Places to Look for Art & Craft Shows-A Getting Started Guide for the Beginning Artist or Crafter

September 29th, 2009

by Shasta McLaughlin
copyright 2008

Looking for #art and crafts shows occupies a large amount of time for the vendor who makes a living selling at shows. One time saving hint: knowing where to look for shows is the key to saving time looking for them.

For the longest time the only place you could find good shows was to attend a show and talk to the different vendors about the shows they had attended. Unfortunately these show had often happened in the previous two weeks or were about to happen in the next two weeks. Often there wasn’t time enough to get registered for them and the shared information was already forgotten by next year.

And now a brief message from our sponsor:

If you’re looking for shows in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North Dakota or South Dakota…The Extravaganza Craft News is a great place to look!

Okay enough of tooting my own horn, smile!

When I was looking for shows to attend the places I looked were:

The internet-using different combinations of keywords you will come up with all different kinds of results. Search for combinations of: arts, crafts, fairs, festivals, antique shows, jewelry shows, gem and bead shows, trade shows, farmers’ markets, shows, show listings, bazaars, boutiques and other words to do with your craft to narrow down the search. Include the name of the city and state to search the area where you would like to sell. Include Christmas or holiday if you’re searching for seasonal shows.

Many sites will give you sample listings, some will have free listings, and others will have paid memberships, newsletters etc. Hint: Find a listing that covers your area and purchase it. It will help you find the information you need before considering which shows to apply for. Freeing up your time to do other more profitable tasks.

Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Centers, Community Centers, Fairgrounds-These are either the places local shows are held or they are often the sponsors of local shows. They will usually know about which shows happen yearly and might have phone numbers for the contacts of many local shows.

Local Newspapers-Newspapers will often carry advertising for shows that are happening in their area of coverage. Look for call to artists/crafters in the press releases as well as in community calendars, etc.

Grocery stores, gas stations, local restaurants, store windows-You will find bulletin boards in many businesses around town. Many places will even hang posters in their windows so open your eyes and look.

Ask show promoters-Don’t forget to ask show promoters if they hold other shows or if they know of any other shows they recommend in the area.

Word of Mouth-Word of mouth is still a good way to go. Ask your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, and church group about their favorite shows/events in your area. Ask other artists that you meet, attend shows and ask vendors what other shows they know of. Keep a log and you’ll be prepared to find the shows again next year.

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