Hello Fellow Artists!
We all have our favorite Art Fairs & it would be interesting to know what yours is too. Ours is Fine Art at the Village in Rochester Hills this week-end~Aug 1 & 2! Donna Beaubien is the Art Fair Director, & she is a true Professional & Artist as well! Her lovely daughter Deborah is also helping her organize it. The set-up it easy~Downtown Rochester Hills which is a very up-scale city, with LOYAL Patrons that really appreciate ART & probably the most LOYAL & friendly that Steven & I have ever seen in all of our Fairs! Besides an easy set-up, Donna, being an Artist herself, knows how to treat her Artists with a very well-organized Art Fair, advertises well, Quality Artists, & I had better stop right here (I could add many more good things) & keep making rings, so we will be well-stocked for this one! Well worth the trip from Chicago!!!
What are YOUR favorite shows & WHY???
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My all round favorite show to do is the Woodlands Art show in Lexington, KY. Great management, beautiful location, drive on the grass to your booth, appreciative patrons, good sales, well balanced, good food stands. I could go on and on....
Hello All,
Well, WE ARE BACK from Fine Art at the Village in Rochester Hills, Michigan, & it was AGAIN a delightful , enjoyable, & profitable show for us even with the HOT & VERY WINDY weather on Sunday!! In all the years we have done this show, we have never had such WIND! omg~the wind! Thank God it was hot, not 46 degrees like the show we promoted at Old Orchard, Il. in May! Wind is one thing, but many do not want to stroll around & shop (LOYALS or not) in 46 degree weather~especially trying on rings because they are all wearing gloves! The Fine Art at the Village ended at 6pm, & the sky opened up with major downpours & lots of lightning about 9pm, so we packed all up DRY! It was amazing that alot of our LOYALS still came, but on Sunday it was a struggle for all~even those with those "great canopies"~(LOL). We still sold alot of rings, & made alot of custom rings while at the show, which our customers love. It is always great driving up to our booth, appreciating the friendly Patrons & Artists here, & enjoying the great amenities that Donna always has for us, as she being an Artist herself knows how to treat us well! We are looking forward to doing it again!!! Yes, Connie, Charlevoix is pretty with the yachts pulling in to see & purchase at the show. We did well here too, but the best thing were the great bloody Marys at the restaurant bar across the street (name- The Village Inn??? sorry forgot the name!). Even tho we do very well at Fine Art at the Village, our MOST profitable show is Laumeier in St Louis. We haven't done it in awhile, & should really apply again, even tho I know it is very tough to get in, we are really thankful for the years that we were accepted. Happy trails...
My favorite is whichever Colorado resort area where I can consistently have sales over $4K. Up until 2009 it was Crested Butte where sales were $6K-$7.5K. But alas, management changed and I have never gone back. The fun thing about Crested Butte was lots of places to climb. We bagged Princeton (14,197'), Yale (14,196') and Treasury (13,462') back then. Several relatives visited us there too. Now my favorites are Steamboat Springs, Golden, Estes Park and Jackson, WY. All of them are like mini vacations.
Y'know, when I look back on all the shows I've done over the years, quite a few stand out. But surprisingly, they aren't the ones where I made the most money. They were the ones that I just plain enjoyed doing! They were the ones that had a friendly group of exhibitors and we enjoyed each other's company during the weekend. My wife and I have established some very long lasting friendships over the years by just meeting people at the shows.
So I'm curious to find the criteria used to determine our favorites.
So for me it's the enjoyment factor. A good promoter, a decent crowd, good friends who do the show too, no buy/sell Nazis running around, etc. I'll go back every time.
I always loved the Charlevoix Waterfront Art Fair in northern Michigan. After all the hot summer shows we did we'd drive north for about 4-5 hours and be on The Lake, surrounded by second homers and yachts anchored at the show's edge. If an art fair could ever feel like a vacation this one was. Our friends were there, the committee ran it flawlessly, we'd watch the sun come up over the show, the people would come off of the boats and later you'd be elbow to elbow with them at the local restaurants where the fish was always fresh. And, yes, the takeaway profits were very solid.