Here's the lowdown: A zero show. Ouch, what a way to start the year.
I was near the area already and did the show as somewhat of a lark, so it is OK. And it was relatively cheap, $250 - but had I sold anything, I'd have paid a 15 percent commission to the organizers, just FYI.
Set-up was very easy - drive to your booth site, which was on flat, lovely, grass - one of the playing fields at the Empire Polo Club, where the show was held. Takedown was a little more complicated, but not bad. The organizers had told us that we'd be issued passes to bring our vans in - but in the end, we were able to drive in without the passes when we were done. It was a little chaotic but not bad.
The weather was beautiful during the show, and the venue is spectacular. Booths were set up in clusters of four, so that, essentially, everyone had a corner booth. This is great for the artists, for set-up and for display, but I suspect that it cut down on the buying energy. There is something to be said for the excitement that's generated by a row of cheek-to-jowl tents, and the bubble of energy that happens when you get buyers in a booth in a row like that.
There was a gate fee of $8, and dogs were not allowed. The "crowd" was never really a crowd. And the people who did come were, for the most part (at least as far as I saw), majority retirees, who were dithering about whether to shell out for $15 glass cacti. They were not interested in my oil landscapes, cowscapes and cowboy paintings. I think this is a continuation of a lesson that I seem to be slow in learning about why I shouldn't do shows in retirement areas. Sigh.
This was my first show in California. On the East Coast, where I've done the majority of my shows, I have some of the largest paintings in every show. In Indio, my stuff was relatively small!
I did meet some wonderful artists, really great people with amazing stuff. My neighbors were kind when I had a moment's teary meltdown at my zero sales three-day weekend, and I'll be grateful to them always.
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I agree with you about doing shows in retirement areas as I have had the same experience. They have down sized and have no more room for art and most are on a fixed income.
I did a show last year in a retirement community and I had zero sales, the only sales I saw were at craft booths that had items in the $5.00 - $15.00 range. One exception was an artist across from me that had one customer who purchased multiple items for $3000, that was her only sale however and the customer had just purchased the home, one of many, and was decorating it.