Well not really a change in latitude but definitely a change in attitude at the Marshfield Art Fair held at the fairgrounds in Marshfield WI.
It's always held on Mother's Day and this was the second time I had done the show. The weather was beautiful but it was not a buying crowd for many of us. In years past, it was held at the high school and fine arts/crafts were sold. This year the venue was changed to the fairgrounds and more crafters were in attendance and at least one buy/sell. (it's a juried show) Many fellow artists felt it was a bad move. The vibe was not the same.
I sold mostly my low price point items which was good because I didn't get skunked like the artist across from me. He had beautiful colored pencil nature drawings on wood, reasonably priced too. Nada sales. It was his 7th year doing the show, he won't be back if the venue stays the same. I sold a third of what I did last year.
Guess I'll wait and see what happens next year with the venue. Doubt I'll be back if it's at the fairgrounds again.
Comments
What also bothers me is if it's a craft show they shouldn't be charging a jury fee. They should ask for photos but I don't feel a fee should be charged. I've found that's the way it usually is, but not for this show.
Yes, it depends on what you are selling. Generally I have found that if it is labelled "craft" the price points are lower and it is harder to sell higher end work. It kind of depends on the neighborhood because if it says Craft in the East (Smithsonian Craft Show, American Craft Show, etc.) it does not have that connotation.
I absolutely agree Paula. It seems I do much better at art shows rather than arts/crafts shows. However, it always depends on what you're selling. We also sell handcrafted cutting boards and we do much better at craft shows. www.cuttingboardswi.com (my plug for that HA!)
Rumor was that the "rent" at the high school was too high. There we could setup the day before. At the fairgrounds we couldn't. So they eliminated a day they didn't have to pay rent and added many crafters and many food vendors...it was a win win for them. Many artists felt it was just a different type of crowd, what that means exactly is open to interpretation...
Do you know why they changed locales, Denise? or why the drop in sales?
Do you have any idea about why the difference in sales? do you know why it was moved from the high school?