With the deadline for the Craft Candy “Candy Cane” Christmas market applications drawing nearer, I’ve been looking at my diary and wondering what to put on my application form. Do I want to do both days? Just Saturday? Just Sunday? Working full time, having enough stock for two full days can be a scary prospect – on the other hand, I don’t want to miss out on potential customers. But what happens at two-day-week-end fairs, anyway? Is the Sunday spot actually worth it? I did a bit of ‘research’ (read: I asked around), and dug into my memory for past events, and here are some thoughts I’ve come up with:
1) It is true that the town centre is busier on a Saturday than on a Sunday. While this potentially speaks against booking a Sunday slot, not everybody sees a craft fair as something to slot into their pre-Christmas shopping, laden with bags and stressed out. For quite a few people, it is an event in and of itself, to be teamed not with shopping, but with lunch in town.
2) From my own perspective, having a toddler means we’re normally too shattered by the end of the week to do anything much on a Saturday. That day is normally reserved to get the house in working order, and it often gets to Sunday lunchtime before we feel remotely equipped to tackle the world as a family.
3) If it is a two-day event, people will expect the crowds on a Saturday – those looking for a quieter time will turn out on a Sunday.
4) The same goes for quite a few people coming from further afield – Saturday is for braving ‘local’ traffic, Sundays are for days out, and – look, there’s a craft fair with quality handmade items. Shall we go?
5) Sundays are also the day for return visits – people who came and had a look-see on Saturday, fell in love with something, but decided to ‘be good’. More than once did I have a customer return on the second day of a fair, dashing towards my stall as if pursued by Father Christmas himself, and breathing a sigh of relief, saying ‘It’s still there!!! I kicked myself all night for not getting it!’, picking up a bracelet/set of beads, etc. – or indeed saying ‘oh no, it’s sold. I’ve come back for it – will you make me another?’ – Sudays are good for commissions, too.
I’m not saying Saturdays are dead, there’s no doubt that Saturdays get more ‘natural’ footfall, more impromptu buys, more traffic. But Sundays aren’t half bad. So, now I’ve talked myself through this, I better get in that application form – I’ll see you at Craft Candy’s Candy Cane Christmas fayre – on BOTH days!
If you want to be there, too, go here to get your application form.
