I am going to have products set up in Krakenhits anyways, but I wanted to attend the show and see how it went since I wasn't even aware they had a monthly event. With it falling on a Sunday, it's actually perfect! Sundays tend to be pretty slow in general so it gave me something to do.
Before the Event & Setup
I left way too early but decided to go shopping instead. Figured I needed some storage options for my setup at Krakenhits anyways. The event started at 11am, Homegoods opens at 9am so you can imagine what I was doing Sunday morning haha.
I found a little holder that was cute. I have no idea what I will end up using it for. Maybe the Remora keychains or if I do any sort of coin purses, but I will tell you keychains and washi tape just fall out of it so that is not an option. When I arrived, I brought some things in. Tables and chairs were provided so I mostly just sat stuff on the table with my name on it and walked over to the other side to unload some plush into the store side. I really want people to come to Kraken and buy from them. I need to get more baskets though since I will have many colors of panic puffs eventually.
The Event Itself
The event was busier than I expected given than it was a pretty small room for all of us. With it being TCG focused, I had no real expectations but I actually did pretty well. The owners are extremely kind and the people who were buying and selling were great. Kids and adults alike came in and made purchases.
Tables were 8 feet if I recall correctly so I had plenty of space but you did have to enter and exit from a side so people in the middle had to make a choice on which direction to go. Since it was a small event, traffic was slow and steady and many people (even other vendors) made purchases.
I didn't advertise a lot for this either, so it means they are doing a lot of work on their end to drive customers into the store for themselves and us.
What Worked & What Did Not
It was a small comfy event so space as limited. What I liked was that tables were provided.
The whole space is well laid out and clean. Easy to find and access.
Lunch was difficult since I had to order doordash food to the location and it wasn't super easy for them to find, but really I have no real complaints. That's not a location problem just something to consider. There is actually a restaurant next door I have no idea why I didn't think about that until writing this lol.
Conclusion
I enjoyed the event overall. Got to chat with some TCG collectors and other artists. I won't attend again since I do have a setup on the other side but if you are looking for something worth vending at, this is worth it! They do this monthly so definitely look into it.
The Details (TLDR)
Event: Monthly TCG Show
Date: December 17, 2023
Location: Krakenhits, 7136-7142 University Ave NE, Fridley, MN 55432
Hours: 11am-5pm, loading time 10am
Total Vendors: 15
Attendance: ~50
Travelworthy: Okay for locals within a 30 minute drive, not worth for anyone out of state.
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Booth Cost: $0 for a 8x3 space
Total Sales: $105 (this is before all costs are taken out)
Transaction Fees: $0.69
Taxes: $8.09
Total Profit: $96.22