Many of us here do shows where we set up temporarily for a weekend. Some may even be in galleries, temporarily or have a permanent rotation, with items on display or for sale.
I am wondering if any of you rent space for a permanent booth? I am talking about a brick and mortar that rents out spaces to those who sell their art / craft. The places I am thinking of collect the money & pay the sales tax (if applicable) to the authorities, provide a 1099 at year's end, etc.. The artist sets up his or her booth with appropriate displays and stock.
If you have your art/craft in one of these places, I am wondering how it is going for you? Has it met your expectations? Did it take more or less work than you thought? If you have left this venue, what caused the departure?
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Replies
Cindy, have you looked into any of the shops in the Antiques district in Denham Springs? There are several stores that seem like they would be a good fit for what you are looking for. Many have an extensive variety and price range. I do believe some offer inside booth space rental for a monthly fee and %. Another option might possibly be some of the locations in the Ponchatoula antiques district.
Both of these areas are most certainly interesting and worth the drive and visit.
Thanks for the lead, Greg. Will look into it. Do you have particular stores in mind that you would recommend?
I don't have any particular places in mind but Carol and i have been to these different stores many times and always seem to see a lot we like. They have often ended up with some of my money. I have no idea what their arrangements are regarding prices of artists rental spaces.
As a hobby.... we have a permanent booth space like you are referring to. We strictly have collectible and vintage art for sale. Our booth is 8x16 for $305 a month with 12.5% commission. They have a full time staff so we don’t work at the store. We do commit more hours than we’d like into up keep. We go to the shop 1-4 times a week any where from 30min to 3 hours each time to check on sales, inventory and to restock/rearrange and clean our booth. In three years we’ve had to pay our booth fee remainder because we didn’t sale enough to cover rent. That said it is a hobby and not highly profitable just fun. The largest month check we have ever received was $595 after all fees.
Hope this helps.
FYI - it took 6 months to get a space off the waiting list. We made friends with the works and owner and visited the store weekly until they gave us a space.
Robbie
You mentioned "...In three years we’ve had to pay our booth fee remainder...".
Not sure how to read that?
How many times did you have to pay the remainder?
Did you get any sales via referral / people seeing your work there and calling you to purchase something different?
Sorry it suppose to read - we’ve only had to pay the booth fee remainder twice in three years.
A few referrals.
Cindy
It sounds like you are talking about a Gallery?
Some galleries work on the basis of space rental.
Some charge hanging fees, etc.
Is that what you are referring to?
This is why I do not go in galleries that charge me hanging fees or monthly overhead charges. I want them on pure commission so they have an incentive to sell my work.
Of course, eith the setup you list. it gets you more exposure and any sales you make should be extra profit.
Just food for thought.
Larry,
No, that is not what I am talking about. I am referring to people like myself who have upcycled and repurposed furniture and home decor via painting/staining/etc., go "picking"----looking for and purchasing for resale items that are antique or vintage, etc. Some of the decor & furniture is in very good shape and just needs a good cleaning.
A store offering permanent booths will have the booths divided up with (semi) permanent walls, that may or may not go to the ceiling. It could be an old home that has each room as a booth. Usually the owners have guidelines for the sellers to follow about quality of product, restocking as things are sold, keeping the booth clean & neat, etc. Sometimes they require the sellers to work a certain number of hours per week or month, at no pay, as part of their contract & to inform/educate customers about what is offered, etc. Often these permanent booths are indoors. Some owners provide electricity in the rent and others do not.
The person renting the space sets it up to showcase their products, utilizing the walls, shelving, tables, and other fixtures. They are usually responsible for all decorating.
Think about a show that is set up temporarily for a weekend. Then imagine all those booths transported in to a space with walls that define the individual spaces for booths and it's set up permanently, with aisle space and a/c or heat, etc. It is often call a art and craft mall or craft mall. Quality can vary from one mall to the next depending on what standard the owners uphold for the artists.
Here are a couple of examples. I am having trouble trying to get the idea across
Photo 1
Photo 2
In the 70's we had a shoppe in a location like that.However we were the ones to man / operate our soace. If we or our workers were not there, the booth would be closed. However you were required to be open all the hours that the building was open , unless you had an emergency or special exemption which was extremely rare and you will find for that . Except for holidays it was only open on weekends. It was in a very high traffic area, it had been a very large department store that they broke up into Booth spaces like that. Back then the rent had gone as high as $1,750/ month. At times, on weekends, the line into the parking lot was 1/4 mile long down the highway.
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