We offer an affordable place for crafters to promote, display and sell their items, whilst still maintaining a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all.
If you love handmade, you'll love our fairs...
How Did It All Start?
After having difficulty finding affordable craft fairs in my local area at the beginning of 2014, I decided to start organising one myself.
I'm just a crafter who loves handmade items and who wanted to give myself and other local crafters somewhere to sell, promote and display their items for an affordable price... as crafters rarely receive the recognition they deserve for all the hours of hard work they put in.
About Our Craft Fairs
Our fairs run from April till December, approximately every 4 weeks and are always on a Saturday between 1.30pm - 5pm, held at:
St Mary's Church Hall,
(Opposite St Mary's Church)
Church Street,
Twickenham,
Middlesex.
TW1-3NJ
How To Find Us
We are approximately 10 minutes walk from Twickenham Railway Station and between 5-8 minutes walk from bus routes H22, 281, 267, R68, 110, 490 and R70.
We are situated at the end of a quaint cobble-stoned road (Church Street), which is a beautiful location. Very close to Twickenham riverside, the Church Hall is directly opposite St Mary's Church.
Access For All
St Mary's Church Hall is perfect for our craft fairs, it is spacious, with wood flooring, high ceilings and a lot of natural light, which is welcoming and bright. The entire fair is on one level, with no staircases or large steps and we will always endeavour to allow plenty of space between stalls for ease of access for both customer and crafter alike.
We will always allow access for wheelchair and pushchair users at our fairs, as it is important that everyone has an equal chance of looking around, no matter what their circumstance.
We normally have between 15-17 stalls at every event, but can comfortably cater for up to 19 stalls in busier months.
Why Is It Important To Buy Handmade?
Handmade items are a unique gift idea.
Why buy all your gifts in the same shops, when you can have something that makes more of an impact and can be tailor-made or even personalised.
Many of us do not consider the numerous hours crafter's spend sourcing unique materials, creating new designs, networking, displaying their work, making their items and generally trying to promote themselves online and in person, just to be seen. As it is so time consuming, unfortunately, many crafters and small businesses end up having to give up the only thing they love doing, as they just can't be seen by enough people to cover their ongoing costs.
Put simply, if consumers only ever spend their money on mass produced items that are cheap to make/distribute, then handmade items and crafters themselves will eventually disappear. Supporting local businesses and crafters by continuing to buy handmade is the only way we will keep these specialist trades alive.
What Can I Expect To See At The Fair?
We aim to offer as much variety as possible - Previous fairs have included handmade items such as:
hand crafted jewellery, charity stalls, baby/toddler clothing, vintage inspired items, toiletries, Christmas decorations, greetings cards, shabby-chic gifts, home-made cakes, quilts, ceramics, Photographic cards, Pet treats, tote bags, Halloween inspired items, Keyrings, head/shoulder massage, wooden plaques, Easter gifts, silk slippers, decorative items, framed pictures, baby accessories, Clay items, Cushions, quilts, a caricature artist, vintage jewellery, home fragrance, fridge magnets, paintings, felt bags, candles, ideas for the home, up-cycling, personalised gifts, needlecraft, Catnip toys, silk purses, felt animals, children's books, vintage prints, handbags, candles in tea cups and many other gift ideas etc....
Refreshments At Our Fairs:
We have a local baker (Steve) who runs the refreshments stand at our fairs. He and Bev both offer a friendly service, along with affordable Hand-baked cakes, scones and savouries, together with cold and hot drinks.
There is a different selection each time. At previous fairs they have sold these yummy items: Scones, Coffee & walnut cake, Lemon tray bake, Cheese and homemade chutney sandwiches, Fudge, a selection of sweets, Chocolate cake, Bacon and leek lattice, Walnut cake, Peanut butter cookies, Sausage and stuffing rolls, Cherry bakewell and chocolate brownies.
With prices starting at just 45p, why not pop in to get some lunchtime nibbles whilst you have a stroll around our fair :-)
How Is The Fair Advertised?
There are 1,500 flyers printed for every event, which are distributed in the local area by myself and many of the crafters who had/have a stall at our fair. They are also displayed by myself (and other crafters) when participating at other craft fairs within the Middlesex/Surrey area to increase awareness.
Many are also left with staff to display/distribute in coffee shops, cafes, Chemists, restaurants, doctors' surgeries, shops, newsagents, pubs and other businesses in the local/surrounding area.
Around 10 - 15 posters are put up around St Margaret’s (as posters are not permitted in most of Twickenham.)
The craft fairs are also advertised frequently on social media by myself and many of the crafters who have stalls, or who previously had a stall at the event.
At each fair 1-4 large vinyl banners are put up directly outside to increase footfall/awareness on the day (provided there is not heavy rain/very adverse weather conditions, as unfortunately they do not stick to the walls when there is.)
Craft Fair Dates For 2015
Saturday 11th April - STALLS SOLD OUT
NO fair in October (due to Rugby World Cup)
How Can I Apply For A Stall?
Before contacting us about a stall, please read the following:
Your stall MUST consist of at least 70% of items that are handmade, hand crafted, hand decorated, your unique design, or put together by hand - We want to adhere to our motto "Buy Unique, Buy Handmade". (We only have 3 people on our mailing list that don't have handmade items, as they supported our fairs from the very beginning and sell items from large, reputable companies.)
Public liability insurance is recommended for your stall and items to cover any possible loss, claims, damage and for your own peace of mind. Our mailing list is now in excess of 155 people, so once booking is open, stalls are allocated on a first paid, first served basis as this is the fairest way. Jewellery stalls are set at a maximum of 5 per fair. Booking opens at an undisclosed date, with only 2 fairs at a time being open for bookings.
The stall cost is £12.00 - This pays towards hall hire, advertising costs and a standard crafters' table of between 5ft-6ft being supplied, along with 2-3 chairs per stall. Basic refreshments are provided free to stallholders, consisting of tea, coffee and fruit squash. STALL FEES ARE NON REFUNDABLE
Payment of the stall fee is ONLY taken by PayPal - PayPal is used as it is a secure method of payment, whilst also providing both parties with a record of the transaction.
Being added to our books is easy - Simply contact me via the website contact form or directly via e-mail and tell me your full name, business or company name (if you have one) and what type of Handmade craft you are looking to sell. I will confirm availability/suitability and you will be added to the mailing list for the next available fair date.
Sorry, but we can NOT accept the following:
Traders who buy items to sell (i.e. bought from outside the UK and clearly not handmade), Forever living items, Tropic skincare items, Alcohol, Fireworks, Food/drink stalls (for immediate consumption) including cakes/sweets - as we already have a refreshments stand, Weapons, Pyramid schemes, Illegal/dangerous items or any stalls with less than 70% handmade goods.
You can also find us here:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/TWICK_CRAFTS
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TwickenhamCraftFairs
Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/clairegjewel
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