Posted this in the Jewelry Genies group, but wanted to reach out to all Art Fair Insider members. Has anyone out there done this show in Pittsburgh, PA in the past or plan on doing it this year? Wanted to branch out to more high end shows & this one is only about 3 hrs away. Looking for any input.
Thanks
Debbie
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You posted this question twice. It would be better to delete one so it doesn't get confusing for people trying to reply.
I live in Pittsburgh and have done the Shadyside show. In fact, I'm the one who got the old promoter thrown out and brought in Howard. Whatever bad things artists may say about Howard Alan (it's a love hate relationship), the old promoter was at least a hundred times worse.
There's an local NBC clip on this page of my web site where artists talk about how Ed D'Alessandro (the old promoter) ripped them off in advertising 100,000 people in a location that received no people at all. He had moved the show to a school grounds after he was thrown out of two Shadyside locations. http://www.bermangraphics.com/artshows/pittsburgh.htm
I stopped doing the show about three years ago. Actually after over 30 years, I've stopped doing shows completely. Shadyside is well run but not as good as it was years ago, just like all the other shows. It started as a three day show second weekend of August. Howard moved it to September last year (it also became a two day show) because it was supposedly cooler then. This year for the first time, it's the last weekend in August. The setup is fairly difficult because there is no day before setup. The streets are narrow and you can't drive into Walnut Street at all. Get there early and plan to dolly. It is an upscale shopping area though the privately owned stores are no longer there and the chains are the only stores that can afford the rent. As for sales, it's all over the board like any show. I always considered under five hours local so I wouldn't rule it out.
Now I walk the show and do a few booth slides and have artists come to my house before or after the show to photograph their artwork.
Replies
Debbie
I live in Pittsburgh and have done the Shadyside show. In fact, I'm the one who got the old promoter thrown out and brought in Howard. Whatever bad things artists may say about Howard Alan (it's a love hate relationship), the old promoter was at least a hundred times worse.
There's an local NBC clip on this page of my web site where artists talk about how Ed D'Alessandro (the old promoter) ripped them off in advertising 100,000 people in a location that received no people at all. He had moved the show to a school grounds after he was thrown out of two Shadyside locations.
http://www.bermangraphics.com/artshows/pittsburgh.htm
I stopped doing the show about three years ago. Actually after over 30 years, I've stopped doing shows completely. Shadyside is well run but not as good as it was years ago, just like all the other shows. It started as a three day show second weekend of August. Howard moved it to September last year (it also became a two day show) because it was supposedly cooler then. This year for the first time, it's the last weekend in August. The setup is fairly difficult because there is no day before setup. The streets are narrow and you can't drive into Walnut Street at all. Get there early and plan to dolly. It is an upscale shopping area though the privately owned stores are no longer there and the chains are the only stores that can afford the rent. As for sales, it's all over the board like any show. I always considered under five hours local so I wouldn't rule it out.
Now I walk the show and do a few booth slides and have artists come to my house before or after the show to photograph their artwork.
Larry Berman
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