Location

Needmore, PA

Your Medium

Wood and Fabric

Years in the Art Fair Business

30

First show ever

My first show ever was when I was 16 years old. Theres a large county wide festival held around here in October. My aunt had a booth and encouraged me to get a small one next to her. It was the start of the rest of my life in sharing my God given talent with others

What are the best things about art fairs

There are so many things that make art fairs rewarding but I guess the best part is the people. Its so wonderful and encouraging to hear the comments on your work and the appreciation that someone has for your talent. It allows you to have a personal connection with your customers.

Best show ever and why

I guess the best show I ever had was In Pittsburgh over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was the first large show I had ever done and a little nerve racking at first but it was a wonderful experience, not only for the sales, and the people but because I met a fellow artisan and struck up a conversation. That conversation quickly turned into a friendship that has lasted over the years despite the distance between our homes.

Worst show ever and why

The worst show I ever did was in Gettysburg and it was put on by a fairly large promoter. Of course we have all been told that these shows were strickly handcrafted items and there was absolutely no tolerance for buy/sell products. Ha! There were probably 75% of the vendors that were buy/sell and the promoter didnt have a problem with that. You could hear shoppers complaining that they had to pay to get into a show to see items that the local stores carried. Disgrunteld vendors started pulling out in the middle of the show and there were several altercations between vendors and promoters that just made for a terrible atmosphere. It didnt take long before the original steady follow of traffic became a mere trickle and word spread quickly. Needless to say....sales were terrible and it was a VERY long three days. By the third day there was just a speckling of vendors left compared to the beginning of the show. The promoter eventually discounted the admission fee a little but customers refused to pay to see a handful of vendors and a whole lot of imported items. I never used this promoter again.

Who referred you to ArtFairInsiders.com? Please be specific.

My dear friend Karen Pugh from KP Dreams invited me to join. Shes the lady I met at my best show ever and have maintained a friendship with ever since.