putting this together!

I particularly like the section for beginners.  I just started a jewelry business and have a timid approach to the whole business.  I printed out the info and will utilize this for my business. You give much more info than I would have expected--just perfect for the beginner who has NO KNOWLEDGE of running a craft business.  this is a hobby of mine that I thought I'd try to make some money recouping the cost of materials.  thanks for the info. 

All I can say is THANKYOU, thankyou so much for this web page. I stumbled upon this jewel that you have created by searching and searching and ......., I want you to know that I am very grateful that you have shared so much of you experience. I am new to this business although a long time artist. I was getting a bit discouraged at that fair I was attending and knew that I had to find another place. This year has between my first attempt at selling at fairs. I have learned a lot at the fair I was selling at, it is a local Family Festival.  I am so glad that one of your suggestions was to start at such a place. Now I know I am on the right track. Thanyou also for the lists of events and resources. I will forever be thankful.
Sincerely, D