Bazaars and Garage Sales

Arts and Crafts Fair

This can become a very profitable annual event for your group, but it requires a dedicated and organized committee.

• Begin many months or even a year ahead of your date range and reserve a space. It is always best to be in a place where passers-by will see all the excitement. Be sure to take into account cooking facilities if you are going to offer food.
• Decide how much to charge for spaces, keeping in mind the cost of tables and coverings.
• Contact craft people and artists and ask them if they would like to participate.
• You can substantially increase your profits by adding your own
• Craft Stalls Be sure to have a plan about how to handle the issue of your members making crafts, for instance fine needlework, for the club stalls. Do you charge them a flat fee to participate and then they get the profits? Do all profits automatically go to the club? Does the club get a percentage? This needs to be addressed well before the event, or it can lead to problems.
• Food Stalls
• Used book stall
• Plant stall
• White elephant stall--pure profit to your group!
• Raffles and tombolas
• Children's games
  
  • Mazes
  • Tug of War
    Grab Bags with their variations
    • Fishing Pond-A small children's pool or nice painted wash tub makes a nice pond. Paint different numbers on plastic fish. The numbers correspond with categories of prizes. Every fish caught wins a prize.
    • Pocket Lady-Sew many pockets on a large skirt. Fill them with small prizes or candy. In exchange for a ticket, the child gets to choose a prize from a pocket.
  • Haunted House
• You can also have some live entertainment such as folk singing, carol singing, piano playing, or dancing from local dance schools. Not only does this make the event more festive, it gets more folks through the doors!
  
• Advertise any and every way that you can afford, including creating brochures and posters for display at local businesses.
  
• You can charge a small entrance fee, but not too high, or you could discourage attendees.
  

Garage or Lawn Sale

Select a date and place, and then ask your members to go through their closets, attics, and basements and gather all of their unwanted treasures for your sale. You could offer to pick up items if needed. Give yourself plenty of time to sort and price the items donated. Keep track of donors so that you can thank them and let them know how successful the event was. Publicize like crazy. Be sure to have change on hand before the sale. Be ready for customers beating down your doors.

Flea Market or "Car boot sale"

Find a good place for your sale such as a parking lot on a busy intersection and ask for permission to have the sale. Decide how much to charge for spaces-you can have single and double spaces-taking into account all of your expenses and the "going rate" for flea market spaces. Advertise in plenty of time for people who would like to participate to contact you. Attract customers to the area through advertising, posters, and signs on the day. You can increase your takings by selling something else like food or coffee. If you have the manpower, this can really make money if you can do it on a regular basis.