DC Craft Mafia is proud to present
The Unusual Suspects Arts & Crafts Festival
Saturday, November 3, 2007 12pm to 8pm
50+ Amazing Vendors
Donate $1 to The Washington Humane Society and get one doorprize ticket!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Exciting News
I've been very excited and anxious over the past two days since I found out that I was accepted for the DC Craft Mafia's UNusual Suspects Holiday Art & Craft fair in November. This will be my first show, so I'm just thinking of all the things I need to prepare for. This is where I need the advice from all of you! Do I get a tax id number? Should I accept credit cards? They have an option to purchase an ad in the paper, should I do this? Should I include something in the swag bag that they'll be giving away to the first 100 customers? Where do I get great, cheap tags for my product? Ahh, so many questions and I would really appreciate any additional advice that you fellow bloggers have. Until then, I'll be sewing my little fingers away and having mild anxiety attacks. And if you're in the DC area, you can come to the show and meet me!
DC Craft Mafia is proud to present
DC Craft Mafia is proud to present
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17 comments:
Wow! Congratulations! That sounds like fun (and a lot of work too!). Sorry I don't have much in the way of advice - I've never done this sort of thing before.
Oh - I do make my own tags - pretty paper with my logo printed on it mounted on card stock and then I sew on one edge of the tag, punch a hole in one side and voila! They work up fairly fast if you have a paper cutter.
Good luck with all of your getting ready!!
Good for you! I did my first show last Saturday and Sunday and I have my next show this Saturday in Baltimore.
I accept credit cards, and I use ProPay as my credit card company. A lot of craftsters use ProPay.
I don't have a tax id number because I'm not a real business yet, but I understand that if you don't have a tax id number, the state will issue you a temporary number. You don't have to do anything, just wait for a paper to appear in your mailbox (they get your info from the craft show people) and you pay your taxes that way.
Good luck!
Congrats! You can get a tax id and not be a business. As far as I know. Sounds like this will be an experience. I've often thought of craft fairs, but then I start to panic and breathe heavily at the thought of all the onesies I would need to make! Yikes! Have fun!
Good luck! That is exciting! I wish I had some advice for you, but I'm just now exploring all of this too. I did just get a letter from my state telling me all that I need to do to establish myself as a business.
You can use your own SSN instead of obtaining a tax ID; it's up to you. I have gotten labels and hangtags from Custom Couture Label and they are nice. If you want woven, I can get you the place I used -- a bit more but they were really fast and gorgeous.
As the wife of a tax attorney, I'd advise you to keep good records. Receipts for everything you purchased for making stuff (that includes thread, notions, paper, blah blah blah). You likely will need to collect and pay sales tax; the rules on that will vary by state.
Accepting CC makes it easier for customers to spend money on an impulse. If they have to pay cash, they may not spend as freely. And you probably don't want to deal with people writing checks.
I used to use Wells Fargo for my CC processing. They actually had a phone system and I just called the number and punched in the info. It's been a few years, though, and I think there are better/more options now.
Hey thats pretty awesome. Congratulations! Will you have a tent? Or is this an indoor event? I recommend trying out your setup before hand. That way you can try different things. I make an inventory list ahead of time with item description and price. That way I just add a tick mark each time I sell something and I can add it up at the end of the day. I recommend having items in a wide price range. Include your business card with every purchase. I could go on and on but I might fill up the comment box! Feel free to email me. How exciting for you!
How awesome that you are doing this! I did two craft fairs over the summer and enjoyed doing both--I even made a little bit of $$.
My experience has been that the craft show organizers will take care of collecting the sales tax and you should only need the tax ID # if you make over a $1000.00. That is what happens here in CO anyway.
Best wishes on your crafting!
Wow, Katie, what an opportunity! I hope you'll post some of what you learn, I'd like to star my own business someday when I am able to quit working fulltime. Good luck!
That is very exciting news, Katie!!!
way to go gal!! i am SO excited for you!
http://thewisefive.blogspot.com/
Wow Katie that is great congrats!!
How exciting!
Good luck with all the preparations!
So exciting! Congrats on getting accepted. I wish I had advice that you would find helpful, but I don't know much about these things. Good luck with the sewing!
Just catching up on blogs and want to say congrats! I have never had a booth at a craft show, so I don't have any advice but I do hope it goes good!
Wahoo for you!!
Cheers! LA
http://www.lusciouslabels.com/
i'm holding my new baby love bird so i only have one hand to type, check out the above site for great tags. i;ll check back soon. love your stuff:0
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