My friends, holiday craft show season is upon us! Shopping during the holidays is stressful and my heart goes out to all the retail workers out there that have to deal with rude people day in and day out. In the craft show circuit we artists are not immune to it either. So I have put together a little etiquette list of Dos and Don’ts for craft show visitors this holiday shopping season!
Do!
Engage us in conversation! It can sometimes be difficult to strike up a conversation and perhaps you don't know quite what to say. The best thing to do? Ask the artist something about what inspires them, or their process. Have you ever talked to someone who is passionate about something and seen their face light up? It's magical.
Don't...
Mention loudly how you or someone you know could make what we make. Thankfully I don't get this one quite as often as not everyone has hot glass skills, but I have lots of friends who knit, crochet and sew that deal with this all the time.
Do!
Remember that there is a real human being behind all the handmade things you are seeing. When you sneer and criticize the work, the person who made that thing with their own two hands is standing right there. Even if something isn't your cup of tea, it might be someone else's. If it's not to your taste, that's okay! Just smile and move on to the next booth. It goes back to the old adage: If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all.
Don't...
Complain about our prices or try to haggle with us, it’s insulting. We work incredibly hard to make the work we do. Just because you bought one small thing before, doesn't mean you should expect (or demand) a discount on the next purchase. Our work generally takes the same amount of time to make no matter how many things you buy. Don't ask us how we can justify charging so much if we make larger items. And please, don't visit at the very end while we are packing up or email us after the show trying to play let's make a deal. Years ago I had a very pushy woman while I was packing up tell me she would give me $15 for a $36 item. When I asked why I would sell her something for less than half of what I had it priced at she said "well you are packing it up anyway..." to which I responded "Yes, and I will bring it to the next show where someone will happily pay full price for it because they value handmade and the hard work I have put into this."
Do!
Ask our permission before you take pictures of our work. Bonus points for asking how you can tag us! Word of mouth is one of the most powerful and effective marketing tools. Even if you don't buy anything if you enjoy our work enough to take a picture, help spread the word by sharing that photo on your own social media.
Don't...
Try to tell us what we should do or what we should make. This one is a bit tricky because I think people genuinely feel that they are being helpful, but from the maker's perspective it can often come across as negative as if they are saying "I don't like anything you do make, so you should make this instead" Almost every maker I know dreads any sentence at a craft show that begins with "You know what you should do...?" I handle this by offering them my business card and letting them know I am always open to custom orders! I enjoy doing custom work and I am happy to work with people to create a unique and one of a kind item just for them. I generally have a lot of fun with custom pieces, they give me some variety even when I'm busy with production work. Instead of telling us what we should do, try asking us about our availability for custom work instead. Many artists are happy to oblige.
Do!
If you like how we have displayed or branded our work, tell us! I talked about this a little in my last post "10 Things I've Learned in the Last 10 Years of Being an Artist" but there is so much more that goes into being an artist than just making work. The fact that you not only notice, but comment on how much you like our packaging, business cards or how we have displayed our pieces means a lot to us. Everyone likes when their hard work is appreciated.
Don’t..
Don't be afraid of us when we say hello to you! Keep in mind that sometimes it’s just as awkward for us to try and strike up a conversation with you! So we start with a simple hello, we ask you how you are doing today, make a comment on the weather, or complement something you are wearing. Ultimately the goal of us being at craft shows is to make sales, but most people aren’t going to be pushy about it and give you the hard sell. Personally, I hate the hard sell when I am a customer so I generally avoid that as a sales technique. Believe it or not we do take the shoppers’ perspective into consideration because all of us have also been patrons at craft shows and we know what it’s like on the other side too.
Do!
Remember that you don’t know what is going on in someone’s personal life and you should treat everyone with kindness. When we are there smiling in our booth or from behind our table there might be something going on behind the scenes in our lives. Maybe we have lost someone close to us recently? Maybe we heard Jackson 5’s version of Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town too many times in one day? Maybe we just took our car in for service and ended up with a much bigger bill than we expected and have a lot riding on the financial outcome of the show? It’s hard to tell when we are there with a big smile on our face. Your friendly interaction with an artist will definitely help to brighten their day, even if they are already having a great day! Kindness adds up. Make our job easier by being friendly and courteous and that will be echoed back to you. And please, extend that friendliness to anyone who works in the retail or service industry this holiday season.