Posted by Nels Johnson on January 21, 2016 at 5:00pm
Three shows in a row with rain, it is killing our sales, Sanibel last weekend,was the latest.Richard Sullivan (Boulderbrook Productions) ran this one for the Big Arts org. On Sanibel.He has always had one here on Thanksgiving weekend and this was a new date for him.The island was packed with visitors. Traffic crawled. It had the makings of a great weekend.Unfortunately, it never happened. Nature intervened.We set up on Thursday. It is a Friday and Saturday show, no Sunday.The forecast called for 80 per cent rain on Friday. It did. More than six inches in one hour with gusts up to 40 mph. A tornado set down a mile from the show.Needless to say, our spots were under water.The visitors parking lot was too, and remained that way on Saturday, putting a big damper on attendance.We tweedled our thumbs and tried to go to a movie, the Revenant--sold out. We ended up drinking a lot of sake that day.Saturday, the weather was glorious. Our booth sites, for those on grass were very muddy and soggy.Geoff Coe, a very good wildlife photographer, was doing the show. He had arranged for a herd of wild Chingoteague mustangs to be massed behind our booths. I guess he was going to put flamingos on their backs and shoot,whatever.Both me and Pat Painter (husband of the lovely Sue) noticed that the ponies looked very hungry.We had noticed about six bales of pine straw in a hut. So we figured what the heck, let's get those bales and feed the ponies, and we could spread some of the straw around our booths--a bit of artistic synergy.As we trekked the bales to our booths, we got busted by Richard Sullivan, who said the bales were reserved for other things.I will tell ya, it was hard selling art with the eyes of those starving ponies looking at us. We never really recovered--it turned into an economic disaster.Maybe next year with no El Niño, and no starving ponies, we will have better luck.The crowds were thin, thinner than at Thanksgiving. The flooded parking lot impacted us. Many people broke even, three were a few success stories.It is turning into a difficult season so far.In contrast, our show go off lightly with wind and rain damage as compared to what happened at Beaux Arts, Sebastian and Sarasota.
He, he, Nels ... that whole series was so much fun. Believe there were three. Makes me want to buy the "Grand Package" so I can be an artist too and have all the fun ... going back to Bayou?
I am so sorry. Shows in rain are a mess-lost sales and potential damage to artwork. Glad yo escaped unscathed. Sorry your bank account didn't. Hope things get better the next one.
I've been waiting to hear some reports from the west coast of Florida, Nels. Thanks for weighing in. No damage to booths? high winds in the Sarasota area? Just lots and lots of rain and way too many ponies? Geez, Geoff has really learned how to optimize a situation after only about 5 years in the business.
Yes, I remember some wonderful afternoons when the show was rained out. Good movies in Austin and Boston Mills. If you didn't have to earn a living it would have been idyllic -- sort of like a snow day.
Glad to see your sense of humor surfacing again. Whenever I need a pick me up of the ultimate truths in the art fair business, I go to your post about Bayou City a few years back -- the Uber Deal of how to make a living at the fairs: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/the-grand-scheme-the-...
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He, he, Nels ... that whole series was so much fun. Believe there were three. Makes me want to buy the "Grand Package" so I can be an artist too and have all the fun ... going back to Bayou?
I am so sorry. Shows in rain are a mess-lost sales and potential damage to artwork. Glad yo escaped unscathed. Sorry your bank account didn't. Hope things get better the next one.
I've been waiting to hear some reports from the west coast of Florida, Nels. Thanks for weighing in. No damage to booths? high winds in the Sarasota area? Just lots and lots of rain and way too many ponies? Geez, Geoff has really learned how to optimize a situation after only about 5 years in the business.
Yes, I remember some wonderful afternoons when the show was rained out. Good movies in Austin and Boston Mills. If you didn't have to earn a living it would have been idyllic -- sort of like a snow day.
Glad to see your sense of humor surfacing again. Whenever I need a pick me up of the ultimate truths in the art fair business, I go to your post about Bayou City a few years back -- the Uber Deal of how to make a living at the fairs: http://www.artfairinsiders.com/profiles/blogs/the-grand-scheme-the-...