WHAT: Holiday Handicraft Market
COST/FEE: $5 registration fee — includes one 6-8 foot rectangular folding table
The registration fee can be shared by siblings or other “business partners,” but only one table will be provided per registration. If your child requires multiple tables or you have multiple children who desire separate tables, you must register/pay for each table that you need. The registration fee goes directly back into the support of the market.
WHEN: Saturday, 11/12 — 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Setup: 9:00 am | Teardown: 1:30 pm
WHERE: Linworth Baptist Church | 6200 Linworth Rd, Worthington, OH 43085
EVENT COORDINATOR:
sara Lowe (Handicraft Market + Curriculum/Book Sale Coordinator)
216-409-1335 or jslowe7205@yahoo.com
THIS EVENT IS CHILD-LED — the ideas, creative work, marketing and signage, and even the management of the booths should come from their minds and hands. Let them have extra chores to earn the money they need for the registration fee and supplies, and allow them to figure out through trial and error which product ideas are a good fit for their skills. We know it's sometimes hard for parents to sit on the sidelines as a cheerleader, but we promise you will see true growth and joy if you allow your children to take the reins with this project! Our general recommendation is for vendors to be ages 6 and older.
BARTERING NEEDS TO BE PARENT-MONITORED — One important aspect we ask parents to help monitor and guide is the bartering process to help educate our kids on how to make equitable trades. We have two requirements for bartering:
All bartering must occur AT THE END of the market after all customers have shopped — after 1:00 pm.
Bartering must occur with an adult present to guide the process and make sure it is favorable for all parties.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD — Each participating family will be provided with a digital flyer to share with any friends who would like to attend our market as a shopper! These could be grandparents, neighbors, small shop owners, or even other homeschool families who are not part of our Wild + Free group! Feel free to spread the word via social media using the graphics provided along with the hashtag #centralohiohandicraftmarket
INSPIRATION + PLANNING — For inspiration, we suggest a simple online search for children's handicraft markets. Pinterest and Instagram have great ideas to help your children brainstorm what kinds of products (or even services) they can bring to the market. There is no limit on price points, but we have found that items under $10 and specifically, items between $0.50 and $5.00 are a sweet spot — it may be a good idea for your children to have a variety of products at various price points to encourage different kinds of customers to purchase. Some children opt to specialize in one product for simplicity. Take into consideration skill level, time and materials used when helping price items with your child. Regarding how many items to bring, this year is a little different as our market has moved from a mid-week event to a Saturday morning and we are anticipating a greater customer turn-out. Our best guess would be to bring no less than 25 items to sell (but this is very subjective and dependent on the type and complexity of what your child is making). Some will bring a handful of very complex, intricate items at a higher price point, some will bring dozens and dozens of smaller-priced, easily replicated items. Use your best judgment. We have two additional recommendations regarding inventory:
If it looks like your child will sell out of their inventory, consider having them save one of each product they have brought as a sample that they can use to take orders from customers. The methods you chose for this process are entirely up to each family regarding payment, delivery, etc.
If it looks like your child has overshot their inventory and will have an excess at the end of the market, consider having them use their products as Christmas gifts OR they are welcome to save them for next year’s market for a “discount” section in their booth!
BOOTH REQUIREMENTS — Participating children/teens are encouraged to design and market their wares in creative ways with their booths. Be sure to have your kids design their booth with existing items from home like blankets, crates, boxes, etc. One table (per registration) will be provided at the venue, and vendors must ensure it is covered with a sheet or tablecloth.
SET UP + TEAR DOWN — Participants need to arrive promptly at 9:00 am to set up their booth. All booth cleanup must be completed by 1:30 pm. Additionally, we ask that all families check with Wild + Free leadership prior to leaving for one extra helping job to tidy the venue.
POLICY REMINDER: Please make sure you have read through all our policies before attending an event and communicate behavior expectations to your children and teens.
EVENT REGISTRATION: CLOSED
Registration Deadline: Sunday, 11/6 at 11:59 pm