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Ferndale is a north suburb of Detroit.

It is a three day show that was held last weekend.

Integrity Shows, which is Mark Loeb, produces it.  You can find it on Zapp.

FF is a multi diverse community.  The downtown has come a long way in last ten years.

Back then the Main Street had lots of closed stores and only a handful of restaurant bars to choose from.

Now, the street is packed with lots of commerce and bars.  There are four barbershops to choose from.

There are at least five coffee shops and about 25 bars and restaurants.

In other words the joint is jumping. Lots of smartly dressed young people, many sporting tinted hairstyles with bodies tattooed-adorned.

Almost everybody wears a hat of some sorts.

The Show is packed with lots of people with all kinds of breeds of dogs.

There is money here but they spend it sparingly and mostly Lowend for art.

I have done this show at least five times over the last decade.  Never have I been able to crack $2K at it.

Others do, just not me.

You setup on the street on Friday, early.  The show is 3-7 on Friday.

It is mostly a waste of time, most do not even sell $200 that day.

Trouble is, the City says if you setup on any day then the show has to start that day.

This year, Friday was a real challenge weather wise.

The forecast called for strong thunderstorms with winds in the 30-40 mph range.  Not good.

I arrived from Saugatuck around 11 am and setup.  Twice we were warned of immenint storms about to hit us, with fierce winds.

Luckily the storms went north of us but we had to deal with bad wind most of the day.

This Show attracts a lot of newbies with cheap pop up canopies.  You know how that goes with bad winds.  Not pretty.

All day you could here the sounds of crashing shelves with stock hitting the pavement. Being on concrete, it was hard to anchor down the booth to keep it walking in the wind.

I had no trouble.  I use a Lightdome and anchor it on all four sides with John Deere tractor weights, about 45 pounds each.

I also used four of Ellen’s round tube weights.  My booth was steady.

Loeb, like many promoters, let’s in a certain number of commercial booths to help pay the bills.

Unfortunately for me, he let in booth next to me which sold vacation packages on cruise ships.

They had a cheapie pop up with a spinning wheel to lure the suckers in with.  They had a very aggressive crew of three to four salesmen.  These guys would pitch very loudly to the passing crowd and actually walk out in the middle aisle and get in people’s faces to lure them in.  It is called a hard sell.

As we know, art is a soft sell.  These guys were the wrong fit for the show.

I approached the main man and politely explained to him that he could not interrupt the flow of the crowd

like he was doing.

He did not take kindly to my approach.

He explained that this was how they did biz.  I countered that it might work at a county fair or a food event but it does not work at an art show.  You have to let the prospect come to you without “hawking.”

He basically told me to stuff it and that they would be doing this all weekend.  I said, “Not!”

I called Loeb and told him what was going on.  He said he would look into it. And, he did.

A half hour later he came over and apologized for his behavior.  The rest of the show we all got along just peachy.

It was refreshing to see a show director actually show some backbone to a commercial exhibitor.

So, I ended up selling $70 on Friday.

Saturday, we had cloudy, chilly weather all day.  Never rained, but being in the shadows of the building behind me, it kept me severely chilled all day.  I had four layers of clothing on.

The Show started at ten but we never saw much of a crowd til about noon.

Then it got crowded.  Lots of hats walking their dogs.  Trouble was, most were just out walking with very few going in to see the artwork.

This is a small show with about 125 booths.  Most of the booths had very eclectic work, especially in mixed media.

I saw more new and refreshing work then I have seen in a larger show like Columbus.

My neighbor made women’s purses.  They were fashioned out of vintage 1950s fabric and adorned with screen printed images of famous movie stars.  His price points were mainly in the $35-$85 range and he sold steadily all weekend.

I saw lots of small framed pieces go by me all weekend.  But did not see any big ones.

For me, I mostly made sales out of my print bins, most sales were $50 and under.

I like the energy of the town and the show.  But it is not my venue.  I am afraid I will not be returning.

For some of you this could be a good show to try, especially if you have Lowend pricepoints.

Next, I will be showing for the first time at the ShawArt Festival in St. Louis.

I will have full report afterwards.

Then, it is time to pack up and leave Saugatuck and head to our new home in New Smyrna Beach.

Both of us are excited.

Aloha, Nels.

Palm Beach Fine Craft Show • Feb 15-17, 2019

Application Deadline Approaching • OCT 15, 2018 View this email in your browser Click Here to Apply for the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show Copyright © 2018 Palm Beach Show Group, All rights reserved.

Here's your chance to help run of the nation's best known art fairs. I know you've got the important experience of knowing a lot about art events. Do you meet these qualifications? Or if you know of anyone who might be artist-aware, detail-oriented, full of boundless energy, and willing to work full-time the few weeks leading up to Art Fair read on for the job description:

February 23
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo Expo Center and Fairgrounds
Presented by Road Wife Productions LLC 
(Bonnie Blandford & Michael Kifer)

9:00am-4:00pm
145+ artists depending on the number of double booths
Deadline: October 1

Application Fee:  $20

Booth Fees: start at $175: 10'x10'; $262: 15'x10': $350: 20x10

Why go to Kalamazoo in February?

 

It's 7 hours of as much fun as we can make it and the focus is all on helping you sell your work. This is the show to sell your leftovers, seconds, the last one left and those pieces that only you love at a discount.  

Hello;

I took a few photos of costumed people in a pubic parade, and made big posters of them. Is it with my right to sell these? I can't find (or even know by sight) the persons who were dressed in those costumes...

Hello. Where can I find my old Fl. tax number, or apply for a new one? I want to try a few art fairs again.

I just did two great shows in the midwest that I had not heard of before this year.  One was Edward's Place Fine Art Fair in Springfield, IL, September 15th and 16th and the other was Edwardsville Art Fair, in Edwardsville, IL September 21-23rd in Edwardsville, IL outside of St. Louis.  

Edward's Place Fine Art Fair has been going on for 30 years and I think I just never looked for shows that weekend before because of previous commitments.  But it turns out this show fits a lot of the criteria of what makes for a really great show for me- small show, run by an art center or art group, and in a community that doesn't have too many other art buying opportunities (I call this an "art starved community").

The setting for this show was on the lawn of a historic building turned into art center. Set up for me was super easy because I was the first booth- just pulled right up and unloaded.  Other booths had to haul in.  They had great crowds the entire time including Sunday morning.  I did a bunch of sales before it even opened at 10:00 on Sunday!  The weather was hot and humid but I still had nonstop traffic. 

I also loved their new concept on the "kid tent" they called it "Kidz Picks" and encouraged artists to set aside some work for under $8 for kids to purchase in their booth rather than send it off to a separate location.  This was a great way to do a little studio clearance and get kids into buying art.  I thought it worked great and didn't impact sales in any negative way- if anything it was a big positive to bring young families into my booth.  I actually think this concept will help encourage more families which is a what we all need to build this business into the future.  I didn't hear from many other artists as to how sales were because I was so busy- my neighbor with jewelry was happy though.  One other artist that I saw the next weekend said they had a slow Sunday. 

The next weekend I was heading down to the area once again but about an hour further south for the Edwardsville Art Fair.  This show is only in it's 5th year but they really know what they are doing.  Another artist recommended it last year and I will now recommend it to every artist I know.  I talked to the director and she said they want to grow the show but hopefully she will take my advice to keep it under 120 booths.  At this point there are 90.  The quality is mixed so I am sure they will continue to build in that area.  My sales at this show were once again constant and ranging from $5 to $425.  The hours are long on Saturday but shoppers were out the whole time with maybe a little lull around 3:00 or 4:00.  The close time at 3:00pm on Sunday was really nice for those of us needing to get some miles on after the show.  There were still customers at that time but at least I felt like I could start to tear down as needed. 

I haven't even touched on the amazing hospitality- meals served at our booth everyday!!  And good food too! On Saturday afternoon they gave me the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had!  The judging was also really fair.  They had a new take- the judges had sticker that they could place near a favorite piece of art so they were able to spread their "Love" all over the whole show.  This helped sales too!  Plus they have enough sponsors to give out some serious cash! 

While chatting with the director she told me one thing they did with their advertising was to place ads in the programs of other art fairs in the area.  Once she told me that I realized that I had definitely seen those results- a lot of patrons asked me about other shows I would be in and said they go to all the shows.  And several customers called themselves "collectors".  Talking to other artists it sounds like they saw the benefits too! 

The other thing that really stood out to me at this show was how gracious everyone was.  I was thanked over and over again for coming there by the volunteers, board members AND many many customers!  I've never in all my 25 years of shows felt so overwhelmingly appreciated! 

If you are looking to do a couple of shows next September just remember to check out the "Edwards" shows in Illinois- both were amazing for me so hopefully they will be for you too!

Back in 2008 and 2009 when the economy was hit by the "great recession" many events closed up shop for economic reasons. But its' been awhile since I've heard of any more. Then today I read that a 26 year old art fair in St. Joseph, MO, Trails West!, held annually since 1993 had been suspended.

The organizers cited increased costs of producing the festival, not a surprising reason considering the inflation since 1993 and the security costs incurred since 9/11. But the second reason was one we talk about among ourselves (e.g., art fairs aren't like they used to be) the changing  of consumer behavior.

Learn more: http://www.kbia.org/post/st-joseph-group-suspends-its-annual-art-festival#stream/0

How are you dealing with how people do/don't buy art?

I'm off for two weeks taking a road trip to Reno, NV camping and visiting hot springs to and fro. This was Spencer's Hot Spring: 105 degrees in stock tank in Big Smokey Valley, east of Austin, NV. It's just about in the middle of NV.  We spent all yesterday morning on dirt roads south of US 50 and the Suburban looks not quite like it has been to Burning Man LOL. 

I need an assistant for Bayfield Apple Festival October 5th- 7th. If you live near there and can assist me that weekend in my booth, please reply here and/or with an email address. I will pay you 10% of my gross, or some other mutually agreed-upon rate. 

Thanks to all.

Larry Sawyer

The Show was last weekend.  Three boring days with no sun, cold temps and fleeting rain showers.

Last weekend was a weather disaster everywhere in the Midwest. Heavy rains at Penrod, Bowling Green, Louisville, even St. Louis.

Rochester is a very affluent northwest suburb of Detroit.  Mucho dinero live here.  Everybody dresses in expensive outfits adorned with expensive purses and belts.

In earlier times AA was one of the top Michigan shows. Lots of artists did five figures very easily.

My, how the times have changed.  For most 2-D artists selling even close to $3K is tough chore.

Crafters have better chance.  Especially, ones with low price points.

This monied crowd tends to buy kitschy stuff on the Lowend side.

They are very conservative here in their tastes.

I have done this show at least a dozen times.  And every time I do it the take home sales get smaller and smaller.

This weekend’s take was so small that I would have to use a magnifying glass to see it.

Over three days, I only sold three 16x20 framed pieces.  Nothing larger.

The bulk of sales came out of my browse bins. As fellow photographer Bill Sargent would say, “I sold little precious pieces of paper.”

Here are some hard facts about the show if you consider to do it. And, for many of you, it could be a good money-maker.

You get to setup the day before, Thursday.  Or come in on Friday to setup.

The Show starts at 4pm on Friday and goes til 7:30.

On Saturday, hours are 10am-7:30pm.

Sunday, hours are 10am-4pm.

Booth fee for a single booth is close to $500.

This is a show run by the Paint Creek Center for the Arts.  You can find it on Zapp.

There are at least 300 exhibitors, and jurying is very competitive.

The thing is, when I know good artists that get juried out, and then see what gets in, it makes my head spin.

They do a great job of mapping out the show.  Every space gets ample rear storage.  Many artists move their booth over to the line on one side so that gives them some wiggle, and display room, on the other side.

The Show is held in a great inner city park in the heart of Rochester. A running creek, Paint Creek, runs thru it.

There are two main sections of the show.  One on a lower level, the other on the upper.  

I prefer the upper section.  Just me.

Parking can be a bitch.  It pays to get there early.

For example, on Sunday, I got there at 6:30am. Got the van situated in Position A.  I had three and a half hours to kill.  So I did my usual Sunday strategy. Which is:get the New York Times at a Starbucks (I can easily spend three hours reading it.  Then I walk three blocks to Paul’s Greek restaurant for breakfest.

By 10am I am well read and well fed.

Ready to make mucho dinero, and none named Robert.

Sorry, but I spent another hour adding on to this post after I had saved to this point.  It is all in the ether.

 OK, it is Tuesday morning. I am going to paraphrase all that got lost in the ether last night.

God, I hate doing this twice, but I will do it for you readers.  I have good info to dish out.

  As I was saying....

So Sunday I opened up to chilly weather, in the low 50’s. Very windy which made it colder.

I tarped in all three sides of my rear storage which made a nice little warm cocoon free from the winds.

Almost nobody was there til about noon.  People trickled in walked around and occasionally walked in a booth.

I was mostly ignored.

I had my black and white handcolors up of famous iconic figure like Bill Murray and Christopher Walken.

I would get giggles, laughs and colorful comments then they would move on. It went that way til close of show.  I barely sold $400 for the day.

The woodworker behind me sold one small piece the whole day. A respected glass artist across from me mostly sold little glass balls, he was not happy.

Overall, most people were disappointed with their sales. Many were 50% off from before.

There were successful artists out there.  Many had kitschy Lowend items.  Certain jewelers killed them.

like I said before, this is a conservative crowd.  They are well-monied but I do not see them buying much good art.

I tore down completely on the ground and got a red pass to come in.  I was out of there by 5:15, they did not let us in til 4:30.

It started raining lightly just after I escaped.

I am done with this show.

But, it could be a winner for some of you.  I try to give an impartial comments about the shows I do.  I realize my audience is not the same for a lot of you.  I sell to a niche market, and I realize it can have its shortcomings.

OK, good places to eat.

Pauls Restaurant right on the main drag, walking distance from show.

They are Greek.  You know Greeks do great breakfest from omelette stop crepes.

For a great dinner go west on Walton to Luckys Prime Rib.  In my humble opinion they are the best restaurant in Michigan for moderate price points under $20.

Try the filet for $19. Comes with a delicious loaf of bread, a salad plus one side.

They offer five kinds of fish, all under twenty dollars. They poor a mean martini for Seven.

Aloha, time to play golf.

Show: Estes Park Labor Day Arts & Crafts Show 2018, Location: Estes Park, Colorado 
Dates: September 1-3, 2018
Fees: Jury/Booth $325, Online filing $15
My medium: leather

    Estes Park is the gateway to the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park.  There are many summer homes in the surrounding mountains and Valleys and it is a popular destination for metro Denver. You also encounter a broad spectrum of income levels, and a lot of foreign visitors. I have been doing this show continuously since 2010.  I also do the Memorial Day show in May.  The show is produced by the Estes Valley Sunrise Rotary, Inc.  The Labor Day crowd is large and there is a constant flow of patrons through the show.  The show hours were 9-5 Saturday and Sunday and 9-3 on Monday.

SET UP AND TAKE DOWN

      One hundred five booths are set up around the perimeter of Bond Park and in the parking lot in front of the Town Hall. People with trailers were given an option of starting set up at 7:30 Friday morning and could drive to their sites. I was there before 8:00 and could unload a few spaces from my spot.  Later in the morning, artists parked in designated areas and Rotary volunteers dollied artist to their sites and helped with set up. Take down was Monday at 3:00 pm. Rotarians were available to dolly artist to their vehicles in designated parking areas. Later, artists were allowed to bring in vehicles to load up. You have to have paid taxes before you got a loading permit. The Rotary volunteers are experienced and the best group of any show I attend.

      Trailers park at the fairgrounds and there is a free shuttle back to the park. Artists park on streets or in lots away from the perimeter of Bond Park.

ART, ARTISTS, AMENITIES, WEATHER

      There is a broad spectrum of art and craft at this show to meet the interests of a broad spectrum of visitors to Estes Park. There were high end jewelers and photographers to handmade soaps and edibles. Many of the artists have done this show for several years like me.

      The Rotary had coffee and donuts for artists every morning. There was a silent auction of donated art. Booth sitters were available.  Clean, indoor, accessible restrooms are in the Town Hall.

      Thunderstorms and wind are common at the Estes Park shows. Although thunderstorms were forecast for each day, there were only a few sprinkles. The days were pleasant in the 70’s.-

SALES AND ANALYSIS 

      Sales over eight years have ranged from $2.69K to $4.9K with an average of $4.14K.  I had 75 sales with an average of $57.  Belts were my best seller, but I also sold canteens, billfolds, checkbooks, suspenders, flasks, holsters, pad folios and napkin rings.  I also picked up some post show repairs and special orders.

FUN STUFF 

      We rented our favorite cabin with a hot tub again.  Now for the bear story.  Sunday, a bear was up in a tree by the library at one end of the show. He got down and ambled over to a hill at the other end of the show.  Sunday night he got into the toasted almonds tent. The security guy looked in the tent and found himself eyeball to eyeball with the bear before scaring it off.  There was a big bin of sugar in the tent, but he didn’t bother it.  He did slash one wall of the tent.

      I learned something about bears from the security people.  They say that the food vendors keep bears away from their stuff by putting Clorox soaked rags around their trailers, and on any ice chest kept outside. It repels the bears.

      Wildlife are a fact of life at Colorado mountain shows. Be prepared for elk, moose, bear, beaver, deer and the usual raccoons and skunks.  Don’t leave food or trash in your tent overnight.

Photos: 1. When the crowd was slow on Saturday

             2. Unusual large crown Sunday morning

             3. Tear in tent from bear  

Always held on the Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend.

This is one of the richest suburbs on the Chicago north shore.

They do not allow any hotels within the city limits.

I usually stay with Jim Wilbat who lives nearby in Deerfield, but he was off doing the Bloomington art fair.

So I got to stay at a Red Roof Inn in Waukegan. The city has seen better days since when Jack Benny was born there.

OK, back to LF.

I have done this show about six times. The first two times I made really good sales. Since then, I have seen a steady decline every year.  This year was the worst.  Weather played a big role in it.

The weather forecast for this show was not good.  We had high humidity coupled with stifling heat intermixed with a string of rainstorms that poured on us during setup, teardown and most of the day Monday.

It hurt our sales.  Attendance was down, and those who were walking were not buying much.  Mostly Lowend.

On Sunday I never saw one large 2D sale go by til 3:30. I saw two more and that was it.

Monday, a couple of artists got lucky but most made minemal sales.

The Show is held downtown in the heart of the shopping district.

It has about 250 booths with a hefty booth fee.  Frankly, their fee is not worth it.

I could do better selling hotdogs in a vacant lot than what I do at this show.

I did not even do $500 in sales.

All booths are on concrete, no staking in the ground.

Fire Marshal came around checking booths for fire extinguishers.

Seriously folks, in 45 years of doing shows, I have yet to see anything on fire in a booth.

Most people had some room on one side to hang art.  Most had rear storage.

The people who attend are smartly dressed while walking their pedigree dogs.

They socialize more than they buy. You get tons of complements with little dinero.

I am adding more new insights.

Ironically, while most of us had meager sales, one particular photographer, excelled—it was his best show anywhere in Chicago.

I have been following his posts on Art Fair Reviews all summer.

He has mainly done Amy Amdur shows and, failed miserably at all of them.

Lo and behold he comes to Lake Forest. First day he did about $250.  On rainy Sunday two customers walk into his booth and spend almost $4000 on photos on metal.  He made out like a bandit.  I do not know any others, but, God bless.

Also, over Sunday night the rain was severe. Several ramps off the main highway 41 were impassable, think three to four foot deep.

No wonder nobody came and bought.