It's always a pleasure, when you drive up to load in for a show and three people say to you."How can we help". Kind of takes you aback...doesn't happen too often.
The Decatur Arts Festival is so well organized and is outfitted with such a great volunteer staff, that I knew from the moment I got there that this would be a show I would want to come back to. Once everything was unloaded and put on the sidewalk by the volunteers, I went to park and came back to set up. It was all very smooth.
Saturday morning the crowds came out and it was steady all day. It also was hot as Hades all day. The staff kept dropping off cold water and I didn't get out of my booth much -which is a good problem to have. So the time went fast. This is a town that has it's act together...packed with great and very different restaurants it's foodie heaven. I was lucky to have insiders (Atlanta residents Karen and Paul Fincannon ) next to me. This is the second time this has happened when we haven't requested it and from now on I just need to request it because we always have a great time. Karen knows everyone on the circuit and it's fun to meet and hang with all her creative and funny friends that are also showing. Kathleen Taylor the painter,who I have always wanted to know was there. I also got to meet and hang with Melanie Rolfes who had just gotten back from a string of shows up North...and getting to know her was awesome. She said she was bequeathing this show to me to write about because she had hit the wall. I understand that because I can just do two shows and hit the wall, no less 4 in a row. It was great to get to know her. The day was good for me, heck it was beyond good and five minutes before the end of the day someone waltzed in and bought a big piece.....that always blows me away.
Saturday night we went to a wonderful restaurant called Leon's, an old service station that has been refurbished into a high end gastro pub/restaurant. The food was great, the drinks were unusual and the company was fun. One of their specialties is fries ( I know right....) but really good fries with about eight different sauces you would never think to dip them in. Excellent. Walking back to the car a great Prince cover band was playing on the Square, seemed like the whole town was there....
The next day was so hot I kept turning on my battery fan and holding it up to my face all day. It was like a model shoot but not a model shoot...not in the least....ugh. I was solo at this show so I didn't get to see the rest of the show much. I know there were awards brought to booths on Saturday but in our area there were none so I didn't see who got them. Those around me did well, the woodworker next to me made bank ( they usually do and deservedly so), Karen who does ceramic animals had a great serge at the end of the show, sort of like mine the day before. Everyone seemed to do pretty well from what I could see. My Sunday wasn't as great as the day before but I'm not complaining.
Load out was pretty smooth. It was well organized and again there were many volunteers to get you packed up. A little bit of a line and wait but not bad compared to others I have been in. I had some really great volunteer help and I was able to get on the road before 7pm (unusual ) which put me back in Knoxville three hours later. Well run, great volunteers and good crowds, not much more you could ask for. Worth a shot if you can put up with the Georgia heat.
Comments
The Ryobi fans are a lifesaver...I have two-so that I have a back-up if one goes out, although they usually last all day. It's going to be 94 degrees at Old Town in Chicago this weekend ....those babies are riding on the front seat with me....
And just so you guys know -- these will run all day on the 4 amp battery, and recharge in half an hour.
Ryobi Portable Fan
I was there, too -- what a great show this one was! The people definitely showed up for it.
Thanks, Margaret. I should rephrase: I do absolutely believe that the community can support the higher-end pricing. My experience, though, is that festival attendees do not represent only that segment, so I was surprised to hear that the vendors possibly did not represent as wide a spectrum as the visitors. Decatur has a diverse population and an even more diverse group of attendees to its fests (who travel from surrounding communities and suburbs). P.S. It's very expensive to live within the Decatur city limits but just a few miles out is more affordable. :-)
Hi Mary.....I just don't know very much about how jewelry went at the show....but I have to say that I would be surprised that people could not support higher end work at the show....it seemed like such an upscale town. And yes....I want to move there.
Hi Neena....The range I sold at Decatur was 35. (I have a small original item that brings people in) to 1200. But I sold quite a bit....My usual range is from 35. to 3000.
Hi, Margaret! Thanks for your detailed review. I live just a few miles from downtown Decatur, but was not accepted into the show last year (Jewelry) and chose not to apply this year. A few years ago I felt that the festival was a little disappointing, and now it seems the bar is set very high. Friends who visited this year (I wasn't able to attend) mentioned that the jewelry they saw was in high price ranges--beyond what a usual festival shopper can support. I understand that most shows are swamped with jewelry applicants, but I was still surprised that, at least for the reports I received, the price points did not seem to cover a broad range. Glad to hear you liked our town and found Leon's.
2 D mixed media encaustic...luckily I was on the cool side of the street.
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