This show is not for sissies. It is a one day show held once a month from May – October. I did July. It was good for me. The people were great. They didn’t say “I’ll be back.” They bought on the spot. They didn’t glance around the booth, grab a card, and say “beautiful work” while exiting the booth. They had insightful comments. It was an incredibly enjoyable show to do. The people putting on the show are kind and helpful and very organized. The logistics are another story.
To begin with, at least from where I am, you can’t get there from here. There was some nice highway driving and then 70 miles of up and down, curvy roads. Vanny is not the most maneuverable vehicle and weighted down, not the most powerful either. To make matters worse I kept losing GPS signal leaving me in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to pull over, at least three cars behind me probably cursing me, and no idea where I was. And of course, it was raining. Lesson learned – become familiar with my route and the area through google maps before I leave home.
If you want a hotel close to the show I would still recommend Alpen Acres. However it is very expensive for what you get – basically a 1 star hotel with difficult parking for a van. And people do start coming to the show well before the 10AM opening time so a trip back to the hotel for a shower after setup is a bad idea anyway. Lesson learned – stay in Boone. It is not that far away and there are hotels with actual flat parking lots.
The show is held in the top level of a parking garage and the access roads leading to it. Setup is tight, extremely tight. A call to the show beforehand informed me that while you cannot set up on Friday, anytime after midnight is fair game. If you have anything other than an EZ-up plan on arriving before the official 6AM setup time. I arrived at 4AM hoping to get the tent and walls up and the work inside the tent before the masses came at 6AM and I had to move the van. Of course it was threatening rain. I failed by half an hour. Lesson learned – arrive at 3:30AM. Also you can park on the street outside the show but it is a hard dolly up and down hill.
Artist parking is far away and fills up quickly. I arrived at artist parking at about 7AM. I got the last space. Also there is a driving route to the parking lot and a walking route. I got a little bit lost trying to get back to my van at the end of the day. Lesson learned – don’t just follow people back to the show in the morning, pay attention. Also figure out a way to keep additional stock in your booth because going to the van and back will take a good half-hour.
Breakdown is very well organized but just as tight. You are supposed to break down completely, get your sticker, and then you can bring your vehicle in. However if you wait until a lot of the people clear out you will be allowed to come in without breaking down completely.
This area is telecommunications challenged. GPS is intermittent and gives out at the most inopportune times. Don’t believe the radar. It looked exactly the same on Saturday, a little drizzle here and there, as Sunday, pouring. I did two deliveries on Sunday. I have three navigation systems on my phone. It required all three to get to the first one. The second one was to a woman who could not make phone calls due to no cell phone signal but could text. So I followed directions by text. In the pouring rain, on the lovely curvy roads it was just a little stressful. Lesson learned – set up a meeting place for deliveries that you know how to get to.
After all that – will I go back? Absolutely. It was a profitable show for me. I had some factors in my favor. The percentage of photographers and 2D artists in general was lower than most shows probably due to the difficult setup and breakdown all in one day. I only plan on doing this show once a year. A lot of people asked me when I would be back. When I answered “next year” instead of August, September, or October, they bought. I also have a lot of images from the area or look like they could be. So YMMV but I will go back.
Comments
There was a one day show we used to do in northern Michigan, the Charlevoix Waterfront Art Festival, held on the shores of a beautiful lake, surrounded by second homes. I imagine Blowing Rock is the same kind of community, right, Alison? It was a Saturday setup and then take down again in the night. Jockeying for a parking place, in the dark, for setup on a state highway, not fun.
For many years we had a space deep in the park, which meant hauling everything down a steep hill and then up again at the end of the day. We were young, strong, hale and hearty and people loved the show and really showed up. The profits were good. We did it for over 25 years (love those grandfathered shows when you are one of the chosen). In later years we requested a space at the top of the park, which eliminated the up and down, but still a lot of work logistically. Loved it.
Good for you Alison. Glad this show works well for you. Thanks for your review.
Great report Alison and glad to hear you had a good show. We quit doing one-day/same day set-up shows a couple of years ago but have caved in and will be re-doing one this fall. Your review reinforces the notion that it can be worth all the hassle/long hours.