This was a show of firsts for us, our first show of 2017, our first show in Florida, and our first show pulling our new trailer.
So, how did it go? OK actually mainly due to one customer who came in our booth and made the show for us. Towing a trailer definitely slowed us down on the road, but it allowed us to organize our stuff so much better and rolling items into the trailer is a lot better than lifting them into our pickup. We eventually got to Sarasota after over nighting in Tallahassee.
Set up had originally been scheduled from noon until 7pm then a week before the show it was rescheduled to 8:30pm with a notation not to show up early. So we arrived promptly at 8:30 to see that several booths were already set up and the artists gone to dinner or to bed. This may have been due to a change in venue. This show is normally on Gulfstream Ave. near some very high end condos. Due to construction it had to be relocated to Main street, a very nice area with shops and restaurants.
We were able to pull down a side street closed for the show and dolly across the street to our booth. It took us until after midnight to get mostly ready to go. We came back early the next morning to finish before the show opened at 10am. Traffic on Saturday was OK. We had plenty of people in our booth to have a good day but their buying energy was pretty low.
Usually we do a lot of business out of our print bins but that was not the case that day. By noon we had sold one matted print. Our luck turned when our big customer came in and loved our work. She bought a large piece off the wall, bought a second piece the next day and ordered a third we will deliver when we go down for Ft Myers. That put us in the black for the trip. If we had our normal number of print sales it would have been a great show but as it was we turned an OK profit. Sunday was a little slower traffic wise than Saturday.
Load out went well. We had plenty of room on the side walk behind our booth so we could stack everything in the order it needed to go in the trailer. I was able to pull in front of our space, drop the ramp and load up in 15 minutes.
This show was a Paragon production. I was impressed with the no frills approach. There are no artists amenities. Since there are two of us we do not need booth sitters, we bring our own water, and we usually do not eat the provided breakfasts at other shows due to dietary restrictions.
Local artists we spoke with said the show was heavily advertised but it was not the same crowd they normally get at the Gulfstream location. The weather was perfect both days which was a nice break from the gloomy Alabama weather we have had. Bill Kinney, the promoter, was genuinely interested in how sales were going for everyone. He came by a couple of times. He is a photographer and was showing his work at the show so he had first hand knowledge of what was going on.
Much to my surprise a few days after the show we got an e-mail breaking down sales for each medium. I wish more promoters would provide that information as it helps make decisions for the future.
Our goal for the Florida shows on our schedule is to test the market there for our work. We are photographers of urban, industrial, and abandoned subjects usually at night or in low light. About half the people that come in our booth don't get it, another quarter find it interesting to look at, and the remainder consider buying something. We need a younger, urban crowd for our work, so Sarasota's demographic did not fit. But, we decided to try it anyway and it worked out mainly due to one person.
Everyone knows that it is expensive to do shows in Florida this time of year so if you are going to do a show in Sarasota here are a few tips that might save you a little money. We stayed at a little 60s motel on Highway 41 about 2 miles north of downtown called the Regency Inn and Suites. It had been renovated, it was clean and had a nice outdoor pool area if you are so inclined. There is some road noise but it can be drowned out with the air conditioner fan. We slept very well and our total bill for three days was 285.00.
The Toasted Mango was our breakfast spot. It is between the motel and downtown on Hwy 41. Excellent food, great service, OK coffee. The parking lot is tight for large vehicles.
We ate dinner at the Old Salty Dog which is across the bridge. Take the first exit on St Armands Circle, and turn right at the first light. It is on the water, offers $6.75 martinis, and has great Grouper Sandwiches, need I say more.
Both days we ate take out salads from El Greco, a Greek restaurant located at Main and Orange. On Saturday when I picked up the bag it was so heavy I thought I had the wrong order. The salads were huge with lots of great additives. If you like feta cheese this is the place for you. On Sunday we split one.
Everything considered it was a good trip for us. We will definitely apply to more Paragon shows based on this experience. We are hopeful that Florida will offer enough interest in our work to merit more shows in the Sunshine state. The jury is still out. The next three shows will be crucial.
May 27 & 28
The St. Charles Fine Art Show attracts an audience of art buyers and supporters who come from all over Chicagoland and beyond. These supporters have generated an average of $60,000 in our Purchase Award Program each year over the past five years.
July 8 & 9
Marion is a "vintage uptown" type of community, and a part of the Cedar Rapids metro area. Our show is one-day, intimate and purposeful, with the mission to be an event through which you will thrive. 
2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the Marion Arts Festival! Further, folded into our festival day will be the unveiling of 20 pieces of public art in the alleys adjacent to the park, a project funded by ArtPlace America. (With ArtPlace America's executive director Jamie Bennett as our honored guest.)
"Elite 100" since 2009!
