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I had a very good time at the Stockley Gardens show, both financially and in terms of my own enjoyment. 

That being said, there were some things artists should be aware of: 

First, I got terribly, terribly lost finding the venue. Maybe that was just me and my GPS, but it bears mentioning. I was lost for an hour in Norfolk - and I used to work in Norfolk. 

Second, parking is very tight around the park. Streets are small, narrow, and some are one-way, adding to the, uh, interest. Plan to dolly everything, and in some cases, from a distance. I got lucky with parking two of the three days, and very unlucky one of the days. 

Third, this is a show that requires payment with your application. I really don't like that - but in this case, I'd put up with it. 

And fourth - if it rains, you could have trouble. It rained overnight Friday and Saturday this year (2013), and while my tent area was OK, others were not. One area of the park is particularly low, I guess, and those artists had to deal with mud and muck.

Now on to the good stuff!

Be prepared for people to show up early and buy. This was a pleasant, even wonderful, surprise. None of this hemming and hawing, and I'll come back (sure you will) - though I will say that the few who did say they were going to come back DID come back - and bought. 

Volunteers, buyers and show attendees were friendly, polite and happy. It was easy to find volunteers and get questions answered.

Patrons were there to buy and see art - not to take the kids for an outing, look for refrigerator magnets or get their faces painted. They were there for ART, and that was a delight for me as an artist.

The show is in an affluent and lovely neighborhood of Victorian homes, and the site itself, a park that runs for three or four blocks, is really pretty. I was lucky enough to have a spot in the shade, and near a bank of benches. Also, a local garden club was selling flowers near my tent, so it was even prettier than other areas of the park.