Catonsville Arts & Crafts Festival, 2019

This year's Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival, on Sept 8, was held at a new location-- the Catonsville Community College.The parking lot where the festival was held provided overhead protection from the weather,  which was great.  The campus provided more, closer, and easier parking which the customers liked.  There seemed to be more people who came to shop and my sales for the day were better than the last couple of years.  With the new location, the sponsors were able to schedule a rain date for the following Sunday in case of really bad inclement weather.  A rain date is not possible for the long time Frederick Rd location because it is actually a state highway which cannot be closed down to traffic for 2 dates.
The only downside for the day, was the loss of the Catonsville street and community ambience-- particularly the restaurants along Frederick Rd which have participated in the festival for years.  The festival might have also lost a turnout of neighbors.

Listen to Your Customers

Listen up if you sell at craft shows/festivals, etc.

Last fall, I was selling at a craft show.  I noticed that sales have been declining at that show in recent years.  A customer provided the answer.  She suggested that I unclutter the entrance to my booth so that people can see in and access my booth better.

I realized that I have been adding new product lines to the same 10' x 10' selling space over the years. After the customer's suggestion, I invested in a second space and second canopy, and redesigned the 2 side-by-side spaces.  Sales doubled and tripled at shows all this year-- more than enough to pay for the additional investment.

It pays, literally, to listen to your customers and take their suggestions seriously.