Craft Fairs in The Calgary Area

[QueenOfThePretties]

Hi!
I live in calgary, alberta, and I'm looking for craft fairs in my area. Anywhere in calgary is good, and Im too young to get a booth at the stampede(I'm 15). Calgary, or possibly airdrie and cochrane. Anyplace else is too far for me to get there myself.
Anyone heard of anything?
I've also pitched the idea to my girl guide group, and they weren't interested.
Thanks in advance!
QotP

[calzephyr]

Hi there, I live in Calgary too!

There are a couple of ways to find craft sales here -

1. Check the board at http://www.calgaryarea.com/community/eventspsa/craftsales/craftsales.htm - many places advertise there.

2. Get out the map or phone book and call up community centers (I start around June)

3. I also call from these two lists of previous sales. If a community has had a sale before, chances it will be annual. Note that these two links are outdated -

http://www.calgarysun.com/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=160633&x=articles&s=lifestyle

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/swerve/story.html?id=c39bc8b2-8fa9-4eed-8e66-023906af729f

4. Make friends with other crafters :-)

I am actually compiling a list of the sales to make into a brochure for vendors to hand out. You can check it out at http://www.purple-pony.com/disndat/calgarycraftsales.php

Most of the tables at different sales cost about $30-40, but occasionally you can find ones that are $20-25...but maybe you can find a friend to share one with you too.

I hope to have a booth at the Stampede some day too, but the cost is too expensive for me right now. They also usually want a percentage of profits as well. Good luck and hope this helps!

BTW, have you heard about the Etsy Alberta Street Team? People under the age of 18 can use Etsy to sell, but their terms of of use say that it requires the "conjunction with and under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian. In this case, the adult is the user and is responsible for any and all activities." (whew, had to add that in there).

Best,
Christine

[QueenOfThePretties]

Thank you!
Im not sure if if I have enough stock for any of the craft fairs that really close, but maybe something in november.
I wonder if sharing a table at stampede would work?

[calzephyr]

You're welcome :-) What sort of crafts do you make? The tables at most community craft sales are 6-8' long. That's a lot of room for signs and displays. Even if you don't have a lot of stock, you'd have lots of room to make a nice uncluttered display.

It might be a little too late to apply for the Festival of Crafts at the Stampede. Usually those shows book months in advance. Here's a link to the application form - http://signatures.ca/PDF/applications/OBTY2008Application.pdf

As you can see, it is quite more expensive than a community craft sale and a seller's products have to be juried in - community sales don't have that usually. The prices are a little frustrating - I'm not sure I can sell enough to make a profit at the Stampede. Maybe one day though! I don't give up on dreams easily :-D

[QueenOfThePretties]

Mostly I knit, But I also make knitted bookmarks.
Eyeglasses cases, Bags, Rugs, Hats, and scarves.
I usually sell them at school, but I would rather go for a bigger audience.
Most high school kids don't have spare money to spend on items that I make.

[TheCoffeeTable]

The Cheer team of our school is putting on a Bazaar on November 27th in the Gym of our School in Airdrie. It will run from 10am to 4pm.

The only cost to You – The Artist – would be the cost of the table (which we would supply). After that, it is your revenue.
The tables are 6 Feet long by 2 and a half feet wide and the cost covers the size of the table, not the amount of different items that you can sell (you can sell a variety of things if you like)

you can check out www.thecoffeetable. typepad.com/cheer_bazaar for more info
or message me