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about the jurying process

Posted by Michael Anthony Nagy on December 10, 2009 at 9:40pm

I am kind of new at the ZAPP application process.....I applied at the ocala art fest last year and was put on a waiting list....when I spoke to the woman in charge of the show, she said don't worry, mostly everyone gets in......well...they didnt call until the night before the show......how could i do this show?..its like 3hours from my home, i would have to get a hotel, etc....so i said NO....my question is this....I am getting ready to put in an application for the melbourne show in april.....deadline is end of december......it asks if i would want to be put on a wait list....should I say yes to this?.....do most shows call you the night before?......this would seem rather difficult for me again since Melbourne is on the other side of the state.....If I say no....does that ruin my chances of getting in?.....thanks for the advice,Michael

Cincinnati and Columbus WinterFairs

Posted by Cassandra Graham on December 10, 2009 at 11:25am

WOW! That's the best way to describe my sales this year at both shows (category: Jewelry, Other). Cincinnati was double what I had hoped for and Columbus was half again as much. I think people must have been tired of being "good" about spending all year and wanted to cut loose a little. I had to miss both shows last year due to health reasons so I didn't know what to expect this year as to crowd size and sales. Attendance was up on both and many artists seemed pleased with their sales although it seemed painters and photographers did not do as well.The patrons were a friendly lot, inquisitive and complimentary. The venue for the Cincinnati show is always decorated so nicely and the beds at the connected Marriott are soooooooooo comfortable, even though I need to bring a stepstool to be able to get up into it.

Columbus Ohio Winterfair ODC

Posted by mary barrett on December 10, 2009 at 10:03am

As a patron, I attended Winterfair in Columbus Ohio last weekend. As an artist, I had planned on applying to Winterfair this year, but missed the deadline (or so I thought; they extended their deadline the last that I noticed from early September to early October. Friends that I knew who were doing the show said artists showed up that were on the waiting list or just hopeful and where admitted at the last minute (Thursday's take in day). Most of the exhibitors were wonderful as always. A few of the booths looked flea marketish; crammed full of things for sale and not presenting a very cohiesive display. And most of the artists I talked with said they had been having a very good show. of course just hearsay, hopefully some exhibiting artists will respond. They liked the 3 day run. less expensive for them. The crowd on Sunday was huge!!One comment from a patron's standpoint, however. I feel qualified to say this as a buyer of art and an artist who does shows. I have had the bad shows where you just want to get done and go home. But you must show at least a little interest in the people in your booth, "Hi, how are you". One of the reasons I do shows is to talk to the people who buy my work, to tell them how my work is made, maybe something special about a specfic piece, whatever. On the other hand, I don't like to be pestered by an artist when you walk in their booth "what are you looking for, can I show you something, etc". But you must, MUST, as an vendor, at least acknowledge the presence of the person in your booth. I can't tell you how many booths I walked into and the person in the booth was either reading, talking on a cell phone, working on a computer, etc. More than a handful!!! In one booth I had picked out a piece that I was going to purchase and I turned and walked out, because the person in the booth totally ignored me, and I had turned and looked at him several times, nothing!! It was not a booth sitter, those people are at least polite. Artists, at least say hi. on the whole, everyone was in a good mood. Good thing it was last weekend, because like most everywhere else in the country, winter is here!!have a nice holiday season!!mhb, ohio

One of a Kind Chicago

Posted by Claudia Winter on December 9, 2009 at 9:52pm

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.

Artwalk - San Diego (April and Sept. shows)

Posted by MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK on December 9, 2009 at 6:00pm

I had originally put this info on a previous post but it got kicked off.I talked to the directors of the ArtWalk San Diego at the NAIA conference in Peoria last Sept. I was very interested in applying to the April show. The website shows a lot of pictures, but also raises several questions, to wit:Q. How secure are your panels, since the show supplies the tents and the artists everything else?A. You can strap your panels to the roof and also the legs, but bad weather rarely happens here [!]Q. How do you protect your artwork from the elements and overnight, since there are no side panels to the tents?A. We have security [300 booths] and you can hang your tarps over your work or suspend them from the tents.Q. If you get 1,000 applications for 300 spots, how do you determine booth placement, etc.?A. Returning artists get an extra point on their scores, thus ensuring that returning artists will have an advantage over new applicants; also, returning artists get preferential booth placement - new exhibitors are likely to get side streets [this info is not on the website].After this Q & A with the directors, who, by the way, seemed to be very nice and very concerned with putting on a class event, I decided to pass on the application.

Michigan art fair news: Arts, Beats & Eats moves to Royal Oak!

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 8, 2009 at 6:11pm

Breaking news -- it's official -- the hugely popular art, music and food festival held on Labor Day

weekend is leaving its birthplace, Pontiac, MI, to move to a new address -- cool, captivating, hip downtown Royal Oak. Jonathan Witz, producer of ABE, made the announcement this afternoon at Sangria Tapas Cafe in Royal Oak. I've been part of the arts of this event since its inception 12 years ago and have seen firsthand what was a very promising and exciting and financially rewarding event full of the nation's top artists slowly become a victim of the huge shoulder to shoulder crowds and the crumbling local economy. What had started out as a happy "Ann Arbor alternative" for those who were tired of the AA crowds lost much of its luster. Heck, it's been tough in Michigan for a long time now. The recent recession where the rest of the country seemed to be slipping into hard times was nothing new to people in business in Michigan. Therefore, this is great news! Royal Oak is a lovely residential suburb, full of young families, excellent schools, cool restaurants and good shopping. It is going to be really interesting to see how the huge event adapts to this new footprint, but I'm telling you, that if anyone can make it work it is Jon Witz, a man with more ideas, moxie and readiness to make things work than the average guy. Here's wishing you good luck on the move, Jon. Thanks to the city fathers of Royal Oak welcoming the event. Stay tuned for a solid economic turnaround. Read the announcement in the Royal Oak Tribune.

Call for Entries: Ann Arbor Street Art Fair

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 8, 2009 at 5:46pm

Today's call for artists is for the BIG ONE that started it all, the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As most of you know there are four art fairs running consecutively in Ann Arbor in late July. All of them have excellent art, but this is the one that is universally acknowledged as the best, the original juried art fair. The thrill of this business is in participating in an event of this caliber. Will this be your year?

Why not apply now? I always have held that it is to your advantage to apply early because generally speaking the first images the jury will see are the early applicants. Be there first and be seen first, not when the jury has already seen thousands of images. See you in Ann Arbor? Here's the rest of the story: July 21-24 - Ann Arbor Street Art Fair At the Tower On the streets and campus of Ann Arbor 175 Artists Deadline: January 14 The Street Art Fair is one of the highest ranking art fairs in the nation and for good reason:

--It draws collectors who rarely attend art fairs --It attracts the finest artists --It works with many cultural community and educational institutions to produce exceptional community art activities --It works throughout the year to be a blue ribbon presence in the Ann Arbor community --This is the original event on which the other Ann Arbor fairs have patterned themselves, as well as many other fairs across the nation. It is the creme de la creme of art events. The Street Art Fair has an distinctive jury process, unlike that of any other art fair. There are five separate panels jurying specific media or related categories. There are 4 to 5 jurors per panel, one of whom is a member of the Jury Group. The Jury Group meets in a sixth session after all the panels are complete to review the submissions with high scores and determine invitations in each category, balancing the scores, the range of work and the strength of category. Artists selected for the wait list are also determined at this session.

The jury meets over the weekend at the end of January and early February. All images are projected, statements read with additional information available upon request. The strength of this approach is that they have jurors (who are paid an honorarium) working 4 to 6 hours only in their own area of expertise, or related areas. Jurors see the work multiple times and are able to ask questions and to discuss the work, moving back and forth to compare it to other submissions in the category. Jurors are generally working artists and are often educators at area colleges or museums. They mix new jurors with experienced jurors. The Jury Group member brings a familiarity with the fair and knowledge of the goals and programs from having juried the fair on site the previous year. They will bring the overall sensibility of the panel to the final session. One of the unusual aspects of this jurying is that there is no booth slide required, but rather five images of your work. For more information on the Street Fair visit their website: http://www.artfair.org/ To view the application and apply today, visit: http://www.zapplication.org/

Corey Avenue, St. Petersburg fl

Posted by Michael Anthony Nagy on December 6, 2009 at 10:12pm

It was a cold rainy weekend in the sunshine state. During the 5:30am set up...the rain let up enough for us to get our canopy on...and then the drizzle....I did make show fees the first day...and that was it...no people...Sunday looked brighter...the weather was a bit warmer and the rain had stop...but where was the people????....I did this show last year and it was a good show....but this weekend left a lot to be desired...oh well...onto the next crap shoot.....

Atlanta Arts Festival Fall 2009

Posted by R. Michael Wommack on December 5, 2009 at 12:10pm

I am a pastel artist and I wanted to share info about this show, which is a fairly new show I believe. It takes place in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, and have been told it is similar in layout to the Dogwood Festival in the spring. Piedmont Park is a beautiful setting, and with the rains in the summer, it has been reopened to festivals. The way the show is laid out, there seem to be no bad spots. The circular nature is very democratic. Load in is notoriously bad, because there is only room on the road for your booth, and a vehicle, but no room for any one to pass. The show directors had sent out specific times for the artists to set up, and it was important you be there on time. We caravanned in, and we had an hour and a half to unload. It was enough time to set up your tent, and get everything in, and then we caravanned out. I would like to have returned and continued setting up, but I could find no parking on the street, and the artists lot wasn't available until Saturday morning, as it was next to a school football stadium adjacent to the park. I was told by a returning artist that the lot usually used in the park was under renovation so we were stuck with this lot outside the park. It was way too far from the show, and as I needed to get larger drawings out of my van 'cause I had no storage space behind my tent. (I was one of the unlucky artists to be next to a construction fence. They are renovating the Riding Club building at the north end of the loop.) I really hope they have closer parking next year, and I hope the construction fence is gone.The crowds were okay. I kept hearing from other artists that the Dogwood show is much more crowded. I also heard patrons that the word had not gotten out about the show, some of them stumbling on it by accident. This said, I had a really good show. I have only been doing the art festival circuit for 3 years, so I missed the go-go days, but at over 6K, it was good for me. In my short experience, I have noticed the South, excluding Florida, has been less affected by the economic downturn. In Atlanta I found enthusiastic buyers, all whom had never seen my work before. Now I have to say not everyone shared a similar experience. My booth neighbors both didn't meet expenses, so you may need to take this review with a grain of salt.Load out was not that smooth. Getting in the park was not bad, but getting out was horrific. We broke down and put our stuff to the side, so there would be room to pass, but there is always someone who doesn't care , and blocks the whole road.I will try to get in again next year.

FREE Online Zapp Image Resizer!

Posted by Greg Burkett on December 5, 2009 at 2:51am

Hello all! I posted a link to this in the discussion board, but I was told I should make a blog post about it as well as it may be helpful to folks.I've developed a quick, (hopefully) easy-to-use online image processor that sizes your images down to the ZAPP standard 1920x1920 size, adding in black masks if needed. Just upload your image, let it do it's thing, and then you're presented with a download link to get the processed image within a few seconds.You can check it out at www.ripfish.com/zappLet me know if you have any suggestions on how to improve the utility. Thanks all!

Call for Entries: 2 Shows - Westfield Armory, Westfield, NJ

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 4, 2009 at 11:53am

Top Ten Reasons to Apply to Rose Squared Productions, Inc.'s, Fine Art and Crafts at the Westfield Armory in Westfield, New Jersey · Twenty-eight years of experience promoting Fine Art and Craft shows in New Jersey · A first class mailing list of 30,000+ past patrons · A sterling reputation among exhibitors for being an "exhibitor's promoter" · Reasonable booth fees · A strong advertising campaign including direct mailing, cable television, newspapers and billboards · Unlimited publicity postcards and complimentary passes for your customers · Affluent demographics: median household income of $120,000 · A firm commitment to quality crafts rejecting imports, manufactured work and representatives · Carpeted aisles and a fully draped facility with an all day set-up Friday and early Saturday morning · A reputation with the public for presenting quality fine art and craft shows About this new event: The Westfield Armory is in an affluent area very near New York City. In prior years it hosted a well-attended contemporary craft show. Beginning this Spring Rose Squared Productions will be presenting a new event in this well-frequented venue. This is worth investigating!

Visit www.rosesquared.com to learn more about Rose Squared Productions, Inc., and download the applications for the Armory shows in April and November and their other four shows in Montclair and Verona, NJ. ***************************************** Looking for more art fairs for your 2010 season? Visit www.ArtFairCalendar.com/callforentries

Cool Art Link: Crop Art

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 3, 2009 at 11:09am

Harvest season is almost over and especially here in the upper reaches of the Midwest we can't get enough

enjoyment out of our bounty, so you guessed it! We make art from it. Crop Art is a competitive category at the Minnesota State Fair where it even includes political commentary. The images are made from seeds, collected, roasted, toasted and glued! Adherents say the crop art is even more artistic than what is exhibited at the fine art building. See it all! Crop art is for everyone.

Where Do Art Fair Artists Go? Back to the hills

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 3, 2009 at 11:00am

Many of you remember photographer Jack Stoddart, aka Hippie Jack. A fixture at art fairs for about

20 years, in recent years he was pulled back and become a music producer and hosts music festivals in the hills of Tennessee, way back in the hills! And that's not the whole story! Teaming up with his son Jason, they have videoed the "roots" music that is performed

on their stage and the result is a PBS program, "Jammin at Hippie Jack's" hosted on over 115 stations. Next: Jack becomes a Renaissance Man and his photos, prints of the men, women and landscape of Cumberland Plateau are collected by the Tennessee State Museum with a retrospective of the body of work that opened last week at the Museum in Nashville. Read all about the music festival: www.myhippiejack.com Read about Jack's images: www.jackstoddart.com Read about the exhibit in Nashville: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091129/ENTERTAINMENT0507/911290302/Jack+Stoddart+s+photos++films+find+a+special+place+at+Tennessee+State+Museum" Renaissance Jack

Get answers from an expert about making money with your website - Listen and participate online!

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 2, 2009 at 2:00pm

Here is a cool opportunity to get your website and e-business questions by best-selling author Scott Fox, who does happen to be my son.

I know, I know, most of you are disappointed in the failure of your website to add $$$s to your coffers. Here is an excellent chance to find out why: Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) December 1, 2009 -- December 3-18 Scott Fox is hosting a “12 Days of Christmas” Online Tweetathon at www.ScottFox.com. The show is raising money for underprivileged kids, helping small business owners learn the latest social media marketing strategies, and promoting Fox’s new book, e-Riches 2.0: Next Generation Online Marketing Strategies (AMACOM, 2009). Small business owners, online marketers, and web site entrepreneurs will want to tune in to: - Ask their online marketing questions of e-commerce expert, Scott Fox, live via web video - Tweet about the show to trigger Fox’s $1.00 charity donations for every tweet - Automatically be entered to win thousands of dollars worth of prizes including dozens of copies of Fox’s two books (Internet Riches and e-Riches 2.0: Next Generation Online Marketing Strategies), a Flip Mini Camcorder, an Amazon Kindle e-book reader, conference passes, logo design packages, and much more. The 12 day online “Telethon” will air at ScottFox.com on weekdays from 3-4pm ET December 3 -18. The online TV show will be streamed live using Ustream.tv. If you missed it today, tune in tomorrow. You will learn a lot. If you're not into the "tweeting" visit the Telethon anyway to get help with your web questions. I'll see you there today at 3 pm EST. Visit the site now and get ready.

Call for Entries: Omaha Summer Arts Festival

Posted by Connie Mettler on December 1, 2009 at 10:25pm

June 25-27, 2010 36th Annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival Downtown Omaha, Nebraska 135 Artists Deadline: January 20, 2010 The 36th Annual Omaha Summer Arts Festival invites you to be a part of one of the most lively art festivals in the Midwest. Located in downtown Omaha alongside a beautiful park, the award-winning Summer Arts Festival draws a diverse crowd of 80,000 people for a weekend of unique visual arts, great music, tasty food and hands-on children's activities. Festival patrons enjoy browsing and buying an eclectic mix of functional and non-functional pieces by 135 artists in 14 media categories. High-quality work in the $50 to $200 range tends to sell most frequently, but, of course, higher priced artwork does not go unnoticed (or un-purchased) by Omaha's fair share of art-lovers. This is an excellent, well-organized festival," one artist said. "I have my highest sales here and always encounter enthusiastic, loyal customers. In addition to $2500 in cash awards, artists can expect hospitality and concierge services that are a step above the rest. The Festival offers you: **discounted hotel rates

**complimentary snacks and beverages **an Artists' Awards Brunch on Saturday and an Artists' Meeting on Sunday with continental breakfast **an air-conditioned lounge with indoor restrooms **booth sitters; water delivery; overnight, indoor storage **24-hour security **reserved parking and electricity Artists also reap the benefits of the festival's substantial marketing efforts and media coverage. [The Omaha Summer Arts Festival] is my favorite show to do; and [the] treatment of artists is the best! said one artist. Not many shows do anything for artists anymore-it is very important to us. This year, the Festival has transitioned to ZAPPlication, an online jury management system. Complete information about applications and digital submissions can be found on the website at www.SummerArts.org. Paper applications are also available. "The Omaha Summer Arts Festival is introducing an online application this year to streamline the submission process for artists and jurors, alike," said Vic Gutman, Festival Executive Director. "We are committed to making our Festival enjoyable from beginning to end!" Interested artists may visit www.SummerArts.org to apply today! The deadline for applications is January 20, 2010. For more information about the Omaha Summer Arts Festival, please contact Carly Barth, Visual Arts Coordinator, at (402) 345-5401 or cbarth@vgagroup.com. At the NAIA Conference in Peoria, IL, in September I spent some time with Vic Gutman from the Omaha Summer Arts Festival and was very impressed with his professionalism and commitment to the festival. Read very closely this call for artists from Omaha today. Only 135 artists! What does that say to you? The word is that Omaha is an affluent community and a good place to spend the weekend. ************************** Find more art fairs for your 2010 season at: http://www.artfaircalendar.com/art_fair/call-for-entries.html">www.ArtFairCalendar.com/callforentries

Yokohama Art Fair Report - no tequila

Posted by Connie Mettler on November 30, 2009 at 6:00pm

Hopefully you read my earlier posts

about this first ever outdoor art fair held in downtown Yokohama at the end of October. I had a long chat with David Bigelow one of the U.S. artists who participated in the event and also photographer Larry Oliverson. When Midori Ueda-Okahana returned to her country after visiting the Ann Arbor Art Fairs determined to hold an art fair she approached the City of Yokohama because in Japan Yokohama has declared itself to be a fine arts city. Yokohama was celebrating its 150th anniversary and the fair was held on the amazingly restored waterfront. The city was very clean and safe. There had been excellent PR and good attendance. The waterfront in Yokohama is where Commodore Perry opened the doors to the West. It has classically been considered the place where East meets West, therefore a natural place for the American and Japanese artists to meet one another. David Bigelow with customers in Yokohama. Japanese artists have only had access to galleries to exhibit their work and the outdoor experience where they could meet collectors face to face was revolutionary. They don't have the opportunity to represent themselves. David told me about one artist who had assemblages who couldn't even figure out how to price his work. Finally on the third day of a four day show he came up with a price. There were twelve U.S. artists and twenty-four Japanese artists. One of the things David had been concerned about ahead of time was how to get his credit card machine to work over there. He needn't have worried. All sales were in cash! He made his largest sale ever, 90,000! (yen, that is). Larry told me that although the event was not well-attended by U.S. standards, what he really appreciated was the high percentage of buyers to the ratio of viewers, with many transactions taking place. "Probably the highest ratio ever!." Larry gave a presentation to an audience of City of Yokohama officials, sponsors and artists about the art fair business in the U.S. The Japanese are very cautious people and discussion does not take place at a presentation usually. But questions were actually asked and an interchange took place, to the Japanese artists surprise. Japan has a great history of printmaking and David, being a printmaker, had hoped to see some good collections. But he says because so much of Japan is made of paper (think shoji screen construction) the cities would burn and many historical objects do not survive. Surprisingly one of the best places to see the famous 19th century prints is in Boston, where a man named Bigelow has a wonderful collection. Would they go back? "In a minute," said David. "In a heartbeat," said Larry.

Why did they go? David said, "There was just so much interesting stuff going on I thought it would be a shame not to go." Did you intend to make good sales? "As I thought about going I rationalized that if we made any money it would be a surprise." Larry spent three weeks in Japan, including the week in Yokohama. Expect new images the next time you encounter him at an art fair. Photograph by Larry Oliverson Finally I asked the question, was this trip sponsored or did it all come out of their pockets? It seems there was a sort of a "street jury" at Ann Arbor and several artists were invited by the organizers from Japan. Not everyone accepted the invitation. The invitation included a round trip ticket and shipping of the art from Chicago to Japan. I found out that a few other people I knew were in the group, Michigan glass artist Vince Pernicano and printmaker Mathias Muleme from Ontario. Read another story about Ann Arbor meeting Yokohama at AnnArbor.com.

A QUICK HISTORY ABOUT CANOPIES--AND ONE LITTLE LADY WHO COULD NOT KEEP HER FEET ON THE GROUND

Posted by Nels Johnson on November 30, 2009 at 12:00pm

Recently, I did Cape Coral down on the west coast of Florida.

At the show's end this young guy, who looked vaguely familiar, stopped at my booth. He looked at it real carefully. Eye-balled my 10-foot wide aluminum trusses.

He smiled. He said, "Wow! An original Newton's Port-Booth."

His father was Jim Newton who made these revolutionary canopies way back in 1985. This was in Ft. Myers.

Clyde Butcher, long off the circuit and well-known as the "Ansel Adams" of swamp photography in Florida, had first commissioned Jim to make him a custom canopy.

It was a free-standing unit. Eight metal panels linked together (mesh with white covers over them) all held together with four trusses that fit on top of the panels. Good zippered sides. A zipper on front and rear for additional canopy cover. Sturdy, able to withstand winds up to 40 mph.

I bought the third one in 1986. Best investment in art I ever made. Still got it.

Here is the story of how I came to get it.

It involves old KD canopies, a wee little woman and a vicious wind storm at an art show in Miami Beach.

Read on. It is a funny story.

EARLY CANOPIES

In the good old days (like the 1970's) everybody had their own homemade canopies. There were no commercial versions yet.

I came back, fresh from Hawaii in 1979, and started doing outdoor shows.

I had pegboard panels nailed together with 1x3s. Even had an orange tarp for the roof. Gave all my photos that sepia-toned look. Even the color ones.

I remember coming back from the Gainesville show in the spring of 1985. I was cruising home in my Datsun station wagon. My racks were fastened on my roof. Or so I thought.

I happened to look in my rear view mirror and noticed cars behind me were juking all over the interstate--trying to avoid my panels that had flown off the roof.

Naturally, they were smashed to smithereens. The panels, thank God! not the cars.

Well, being a smart guy I built some more of them--even used 1x4s this time--and stronger bungee cords.

This was the time of the KD canopy.

They were revolutionary for us. Instant shelters. Went up in a minute. Didn't cost a lot

and we looked like professionals.

Off course there was a major down side to them as we all quickly found out.

%

Alexandria King Street Art Festival

Posted by Melanie Rolfes on November 30, 2009 at 12:00pm

This is the first time I have been to Alexandria and I feel in love with the town as I was driving in. I always get anxious when I do a show for the first time. I worry about set up, logistics, lots of other stuff but I arrived early on Friday so I had all day to play before I had to start my worrying. I was able to have the best tourist day in Alexandria and even took the water taxi over to Maryland (I had been to 45 of the States and Maryland was one I needed to add to my list, so now I am at 46 :) On the water taxi ride and from many of the rooms a

Roomie needed for Winter Park

Posted by C. L. Cunningham on November 30, 2009 at 11:46am

Any chics out there want to share a room for Winter Park? I have 2 beds at the Winter Park La Quinta for $51 per night, Thursday through Monday, any or all nights ...Thanks!Cynthia

Can Art save a Mall

Posted by Donna Beaubien on November 26, 2009 at 1:12pm

Connie, thank you so much for your comments about the Village Fine Art Gallery, Rochester Hills, MI.The shopping center contacted me October 14 and asked me to open a gallery in an empty store. November 16, I opened and started selling November 14.The first customer who purchased before the gallery opened, was so happy to see the gallery, that she brought me homemade cookies. She has been in 2 more times since then.Yesterday, I was there alone. I thought no one would be shopping at the gallery, as they would all be in the grocery store or home cooking. Not so. I was unbelievably busy. I had a line up, to purchase, at one point.Debbie LaPratt's store at Laurel Place Mall, should be an inspiration to us all. She has had a temporary store for over 4 years. Last December Debbie's store topped all other stores in the mall, for total sales volume. Way to go Debbie. I wish you repeated good luck this year.I will send photos later. Have to run and cook. After all it is Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for.Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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Note: this page contains paid content.