I have been trying to get into larger (read: more expensive) shows and fairs over the past two years.
My latest one was the Northern Virginia Christmas Market in Chantilly, VA.
Anticipating a great many people coming through the gate and it being a three day fair
I went into high gear for production. I tripled what my normal inventory would be. I priced each and every item. The boxes were packed and organized. I ordered tables and chairs and walls from the organizers in
order to not have to cart all that. I made phone calls to get more info about said walls....and was assured that they were solid walls.
After packing the car, we realized that we needed the van so unpack the car and pack the van. We got a late morning start and hit the DC Beltway at rush hour :(
Three hours to go 50 miles....
The walls were drapes, I couldn't display a lot of my art but the booth looked ok. I did have two tremendous neighbors that made the weekend a lot of fun.
Houndstooth the Owl and several of his cronies are now living in new homes in Virginia.
A delicious South American restaurant was nearby and the lovely Lindsay and I enjoyed it very much!
The ride home was a rainy blurrrrr......
I realized that a three day fair is only good for the promoters who can up the 'rent' fee.
Saturday is always a great day, if we could only have three Saturdays...
I recovered my investment, with a little more left over but not by any means did I make enough to gamble at it again. I also didn't need to pay for a room since my son lives in the area, if I had it would have been a wash. Now the person on my right sold an incredible infused olive oil that was to die for and she did a tremendous business. But she was the only one in my aisle that did.
This particular venue was a bit too country rustic for my eclectic whimsical art.
But there is one called Crafty Bastards that is right in DC.........now where did I put those dice?
This is always our dilemma isn't it? You booth looked very nice, even though the walls were just drapes. I'm happy Houndstooth found a home!
ReplyDeleteI think your booth looks great! I'm glad Houndstooth found a home, he's cute!! I've heard nothing but good things about Crafty Bastards. I know they promote very well and I know people that do that show every year and praise the organizers very much. You should look into it! :)
ReplyDeleteI so know the feeling! Its hard to figure out where one's market is. Trial and error is expensive in terms of money and time. Let's hope for good crowds in the next few weeks!
ReplyDelete