We were excited to be called off the wait list for this show. Since it was going to be a long drive, we decided to pair it with a show over the 4th of July weekend in South Haven, Michigan and spend the time in between in Ann Arbor visiting family and friends mixed with some photo work in Detroit. It was a great plan.
Everything was going great until we hit the Ohio border. The expressway around Cincinnati and Dayton has been under construction for the 10 years we have lived in Alabama. Two crashes at rush hour delayed us at least an hour and a half. When we finally made it to Toledo, the ramp we needed to take was closed for construction. Our GPS kept trying to re-route us back to the closed road. When we made to the area of our hotel we stopped for dinner as it was 9pm. We had prepaid for our hotel in April so we were not concerned about having a room. When we got to the hotel the front desk person said housekeeping had "forgotten" to clean two rooms and since we were last to arrive, she had no place for us. What really happened was she resold the room. So, at 10pm we were in the parking lot looking for another place to stay and dealing with Hotels.com in some foreign country making sure our "prepaid" funds would be refunded. Luckily we found a place nearby that worked out fine, although it was more expensive than our original deal. Many lessons to be learned from that experience.
The site for the show is the Toledo Botanical Gardens. The staff and volunteers were wonderful the entire weekend. Check in was not scheduled, so when we arrived at 9:30 there was a short line of vehicles. We drove directly to our spot and stayed parked there for over an hour until someone else needed to get in. There was an artists parking lot nearby with a shuttle that ran frequently. Overall, set up and check in was very easy. There was very little storage area. The booths in our row were side to side with perhaps 3 feet in the rear between rows. Luckily the person next to us had to be moved and her space remained empty. Everyone squatted on some of her space for storage.
There is a ticketed party for patrons on Friday night. The artists were required to be open from 6pm to 9pm. There was a good catered dinner for the artists starting at 4:30pm. Friday night offered the opportunity to walk the show and see the other work. I was very impressed by the quality of the art and felt really fortunate to be included. Other amenities included an air conditioned lounge, real bathrooms, and the usual coffee and food in the morning.
It seemed like a small crowd for the Friday party. A few people stopped by our booth and positively commented on our work but we did not make any sales. Saturday was hot and sunny. Many of the booths had shade, our did not. There was a steady crowd in the morning, tapering off in the afternoon.
Afternoon thunderstorms were predicted on Sunday. Again the crowd was steady but there was very little buying energy. Those that had done this show before said weather the past two years impacted sales. That was not the case this year. We watched a line of thunderstorms approach the area on radar. It looked like they would arrive just as we were tearing down. Luckily the line parted, going north and south of Toledo. We broke down in dry conditions but it did pour shortly after we left. I am sure some of the artists got caught in the storm. Break down was well organized with numerous staff members assigned to specific areas to hand out passes when artists were completely down and to direct traffic.
In summary, it is a beautiful venue, the show is well organized, the weather was as you should expect in the Midwest in June, and from our perspective, it was easy to do. Sales were spotty. Our sales were terrible but I do not think this area is our market. The crowd seemed to favor traditional work presented in traditional ways. That is not us. A graphic artist next door said his sales were OK and a glass artist down our row was happy with his sales. Others near us said they were disappointed in their sales. We really enjoyed the experience of doing this show once we got past our travel woes. We have driven past Toledo many times on our way to Michigan but had never spent any time there until this show. On Saturday night we celebrated Sara's birthday at Rustic, located in downtown, great food and drinks. It was off to Ann Arbor and then to South Haven.
Comments
Thanks for the review, Craig and Sara. I love reading about what others experience even if it's a show I cannot attend.
I've been a participant in theCrosby Show for 16 years now. It has been a decent show over the years with average sales but not spectacular. Luckily for me I live nearby and don't have the hotel, gas and food expenses. So even with lower than normal sales, I feel that I'm ahead.
Enjoyed reading your review, Craig and Sara, especially about a show that's close to home. Sad to hear that you didn't do well but you can always chalk it up to experience, I guess, plus you now know that it's not your market and you can bypass it next time. Thanks for sharing your adventure with us and better luck at your next stop.
WAZE is an ap just FULL of info! Sometimes too much. It's being set up for the olympics...
Craig and Sara, did you guys ever get reimbursed for the hotel room. I don't know why hotels do that. The room is paid for. Do they really think you won't show up and they will then get twice the amount for the room?
One of my kids said there is an app you can get on your phone. It will tell you if there is an accident up ahead so you can pull off and avoid the big back ups. It is called Waze - GPS Navigation, Maps & Social Traffic. I want to get that. It also tells you if there is a car pulled over on the side, too.
Here's a tip: If you are going to do that show bring some nice clothes and pretend you are a patron. Don't worry, you aren't going to miss any sales.
I had to back out of the show within a couple days of accepting it this year. I forgot about the show coinciding with the end of a family vacation, so I had to send a request to the organizers to withdraw from the show this year. I've done this one two out of the prior three years. While not outstanding in sales, it has shown a profit after all expenses are added up. I learned from the first year to specifically request a spot under the trees as it gets mighty hot out under the sun. It's not as hot (maybe) as the Deep South during hay baling time but you still sweat like crazy out there in the open part of the Crosby grounds. Having to use lights in the shade is a minor convenience.
Last year had some pretty heavy rains and a few tents went down. One artist who had sculpted books lost virtually her entire stock when the shelving went over and dumped her books into standing water. Outside of the weather, I found it to be a pleasant show to do. If I do it again, I may take advantage of the overnight camping allowed at the artist parking as they have Portapots and washing stations in the parking lot. Last year I stayed at a Red Roof Inn about 10 minutes away for $70/night that was starting to go downhill. I think for $200 I could sleep in the van, but that only applies if I'm by myself.
The first year I did the show, sales were marginal but higher than average that year for me, so I decided to try it again. Last year's sales were hampered by the weather, but still better than the first year. The show is a 4 hour drive for me, so it's not quite the limit I set for distance I'll go for a show. I wouldn't drive 10-12 hours unless I was positive it was going to be a killer show.