Back to the Future--The KRASL Art Fair review

The trend in Art Fairs seems to be that there is an ever increasing disconnect between artists and the people who are running the shows. This is not a positive thing because the artists I talk to at shows feel like they are being treated like carnival workers. I have seen open hostility and outright anger between show personnel and artists at every show. So, I'm happy to report that the KRASL Art Fair was a wonderful experience. It was just like the old days. In fact, everyone who did this show was gushing with praise for Sara Shambarger and her cadre of helpers who tirelessly made sure that the artists felt welcome and that their needs were met. This is the new(old) standard on how to run a show(are you listening Gasparilla)!!!

The amazing thing about this show is that Sara and her crew worked out every last detail in an intelligent manner. The show layout was superb. The show was laid out in pretty much a straight line with booths facing each other with plenty of space in front of and between booths. There was not a bad spot in the show. The food booths were away from the artists, but, easily accessible to everyone. The music stage was away from the artists, yet, everyone could hear the music if they chose to. The volunteers and the booth sitters were always in sight and available. And, they were extremely warm and friendly. They were happy and grateful that we were there. There was water available to artists and strategically placed so that it took less than a minute to get water if you needed it. There were x amount of tickets for water, but, no one collected the tickets making it easy for every artists to keep hydrated. This was important because it was hot and sunny. Setup was almost all day on Friday and was extremely easy. There was enough room for everyone's vehicle even if everyone showed up at the same time. Thus, breakdown was also easy. And, there were volunteers to help unload if you wanted them. There was an artist party on Friday night, and there was a really good breakfast on Saturday morning and a lesser one on Sunday. If you sent in the form, there was also a box lunch brought to you during the show.

The show was the standard 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday and the weather was perfect-- 80-85 degrees and no wind or rain. Here's the best part: Sales on Saturday were excellent for everyone I talked to. For me, it was just like the days when things were great. I, actually, had people standing in line holding their pieces waiting for me to finish wrapping. For a two hour period, I couldn't keep up with it. That hasn't happened in a long, long time. I did more the first day than I was expecting to do in two days. It wasn't just me. Knowing I was going to write this review, I asked as many people as I could, so I could get a proper perspective. Everyone I talked to had the same experience that I did. Unfortunately, the second day was as bad as the first day was good. The crowds were way down and so were the sales. That was the only bad thing about the show. I talked to Sara about this and she said that was pretty much the same for everyone. Believe me, though, she's already working on finding a way to make Sunday as good as Saturday was, next year. To me, Saturday was so good that it didn't matter, too much, that Sunday was light.

One last thing, the KRASL Art Fair sponsored a concert in the park near the beach. This year, the artist was nationally known contemporary jazz sax player, Mindi Abair. She is a personal favorite of mine and after the show on Saturday I made my way down to the beach to listen to her fine sound even though I could hardly keep my eyes open. Thanks Sara for bringing her to St Joseph, MI.

Hopefully, I'll be invited back next year because after you read this review and talk to people who did the show, it will be harder to get into. I noticed that the quality of the art was better than last year. Also, this is the kind of show that you need to do a few times. All my customers from last year came back including those who wished they had purchased something and I made a lot of new contacts for next year. This show has a loyal following that come back year after year. So, if you are reading this, Sara, I need to do it next year, too. LOL!!!




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  • I have to agree with everything Barry and others said about the Krasl show. I don't know how Sara Shambarger does it, but she is one of the finest, most inspirational directors I have met in years. I had never done Krasl before, but I'll certainly apply for next year. Unlike many others, my Sunday was far superior to Saturday. I guess because my wife came with me and was also amped up to talk to people (the local coffee booth had terrific iced lattes!). And believe me, the folks who came into my booth wanted to chat; I think this helped bring back many be-backs on Sun. and gave me a solid show for sales. And an after-show large sale was the icing on the cake!
  • Damn, it sounds like I missed a good party and sales. You guys are having too much fun. I am glad you had a real god gusher, Barry, I know this has been a trying summer for a lot of people, between high temps and low sales. In my humble opinion, Krasl is one of the best shows to do in Michigan right now. I was number 5 on the list, so I opted to go to Madison where a good time by all was had. I talked to Leo many times while we were doing our shows. So I knew he was doing good. Surprisingly, a great fellow glass artist who came to Krasl had very dismal results. Did you guys notice any glass guys and how they were selling. Barry, I think a nice NEON LIT border around your statement is just what you need. You will have them in droves next year. I want 10 per cent of your sales for that idea.
  • Leo, funny thing about that artist's statement. I had it with me and I was so busy when they came around asking me where it was, that I kind of forgot to put it up. After the Sunday round table, I put it up on my booth. I made sure the photographer who was shooting peoples booths took a photo of me pointing to the artist statement, AND, I made sure that Sara saw it up on my booth. I'll probably miss the invite list by the 2 points that she is docking me for not having it up. (I hope not)
  • I forgot to mention one of the best things about the show: KRASL has a program where people in the community give people a place to stay for the weekend, so you don't have to pay for an overpriced hotel room during peak season. How cool is that?
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