I know that this topic has been beat to death over the years, but in searching for the thread, I came up blank. I am about to embark on my first show in a couple of weeks and am looking for a "beginner's list" that I think I have seen before. If anyone could assist I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance. I look forward to my maiden voyage into the art/craft show, after so many years of being on the outside of the tent, looking in.
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Good luck Alan. Please let us know how yor first show goes.
Alan, I like your idea of using the 5 gallon buckets with lids. I set up in my back yard with 4 cat litter buckets filled with water (45 lbs ea.) and no problems over a 10 day period with 4 windy thunderstorms. I used grey pillow cases to dress up the buckets. Where do you fill up with water? I was concerned that I may not find a place to fill buckets at all locations. My backup plan was to use full cat litter buckets, but there's the problem of all that weight to haul out and carry home.
Alan, I love your post. The only times we made plans on a show weekend was the day before the show when set up was complete. We made plans to meet a fellow food crafter to have dinner after set. It was a time to catch up, relax the night before the show and have some good local food. We never have expectations about set up, tear down, etc. Like you say, arrive early, plan on being there late, and sense of humor may be the best advice of all.
A few ideas that we have learned over the years. Empty 5 gallon buckets with lids, less than $5 at Home Depot/Lowes. Fill with water at the event for weights. That will give you about 160lbs of weight, and we have never had a failure. And they are very lightweight when empty!
Best suggestion - keep your expectations low, and your standards high. Arrive earlier than you think you should, and never break down before show closing. If you look like you are packing up, most shoppers won't stop. Plan for contingencies. Don't be the artist that shows up late b/c you had a flat tire, or there was traffic. Don't make after show plans with the expectation that you will be loading 1/2 hour after the show is over. Maintain a sense of humor during setup and tear down, and don't stress the stuff you have no control over. Engage your customers, and above all smile and share your story. Art Fair shoppers are there because they don't want the self-service experience. They can, for example, buy art at the mall. What they can't do at the mall is meet the artist, and get the story behind the art - the motivation, the process, the sacrifice, etc. Have fun - if anyone in this business is not having fun, they need to try something else.
Hi, I hope you've found the links that were mentioned above...it sounds like that's what you're looking for anyway. I just want to say that I love what you said about being "outside the tent, looking in". That's me, too...
When we were doing an indoor western art themed show in Los Angeles during 1998, the western USA ad sales representative from Southwest Art Magazine engaged me in a conversation about costs for new artists starting up. She figured that a new artist needed $35,000 to begin their business since advertising would be an important part of the business. So start-up costs are based upon individual factors.
Here's what I mean: I got my Craft Hut used for $500. I got my van for $2,600 cash. I traded artwork for my hanging panels when a video store went out of business, so they only cost me about $10! I don't normally submit more than one application for a given weekend since I see it as money wasted if we get accepted into both shows. so I search for other venues that have later application dates in case I get rejected from the first venue to which I've applied. My average hotel costs are $57 and we usually stay with Red Roof Inn or La Quinta since they accept pets at no extra charge. Perfectly good hotels, and some La Quinta's are awesome (such as the one in Tupelo, MS). The Red Roof Inn in Gainesville, FL may just be the best managed hotel in the WORLD, and I get a weekly rate that costs $49 per night with tax included double occupancy. Weekly rates bring hotel costs down. I don't normally do high booth fee shows, so my average booth fees are less than $300. I don't advertise in national magazines. I cook in my hotel rooms with a small rice cooker and electric skillet. I shop in Aldi discount grocery whenever possible. I don't patronize Starbuck's since coffee is free and good in the hotels. I make iced tea in the evening with tea bags and sugar I get in the hotel lobby.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
My advice... You can have the most expensive and solid tent on the market, but if you don't properly weight it down, it will be a hazard to everyone. Seriously, I started in a $175 EZ UP and during a show in Tallahassee, four booths down from me, an artist's Craft Hut (a defunct company now owned by Flourish) jetted high exposing his work to a major thunderstorm and winds destroyed most of it. I was in my booth when it happened. The artist had just zipped his tent to move along to the award ceremony. So the storm happened at closing time on Saturday and he thought he'd be safer at the dinner, and thought his work would be safe in the Craft Hut.
I have more than 300 pounds weighting my tent and it's probably more than 400 pounds when factoring in the weight of the hanging artwork.
Jim Parker wrote a great blog to on the subject too. All A Newbie Needs To Know and More Good luck to you Allen!
I think that was the one. If it wasn't, then it definitely covers the topic. Thanks!
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