Long Grove Art and Wine Fest, Long Grove, IL

Comment by Amy Ikenn on August 22, 2011 at 12:40am

It was great to meet you! I wish I had realized there were more AFI'ers there, I would have looked for everyone.

I did speak to several other artists there that I know, and one who does large oil paintings had one of their best shows of the summer. A woman who does amazing dichro glass pendants (that's you Jan!) also seemed to have a decent show. The potter that I know had a miserable time along with a blown glass artist and several jewelers.

To be fair the weather was a factor this year and last (too hot last year and Saturday storms this year). Based on traffic the crowds were good, but were they buying? Were they buying at any show this weekend? Who knows.

Good luck in Lake Forest, I have 3 shows to go and need better results than my last 3 as well.

Comment by Carla Bank on August 22, 2011 at 2:41am

Wendy!!! OK, one artist friend, acrylic landscapes did great, she sold a large piece and more stuff, she was happy and when I told her I was having a slow show she couldn't believe it. My neighbor photographer didn't sell anything. We were studying the people, very nice dressed, they had class, well educated,complementing my art and his art all the time, but like my neighbor said "they couldn't pull the trigger" and like I told him, " I have a pile of complements, but I can't pay my bills with that". Economy? Maybe...Luck? Maybe...Watchers but not art shoppers? maybe...
A client that visits all the shows told me she couldn't believe how nice the show was and how many different artists she found that hasn't seen in other Chicago shows. She called her cousin which happens to be our beloved Geri Wegner and told her to get her butt over the show because it was much better than last year and she was really enjoying it so she had to come. I think Long Grove needs time. Maybe next year will bring more art buyers, because there was lots of people wailking around but not too many buying. I think they are really trying to improve it year after year and the word between the art buyers is spreading, it just needs time , hang in there!! Good luck in Lake Forest!!!!

Comment by Carla Bank on August 22, 2011 at 2:46am

PS I have also 3 more to go and I spent my whole show trying to think ways to sell more $$$. I got some ideas here and there. I will implement them in 2 weeks that I have Oakbrook to see if it is me, the economy, or what?!! Still trying to figure things out...

Comment by mark zurek on August 22, 2011 at 9:24am

I was actually glad to see this.Think I made the right choice by not attending this show. The blog author hit the sweet spot right off when she said that Long Grove used to be popular. Living in the area, I remember those days when the town was unique,the tavern was full on the weekends. Now, tough times and empty stores. I travel to most of my shows, silly enough to put on 2400 miles for the chance of a decent return, truth being told unless you hit the jack pot or cycle thru a half dozen shows, the single trips don't make any money, you break even at best. I thought it might be nice to sleep in my own bed, save the meal money, then I saw the killer. My first app, either I didn't see "Wine Fest" or it wasn't there. Nope, dead town, stressed economic area, shows everywhere every weekend.Wine Festival. No way will I ever do another show that splits the venue, a sure sign of a shows struggle and the promoters efforts to genereate more revenue.

Maybe the Chicago area is show dead. I sure hope not, still would like to do that sleep in my bed thing.

Comment by Donna Sauers on August 22, 2011 at 11:24am

Mark, yep, unfortunately Long Grove has really changed over the years.  It was a destination shopping area with wonderful stores and has been going down for several years.  I have thought about applying to this one for a couple years but back out due to reports.  And the "wine tasting" really made my decision feeling that the art wasn't drawing people so they would throw in some wine!  I'm glad to hear that some did well.  Yes, sometimes "close to home and inexpensive" isn't worth the trouble and you come away feeling like you not only lost money from the fees, but momentum from a lousy show!

Comment by Carla Bank on August 22, 2011 at 11:39am

The wine had a big tent and wasn't overwhelming, there were artist that did great. Jewelry and pottery were selling without a problem, at least what I saw and heard. My friend artist did great, not me. This show is going to be better next year. It was put by the PTO and star events. I will give it another chance next year. The show was great, the artists, the location, classy people, just sales were slow, which it is what matters.

Comment by Wendy Zumpano on August 22, 2011 at 12:01pm

I like your positive attitude, Carla, but it's the 23rd year for the show.  I think it probably used to be better than it is now and personally, I don't see it being any better next year, at least for me.

Comment by Carla Bank on August 22, 2011 at 2:25pm

Well...that is not good :) Did they always have the same location?

Comment by Jane Meade on August 22, 2011 at 2:49pm

We must have been one of the lucky ones at this show.  It was the first decent show we've had all summer.  Our booth was crowded all day on Sunday and we had the best sales for us for the entire season.  Sorry to hear others didn't have the experience.  The location used to be across the street where there is another parking lot.  It was a much small area.

Comment by Robert M. Wallis on August 22, 2011 at 2:55pm

I was planning to do a blog on the show myself. Unfortunately I had to move slowly tearing down by myself and I was about dark before I got out of there, and it looks like you posted this about 15 minutes after I pulled out of the parking lot.

 

I wasn't able to see anyone as I felt like I had best stay close to the booth. I was Booth 88 over by the fire station with photos of New Orleans French Quarter. It figures it was the first show I can think of where there were a bunch of AFIers and I couldn't meet anyone :-(

 

Yep, Saturday was terrible with most of the six booths that were trashed all around me. Two in the corner, both what looked like new EZ-Ups of the Sam's Club type, and a jeweler with a $100 EZ-Up 2 spaces down from me. Then a photographer across from me had a tent with the pagoda style ventilation top came rain blow in and ruin about 30 18x24 prints. She had stuff in the brown paper portfolio carriers sitting on the ground. Not a good decision. On Friday night I helped the jeweler put up her tent, and I thought to myself at the time, this isn't looking good as the construction looked cheap. After the storm, it was twisted and broken metal.

 I have one of the heavier Sam'sClub EZ-Up frames with a John Mee canopy and it came through okay. I didn't hear the announcement to evacuate into the fires station, which means I really should start thinking about hearing aids. So, silly me, I ride out the storm in the booth. When the lighting would flash and the thunder would be less than a second later that meant the lightning was hitting somewehere just the other side of the parking lot. Not a good move on my part. What was interesting was the way the tent would dance and sway with the wind, but all that happened was one corner got scooted about 3 inches. The winds were strong enough that the valance was puffed out, the top of the sidewall pushed into with a gap of about 8 inches and the wind was blowing spray upwards into the tent. Some mist hit the framed work but not too bad. I took a pole and placed it crossways from the tent leg bottom up into the struts of the frame and that took care of the billowing. Enough of the weather report, and it's enough to confirm what Carla has said before about adequate tents and proper usage.

 

Saturdays sales were in the dumper and I was concerned about losing my shorts again at a show. I lost $700 doing Orchard Lake and was not looking forward to another loss. Sunday started off slow, and I made a total of three sales but they were enough to pay all expenses, gas, lodging, booth fee so I would up ahead for the weekend. Not much but it was positive. If I was expecting to make the mortgage payment from the show, I'd be looking at foreclosure. I made enough considering that I was out of several pieces of work that weren't ready that I'm encouraged to try it one more time.

 

Several people around me didn't make booth fee, and a painter across from didn't sell anything. OTOH, he wasn't very outgoing with the customers and I just have the feeling that made a difference. I got a couple of sales where I chatted up the customers, and it paid off. One pair of ladies came into the booth and I talked a little with them, and they came back later in the day to buy a piece. I talked them into getting a frame from me, and they were discussing another small piece, and I offered $5 off and that was the clincher, so the final sale was about half more than the original. Toward the end of Sunday a guy came in with his 11-12 year-old daughter who was learning photography. He was pointing out to her the way I was getting depth in my images, and I kicked into teacher mode and talked the girl about photographic composition and showed her what worked in some of the images in the booth, sort of like a 10-15 minute mini-lesson on composition. Dad decided to buy a framed piece after that so it was time well spent :-)

 

One of the thing

Comment

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page