Location
Elon, NC
About
Your Medium
Photography
Years in the Art Fair Business
4
First show ever
1st Annual Art and Vine, Greensboro, NC
What are the best things about art fairs
Getting to talk with customers to find out what catches their interest, and in case they're intrigued by my work, I love telling the 'story' behind the image, and describing what I feel and think when I shoot the pictures, as well as the joy of seeing it in print.
Best show ever and why
Lazy Daze, Cary NC 2008 I enjoy 1-day festivals, and in July 2008, the economy hadn't tanked. The attendees were enthusiastic (in spite of the enormous heat). I had my best sales ever, that 1 day. The following year was not anything spectacular, but at least I made a little over my booth fee. I think the people that attend Lazy Daze EXPECT to find art, and seem willing to pay for art. Not just mass-made / cheap stuff, and they don't just go for the bands-n-beer.
Worst show ever and why
Azalea Festival, Wilmington, NC 2008 With projected attendance > 400,000, my logic told me that SURELY I would get some business - even if only a fraction of 1% of the attendees came into my booth. We were in a pretty rotten location, placed right next to an airbrush artist (artist=good, spray paint blowing into my booth=not good). The festival was like a really big flea market - the only people we met that made money was a couple selling sheet sets for 19.99 (any size). They buy their inventory by the tractor-truckload & resell for a profit. I think some potters did okay. We asked to be moved to another location and were allowed to only because so many vendors quit after the first day. It was harrowing, exhausting, and I sold NOTHING. It's still a traumatic event to this day!
Who referred you to ArtFairInsiders.com? Please be specific.
I found you by searching for 'artist sales bele chere festival'. I was accepted to the festival this year and having a hard time deciding whether to invest in the $300 booth fee, knowing I would also have to pay lodging & expenses. I'm glad I found the site, because the Bele Chere festival sounds an awful lot like Wilmington's Azalea Festival. I'm not going to risk 3 days of expensive misery, especially since the economy hasn't really rebounded.
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Welcome to ArtFairInsiders.com, Margaret. I'm pleased to see you here and look forward to having you as part of our community.
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Best wishes,
Connie Mettler
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