Festival Geeks

08/10/2026

Due to incoming inclement weather, we are putting safety first and rescheduling Pumpkintown to October 24, 2026.

We care deeply about our vendors and community. With the possibility of strong winds and heavy rain, we are making the difficult decision to reschedule Pumpkintown to Saturday, October 24, 2026.

Vendors, you should have received an email with a survey at the end on if you will be attending the rescheduled date. Please remember, we are a small committee and are working as diligently as possible to get all needs addressed.

Thank you for understanding. We look forward to seeing you on October 24, 2026.

08/10/2026

Inventory selection is really a series of educated guesses.

I had a theory that people with larger dogs wouldn’t want shirts for their pets. My customers proved me wrong — and that was useful information.

The goal isn’t to predict perfectly. Start with the best information you have, pay attention to what customers actually buy, and stay flexible enough to change your inventory when the evidence changes.

That’s the thinking behind the free Festival Geeks Craft Show Inventory Planning Calculator. It helps you work backward from your sales goals and expected sell-through, then think through the product mix you actually need.

Try it free: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/craft-show-inventory-planning-calculator

What inventory assumption have your customers proven wrong?

07/10/2026

You've probably heard rules of thumb for how much inventory to bring to a craft show. But a shortcut can't know your booth fee, costs, sales goal or the sell-through rate your plan actually requires.

After recording Episode 11, we turned the lesson into something you can use: the free Festival Geeks Craft Show Inventory Planning Calculator.

Enter your minimum sales goal, worthwhile sales goal and expected sell-through rate. The calculator works backward to show the retail inventory needed to support those goals.

Free calculator: https://festivalgeeksmedia.com/pages/craft-show-inventory-planning-calculator

The calculator doesn't predict what you'll sell. It shows what has to happen for your plan to work.

Festival Geeks — Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

06/10/2026

Episode 11 is here: How Much Inventory Should I Bring to a Craft Show?

There isn't one magic inventory number that works for every vendor. In this episode, Michael shows you how to work backward from your sales goal, calculate the inventory needed to support it, and use real customer behavior to build the right product mix.

We also dig into sell-through, selection vs. quantity, dead stock, and why selling out isn't always the win it appears to be.

Listen or watch the new Festival Geeks episode and start replacing inventory guesses with a repeatable plan.

Festival Geeks — Real Stories. Real Lessons. Real Results.

04/10/2026

02/10/2026

Your product has a story. Do your customers know it?

Sometimes what makes someone connect with your work isn’t just the product — it’s the story behind it.

What’s something you sell that has a story customers respond to?

30/09/2026

Slow market? Stay off your phone.

It’s easy to think nobody notices when traffic dies down and you start scrolling. They do. A shopper can decide whether you look available before they ever step into the booth.

This comes from Episode 10 of Festival Geeks: Your Booth Is Open. Now What? — the part of vending that starts after setup is finished and the market is actually open.

What do you do during the slow stretches at an event?

29/09/2026

Your booth is set up. The gates are open. Customers are walking in. Now what?

Episode 10 of Festival Geeks follows the part of a market day that doesn’t get talked about enough: where to stand, how to greet people without hovering, when to talk, when to listen, what to do during slow stretches, and why packing up early can cost you a sale.

The lesson that ties it all together: every customer gets a clean slate. A rough morning or a bad interaction shouldn’t follow you into the next conversation.

Episode 10 — Your Booth Is Open. Now What? How to Work a Festival Booth — is live this morning.

What’s one rule you follow once the market opens?

25/09/2026

A lot of makers hear ‘tell your story’ and think they need a dramatic founder story. Sometimes the better story is much simpler: why does this product exist?

These dog shirts started because the ones we could buy didn't fit the way we needed them to. So we changed the fit, the construction, and the way we made them. That decision is part of the story.

The full conversation is Episode 9: Why This Exists — Telling the Story Behind What You Make. Link in the first comment.

24/09/2026

Vendors spend a lot of time improving banners, booth layouts, and product displays—and those things matter.

But none of them can replace the connection created when you tell customers the authentic story behind your work.

Your booth can display the product. Your story explains why it matters.

Episode 9 of Festival Geeks goes deeper into telling that story without turning it into a sales pitch.