Art Fairs and markets are great ways to sell and publicize your artwork. However, these events are a lot of work and can take time and investment to set up beforehand. Deciding and planning out your products to sell can minimize the financial and mental stress.

Planning can include assessing your targeted audience, researching other vendors, and blending what you want to sell with popular products. These are a few ways to boost your sales at art markets and fairs.

Who's your audience?

Print for the event. Some artists create new artwork for different venues like comic cons, pop-up shows, or themed fairs, to fit what is popular at the time.

Considering the season of your art event and whether it is a casual or high-end environment also affects who will be attending. Knowing these aspects of your audience lets you decide on specifics like pricing, inventory, and product formats.

You can also use past sales and this informational research to help stock larger quantities for traveling to art fairs or having a permanent booth at a gallery.

Here are some thoughts to consider while finding your targeted audience:

  • Location- Coastal or Urban?
  • Are there popular local spots to feature?
  • Is it a seasonal or themed event?
  • Who's buying? Think demographics.
  • What's the average consumer expenditure in the area?
  • Is it casual or formal? 
  • Is it inside or outside?
  • Are customers there for a specific reason, like a Renaissance Faire or a Seafood Festival?

There is so much to consider when participating in art markets and fairs, but finding and exploring a niche can lead to potential sales and unique ways to sell your art!

What are you selling?

Today's advanced technologies allow you to print your artwork on several products. At the Stackhouse Printery, we focus on high-quality artwork reproductions on paper or canvas, with a couple of different finishing options, like matting or mounted foam backs.

If you are thinking about focusing on quantity, going smaller and cheaper might help. Mini prints are fun and easy for people to buy on the fly.

Having a companion product to accompany your original artwork, such as giclee prints, offers another sales path for your customers to take the lead. These prints can also be priced lower than the originals.

If this is your first time setting up at a market or faire, offering a range of options in a lower quantity can help you gauge what sells best. 

Products like mounted prints or gallery-wrapped canvas are ready to display, making setting up easier and requiring fewer sales steps.

What attracts buyers?

Your art will speak to others, and creating the perfect space to display it will be the foundation for attracting customers. Art markets and fairs can be overwhelmingly busy. Buyers will file past, waiting for something to catch their eye. 

These events can also be slow, with an awkward atmosphere that makes attracting people to your wares hard. Attending art markets can be a gamble; however, being prepared and informed can help make it a smooth event for you and your customers.

Here are some tips to help in many scenarios:

1. Good art presentation. 

This includes factors like display, packaging, decor, and material quality.

2. Offer some smaller sizes. 

These items can be impulse buys, easier to carry, and pack for walking or travelling. Someone who wants to buy a big print or an original will find a way to make it work, but these are not necessary for those customers. Smaller sizes can include Mini prints and small to medium matting packages.

3. Pick something unique.

Whether it's your subject matter, art style, or product, having products other vendors do not have will help drive sales. Gallery-wrap canvas and framed prints add extra value and make art reproductions stand out more than loose prints.

 

Check out our Packaged & Mounted Options.

Packaged prints and mounted prints are easy to use, benefiting both you and your customers. To prepare your artwork for resale, we recommend exploring our Wall Art and Package Prints categories. 

These prints are one step closer to hanging on the wall or displaying them, and they come with protective finishes like clear plastic bags, rigid backing, or protected laminate on our canvas.