I am doing a Show in Wells, Maine over the fourth of July weekend, just wondering if anyone is familiar with this show (running for 30 years or more), any thoughts and or advice? I live on Long Island, do some New York Shows, but I summer in Maine and figured that I would give this show a shot.
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Elisabeth, I hate to hear of shows where the artists are disappearing and the imports or buy/sell are infiltrating the show. It seems to be happening too often. I know the show directors are trying to fill booths but it does drive away the artists.
Agreed, but I think at this point with the crazy escalation in show fees averaging $400 per show, only the buy/sell and importers can actually afford to pay the booth fee. They can sell mass amounts at such low prices, just call it a "Flea Market" and be done with it. Until the promoters actually think like an artisan, and adjust their pricing accordingly, I believe the shows will continue to spiral down. This is the 3rd show I did this season, will not do any more, it just does not pay.
That's because you're doing the wrong shows or shows that are just not your market.
I went to your website and saw scarves, hats, etc. Were you selling these at a show in July?
I also saw jewelry. The last thing promoters want is more jewelry exhibitors! Just what is your product?
Is your display an attractive 3 sided display with lights? How did the other exhibitors do? Were they all grumbling too?
I don't know what shows you are doing that cost an average of $400. A vast majority of the shows I do are in the $250-$350 range. Sure I do a few shows where the fees are over $400 but only in the fall.
And the main promoter I work with here in New England does NOT allow Buy/sell. And her spaces start at $275.
Also, when you do a show geared to tourists and not locals, unless you have something completely different than anybody else, you're just part of the entertainment.
Hmmmm, let me see, being that I have been doing this for nearly 20 years, I don't really think that breaking out the "woolies" on a 98 degree hot and humid weekend would be highly recommended, not precisely the type of marketing that I studied at FIT. You might also have noticed that I do an extensive line of cotton hair accessories, hard hair accessories and children's accessories as well as messenger bags, cases and the sort. The shows that I primarily do are located on Long Island, in New York, and here the promoters are escalating the show fees, some as high as $750 to $800 for a weekend.
As to display, since my mom is a nationally recognized fiber artist, she has learned a thing or two about lighting and display technique. Not only do we have professionally designed racks to accomodate hand loomed silks and chenilles, but we incorporate manequins, hat racks, jewelry racks and any type of customized piece that we may need to truly show the beauty of our work.
As to other vendors, yes, many grumbles and mumbles. Many of the vendors being local to the area had special arrangements as to booth fees, so that they did not have the show fee looming over their head. But for the most part the vendors in our vicinity were complaining about sales and the overall demise of this particular show.
As I stated before, and will re-iterate, the show promoters need to access and address the situation if they want to truly promote build a show that shines with beautiful original work from local artists, not local to the Orient.
Then you are aware that due to the crappy economy since 2009 the exhibitors who once thought this was easy money soon learned they must work to sell their products. So many of them got out. That leaves the promoters "selling real estate". This has been an ongoing discussion here for years.
I do all my shows in the New England region and also do a twice a year show in Chester, NJ. I am happy to be able to do a "local" show that's only an hour's drive north in Rutland, VT this weekend.
This is my fulltime job. No Etsy or Pinterest, just my website for reorders. When I did a 40 show schedule I had no problem filling it right here in New England.
The good shows are indeed here. You just have to find them. And the main promoter I work with will not allow any B/S.
I do not believe that I have ever met any crafter/artisan that felt selling at shows, fairs, online or at any other venue was ever "easy money", when you put 7 days a week, with unspecified hours, countless trips to get supplies, countless nights of no sleep because you are wondering what you forgot, what you need to do, or how do I get this right, how is my display, how do I package my item, is it good enough, will I get there on time, what if my car breaks down, what if I have no where to stay, what if I have no sales, ad infinitum.
What I have to say is this, if the promoters that you work with do not allow any b/s, then why the heck do they book you?
I've made everything in my booth for the last 33 years, that's why. And don't you dare accuse me of being a buy/sell merchant! You don't know me. If that is any indication of what type of person you are....
I have been quite successful in this business, thank you.
Look, if you want to be nasty, be my guest. All I did was try to be helpful when asking about the lighting, etc. Evidently you didn't want any help, you just wanted to vent and tell promoters how to do their job.
Maybe you should become a promoter so you can show them how it's done.
Been there, done that.
I'm gone.
Well, I did the show in Wells, Maine with my Mom over the Fourth of July Weekend. We were late to sign up for this show, but the promoter was wonderful and gave us a beautiful spot inside the main building by the doors. Of course the weekend was blistering hot, even for Maine, but we brought fans and had an occasional breeze from the doorway.
The show was well organized, the promoters were present and the atmosphere was very congenial. The crafters were primarily well done, original work, there were a few "importers" but they were somewhat out ot the way on the lawn outside of the building. Apparently from speaking with other vendors, this show has run for years, and same old, same old, is losing it's luster according to the locals. Many of the quality vendors have left and now the spots are being filled in with low end imports.
The location of the show led me to believe that it would be right off route one in Maine which is a tourist hot spot during the summer. Unfortunately, the show was in a school that was a few miles away from Route 1, and we got very little of the tourist traffic. The tourists that did venture into the show, bought, and bought well. My sales were to customers from Canada, California and Texas. My Mom's sales were to other vendors, New Yorkers and Canadians.
Even though the show was pleasant enough to do, it was pricey, we took a double booth which came to over $400. The sales covered the booth space but not much else. I think that this show should be moved back to the original school on Route 1, and that the sponsors might work with the booth pricing to try and bring this show back into the spotlight, just a thought. We will not do the show again, just too little for too much.
Not sure about that particular show. I also live on Long Island and used to summer in Maine...no place in the world is better than Maine in the summer.
I did some Maine shows for a while, but most of them were pretty marginal. There is a big one day show in Portland in August that is put on by one of the TV stations there...that one is decent and it can be tied in with a one day show in Ogunquit that is held the previous Thursday. I will be interested to hear how this one is for you.