Hi, All -

This week I'm headed to the Savannah show. Have any of you done the show recently? My concerns are:

1) the City is requiring every artist to obtain a business license from their Dept of Revenue at a cost of $85.

 

2) Artists have told me there are steps down to the riverfront show area requiring you to dolly up to the steps, unload, carry your stuff down the steps, reload, and dolly to your spoce. This can't possibly be true ... is it?

 

3) the show has stated that the many/most of the 10x10 spaces will have permanent park benches in the back of the spaces.  Please say it's not so !

 

I am close to staying home on this one and walking away from a $295 display fee. Please answer up quickly and accurately on this. Is this show worth doing???

- Robert Green - Photographer - Winter Park FL

 

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  • I have a concern about the latest Savannah show I applied to and would welcome some feedback if anyone would be so kind.  Normally I can take a show rejection, accept it, and move on. However, this just seemed unfair to me...

    I applied to the Labor Day Celebration before the deadline, and included all the required photos of raw materials, work in progress, and completed work as instructed. The show info stated that these photos were mandatory to be considered. The deadline date was originally posted as 7.26.13, and the notification date 7.31.13. The deadline was then extended and shown on the Zapplication site to be 8.4.13. I know another jewelry artist (a very dear friend of mine) received an email from the promoters saying that she had not included process photos with her application and was given an extension to do so. I was notified on August 5th that I was denied because the jewelry category was full.

    I understand my work may not have been considered a good fit for the show, etc.; I can accept that. I do not understand, however, being told a category is full when the promoters have reached out to an artist that did not follow procedure and offered them more time; it seems unfair. I love my friend dearly, have no feelings of jealousy towards her and would never wish her anything but success in any show she applies to. 

    All worked out for the best, I was accepted into another show that is closer/less expensive, and does not have an 85.00 license fee ;-), etc. However, I am not feeling much incentive to apply to more Savannah shows if this is how things are done. It makes me feel as though I tossed that application money directly into a waste bin.  And we all know how those application fees for the year add up! 

  • I've done many of the River Street shows which happen monthly and this particular one a few times. The business license requirement seems new, I've not recalled that before. I remember they'd give you a sales tax form for the show, but Savannah is cracking down all over lately on proper business formalities. 

    There's basically 2 ways to load in/out....get a space on either end of River Street in the lots, and dolly in without dealing with steps. Or, find a temporary spot on actual River Street and unload to a sidewalk, carry down steps, then dolly in. The second way is more painful to your feet and ankles but could be faster. They usually give you a lot pass so you don't have to pay to park.

    As to the benches, yes, some do. Not most, but some. However, they're usually generous with your spaces and you can usually work around the benches. I've had one at the back of my booth and it wasn't a big deal...I tied to it for stability and used it to sit on and stack things on. You usually have plenty of room in the back and sides. Unless you get crammed together, you'll have enough room to make use of your outside walls.

    The shows on River street generally just attract the usual crowd who happens to be there. Sometimes its a lot of people, sometimes not. It's high tourist time in Savannah, so there should be crowds. However, if it rains or is cold, there won't be. The crowd doesn't necessarily even realize there is an art fair going on.

    All that said, I've done some great money making shows on River Street, but it'd be a crapshoot. I currently have a gallery in City Market which is a few blocks up off of River street, and the economy around here is doing better than the last few years. I've done a lot more sales this year than last. The hotels are reporting record breaking attendance each month. 

    All in all I'd say its worth a shot....if you like the show, there's one on the River the first weekend of every month except Jan/Feb.... The rest of them aren't juried to the same standard as this one, but they can all be good.

    Hope that helps

    • Thanks for all the good advice, Stephen ! I think I'll give it a shot. From the statements by the show organizers, I expected a minimal 10x10 space with no ability to display on external sidewalls. So, I was planning to take about half my usual inventory to the show but based on your comments, I think I'll take more work with me.  The load in/out definitely sounds like a pain but I now have a better picture of the situation.  Thanks, again.

      • Sure, no problem. I'll stop down there and say Hi!

        • Hi, Stephen - I decided not to do the show. The 70% rain forecast pretty much did it for me. The difficult load in/out would put my matted and framed photography at risk. Thanks, again, though.

          • It sounds like you probably dodged a bullet. I was up in my shop and felt bad for those down there....seemed like the rain and forecasts for rain were dooming it. One of my friends down there basically said it barely worth it...had rain damage. I've sold some big pieces down there but then again I probably sold a lot of small prints too. I do agree they don't promote it at all-I asked people all day and no one knew it was going on. I think the promoters assume all the tourists go down on River Street, but I think many don't bother because they assume it's all bars and trinkets (which is the direction it's headed for the last few years...a few of the good galleries have closed, only to be replaced by junk shops).

  • Rob  I am a photographer this is a tourist show, the photographers that did well all had almost exclusively Savannah shots, that's fine local artist doing good if you have good Savannah shots go for it if not your choice

  • Hi, Jacqueline and Courtney - Thanks for the info. The business license requirment was communicated to everyone via an email few weeks ago, pretty well after jurying. I got the impression the show organizers were surprised by the requirment as well.

    This is an extract from their email of March 29: "Because of a new enforcement of an existing City of Savannah Ordinance (Code 1977, § 6-1601 to § 6-1618--6-1700 – Reserved), the City of Savannah is requiring all vendors to make application for a City of Savannah Business Tax Certificate.  The fee is $85 per year and must be submitted to the City of Savannah Department of Revenue prior to your next show.  We realize this is unexpected and short notice.  We hope you will apply for the certificate and remain active participants in our festival. ".

    - Bob Green

     

    • Wow. Not cool at all.  That's a night or two of hotel expenses.  The show promoters should have been in the loop about this with the city and been communicating with the artists about this possibility instead of just dropping it on you.  It also sounds like they won't be surprised if folks bail out of the show.  It looks like you have a tough decision to make.

      • In the NW it's common for the show promoters to negotiate a three-day biz license fee with the city & collect that amount from the artists when they collect the booth fee. It's common for that charge to be around $15. It's crazy to charge visiting artists for a year.

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