Our next craft fair will be on Saturday 10th December! Hooray!
Please please take the opportunity to have a stall if you want to, or have been thinking about it for a while. Because this fair will be our LAST one. For the foreseeable future anyway.
I know, I know. It is sad when community things stop happening. It is not a decision I have taken lightly. There are many reasons but the main ones are layered somewhat, and they look like this:
There's no time. I know that sounds like a bit of a rubbish excuse, but there it is. We just don't have the time to put into making the craft fair what it would need to be in order to make everyone happy. It's a great community event but without enough people coming in through the doors, it is lacking a little bit of what it needs to be excellent. We sadly do not have the time or the resources to do the amount of advertising every time that is required. In order to invest that time and money, we would have to morph the fair into something bigger and grander and more profit-orientated. Something that it is not and should not be. Which brings me to reason layer number 2:
It's about Community, not Profit. But this brings with it problems. More and more rules have to be put in place, more and more explanations given so that crafters know what to expect and are okay with it. Sadly also, keeping our stall costs so low does somewhat invite a 'take it or leave it' attitude, meaning that someone can book a table and then decide on the day not to come along, having not lost out so much in terms of money. Even more sadly, this happens more and more with every fair. In order to stop it happening, we would have to put more rules in place, including a refundable deposit style booking system, which I have seen done at other fairs, and HATE, because having to put down £50 upfront does exclude a lot of crafters who maybe don't have that to spare, even if they stand to get it back. I know because I've been unable to book myself into fairs in the past for just such a reason. Equally, I don't think that charging more for a table is reasonable. If I were going to do that, I would be moving SE20 Craft Fair into 'professional crafter' territory, which would mean, once again, the focus would shift from Community to Profit. And it wouldn't be fun. And so we move onto reason layer number 3:
It's less fun than it used to be! See above for an explanation for this. The fair has so many more rules than it used to, so many more explanations as to what it's all about, and the FAQ I wrote up for the last fair was ridiculously long!
Reason number 4 doesn't really belong to a layer, but it's there anyway so I'll write about it: we just don't have the funds to advertise the fairs, to decorate the fairs, to promote the fairs. At a previous fair, we had a donations basket for the upkeep of the fair and it helped so much - we got a wonderful, beautiful big banner out of that and we proudly display that outside on the main road in the run up to every fair. A lot of people comment on it. But I don't like to keep asking, because that donations bucket can and should be for local charities, or charities that are close to our hearts. And so it will be at the next fair in December.
Also, and lastly, SE20 Craft Fair was always meant to be for EVERYONE in the local community. Not just those that belong to a certain class or who think a certain way. Not just those that have disposable income. Not just those that use the Internet to connect with one another or those that have recently moved to the area. But for EVERYONE. And it isn't really, because a lot of people in the local area just don't seem interested. I love that people come to the fairs, and if you belong to the above categories then that's cool. I'm so glad you want to come along to SE20 Craft Fair. But I've had so many conversations with people over the past year who wonder if I am using the fair to 'gentrify' the area. It makes my heart sink every time. I started the fair because I LIKE CRAFTS. But not everyone does and over time, these sorts of connotations have been attached to the fair and that sucks because it was just supposed to be fun. If it doesn't appeal to loads of people then I feel I would be a little arrogant for trying to find funding for it, just because it appeals to ME. I cannot assume everyone thinks the way I do and likes what I like. I hope this makes sense.
So for now, for all the reasons above, we're wrapping it up. Although it is worth pointing out that ANYONE can start a craft fair or community event in Penge. There are numerous places to hire out and there will always be people willing to help out. In fact, I don't feel that I have given enough credit during all my layered reasoning above, to the people (and there are lots of you!) who love the fair, and who love community spirit, who really GET what SE20 Craft Fair has been all about, and have helped out so much over the years. Friends, family, stallholders, visitors. Just by turning up you have been an amazing support to us. So thank you!
Please please take the opportunity to have a stall if you want to, or have been thinking about it for a while. Because this fair will be our LAST one. For the foreseeable future anyway.
I know, I know. It is sad when community things stop happening. It is not a decision I have taken lightly. There are many reasons but the main ones are layered somewhat, and they look like this:
There's no time. I know that sounds like a bit of a rubbish excuse, but there it is. We just don't have the time to put into making the craft fair what it would need to be in order to make everyone happy. It's a great community event but without enough people coming in through the doors, it is lacking a little bit of what it needs to be excellent. We sadly do not have the time or the resources to do the amount of advertising every time that is required. In order to invest that time and money, we would have to morph the fair into something bigger and grander and more profit-orientated. Something that it is not and should not be. Which brings me to reason layer number 2:
It's about Community, not Profit. But this brings with it problems. More and more rules have to be put in place, more and more explanations given so that crafters know what to expect and are okay with it. Sadly also, keeping our stall costs so low does somewhat invite a 'take it or leave it' attitude, meaning that someone can book a table and then decide on the day not to come along, having not lost out so much in terms of money. Even more sadly, this happens more and more with every fair. In order to stop it happening, we would have to put more rules in place, including a refundable deposit style booking system, which I have seen done at other fairs, and HATE, because having to put down £50 upfront does exclude a lot of crafters who maybe don't have that to spare, even if they stand to get it back. I know because I've been unable to book myself into fairs in the past for just such a reason. Equally, I don't think that charging more for a table is reasonable. If I were going to do that, I would be moving SE20 Craft Fair into 'professional crafter' territory, which would mean, once again, the focus would shift from Community to Profit. And it wouldn't be fun. And so we move onto reason layer number 3:
It's less fun than it used to be! See above for an explanation for this. The fair has so many more rules than it used to, so many more explanations as to what it's all about, and the FAQ I wrote up for the last fair was ridiculously long!
Reason number 4 doesn't really belong to a layer, but it's there anyway so I'll write about it: we just don't have the funds to advertise the fairs, to decorate the fairs, to promote the fairs. At a previous fair, we had a donations basket for the upkeep of the fair and it helped so much - we got a wonderful, beautiful big banner out of that and we proudly display that outside on the main road in the run up to every fair. A lot of people comment on it. But I don't like to keep asking, because that donations bucket can and should be for local charities, or charities that are close to our hearts. And so it will be at the next fair in December.
Also, and lastly, SE20 Craft Fair was always meant to be for EVERYONE in the local community. Not just those that belong to a certain class or who think a certain way. Not just those that have disposable income. Not just those that use the Internet to connect with one another or those that have recently moved to the area. But for EVERYONE. And it isn't really, because a lot of people in the local area just don't seem interested. I love that people come to the fairs, and if you belong to the above categories then that's cool. I'm so glad you want to come along to SE20 Craft Fair. But I've had so many conversations with people over the past year who wonder if I am using the fair to 'gentrify' the area. It makes my heart sink every time. I started the fair because I LIKE CRAFTS. But not everyone does and over time, these sorts of connotations have been attached to the fair and that sucks because it was just supposed to be fun. If it doesn't appeal to loads of people then I feel I would be a little arrogant for trying to find funding for it, just because it appeals to ME. I cannot assume everyone thinks the way I do and likes what I like. I hope this makes sense.
So for now, for all the reasons above, we're wrapping it up. Although it is worth pointing out that ANYONE can start a craft fair or community event in Penge. There are numerous places to hire out and there will always be people willing to help out. In fact, I don't feel that I have given enough credit during all my layered reasoning above, to the people (and there are lots of you!) who love the fair, and who love community spirit, who really GET what SE20 Craft Fair has been all about, and have helped out so much over the years. Friends, family, stallholders, visitors. Just by turning up you have been an amazing support to us. So thank you!
So here's what's going on with SE20 Craft Fair, the 10th edition, on December 10th (hey, the 10th on the 10th!). It will be a little different. Here's how:
Instead of 20-ish large tables, I will be hiring out 40 half tables! For this you will pay exactly half the price you normally would. Every half table will be £5. I will not be hiring out whole tables, to anyone. The idea behind this is to get creative. How will you manage your space? What do you most want to put on display? And for crafters who have never been sure, all this time, if they could fill a whole table, and have held back from coming to SE20 Craft Fair on that basis - well, now you can! A half table is much less daunting.
It will also get people sitting together who might not otherwise meet. This is one way in which community links can be forged.
And hopefully, if we have 40 people bringing their friends and families instead of 20 - we'll have a REALLY packed fair and we can go out on a really high note.
I will not be booking for December until September, so for now hang fire, and stay tuned for more details.
Thank you so much to everyone reading this. For supporting us and being part of a wonderful Penge community. The fair is saying goodbye but the community has always existed and will carry on in many wonderful ways.
Instead of 20-ish large tables, I will be hiring out 40 half tables! For this you will pay exactly half the price you normally would. Every half table will be £5. I will not be hiring out whole tables, to anyone. The idea behind this is to get creative. How will you manage your space? What do you most want to put on display? And for crafters who have never been sure, all this time, if they could fill a whole table, and have held back from coming to SE20 Craft Fair on that basis - well, now you can! A half table is much less daunting.
It will also get people sitting together who might not otherwise meet. This is one way in which community links can be forged.
And hopefully, if we have 40 people bringing their friends and families instead of 20 - we'll have a REALLY packed fair and we can go out on a really high note.
I will not be booking for December until September, so for now hang fire, and stay tuned for more details.
Thank you so much to everyone reading this. For supporting us and being part of a wonderful Penge community. The fair is saying goodbye but the community has always existed and will carry on in many wonderful ways.