Anyone know this 'famous' fair? So far have only found the advertising blurbs, no reviews from artists/crafters. I have heard in the past it was a hard show to get in and out of, but no clue what the tenor of the crowd is, it is a large crowd expected. I don't think they have a list of vendors on their site, so I can not see who does the show, thanks, all words of wisdom gratefully accepted,
There is a "retail" section ( which I assume means buy sell), and an artist /crafters section on a different street. Sounds dubious.......
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That's the title of the street fair. Just as here in Vermont we have the "Tunbridge World's Fair". Which is really a county fair with a history.
The one thing that everybody must realize, is that up here in the north, street fairs as a rule are just that. Street fairs. They are NOT limited to just art or crafts. At most of them, anything goes, as long as the check clears and it's not X rated or illegal. You could be on the end of a block with the local garage band screaming with the volume turned all the way up.
I refuse to do street fairs for the above reasons and also setup and teardown are a NIGHTMARE! You always get the one guy with a trailer who can't back up and so he parks in front of everyone's booth and unloads. One piece at a time. And we all know those famous words: "I'll only be 5 minutes."
Teardown? Naturally the "vendor's lot" is 3 or 4 blocks away and everyone has to drive right up to their booth to tear down. Everybody wants to leave at the same time. Booths are 10 feet, and vehicles are 20 feet. It never works.
Now others may have completely different experiences. I sure hope so. But for me, I did my last street fair in the mid 90s. No thank you.
I believe at this particular street fair they segregate the booths by 'discipline', so that all the craft is in one area, the art in another, vendors in another etc.
If I recall correctly, it is in the shape of a 'T', about 4 blocks long, then 2-3 blocks across at the top.
Not to say you couldn't end up next to that rock band :-( They would improve on that quickly or I would be gone and posting lots of things here:-)
Yes, street fairs are just that, sort of a 'day out for the family'. What I sell and the price point I sell at allows me to consider these, if I had items from $100 up I wouldn't.
I'm only small time so I need to stick to stuff I can get to locally. I can't afford shows with a $600 price tag and unless you're selling high ticket items and plenty of them, a show where you have to pay for hotels, meals etc. is out of reach, at least for me at this time.
So if the choice is do street fairs or stay home, I choose to do street fairs and take my chances.
Am considering doing Nyack this summer. Did you wind up doing it, and how did you find it?
I agree that it has all the pitfalls of a street fair (people come for the party, not to shop), but it also has big traffic in a good area, and is a well known, well established show. So I am undecided! Very curious about your experience - thanks!
However
I am very inexperienced at this, so you might take my experience with a grain of salt.
There certainly were tons of people there. If I had a nickel for every person that 'is going to look at the rest of the show and then I'll come back', I would be a very wealthy man.
I can't speak for every vendor, but the ones in my immediate area didn't seem to be doing much better than I was.
It is established (been going on for a long time), but it is definitely a street fair.
The coming and going and set up weren't particularly difficult.
If you can make it a day trip, I think it might be worth your while to give it a try simply because it isn't an expensive buy in.
If you are going to have overnight expenses, maybe not.
I attached a couple of images so you can see what I do, maybe that will help you decide if this show is for you.
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Wow, Herb, your stuff is great! Thank you for the detailed and honest reply. Your description sounds right on target - street fairs bring out what I call "Drifters" - people who drift by on their way to the food/drink trucks, glancing at the art to the right and left but not really engaged. And I SO hear you on "I'm going to look at the rest of the show .. . " Yeah, that's the street festival equivalent of "I'll call you"!
I guess my desire to find new markets is battling with my better judgement - I keep promising myself I won't do shows like this again. Then I succumb to temptation, hoping this one will be different because it's bigger, or in an interesting, artsy town (which Nyack is supposedly?). I, too, am "small time," as you say, and the $150 booth fee is very tempting. But perhaps it's time to accept that people just don't go to these things to shop - we're just part of the entertainment!
Thanks again - I'll wrestle with it a bit more, but your input definitely has me leaning towards "no"!
You're welcome. It seems that real criticism is hard to come by. I'm not sure if people are afraid of retribution from the show people or whatever.
I call 'em as I see 'em!
Just as a point of reference, the buckles go for $55, a quality leather belt with them goes for another $20 (I only sell the belt as a convenience add on item, not sold separately). Earrings and pendants go from $12 to $35.
If this show is so famous, how come nobody has heard of it?
I bet it's famous....in Nyack
Hi, Liza. I remember going to this show many years ago as a 'customer'. The only thing I remember about it is there were a lot of people there, so I thought I'd take a chance and see how it goes.
I sell glass jewelry with prices from $15 to $125. While I am new to this, I have some fantastic stuff, if I do say so myself:-)
I'm new to this (this will be my 3rd show ever) and haven't gone into strictly craft shows yet. I think I will start looking for them after this spring, i just wanted to get my feet wet with the business end of things before I embarassed myself at a 'good' show.
Nyack is a nice area, I would say upper middle class on the whole.
I see that your post is 8 months old, have you gotten feedback from anywhere else since then?
I will post here after I do it this spring.
would love to hear how it goes, and yes, Nyack is a lovely community and you have a big price range so you certainly should be able to get an idea if your market is here. Good luck to you in the show world, it can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, but it is a ton of work, and not always gratifying..