We have been doing shows for a living in NY for the last 3 years (stained glass and recycled glass). And we hate to get part time jobs in the winter!! So we have decided to take the plunge this year and head to Florida for 6 months....we leave in a week.
All summer I asked any vendor i came across about shows in Florida. I really felt like I was shooting in the dark picking shows. I gleaned any and all info I could, and have out together what I hope will be a decent schedule (we do about 3/month). We tend to do one "big" one a month, and fill in with smaller ones.
My concern is, several people I spoke with told us to expect about 1/2 in Florida as compared to NY. Now, we have had a record breaking year so far, and I'm really hoping this is not the case. And some of the other vendors that told us this....well, let's just say we are in entirely different categories. Some of the artisans with work similar to ours said that was NOT the case. We are not "fine art", we are "fine craft", or skilled artisans. Which I am ok with. We sure aren't applying to Coconut Grove....We are doing the Key West Fine Craft, several of the Howard Allen "ACE" shows, Pigeon Poop, etc. So far our only rejection was from Anna Maria Island.
So, any NY/Fla folks out there??? Is there really a marked difference?
Thanks!!
Replies
Hi Alison,
I'm doing my first shows as a photographer next month (Clermont, St. Pete & Delray Beach" and just wanted to wish you luck. I've heard from other photographers that just under 1k is considered good during these past few years unless you did Coconut Grove. I have a table set up at Clearwater Beach almost every day and I've been doing pretty well each night and was just trying to figure out why sales aren't better at the professional art shows? It just seems weird because most of my sales have been to tourists and local passerby's and the area is filled with more mall-type artists than professional artists.
Good luck this season! :-)