So, I participated in the 47th annual Hyde Park Square Art Show in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday, October 6. The same weather pattern that was plaguing St James in Louisville was also affecting Cincinnati too. But our show went on Sunday and St James was cancelled (at least that's what I hear).
Setup and tear down was easy. I was able to unload right by my tent. And a bonus, I was able to park just behind my tent. So storing extra pieces from the rain was no problem in the vehicle.
The rain came down pretty steady from about 8:30 AM towards noon. I was constantly drying off my artwork. But a dry spell came in from noon until 4 PM. The show is just a one day event that runs from 10 AM - 5 PM. Another batch of heavy rain came in at 4 PM. And yes, tear down in the heavy rain too!
Fresh Books tells me I did $750 in sales for the fair. I sold one big piece too. I guess the residents of this little show really help it out. They were there in the rain and buying art! Yay!
So unlike St James, we went on!
Comments
This year was my first year doing the Hyde Park Square Art Show and my first year doing art shows. I was amazed at the turnout despite the rain. And people bought. I heard from other veteran vendors that it rarely ever rained for this show and that the turnout is usually much, much larger. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of sales I had. And I almost left before the show opened because during setup, I had very bad leaks in my tent, so much it was raining inside the tent. My husband managed to rig up a water drainage system with plastic sheeting, so I stayed and am so glad I did. I hope to return next year.
I've done Hyde Park Square for it seems a gazillion years since we live only about fifty miles north. It used to be (don't you just hate that?) a jewel of a one-day show. We looked forward to it every year. A wonderful procession of kids and dogs and usually a very upbeat vibe. You could always get a tasty lunch, too. Then the promoters decided to double the size by extending it all the way up Erie. Not only have the vendors complained, but the customers, too. Many don't like that it takes too long to go around to the whole show. For the vendors, income is slashed - often rather drastically - due to a huge increase in competition. A one-day street show isn't at its best with over two hundred booths. Let's leave that for Summerfair back in June. I wish the promoters would roll it back to its original around a hundred booths size which would be comfortable for all concerned, even though it wouldn't make as much money for the promoters. More is not always better. Then maybe we will apply again to do this otherwise great show.
The Hyde Park location was robbed.... http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/cincinnati/police-search-for-ma...
Aww shoot! Yes they have a location in Hyde Park Square - totally forgot...