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Matthews is a suburb of Charlotte and a charming little town.  It's the area in which I chose to settle 9 years ago when my company moved us from Denver.  There are surprisingly few fine art/fine craft shows in the Charlotte area considering its size; and very few of quality. 

The show is located in the square in front of the Town Hall/Library.  Sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce which is located in a rail car next to the Library.  Very picturesque.  very easy show to do.  Load in/load out can't get any easier.  Pull up to your spot and take care of business.  A couple of the artists have done the show for all 26 years.  It's pretty well juried.  No crap.  Historically, it's always taken place the same weekend as Festival in the Park but they moved it to the following weekend this year.  At this show, I can always count on my favorite silversmith to have some new designs and I always pick up something new from my favorite potter.  It's primarily populated by local artists.  A solid mix of mediums.  It's relatively well advertised. 

Setup started after 5 on Friday and the show started at 10 on Saturday and ran until 5.  noon to 5 on Sunday.  Dipped down into the 40's on Friday night so Saturday was a bit brisk and gusty but the sun was shining which was a plus.  Things started out a bit rocky for me.  I normally keep the sides of my canopy up to catch the sun on my glass.  It turns out I was in a bit of a wind tunnel and it sent 3 of my pieces crashing...Down came the sides in a hurry!  Luckily, they weren't favorite pieces.  and my friend who was helping me is a mosaic artist so she scored big time!  nothing goes to waste!  Same thing happened to the blown glass artist on Sunday.

This is a show that you can walk, spend time with each artist and get out in little over an hour.  I've walked it in 20-30 minutes and seen everything so it's a short stop for folks to drop in and then go on about their day or grab a bite in the adjacent restaurants.  This is not a show that has massive crowds at any given time but it was steady enough throughout both days that I didn't have time to sit even if I wanted to do so.  Sales were steady for small and big ticket items.  It was my first time debuting this particular body of work in Charlotte and it was well received by the crowd.  Other artists I talked to said that the last 3-4 years have been flat but this year turned around for them.  Sunday was a stronger day than Saturday for many that I talked to.   I got home and had 2 emails asking about commissions.  Since I had won $100 in a raffle at the Artists Reception, this show was almost pure profit for me since the booth fee was a very reasonable $150. 

This is a well run, organized show.  Volunteers were plentiful and efficient.  Lunch provided by Subway.  Indoor restroom for the artists. Kids art projects.  Awards were underwritten by Chamber members.  Musical artists rotated through every couple of hours and were pretty good for the most part. No food booths onsite except for an Italian ice cart since it's mere steps from 2 sports bars, a Thai restaurant, Subway, mexican place and a coffee shop.

It's a quality show and has local patrons who appreciate the show in their back yard and the artists.  There was room for another 8-10 artists.  It would have benefited the show to have those spots filled but several shows going on in the Carolinas during the same weekend competed for the artist pool.  I'll be back if they'll have me and as long as it makes financial sense to do so... Can't beat the 5 minute commute!