Blog
Guides, checklists, and strategies for running a better booth business.
Take both cash and card, or lose half your line. A vendor's practical guide to card readers, processing fees, cash floats, offline sales, QR pay, receipts, and reconciling every sale.
Read more →A waitlist spot is a warm lead, not a rejection. Learn why booths open up, when to follow up (with a sample email), how to stay ready to say yes fast, and how to track every waitlisted show.
Read more →Rain will hit your outdoor booth eventually. Here is how to prepare canopy, stock, and a wet-weather kit, read refund and rain-date policies before you pay, salvage a slow day, and track the washout as a business loss.
Read more →Jurors read more vendor applications than they can accept, and your bio often decides the close calls. Here is what organizers actually read, how to structure a strong maker statement, and how to reuse it across shows.
Read more →Juried craft fairs judge your photos, not your work, so weak images sink strong makers. Here is how to shoot clean, consistent product and booth shots on a phone that get you accepted.
Read more →Juried craft fairs screen every applicant while open shows let anyone pay to enter. Here is how the jury process works, what it costs, and which type of show to pursue at each stage of your vendor journey.
Read more →The Mid-Atlantic holiday season packs the country's densest gift crowds into NYC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Here's how to pick the right winter markets, beat the summer application deadlines, and work a profitable booth in the cold.
Read more →California is the highest-ceiling and highest-cost craft-fair market in the country. Here is how to pick the right shows across LA, the Bay Area, San Diego, and beyond, cluster by region, and make the numbers work.
Read more →A practical 2026 guide to the Midwest craft-fair circuit: the hubs across Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, the big juried shows, the short-summer calendar, application timing, and clustering travel to protect your margin.
Read more →A practical 2026 guide to the Southeast craft-fair scene: the Atlanta, Florida, Charlotte, Nashville, Charleston, and Asheville hubs, well-known shows, heat and hurricane realities, application timing, and how to cluster your route.
Read more →Juggling 20+ craft fair applications across different shows, deadlines, and statuses is a nightmare without the right system. Here's how BoothBook's application tracker keeps you organized.
Read more →Texas is one of the most lucrative states for craft-fair vendors, with four major metros a day's drive apart. Here is how to pick the best shows, beat the heat, and build a profitable multi-city season.
Read more →Washington and Oregon reward handmade sellers who show up prepared. Here are the main PNW vendor hubs, the well-known shows worth chasing, how to beat the rain, and how to cluster markets into an efficient, profitable season.
Read more →Gross sales hide whether a craft fair actually paid you. Learn the true cost stack, how to compute net profit and income per hour per show, and which events to repeat or drop.
Read more →Most states expect craft fair vendors to collect sales tax. Here is how permits, booth collection, backing tax out of round totals, and per-event records work, so filing never catches you off guard.
Read more →Holiday markets bring gift-buyers with open wallets and short daylight. Learn how to prep your booth with warmth, lighting, giftable price points, wrapping, clear signage, a QR code, and fast, cold-proof payment readiness.
Read more →Fall and holiday markets are the most lucrative season for vendors. Here are the four types worth applying to, famous holiday markets to know, how to find fairs near you, and when to apply.
Read more →Most winter 2026 holiday craft fairs close applications in summer, not fall. Here's when deadlines hit by month, how to find shows to apply to now, and how to track a stack of deadlines so none slip.
Read more →Revenue tells you what you made. Income per hour tells you if it was worth it. Here's how to calculate it and what to do with the number.
Read more →From payment processing to event tracking, here are the tools serious vendors actually use to run their booth businesses.
Read more →Spreadsheets work until they don't. Here's how to track every dollar in and out across all your shows — so tax season isn't a nightmare.
Read more →Pricing handmade goods is one of the hardest parts of vending. Here's a practical formula that covers your costs, time, and profit.
Read more →New England has some of the best craft fair and artisan market scenes in the country. Here's a guide to the standout events across CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT in 2026.
Read more →Forget something at your last show? This comprehensive checklist covers everything a craft fair vendor needs — from table setup to payment systems.
Read more →Looking for craft fairs and markets to apply to? Here are the best ways to find events near you — from online directories to local Facebook groups.
Read more →Selling books at fairs and literary markets is different from selling handmade goods. Here's what authors and indie publishers need to know before their first event.
Read more →One-time buyers are fine. Fans who seek you out at every show are better. Here's how to turn booth visitors into loyal repeat customers.
Read more →The 10x10 booth is the standard at nearly every craft fair. Here's how to make the most of your 100 square feet — from layout to display strategy.
Read more →Getting accepted to craft fairs takes more than filling out a form. Here's exactly how to write a strong application, prepare your photos, and follow up the right way.
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