Lill Street Craft Fair - Day 1 Review - Forum

Hey All,

While preparing for day 2 of the Lill Street Craft Fair, thought I'd share how day one went.

Setup - Setup was pretty smooth, albeit early. We all had to be there by 7:30 AM but the show didn't start until Noon. The neighborhood where the show is is verrrry busy so they wanted the vendor's cars out of the way by 10 AM, which makes sense I guess. Still, they could've had us setup/dropoff stuff by 9 AM vs. 7 or 7:30 AM and that would've been fine. Being there from 7:30 to 10 PM is a lonnng day, but all weekend shows seem long.

Crowd - Since the fair is happening in conjunction with the Taste of Lincoln Ave, the crowd was huge for that part of the overall event, but they weren't really there to purchase art/crafts. They were there to go to the Taste of Lincoln, hangout, drink, eat some not-so-great food. That's just my opinion, but the other vendors would probably agree with me.

Vendors - There are about 40-50 vendors. I'd say 3-4 (including me) are doing work on canvas like paintings, mixed media, etc; 2-3 photographers, 20-30 jewelry makers, and about 5-6 home decor crafters (pottery, glassware, pillows, etc.) Not a great mix as it's very jewelry heavy. Not sure if the jury tried to get a good mix or if they only could choose from a small pool of applicants. My fave vendor is the artist Mr. Hooper. His work is awesome.

Sales - I only sold 2 pieces. My least expensive ($50 print) and most expensive ($900 large original piece). Lots of interest in my booth but from people holding beers and plates of pizza, not really looking to buy. The stream of folks in my booth was consistent and I got a ton of compliments, but they don't pay the bills. My wife and I positioned our chairs across the street from my booth so we aren't sitting right at the entrance when people walk by, which I think deters some from entering (at least that happens to me, not everyone). Maybe I'm just scary looking.

Show Workers/Officials - Our only interaction with anyone working for the show was during check-in. No one ever came by the booth to see how things were going, if we needed anything, etc. The tent I rented was securely setup when I arrived, so that's good. One thing that was annoying was that the show organizer told me that their tents were 8' tall, but they were 7' so it was tough to get the propanels setup in there with lights, etc., but we did it with a lot of adjusting. What is also interesting is that they had 2 signs for the fair setup, one giant one that spans above the street that said "Lill Street Craft Fair" and another at street level that said "Lill Street Art Festival". Is it a craft fair or an art festival? Pick a side, people!

Weather - incredible. 82 and sunny.

So far, not much of a craft/art fair. I probably wouldn't do it next year. Too expensive to show to a crowd that isn't there for the fair, they are there for the street festival.

Review Day 2

Setup on day 2 was easier, of course. Just had to put the art back on the propanels. This was my first time using propanels (the knockdown kind) and they worked well. The streets in Chicago angle down, from the center of the street to down to the curb (for rain drainage) so having adjustable legs on the propanels really helped keep the walls as level as possible.

Crowd - Same as day 1, but a little more mellow. Less people getting hammered, but still a large crowd.

Vendors - A few didn't come back on Sunday, including my favorite Mr. Hooper. Many also left early on Sunday, including myself. We started packing up at 7:30, even though the show didn't end until 10 PM. The foot traffic down our side street (where the art was, away from the main street fest) was very slow. Sales were sucky too for most. By the time we had everything taken down, about half the vendors were also leaving.

The vendor next to us had an issue with a customer and ultimately had to arrest him. After letting him hold 3-4 pieces for most of the day, he came back hours later and bought two of them and asked if they could hold those 2 pieces until later (he was actually a vendor at a booth in the main street festival). They did as asked but I guess the guy returned an hour later and asked if he could have his money back because he couldnt' afford the pieces he had purchased. The artist told him that all sales are final and that she had been holding stuff all day for him that she might have otherwise sold. He got salty and threatened to wreck her whole booth if she didn't give him his $$ back. She replied by telling him she was going to call security and have him arrested, so he immediately backpedaled and apologized, but still wanted his money back. He got salty again and she got security while her husband watched her booth. They came back and kicked him out of the festival, without the art he had purchased. He got back in via another entrance and started harassing them again. This time, security returned with the police and he was arrested for threats and harassment. Of course, they told me that they're never returning to this event again. That was the sentiment for most of the artists I spoke to (7-8).

Sales - I told 3 pieces on Sunday. They sold early, by 2 PM, and I didn't have any sales after that. My total sales covered the cost of the show and a few extra $$, but still not profitable. My work had a lot of interest and several people asked me for a discount on pieces, but I don't discount unless sometime buys multiple pieces. This isn't a garage sale, people. I kinda get a kick out of watching people's faces when I tell them I don't discount my work. You can see the wheels turning in their head. "Should I buy it anyway, or not? Is it worth that price? Is this guy for real? Wonder where the bathrooms are?"

Weather - 85 and partly cloudy. Great weather.

Overall - I wouldn't apply for this show again, or probably any show that this company (Special Events Management) runs. Most of their shows are the same and are street/neighborhood festivals with a few vendors thrown in. That's what they do so now I know to focus on only true art-focused festivals/fairs.

Replies

Annette Piper July 30, 2012 at 5:27pm

Sorry to hear Sunday stayed poor in the sales department too. At least you got to witness some first class drama, I guess. Poor payoff though.
- Steve Shay > Annette Piper July 30, 2012 at 5:46pm
  
  Yeah, thanks Annette. I did also show about 15 pieces I've never shown and was able to see which ones people really liked and which they didn't pay attention to, so that's something. Looking for the silver-lining. Hopefully, I'll get a few post-show inquiries too.
Steve Shay July 30, 2012 at 11:52am

Review Day 2

Setup on day 2 was easier, of course. Just had to put the art back on the propanels. This was my first time using propanels (the knockdown kind) and they worked well. The streets in Chicago angle down, from the center of the street to down to the curb (for rain drainage) so having adjustable legs on the propanels really helped keep the walls as level as possible.

Crowd - Same as day 1, but a little more mellow. Less people getting hammered, but still a large crowd.

Vendors - A few didn't come back on Sunday, including my favorite Mr. Hooper. Many also left early on Sunday, including myself. We started packing up at 7:30, even though the show didn't end until 10 PM. The foot traffic down our side street (where the art was, away from the main street fest) was very slow. Sales were sucky too for most. By the time we had everything taken down, about half the vendors were also leaving.

The vendor next to us had an issue with a customer and ultimately had to arrest him. After letting him hold 3-4 pieces for most of the day, he came back hours later and bought two of them and asked if they could hold those 2 pieces until later (he was actually a vendor at a booth in the main street festival). They did as asked but I guess the guy returned an hour later and asked if he could have his money back because he couldnt' afford the pieces he had purchased. The artist told him that all sales are final and that she had been holding stuff all day for him that she might have otherwise sold. He got salty and threatened to wreck her whole booth if she didn't give him his $$ back. She replied by telling him she was going to call security and have him arrested, so he immediately backpedaled and apologized, but still wanted his money back. He got salty again and she got security while her husband watched her booth. They came back and kicked him out of the festival, without the art he had purchased. He got back in via another entrance and started harassing them again. This time, security returned with the police and he was arrested for threats and harassment. Of course, they told me that they're never returning to this event again. That was the sentiment for most of the artists I spoke to (7-8).

Sales - I told 3 pieces on Sunday. They sold early, by 2 PM, and I didn't have any sales after that. My total sales covered the cost of the show and a few extra $$, but still not profitable. My work had a lot of interest and several people asked me for a discount on pieces, but I don't discount unless sometime buys multiple pieces. This isn't a garage sale, people. I kinda get a kick out of watching people's faces when I tell them I don't discount my work. You can see the wheels turning in their head. "Should I buy it anyway, or not? Is it worth that price? Is this guy for real? Wonder where the bathrooms are?"

Weather - 85 and partly cloudy. Great weather.

Overall - I wouldn't apply for this show again, or probably any show that this company (Special Events Management) runs. Most of their shows are the same and are street/neighborhood festivals with a few vendors thrown in. That's what they do so now I know to focus on only true art-focused festivals/fairs.
- Robert Wallis > Steve Shay July 30, 2012 at 2:12pm
  
  Your experience is pretty much what I had with their shows. As I mentioned earlier to one of your posts, it'll be a cold day in hell before I do any of their shows again. Those folks put on street parties and the art end takes the short end of the stick.
Annette Piper July 29, 2012 at 5:20pm

Thanks for the review Steve. Gosh, wouldn't want to be a jewellery maker in that show!!! I hope you got more sales Sunday to make the show worthwhile.
Richard L. Sherer July 29, 2012 at 5:01pm

Lincoln, NE or somewhere else?
Steve Shay July 29, 2012 at 3:08pm

Update. Mr. Hooper didn't return on Sunday. Bummer. Wanted to buy a piece. Crowd is quieter today, but a bit less partyish, so maybe sales will be a bit better.
Rich Terry July 29, 2012 at 2:15pm

marking

This reply was deleted.