How Do You Find Craft Fair's / Shows Call Them What Will.

[Mark C.]

That's actually exactly how I use it. I look for specific dates, then by distance from home, followed by price and show data.

 

It's just another avenue to gather information.

 

T

Ps sorry Mark but maybe they have something similar for your neck of the woods?

Thats ok as I'm not looking for any new shows anymore

[Mark C.]

Greybeard-finding the right show for your works is really only done by trail and error -no shorts cuts exist yet.

[CarlCravens]

I have tried farmers markets but in my area they all seem to be run by the same organization

using a really brutal set of rules.

 

In some states (like Kansas, where my wife used to run a farmer's market), there are Federal, State and local regulations to deal with.  What may appear to be organization rules could be state rules that must be met to be called a "farmer's market" and you need that official stamp to get certain benefits (not having to adhere to the same rules big businesses do, because you're a producer selling directly to a consumer, getting access to the program that let "food stamps" be used, etc).  One of the big rules in Kansas was a requirement for a "farm" to "craft" ratio... your market couldn't be more than like 25% craft and still be called a farmer's market.  So a market that took on too many artists could lose its waiver of tax, license or inspection requirements for the farmers. (We couldn't have sold our duck eggs without the umbrella of the farmer's market to keep us from having to get a poultry farm inspection.)

 

I don't know what these "brutal" rules were, but keep in mind that the people who ran the market might just have been complying with regulations required to keep their market in a certain category.  (And I can sympathize, too... over half the markets in our area were run by the same organization of grumpy old farmers who didn't want competition, and they had their own brutal rules... my wife's market was taken over by this org, and after the paperwork was done, *then* they said, "Oh, yeah... your church baking group has to go.  No non-profits to compete with us for-profit farmers.")

[Mark C.]

Our local farmers market only lets farmers sell-no art -no pottery or anything except food and plants-no exceptions.

[nancylee]

I just skimmed this thread, so I don't know if anyone suggested festival.net? It has more street fair type shows, less expensive, not the big $500 to $1000 entry shows. I am trying a few this fall. We shall see.

Nancy

[Mark C.]

The best way to find shows is go look at the show and talk to other potters about the show.This takes time but pays off.