Lil Street Craft Fair

Replies

geri a. wegner July 8, 2012 at 9:21am

I'm not an artist but this show is run by Special Events Management who also run Wells Street and Fountain Square in Evanston. If you check those reviews, you may get an idea about the show. The one thing it has going for it is that the artists seem to be on a separate street from the food festival and Lill Street is known for art.

Are you doing other shows in the area? I certainly wouldn't come to Chicago for this fair but if you are already here............

Good luck with your decision.
- Ron Andrews > geri a. wegner July 8, 2012 at 9:31am
  
  Thanks I will check those reviews.
  - Steve Shay > Ron Andrews July 22, 2012 at 2:15pm
    
    I'm looking for reviews as well. I went to the Wells Street Fair and it was douchebag central, but the show was right in front of all of the irish pubs and various other drinking establishments on Wells, which are packed on a Saturday anyway. Felt sorry for the artists. They didn't look like they were having fun.
    
    I'll be an artist at the Lill Street Craft Fair next weekend so I'm looking to hear from anyone that was a seller or attended last year. Anyone? I'm guessing there will be a lot of drunk frat boys in the crowd due to the location, but if they have $$ and I can convince them to replace their little boy posters with some big boy art, I'm game. I haven't seen any promotion for Lill Street around the city, but I'm sure the Taste of Lincoln will get a huge crowd. Just not sure they'll be an art-buying crowd. Hard to buy art when you are walking around, double-fisting $7 beers.
    
    I wish they would call it an "art" fair instead of a craft fair, since they describe it as a juried fine art fair. Might get more response. Oh well, I'll post a review of the show when it's over.
    - Robert Wallis > Steve Shay July 22, 2012 at 2:53pm
      
      Good luck at the show. I've placed Special Events Management shows on my Do Not Do list and it'll be a cold day in hell before I do any of their shows again.
      - Steve Shay > Robert Wallis July 22, 2012 at 4:32pm
        
        Why do you say that, Robert?
        
        Robert Wallis > Steve Shay July 22, 2012 at 5:33pm
        
        Emphasis seems to be on selling beer and brats. I had the feeling that we were there for entertainment of the beer buyers. There was micromanagement of the load in and load out process. Last year at the Lincoln Park show I was told I had to dolly out about a block and a half away. After nearly passing out from the heat and the exertion, I said to hell with it and brought my van in anyway. Too many people making directions that flew in the face of common sense and too few of them coordinating with each other. In short, a poorly organized effort that leaves the promotion of the arts end of it in the short end of the stick.
        
        Steve Shay > Robert Wallis July 22, 2012 at 5:44pm
        
        Thanks Robert. Good review. Guess I'll have an interesting weekend.