Name: Estes Park Labor Day Arts and Crafts Show
Location: Estes Park, CO
Dates: Friday September 2 to Monday September 4, 2023
Management: Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary
Fees: Jury $35, Booth $400
Application: Zapp, www.estesparkartdandcrafts.com, starting 1/1/2024 for 2024
My Medium: Plain and hand carved western lifestyle personal, equine and K-9 leather goods, gun belts and holsters. Price range: $5-$10K, most under $500.
Estes Park is the gateway to the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. There are many summer homes in the surrounding mountains and valleys, and it is a popular destination for metro Denver. The mix of contemporary and early 20th century homes reminds me of the Adirondacks. You encounter a broad spectrum of income levels, and foreign visitors. I have been doing this show continuously since 2010. I have also done the Memorial Day show in May during the same period. The show is produced by the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary, Inc. The Labor Day crowd is usually large, and there is a constant flow of patrons through the show. The show hours were 9-5 Saturday and Sunday and 9-3 on Monday.
SET UP AND TAKE DOWN
There are 104 booths set up around the perimeter of Bond Park and in the parking lot in front of the Town Hall and library. This includes three food trailers at the NW corner of the park. There were also Rotary tents for HQ, silent auction, ShelterBox.com, and a “Kids Art” tent. There was a live music stage and performances all day. Since no headliners were mentioned, I am assuming performers were locals. Rotarians were on site at 7:00am. I was there at 7:30am and could unload at my spot. Later in the morning, artists parked in designated areas and Rotary volunteers dollied artists to their sites and helped with set up. Take down was Monday at 3:00 pm. Rotarians were available to dolly artists to their vehicles in designated parking areas. Later, artists could bring in vehicles to load up. You must have paid taxes before you got a loading permit. The Rotary volunteers are experienced and the best group of any show I attend.
Trailers park at the fairgrounds and there is a free shuttle back to the park. Artists park on streets or in paid lots away from the perimeter of Bond Park. Paid parking was initiated in 2021 and the rate is $2.00/hour, 10:00am-5:00pm. Parking is free if you have a handicap placard. A free shuttle was available from an offsite parking structure. Electric charging stations are there.
ART, ARTISTS, AMENITIES, WEATHER
There is a broad spectrum of art and craft at this show to meet the interests of a broad spectrum of visitors to Estes Park. There were high end jewelers and photographers to handmade soaps and olive oils. Many of the artists have done this show for several years, but there is always a mix of new people. Ceramics, garments, glass, metal, wood, leather, edibles, and cosmetics were represented.
The Rotary had coffee and donuts for artists every morning. There were two silent auctions of donated art every day. Booth sitters were available. Clean, indoor, accessible restrooms are in the Town Hall. Sandwich boards with color brochures were at strategic locations around the park. The brochures have an aerial view of the park with booths shown on one side and a list of exhibiting artists and booth numbers on the opposite side.
Thunderstorms and wind are common at the Estes Park shows. This year, there were scattered clouds on days in the 80’s. There were a few sprinkles during set up Friday and a brief afternoon shower on Sunday.
SALES AND ANALYSIS
This was my last show for the summer. The Memorial Day Estes Park Show, Winter Park, CO and Carbondale, CO were the other three.
My sales over ten years of this show have ranged from $2.7K to $4.9K with an average of $4.1K. This year’s sales were in the mid $4Ks and exceeded 2022 sales by $1K. Belts and holsters were my best sellers, but I also sold billfolds, checkbooks, suspenders, canteens, flasks, credit card cases, journal, guitar strap, headstall, reins, napkin rings and bandana napkins. I only have a few post-show special orders for belts and a holster. I had 60 sales ranging from $2 (napkin bandana) to $230 (belt and silver buckle) with an average of $75. Everything is more expensive in Este Park but our margin for the show was 62%. For the entire season in Colorado, it was 65% ranging from 59% to 79% (yes, I am a numbers guy not one of those X booth fee persons, but I have been in business for 50 years; 1973-2023).
This year I was happy with my sales, but I did not make the list of top 10 sellers published by Rotary. This was something new and it gives new artists an idea of this show’s potential. The list included jewelry, landscape and wildlife photography, plasma cut metal, rock sculpture, log candles, olive oil/balsamic vinegar and popcorn.
FUN STUFF
I guess you know you are at an Estes Park show when you see volunteers cleaning up elk poop in the parking lot before artists set up. We rented our current favorite Knotty or Nice cabin which has a hot tub. I got to talk with three Saudi engineering students from CU about their studies and my dual career in art and mining/exploration. A cardiologist from Chicago got holed up in our booth during the rain shower and she commented on my agility in hustling to lower the back flap of the booth. I will be 80 in a couple of weeks, and we talked about Jean and my yoga classes and workouts with a personal trainer. She was amazed that I was working out with 80 and 100 lb. kettlebells etc. She had her picture taken with me for her patients. I met a Navajo potter family, and we will be doing some treading. I asked Bob if he was from AZ or NM. He replied “CO, I escaped”😂.
Every summer Rotary has a raffle to support scholarships and other projects. The top prize is $10,000 and tickets are $100. Several years ago, I won $5000 with a $25 ticket. This year, 350 tickets will be sold for a $10K first prize and $2500 second prize. Those are pretty good odds.
TIP: If you plan to do an Estes Park show, or for that matter any Colorado mountain show, read up on “altitude sickness prevention”. Most mountain communities are at 7,000’ to 8,000’ elevation and you need at least one day to acclimatize to the altitude. Be aware of bears and smaller critters at CO shows. Do not leave food in your tent overnight.
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