Since I started doing craft work, I’ve always been looking for that one item that would put me on the map, so to speak. You know, that one creation that people see and just have to have.
I would go to a craft fair convinced that I had finally found that special item. I just knew people would see it, fall in love with it, and reach for their wallets faster than I could say, “That’ll be $25!”
Unfortunately, things didn’t always work out that way. I would come home disappointed because the item didn’t sell nearly as well as I had hoped, or sometimes it wouldn’t sell at all. Apparently, what I thought was a sure thing and what the customers thought were two entirely different things!
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that every craft fair is a gamble. Different shows attract different people, and what sells like hotcakes at one show might sit on the table collecting dust at another. You have to learn what people want and be willing to adjust accordingly.
My philosophy is pretty simple. If an item doesn’t sell well at the majority of the shows I attend, it might be time to take it off the shelf and come up with something new. There’s no sense in continuing to make something that people aren’t interested in buying. After all, this is supposed to be a business, not a hobby where I fill my garage with things nobody wants!
But something interesting has happened over the last couple of weeks.
I may have finally stumbled upon one of those items I’ve been searching for all these years!
I started making Christmas lanterns, and right now, I can hardly keep up with the orders. People are ordering them faster than I can make them, and I’m certainly not complaining about that!
At the moment, I have two designs available. I ordered another template yesterday that will give customers a third design to choose from, and within the next couple of weeks, I plan to add a fourth design to my inventory.
It’s exciting to see people responding so positively to something I’ve created. After all those craft fairs where I came home wondering what I needed to do differently, it’s nice to have the opposite problem for a change.
Of course, there is one little downside to all this success.
I’m so busy filling orders that I’m not building up the inventory I need for my upcoming craft fairs!
You just can’t win sometimes, can you?
Tomorrow, I’ll spend much of the day delivering orders. Then, on Tuesday, I have an afternoon doctor’s appointment, which means Wednesday will probably be the first opportunity I have to get back to making more items.
Meanwhile, the orders keep coming in!
I suppose there are worse problems to have, and I’m thankful that people like what I’m making enough to place an order. I just wish I could figure out how to add a few more hours to each day. I’ve tried staying up later, but eventually, my body reminds me that I’m not twenty years old anymore!
Another challenge I face is my workspace, or should I say, my lack of one.
I long for the day when I can move from this house to somewhere with a shop already in place or enough land for me to build one. Right now, my shop is the great outdoors.
That sounds wonderful until you consider the weather. If it’s too hot, too cold, or raining, I can’t get much done. And if you’ve been following my blog, you know how much I dislike working in extreme heat or cold.
The recent heat has put me way behind schedule. I’ve already missed a couple of craft fairs because I simply didn’t have enough inventory to make it worthwhile.
To give you an idea of just how far behind I am, my first craft fair this year was actually my fourth craft fair at that same point last year. That’s a pretty good indication that my production schedule needs some serious attention!
Now I have just a few weeks to play catch-up and get back on the ball. I need to fill the orders coming in, build up my inventory, and get ready for the craft fairs ahead.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, I need to find time to work on those new lantern designs.
I’m certainly not going to complain about having customers. Quite the opposite! After years of searching for that special item that people would be excited to buy, I may finally have found something that fits the bill.
Now I just have to figure out how to make enough of them!
So, if you happen to see me outside working on lanterns, don’t be surprised if I look a little tired, have sawdust on my clothes, and am mumbling something about needing a bigger shop.
I’m not sure whether these Christmas lanterns will turn out to be the big hit I’ve been searching for all these years, but the early signs are encouraging.
And if the orders keep coming, I may need to start asking Santa for a workshop instead of presents this Christmas!
