I was prepared for this one. I knew about the treacherous terrain, the challenging load in/load out. But folks I know who are in the know, said I would kill here, so, even though we couldn't find Mt Gretna on the map, off we went to Pennsylvania.
Did you know there is a Little League World Series in Williamspot, PA? Oh yes. And the traffic backup was incomprehensible. I mean, they knew it was coming, right? Anyway, Russell was able to maneuver around it using gut instinct and we only lost an hour. Eventually, the GPS was able to find Mt Gretna and delivered us right into the arms of the man with the yellow vest and flashlight. By then it was almost 6, so a lot of the chaos was over. Our spot was off Pennsylvania, in the woods but not hidden and it was in the path to the porta-potties, food court and music, so the hope was that basic instincts would bring the people to us on their way to other things.
Load in was not too bad. We were able to park on the main road and carry in our stuff. Forget dollying unless you have tires on your rig that were army surplus tank tires. A minor altercation took place on the main road between two guys, each challenging the other to move. I was tempted to advise they pee around their spots and get on with it, but I resisted the urge and kept on lugging gear.
Our spot was lovely, had great back space and we had cool neighbors. We also had a sink hole smack dab in the middle of the booth space. It was deep enough to stagger a person and I knew I had to either redesign the thing or come up with a way to warn people. Eventually, I filled the hole with rocks from the sidewalk, stuck a tree branch in it and made a sign that said "careful!" Not classy, but it made many visitors chuckle. Turned out to be a good ice breaker.
So, Saturday was pretty good. My first customer spent over $300 which is good for me and I was hopeful. Turned out to be awesome, I never had a chance to leave the booth because the traffic was constant, I was jazzed, I had found another good show! And then, Sunday morning it rained.
Now, some folks, wake up, look out the window, see rain and stay home. Smart people check the forecast. The forecast was for a beautiful day after 12 and it was. Sadly, only the smart people came out. The port potties were pristine at 2 o'clock. What does that tell you? My sales tanked as they did for almost everyone around me. Some people did well, but not many from what I could see. Very disappointing.
There was decent food in the food court, the music was loud enough to enjoy but not so close that it interfered with your ability to chat up buyers. You get a free t-shirt but you never see anyone from the organization after that. No, I take it back. One lady in a booth sitter cap stopped by early Saturday. The setting is beautiful, even with the ground being an obstacle course. But when I factor in gas and hotel and booth fee, I would have actually made better money staying with the local show that I dropped in my search for fame and fortune in Pennsylvania.
Wise veterans say you should never judge a show after just one shot. I'm just not sure I have the energy or money to try again. Something to ponder over the Winter.
Comments
I have done the summer craft show across the street for the last two years and both years were very good despite the rain on Sunday. Set up and breakdown are extremely easy as you can pull up to your booth without blocking other vehicles. Booth fees very reasonable.
Sales were great from the get go. My first were a couple who had seen me last year and were hoping that I would be back again. This happened on several occasions and it made me happy that people were actually seeking me out! As a painter, it can really be hit or miss. When people pay $10 to enter an art show, they are usually there to buy. A lot of people had a wonderful show and did well.
I won a "Top 30" award this year, so am in again next year and sold 10 paintings!
I think this show is a gem.
Mt. Gretna is looking more appealing all the time ... great to hear the good news from Pat and Bill. Wendy, you know you never give up in this business, right? Bet you'll be applying again next year.
Mt. Gretna was a great show for me last year ..on Saturday i did around 6,000..on Sunday it was less because of rain...THIS year however I did not get in the main show ... I applied and was across the street at the Summer Lake show and did half of what i did last year...My neighbor said this was their 6th year and their numbers go down every year and may not do it again next year...I will still apply
Interesting review, Pat...thanks for sharing it with us.
Hi Pat. Nice review. We were in Mt. Gretna (for the first time) and had an excellent show.
We arrived from the south so we weren't affected by the doings in Williamsport. Our space was on a stretch of Pennsylvania that was actually pretty flat and, best of all, only 50 feet to the artist-only real bathrooms. We also had good storage behind the booth on level ground.
Setup was fine and we were able to park right in front of our space while we unloaded. We skipped the mayhem of teardown by waiting until Monday AM. There was just a handful of tents left and it was an easy in/out.
The one thing that caught us off guard was how dark it is under the canopy of trees. You can't even really see the sky where we were. We hadn't signed up for electricity because the show closed a 6PM on Sat. and 5PM on Sunday in mid-August. Who needs lights, right? Luckily, a guy with a clipboard was walking around making sure that those who had signed up were plugged-in. With only minor begging, 200' of extension cord and a $50 fee, we quickly had electricity as well. It made a huge difference in the booth appearance.
Our Saturday was like Pat's - early buyers with lots of enthusiasm. There was no haggling or tax balking. These were eager patrons who came to look at art and to buy. We probably had more people in the booth than at any recent show.
Sunday AM was pretty dead due to the rain but it did pick up for us in the afternoon though not as heavily as Saturday.
I agree that the organization folks did not make the rounds but I'm fine with that. They did their job putting on a quality event and delivered the crowd.