I thought I would share our experience, in case anyone is considering making the investment to participate in this show. And yes, it is an investment. A $2000 investment! With that in mind, my business partner and I tried to go there with a full load (we make recycled wool accessories, primarily in the $50-$90 range). This is our second year, so we had some expectations and goals. We had what I would consider to be a good show, and if we had brought more $10-$30 items we would have made another $1000. We added them to the line in the 2 weeks prior to the show so we didn't know if they would sell or not...we sold out of everything in that price range.We talked to a lot of artists, and it seemed to be 50% happy and 50% reaalllly unhappy. I was thrilled to beat last year's numbers, as the rest of our year was down.Was the show worth it? If you look at cash brought in, it was fine. But the exposure that we got, both at the show and from the website, is great. We were offered a spot in the OOAK fashion show, a spot on the WGN coverage of the show, and another TV show contacted us for a future taping. That's the kind of opportunity that you might not necessarily get from an ordinary (ie. a not-$2000) show.My best tip is to set up on Tuesday (2 days before the show starts). We drove right up to the dock, as opposed to last year's Wednesday set up, which took 2 hours in the dock. Much less chaotic. And go ready to shop and/or trade, because there is soooo much great stuff there.
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