Jenn - I think we all have the same dream. In the south we don't have basements and the garage is taken up with the vehicles. I have a fourth bedroom with its own bath that I use for my studio. I paint in there mostly. I have a 3'x5' desk in front of the window so I can watch the birds. I also keep a small TV-VCR player in my room so I don't feel alone. But like most crafters, one room just won't hold everything so I use the closets in the guest rooms and the dressers to hold fabric and lace, etc., a utility shed for the wood items and tools. I do have most things organized - I have a shelving unit that is 8' long x 7' high and 24" deep. It is divided into four vertically and holds two of the 12 quart rubbermaid containers on each shelf. I have all of my craft stuff in those containers. I have to use my laundry room to hold the dishes I have collected over the years - I have to admit I am one of those ladies on the "Holiday" forum who collects dishes. My children's biggest fear - that I will die and leave them all of my "stuff". I never threaten them that I am going to take them out of the will, I just tell them I am going to put them in the will for all of my "stuff". That is enough to scare anyone.

1. Person selling is reading book..." This is possibly the BIGGEST killer of sales at shows! Also sitting down is a no-no. Always stand up in your booth and be ready to help your customers! 2. People talking to each other and this is why I could not/did not buy the angel I wanted to..." Again, we're at the show to sell our work, not chat with our neighbors. Yes, we're friendly to each other, but when customers are in the house, we're there to sell. 3. Products look cheap and thrown together..." That can just be the level the exhibitor is at. We all started somewhere and I look back and say my products looked thrown toghther too. 4. Person selling for someone else and unable to answer questions. (Not just filling in)..." This is why most shows require the exhibitor to be the one who made the product. Reps do not work at craft shows. 5. Very poor selection of colors and/or styles..." Again maybe just the level of exhibitor. When we introduce a new design we don't have every color and style either. We wait to see if it sells, and then expand on it. 6. Poorly displayed..." Your display is your "store" and you must put as much effort into an attractive display as you do your work. The display must compliment your work but not overpower it. Out of area vendor not familiar with local traditions/customs or preferences and selling products in small towns that usually big city people prefere..." I see this a LOT with jewelers. They don't research their market when they apply to a show. I see young hip urban jewelers selling at country craft shows attended by people in their 40s and 50s. And they don't like the styles being sold. So the exhibitor says the show is lousy. 8. Not enough change avaiable..." I can't understand why an exhibitor wouldn't go to a show without proper change. That's a new one to me. But some other observations: 1. Inapropriate dress for a show. I see exhibitors that look positively silly at shows. Nothing turns a customer off like a 50 something in a tube top! And guys that do a show dressed like they're going to go home and clean out the garage! And you would be surprised how many customers won't buy from an exhibitor wearing sunglasses! Even at an outdoor show. Dress conservatively. A nice blouse or shirt and dress jeans or slacks are excellent. 2. Attitude. I see exhibitors that are very aloof at the show. They virtually ignore the customer. You have less tha 8 seconds to attract the customer to your booth. And you do that by acknowledging the customer's presence. I just say hello and thank them for coming to the show. All you need to do is break the ice, that's all. 3, Not in your booth. Everyone needs to leave the booth at times during the show. But many will become bored and walk around for 15 minutes and wonder why sales are bad. DUH!

Here's a recipe which I have worked up for my dehydrator; it makes terrific jerky. Please note that it is used to dry and flavor the beef, and it is NOT cured; that is, I don't know if it will be safe to store this stuff at room temperature or not. I keep the product in the freezer anyway. I've never used an oven to dry the stuff, although I suppose you could if it came down to a low temp. At any rate, this recipe is a good starting point: Guinness Beef Jerky Marinade (This amount of marinade is sufficient for about 5 to 6 pounds of beef, which I find fill my eight dehydrator trays fairly full.) 6 lbs lean beef, sliced thinly--see Note 1 2 bottles (12-14 oz each) Guinness Stout 2 tablespoons kosher salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2-4 tablespoons hot stuff (see Notes 2 and 3) optional: liquid smoke, 1 to 2 tbsp In a large bowl pour stout and add salt, whisking to dissolve salt and decarbonate the stout. Add the garlic powder and hot stuff and mix well. Put the beef strips in the marinade by handfuls, swirling around to make sure all surfaces have come in contact with the marinade. Place the beef in a nonreactive container (a stainless stockpot works fine, pour the remaining marinade over the beef and refrigerate for at least an hour (more is better, mixing the beef strips every so often in the pot) Place the strips flat on the trays and dry until done. Note 1: I like to use round roast because it's very lean; eye of round is very easy to slice across the grain, and that yields a less stringy product. Don't use a fatty cut because it won't dry as thoroughly and won't have the storage properties of a leaner cut. Note 2: I have used chipotle powder with good results; 4 tablespoons in this recipe makes a quite hot product, and 2 tbsp makes a pleasantly zingy one. If you want something quite mild, use sweet paprika which would make a product not at all hot but with pleasant flavor. Note 3: The last batch I made, I used a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead of the tablespoons of hot stuff, blended in the blender until smooth, then I added the other ingredients and blended until mixed. Worked great, although next time I will cut back a little on the salt. I prefer to dry it fairly dry and store it in several small (1 qt) ziploc bags in the freezer, transferring one bag at a time to the fridge from which I take a piece or two at a time to snack on. None of it has ever gone bad storing it that way.

I've put some of my more "normal" unusual things on Craigslist and done well with them. Things that I make out of weird items and turn them into furniture, I sold a garden trellis made out of a headboard, etc. It just depends on what kinds of things you have! I owned a consignment shop for years, and while that is a great idea for selling things you don't want...it is kind of hard to get in the door selling things you want to make a profit on. Most consignment stores (at least in our area) have a 60/40 split. They keep 60% of the total sales price (minus tax, delivery, etc.) and you only get 40%, and THEY set the price, not you! I think you would be better off with some of the places that lindasewandsew listed above, depending on what you were trying to sell. Gift boutiques, for unusual items...plant nurseries would be great if you make garden accessories, I have sold handmade jewlery to a "higher-end" used clothing store that we have in town. They didn't charge me consignment rates, since they were different than the clothes the normally sell and they bought outright from me, I set my price, then let them charge what they wanted for them. It worked out really well. Street fairs and festivals work well, but you can lose money on those. I had a "craft fair business" that I ran for 2 years with a friend. We had shows that we did great (we paid on average between $125-$200 for a booth at the bigger shows - and we are in a small midwestern town, so I don't know how the rates compare) and we had shows were we lost alot of money. I remember a few years ago, we did an outdoor show, and it was miserable all weekend. Middle of August and it was 40 degrees and raining the whole time! Needless to say, we were miserable and no one showed up because of the weather, so we barely sold anything! We also did a Christmas show each year for 3 years and some years thing sold and some years they didn't. I specialize in country snowmen. The second year, I sold out all of my snowmen items (I had about 120 items) in the first 4 hours. (I literally had to go home and make snowmen all night, so I would have more the next morning). So, the next year, I was prepared and had 3 times as many, and barely sold any of them! So you just have to prepare yourself. If you do craft fairs, I suggest you hit all the craft fairs in the area for a few months before commiting to one. Talk to the crafters, find out how they are doing and if it is worth buying a booth locally. They are a close knit community and most of them have been doing it for years and know everybody in the local scene. They are usually happy to welcome a new crafter to the group, and they really will give you the scoop on which shows are better than others! If you know any store owners, in stores that you frequent...talk to them first. Most will be willing to help you out and give your stuff a try. If you don't know anyone, start frequenting some local shops and start talking to the owners/employees. Get to know them and find out how they get their things and if they'd be willing to give you a shot. More than likely, you'll be able to find an outlet to sell your goods! Sorry this got so long. I just wanted to share what knowlege I had after running the business' that I have run!