This was a show I declined last year. In retrospect, I should have declined it again.
For some artists, this show worked out well for them, as by the end of the show I heard reports of one painter doing $5K, a potter doing about $2500, and some others doing between $1,500 and $2,500. There were also several who zeroed out, including one painter who had beautiful panoramic landscape paintings in a light impressionistic style. At least one photographer, one who does wildlife, was reported to have done quite well. The impression I had was that these were the exceptions, and the telling point on this was hearing that on Sunday morning 5 artists had pulled out overnight and two more were observed packing up to leave on early Sunday morning. Seven out of a hundred seems like a high percentage of disgruntled artists. I had thought about throwing in the towel briefly, but decided to stick around as the hotel was already paid for, and I'm sometimes too optimistic about the "Sundays are always good". Horsecrap. I think I would have rather zeroed out as a badge of "honor". As it were, I sold two pieces on Saturday for a whopping total of $55. Yeah, no s**t, $55.
Part of the blame is on me for not having everything updated and restocked as I should, and had planned to do some of that on site. Holy crap, the weather was beastly and sapped all the energy out of you. That will be the last time I try that type Plan B. Get it done at home before you go.
Okay, doke, let's take a look at the show itself and how it unfolded. The show was a Huff-Burch production, and is according to their literature the only show they do. I was told they had sold their old operation and retained only this one. For starters, their check-in directions were vague as hell (Check-in is in front of the Barnes & Noble). Which side; east or west, in the street or literally in front? The shopping area, Easton Town Center, is one of the most confusing pieces of crap layout I've ever seen, with streets that don't go through, one way streets that take you off into Zululand. The layout looks like a big-boy version of Candyland. A simple line graphic map would have worked wonders. All I know is the GPS app on my phone starting putting out smoke with all the constant recalculating.
Eventually I got to the right place somewhat late, and starting unloading. The plan was unload, move the van, come back, and finish setting up. I was at the far end of a side street and that should have set off the alarms right there. More on that later. The official parking place was on the opposite side of the shopping area. I was told by another artist it was about 3/4 mile away. To hell with that; my right knee is missing half of the meniscus and is arthritic as hell. After setting up, I moved the van to the other side of B&N and parked there, which I continued to do so for the weekend. The promoters must think all the artists are under 30 and in training for a marathon. Uh, guys, take note of the gray hair and the limps that a bunch of us have.
The main part of the show was right in the middle of an extremely high traffic area from major restaurants and retail stores. My section was between the Cheesecake Factory and B&N. The only problem was there were no entrances to either store on the entire street which is really an exit/entrance road. The causal shopper would have no reason to walk down there unless they were curious enough to see the artists down there. As an aside on this, the artists around me started a personal poll of the visitors and asked if they were there because of the advertising or just saw us there. The answer was unanimous, they saw us there and had not seen any advertising.
Friday was worthless, as most Friday show days are. Most of us didn't sell much, and the "rush", if a few meager folks wandering about can be called that, lasted about an hour. The weather was hot, and didn't get much better until after 6:00 when the shade from the buildings blocked the sun. The patrons walking the show, and again this was down at the far end end of the show away from the water fountains and so on at the other end, were looking listless and bored. By 8:30 it obvious nothing was going to happen, although at shutdown at 9:00 a few folks tried to get a last look in.
Saturday rolled around bright and clear, and by 7:30 I was already sweating profusely. I put up a rear awning with my back tarp and extended that puppy back to the limit and got a 7 foot awning out of it. It helped some, but those plastic tarps don't block enough IR radiation. This was one of those shows where you really need to be cognizant of staying hydrated. I drank over a gallon of fluid with water, tea, and some diet ginger ale. I only had to hit the restroom once. My shirt had salt stains, and even my socks were salt stained. As Britt Hallowell commented, "Even my sweat is sweating". The heat was no more than 91 officially, but it's much hotter on asphalt streets. It was brutal during the day, and it sapped the energy from the artists and patrons alike. The stub street we were on never should have had artists down there, but most of the ones who pulled out that night weren't down there. The two sales I made were on Saturday.
Sunday was more of the same; hotter than hell, and the only thing that was a saving grace was the near constant wind. There were times when I would get up to move around I would get light headed. The potter at the very end of the row did okay, but I feel she would have done better closer in. There was an empty place between us, and I would observe people reaching my tent, glancing inward and dismissing my work, then they would give her booth a quick glance from my location, then they would turn around and head back toward the center of the show. This was not an art buying crowd, although some of us did do okay the impression I had was that most didn't. They were there for the restaurants and the American Doll convention. We were a pleasant side attraction.
Just as a side note to the heat coming through the plastic tarps, on Sunday I placed the awning section on top of the back flap, and placed another full tarp on top also. That finally reduced the heat coming through to a more decent level. I may look for a space blanket where they have a reflective side, and if I can find one large enough that may be my new awning in the back.
The layout could have been better, as the A section seemed to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere and lacked the foot traffic of the central section. Talking with one of the organizers, they didn't utilize Facebook promotions, and the visitors didn't seem to be aware of any advertising efforts although it was done. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be effective.
The short and not so sweet end of this is that I lost about $600 doing this show. I won't be back.
Comments
Ouch.......Thanks for the honest info, had hoped that it would have improved over the years,guess not, guess that it's time to move on:)
I suspect this is a show you do if you're local.
I did this show about 8 years ago and noticed everyone was wearing sandals and carrying bags from Lord and Taylor and other big box stores...realized people were not there for an art show...covered my expenses and a few $$ extra, so I guess in the context of the above reviews, that was a successful show! Suffice it to say I didn't return...but I did get a pretty dusk picture of my lighted booth!
Robert and Mark, I did Easton last year -- for the first and last time -- and was also marooned on that wide boulevard-to-nowhere between B&N and Cheesecake Factory (which suffers from its shear width; even a ton of shoppers would have a hard time making that street look crowded). I don't remember the heat being unbearable in '12, but then again I've tried to block the memory of that show from my mind. The one memory I can't escape is that the vast majority of bags people were carrying were their doggie bags from Cheesecake Factory and a couple other on-site restaurants.
I think Mark hit the nail on the head: do. not. do. shows. in. a. shopping. center.
I also felt that the promoters talked a good game in terms of marketing, but the results simply weren't there. IMO this show has run its course, the door should be slammed shut, and unsuspecting artists should be put out of their future misery.
Mark N, I think you just nailed it with the brand concious buyers. It's basically Yuppie central and everything has to do with the "badge" and the status that goes with it.
This show sealed for me the notion that you can do a show in a shopping center and make money. Most everybody was on another shopping mission or coming to eat and just strolled by. It was however the source of my favorite quote ever at an event when two couples walked by and one man clapped his hands over his head and loudly said, "Now let's go look at stuff we're not going to buy!"
There were two Lamborghinis parked not far from my location, but the few local people who deigned to ask a price weren't buying anything over $45. Let's face it; going to an upscale neighborhood isn't likely to boost sales. People who are brand conscious want the recognition that comes from brand recognition, not an unknown jeweler like me. It's a healthy middle class that supports us, and they're holed up licking their own wounds.