Handcrafter’s Companion Bath & Body Blog

Craft shows and fairs are a fun and affordable way to introduce your products to a new audience. If you’ve never participated in one of these types of events before, the prospect can be a bit daunting at first. The good news is that once you develop a system for constructing and accessorizing your booth, you’ll find that your anxiety will be replaced with enthusiasm.

The Must-Have Items

Once you’ve assembled your kit of “must-have” items, I recommend that you keep them packed away together with your other show items. This will enable you to streamline your packing time, and always have immediate access to those items that you need.

• Scissors
• Wire Cutters
• Thin Gauge wire
• Assorted sizes of safety pins
• Rubber bands
• Scotch and Duct tape
• Paper clips
• Twine
• Adhesive backed Velcro strips and/or Magnets
• Black ink pen
• Permanent Marker
• Business Cards
• Shopping Bags

Your Display

Most craft shows and fairs will include your table and chairs in the cost of the rental. If this is not the case, you will need to bring these items along. A great source for purchasing affordable tables and chairs is your local wholesale club or mass merchandiser. During certain times of the year (particularly at back to school time), you can find these items on sale at very reasonable prices.

With respect to table coverings, it is a good practice to select a specific color theme, and base all elements of your display around it. For example, you can often purchase used table cloths and skirts from party rental stores. This one-time purchase gives you a display staple that you can compliment seasonally with assorted greenery and florals, fabric accents, and props. Package seasonal display pieces together, and label them for easy identification. By doing this, you can quickly grab those items that you need, and leave any unnecessary items at home.

Creating Visual Interest

Creating a visually appealing booth will encourage more passersby to stop and check out your items for sale. Using simple items like small blocks of wood, or even a brick, covered by a colorful fabric square will create multiple levels within your booth. Other key display elements can include items such as inexpensive shelving units, a simple wooden stepstool, or one of your storage tubs turned upside down and covered by a fabric drape. Use your imagination to create unique display surfaces that are easy on the wallet, but pack a strong visual punch.

This is by no means a comprehensive list – as you gain experience, you’ll no doubt find many more items to add to this list. It will, however, provide you with a strong foundation to build upon so that your craft show experience will be more enjoyable and profitable.

Interested in learning more business-building and marketing ideas? Subscribe to my FREE Make Your Own Spa Products E-Course.

Think about the last time you purchased a “store brand” product. Do you really think your favorite big box retailer makes all of those products?

How do they do it?

It’s simple, really — they have these products private labeled with their name on them.

By taking this chapter from the mainstream retailer’s playbook, you can develop new revenue streams for your own bath and body product business. Offering your products to your customers under their own brand can be a very lucrative endeavor!

The Benefits to Your Customers:

• Speed to Market – they can quickly establish a product line without the headaches associated with product formulation and creation;
• Controls Inventory Costs – they can start off with a lower quantity of products than if they had to create a large production batch on their own;
• New Revenue Stream – offers them a great new way to generate sales, either as a compliment to their existing products, or as something completely new.

Benefits to You:

• Economy of Scale – purchase larger quantities of ingredients and save money;
• New Revenue Streams – tap new markets to sell into;
• Boost Sales Revenues – establish order minimums for private label sales;
• Cheap Market Research – your clients’ feedback helps you plan future product releases.

Selling Your Clients on Private Label Products

From a production standpoint, private labeling eliminates the costly expenses associated with research and development of new products. Your clients can react and capitalize on market trends by calling upon you to create branded products based on your existing line.

The Introductory Order Package

One of the most effective methods to getting your products into a new retail location is to offer an introductory order package. For private label clients, this package could include a small assortment of trial size products for them to place at their sales counter or within an in-store display, along with full-sized items available for purchase. Based upon the success of the introductory package, a reorder (at established order minimums) would follow.

Limiting the Options

When you first implement your own private label program, you may wish to consider limiting the number of options available to your clients. Offering one or two sizes of packaging, along with a standard label will enable you to control your costs. For clients with more stringent requirements, you’ll need to establish development costs associated with offering additional packaging and labeling options. Make sure that you get a signed contract from your client before you incur any costs for these custom options.

Private labeling has made significant improvements since its black-and-white packaging debut in the 1970s. Today, private label brands have gained mainstream popularity, and are sharing shelves with the national brands. This offers great news for those who aspire to get into the game. No matter what the motivation is, private label is a viable option to consider. It’s a great way to get your product into the market, even if it isn’t under your own name.

Interested in learning more business-building tips and product formulation ideas? Subscribe to my FREE Make Your Own Spa Products E-Course.