Unique Strategies to Make Your Crochet Seller's Booth Unforgettable

One of the biggest challenges of selling crochet at a craft fair is standing out. Market make patterns are shared and reused by every artist at every market. Almost every artist will bring pill-shaped bees, small octopus, loaf cats, or similar no-sew patterns. They are cute, quick to make, and they sell well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these adorable patterns, of course, but they do present a big problem for artists - how do you stand out in a sea of chickens and frogs? How do you select market make patterns that won't be repeated at every other stall? Today, I'm going to share a few different strategies to help you stand out from the crowd and draw customers to your products.

Strategy 1: Market Research for Crochet Sellers

Calling this strategy one is a bit misleading, if we are being honest. It's more like step one of selling anywhere, no matter what you're selling, where you're selling, or how many times you've sold before. If you don't know the audience that will be attending your market, you will not be able to cater to them. I'm not about to bring my pride flag frogs to a holiday market attended by middle-aged parents, or my snowmen to my pride fests, after all. They simply wouldn't sell!

The same logic goes for standing out. If you are attending a market with a lot of crocheters making hats and scarves, maybe you are fine to make the classic market makes and will stand out that way. Or maybe it's like my 2024 Halloween market, where there were nine crochet amigurumi stalls with five of us selling the same ghost pattern. Knowing your market and your audience is critical to any prep plan.

But how do you do market research? The best way is to attend the market before selling at it, but that isn't always possible. If you can't attend the market, then you'll need to ask people who have. Do you have any other crafter friends who've sold at the market in the past? Any friends who've visited the market before? Ask them if they remember how many crocheters were there, what they sold, and what kind of items sold well. If it's a themed market, then you can also use some basic inference to guess what will sell well. Pride items at a pride fest, spooky items at a Halloween market, Christmas gifts at a holiday event, and so on.

The internet can be a valuable asset when it comes to researching who will be attending your market. Looking at the US census information, you'll be able to find general information about the town, the income levels, and the ages in the town. If the town is mostly made up of middle-class families, then it can help to have items aimed at younger kids. If it's largely made of retirement or empty-nester adults, then toys may sell less well than practical items. You can also use the internet to research the area itself. Is it a cold climate or hot? How close is the nearest school? What is located within walking distance of the fair? How do the event times match up with the hours of the local businesses and schools (ie, will people be off work or school while you are selling)? What kinds of businesses are in the area? Googling these questions will provide you with valuable information about who will be attending your market, how much they might be willing to spend, and what is readily available to them. It's not an exact science, as people often travel to visit craft fairs from out of town, but it is an excellent option when used in combination with asking around.

Keeping track of your market research and previous events is critical for market research! Check out some of our handmade notebooks that are perfect for staying organized!

An underrated resource for market research is the market organizers themselves. For every new market that I attend, I like to reach out to the organizers to ask for more information. I typically have to do this anyway, as I have accommodation needs, so I usually just slip these in with my questions about bathrooms and how far the parking is from the location. My go-to questions are:

• How many crochet artists will be attending?

• Are you limiting vendors based on product type? If so, what is the max number?

• How are you separating similar vendors? Can I be placed farther away from similar vendors?

• Do you have any information about the typical visitors to this market? Age range, income, etc?

• How do you filter out vendors who are selling drop-shipped items versus handmade?

• How many vendors will be there? What sorts of items do they sell?

These questions are also great to ask people who have visited the market in the past, but oftentimes, the organizers will have more specific information to give you. You won't always get an answer, but it never hurts to ask, and with market research, some information is always better than none.

Strategy 2: Selecting Market Prep Patterns

When it comes to selecting your patterns, the easiest way to stand out is to avoid the classic patterns that get used by everyone. But if it was that simple, you wouldn't be reading this post, now would you be? The reality is that octopi, bees, frogs, and chickens are classic market makes for a reason. They sell well, with a good profit margin. They work up quickly, typically are no or low sew, and they are cute as heck. People expect to see them, and more than that, a lot of artists just like to make them, me included! I love making frogs and bees; they fit my brand and are fun to make. So, how do you stand out, without fully avoiding the classics?

To start, you can limit the number of items you make with these classic patterns. I frequently see stalls where nearly everything is a pattern that I see repeated everywhere. If you have more variety, you'll stand out more and attract more people who may not be into bees, cats, or frogs. Changing the colors, materials, and yarns is also a decent strategy. A lot of amigurumi artists use either chenille or baby blanket yarn to make their plushies. Maybe try a four-weight yarn, crochet eyes instead of using plastic safety eyes, or use a weighted filling instead of basic fluff (just make sure you have a lining if you choose to use pellet weights so they don't fall out!). You still run the risk of people purchasing from another stall before arriving at yours and not buying from you, even if you have a unique element, since they already got something similar, but it will still help.

If you like making the classic items but aren't attached to patterns, then you can try to switch up what pattern you use. Maybe make realistic bees instead of pill bug bees, or make a dumbo octopus instead of a standard one. This is the strategy I often employ. I'll make squid instead of octopus, sitting bees and cats instead of pill or loaf-shaped plushies, or dumpy frogs instead of round ones. The patterns are still quick to make and no-sew, but are different enough that they'll stand out from the crowd.

And of course, there is always the option of fully abandoning the classic patterns for other no-sew market makes. You may find they sell less well than the tried and true, or they may sell better - it depends on the market. I like to add fidget toys, loveys, and random animals like capybaras, sharks, stingrays, mushrooms, and dogs to my lineup. They still sell well, and they are different enough that I am often the only shop selling them. If you are looking for patterns that are unique but still make awesome market makes, I recommend checking out my Ribblr, where I share a lot of my patterns, including the octobunny and cat-erpillar patterns that are some of my best sellers! Shops such as Becci's Plushies, KeinMaker, and Harucrochets specialize in creating no-sew patterns for unique animals, many of which make perfect market makes that are sure to stand out from the crowd (Note - this isn't sponsored, I just genuinely love these creators and use their patterns all the time!).

Strategy 3: Gimme the Gimmicks

The final strategy for standing out has nothing to do with pattern selection or knowing your market. Instead, it has to do with your crochet seller's stall itself. Using gimmicks may sound like it's a bad thing, but in reality, creating a shopping experience that draws customers in, encourages them to spend money, and creates a fun experience that people want to come back for is a valid and effective strategy. It doesn't matter what patterns you have if you are the only stall with a crane machine, mystery bags, or a spin-the-wheel for a discount. Some popular gimmicks I've seen are packaging food plushies into to-go containers, capsule machines with mini plushies, build-your-own displays with fish tanks, sushi, dress-up plushies with costumes, and hatching dragons.

Some gimmicks will require an upfront cost on your end, such as any capsule or claw machines, special packaging, or free items for spending a certain amount, but if you manage your budget and price things accordingly, they can pay for themselves tenfold. They offer focal points to draw customers in, allow you to engage with your audience, and are just a lot of fun to plan, create, and share. Plus, it often leads to easy advertisement. There are plenty of ideas for gimmicks out there, but I would encourage you to try and create your own. Let your creativity go wild, and see what sort of magic you can create. If you have a fun way of doing things, then it won't matter what patterns you use! If you come up with anything fun, do us a favor and share it with us at @candycapcrochet on Instagram! We are planning a post on crochet booth gimmicks, and would love to feature you!

TL;DR: Creativity Is Key

To conclude, standing out as a crochet artist in a saturated market is challenging, but it can allow your creativity and craft to grow. Try new patterns and techniques, invent exciting new displays, and have fun with your art. Enjoy what you do, and the people will come. Your customers will see your love for your art, and they will love it too. So have fun, get creative, and good luck.