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This is my second straight year doing this unusual mid-week (Wed/Thurs) show in Corolla, NC, a coastal town (aren't they all?) along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, about 2 hours south of Virginia Beach.  Last year's show--which I could have sworn I reviewed, but I can't find a link anywhere--was brutalized by high, high heat and humidity, and the few folks brave enough to venture forth to the show were none too keen about stepping into an art show booth for more than a nanosecond.  Not surprisingly, sales in 2012 were dismal.  But the area has so much to recommend it that I thought it warranted another shot. 

I was praying to the weather gods during the entire 970-mile drive from Fort Myers, hoping that the forecast held and that I wouldn't have that kind of budget-busting experience again.  And we lucked out--though it was humid for setup on Tuesday, there were light breezes and somewhat cooler temps on Wednesday, and Thursday was perfect Chamber of Commerce weather--mid '70s, cool breezes, clear skies. 

But enough with the meteorology.  How were the crowds and sales? 

Much better than 2012.  Wednesday morning brought respectable traffic and moderate sales, though crowds and buyers dwindled after about 2 PM.  For reasons unknown, this show stays open until 6 PM on its first day.  The extra hour can be profitable at shows where there's an early-evening draw, like restaurants, but there isn't an eatery anywhere on the spacious grounds of the Whalehead Club. Nor were there customers.

Thursday (day 2) had lighter traffic and (for most folks) lighter sales, and many of us were on the brink of writing this one off by 1 PM.  Then, out of nowhere, crowds materialized again, and brought their wallets.  I had a number of decent sales between 2 PM and 5 PM; although the customer count was down from Saturday, there were more dollars in the till. 

This is a show attended more heavily by vacationers than by Outer Banks residents.  There are a couple of reasons--one being that there's only one road (NC Rt. 12) onto the Outer Banks, and traffic can be ridiculous in season (that's why they hold the show mid-week).  Another reason is that there really aren't many residents, as one of my customers (a former physician and longtime resident, who does commercial and residental rentals now) explained.  "The Outer Banks turns over 10,000 people a week during the summer," he said, "but there are only a couple of thousand folks here year round". The homes along this narrow, heavily-duned barrier island are quite large, and most of them sit vacant for all but a few weeks outside of summer tourist season, he advised. 

A significant number of my visitors were down only for a week, and hailed from Pennsylvania and the Washington, DC area, with smaller percentages from Ohio and from central and western parts of Virginia.  Very few folks from other parts of North Carolina; likely because the NC schools were still in session.  That probably explains the high number of smaller pieces (2D and 3D alike) I saw being carried around.  It helps to have a shipping service and to advertise it.

Most of the artists I spoke with were reasonably happy with their sales, which were deemed pretty good for a midweek event by most.  Several artists who sold only large-format 2D had a tough time. 

Smaller, beach-themed items sold best; as for me, sales of pelican images saved the show. The few large pieces I sold, as you might expect, were bought by year-round residents.

The show is casual, small (85 artists this year, down from 100 in 2012), well-organized, and pretty high quality.  Amenities included an artist dinner on Wednesday night (which included an awards ceremony), two tickets for bottled water, and (if you had a trailer) free on-site overnight parking.  The staff of the Whalehead Club helped out before the show with discount deals at a few local hotels and an "artist lodging" program in which patrons volunteered to host artists during the show.  (I'm not sure how well that worked out; apparently there were more interested artists than there were available spaces.) In addition, artists could get a free guided tour of the Knight Mansion on the club grounds, which offers a fascinating look at duck hunting culture, architecture, Art Nouveau, tourism, and life in the 1920s on the Outer Banks...not only the life of the uber-rich, but also the local staff and families that they supported. 

This isn't an expensive show to do from a booth-fee standpoint (under $200), but it's a long, expensive trip from just about anywhere, and the hotels tend to be in the $150/night-and-up class.  (I stayed 70 minutes away, in Elizabeth City, for about $80 a night, including taxes.)   I like the area, and the way the show is run (the staff went out of their way to solicit feedback on things like start/end times, lodging, and amenities).  It's worth considering if you have appropriate work, you want to have a short working vacation, and especially if you can pair it with show(s) on the adjacent weekends.