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.
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I also was a vendor at this show and while not what it could have been I was really happy with the outcome since I used my friend as an extra tent weight. The lack of booths around me made the wind worse than it would have been had we all battendown the hatches together. I was accepted again for this year and am looking forward to it.
I've seen that at several shows this summer. I don't understand it either. It makes it more difficult to get the traffic if there are a couple of empty spaces between you and the next booth.
I also did Hyde Park in Cincinnati this year. The rain came down during set-up, continued during most of the show, and appeared again off and on during tear-down. I was wet all day.
Naturally the crowd was more sparse than usual, maybe 25 or 30% of what it usually is, and actually I was shocked to see so many brave souls. However those folks were prepared to spend money so I was still able to clear upwards of $1500. Not nearly as much as it should have been for that show, but more than I had a right to expect given the weather.
Here is the part that puzzles me. Out of the confirmed 200 artists, 75 were no-shows. When asked if those artists called to cancel or just didn't show up, the answer was "both." So Christine, this show was very nearly the size you liked. :)
At 4pm the organizers said we could begin to pack up an hour early since the rain was getting heavier again and customers had mostly deserted us by then. They were clear to say that we could not bring our vehicles into the show site yet, but could carry items to our parked location. Several artists promptly drove their cars up to their booths and started loading.
Apparently the organizers were pretty jacked about that and wrote down artists' names and numbers. I suspect it will be a long time before they're accepted into Hyde Park again, which is appropriate in my opinion because there WERE still some customers walking around and some of us still had customers in our booths.
I do glass so I know all about breakage in bad weather. But I still can't understand 75 no-shows, and especially the no-calls. That just seems like bad business to me. Why burn your bridges like that?
Hyde Park Square Art Show in Cincinnatti. I did it this year for it was an excuse to visit my parents who live in suburban Cincinnatti and they finally saw me at an art fair
Since she mentions Summerfair, it has to be in Cincinnati.
I think it's this one?
Hyde Park Art Fair
Can't be Tampa because that Hyde Park is a two day show. Where is the Hyde Park you're referring to?
Larry Berman
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100