OK, I didn't expect the doctor that bought everything at Chautauqua to follow me to Syracuse, but I was riding high on possibility and determined to end my trinket making days for good.
Last year's show (Downtown Syracuse at Columbus Circle) was a disaster that I wrote about at the time. This year, when the apps came out, I e-mailed the chairwoman of the show to ask if the changes she promised last year had been implemented. They had. I have friends there. I like the show. I had a free weekend. I bit.
My failure to thrive had nothing to do with the committee. I was given a primo spot right off the main circle on a shaded street with a parking lot right behind me and the artist bathrooms right across the street. My 2 best show buds were a few spots away. Plenty of back space. A photographer on one side, jeweler on the other-great guys. What could go wrong?
The show runs Fri/Sat/Sun. I don't know why they do Friday except that it is downtown and they are counting on the office workers to spend their lunch hour shopping. That means you have 2 hours out of 8 with people on the streets. They are out to take a stroll and get festival food. Precious few are buying.I expected that. Saturday started with a downpour and flooded streets. You always get that at this show, not sure why. By noon we were pretty dried out and people started to come. Sunday was ungodly hot but there were customers. Most of the people who came into my booth did so to pet my Silkie Terrier, Oliver, who runs away from dog sitters so we bring him when we can.
This is just not my audience. Some people did extremely well, others tanked. I tanked. My sales paid for the booth fee, my hotel and lunch. Scary. I started to re-think the trinket thing, but then I looked at the printout of sales and saw that I sold mostly the new items that replaced the trinkets: specialty books and collage. OK then! I would have had to make dozens of trinkets to account for those sales.
I think I am on the right track and, more importantly, I am enjoying this again. I spoke to several people who had decided the same thing, Enough pandering to the economy. Most people are OK. Those who had money probably still do. Our area - upstate NY - is rebounding nicely. In fact, I spoke to quite a few that had raised their prices this year with good results. Go figure.
I've decided to concentrate on having lots of inventory for people to choose from which will bump up sales. I've had health issues that got in the way, but I'm rolling now.
No more trinkets, ever!
Next up: Chautauqua again. I will not expect the same miracle to hit twice. But I will be ready.
Comments
I took a chance recently and made a piece that I liked just because I wanted to take on the challenge. The chance was it was bigger than anything I had made before and cost me a pretty penny to create. I went to the show wondering if I'd wasted hours of time and a good chunk of money on the piece. By the end of the show I had two regrets:
1. That I hadn't charged more and
2. That I hadn't made more of them.
From what I've seen people are interested in items that make their friends go "Oh wow" rather than "How nice."
we have come to our real work,
we have come to our real journey.
Much love to you Pat.
Sounds like a good plan there, Pat. I really don't think the people who want the trinkets are the ones who are going to pay your mortgage. Be brave, make fine work and price it accordingly.
One of the things I heard the art patrons say in my recent podcast is that they hesitated to buy things that were too cheap and really thought prices should be higher. It takes guts. Believe in yourself. Best wishes at Chautauqua. Bring lots of fine brainy work for those folks who are there for the lectures and the culture!
Brave onward, Pat!!!
At least you covered costs Pat and have reassurance that you're on the right path even if your buyers weren't there.