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ESTES PARK, CO, ART MARKET, MAY 28-30, 2106

APPLICATION

This was the 15^th annual Art Market produced by the Art Center of Estes Park.  You can apply to the show on Zapp. The jury fee is $30 and standard booth fee is $300.  The application deadline is the first of March.

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, DEMPOGRAPHICS

Estes Park is the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.  Access from Denver and I-25 is by US-34 through Big Thompson Canyon or US-36 up the St. Vrain River. The St. Vrain and Big Thompson Rivers flooded in the fall of 2013 and evidence of these major floods is still present.  Check the weather and road reports (www.cotrip.org) if the weather is bad.  Trail Ridge Road crosses the mountains in the National Park and the resort areas of Granby, Grand Lake and Winter Park are on the west side.  This year, the road opened on Saturday but was closed at night.      

“Parks” in Colorado refer to broad intermountain valleys.  You have all probably heard of South Park.  There are also North Park, Middle Park, Allens Park etc.  Estes Park is one of these valleys at an elevation of 7,522’.  Mountain weather can be unpredictable, and this is true of Estes Park.  During the show weekend, there were a few sprinkles during Friday set up and a good rain Friday night.  Saturday morning was chilly but it warmed up over the weekend. There were the usual brief afternoon thunderstorms that lasted less than 30 minutes.

There are many summer homes around Estes Park and in the foothills.  The area is a destination for metro Denver residents and both national and international tourists.  It is not unusual for tour buses to pull up an unload their passengers at the show, but they are not typically my clients. One can observe many nationalities and hear diverse languages being spoken at this show. I outfitted a young man from Tamil Nadu, India with a belt and buckle. The crowed is definitely middle class, many families with pre-teen kids, lots of dogs, with a large percent from the Midwest judging from college sweat shirts.

SETUP AND TAKE DOWN

Registration was listed as open at 9:00am Friday but volunteers were there at 8:00am to start check in, which was great. You check in, get your booth assignment, then unload in designated areas on the park perimeter. The procedure, which I like, is to park, unload your stuff, move your vehicle off site, then set up your booth.  There was none of this parking in front of your and your neighbors’ booths while you dink around unloading and setting up for several hours.  There was a designated trailer parking area with a shuttle back to the show.

Take Down was similar.  You took your booth down and then you were allowed to bring your vehicle into a parking area to load your stuff.  There was no congestion created by people parking vehicles in front of their booth site for hours while they took down and loaded. No one had to dolly farther than 40 yards. The late loaders could drive in for loading. There were lots of volunteers to help with unloading and loading.

SALES AND ANALYSIS

I have done the Estes Park Art Market in six of the last seven years.  It started out as a solid $2K sales show for me and in my best year sales were a little over $3K.  Therefore I went this year with financial expectations of $3K sales.  I missed this target by $21, so I still consider it a show I will apply to again.  The crowds were good Saturday and Sunday. Monday was a little slower as people were heading home, but it was still a good day. I had 45 sales and the average sale was $66.20. Individual sales ranged from $3 for a bandana for dogs to $155 for a canteen. It came to me this year that this show is good because every year there is a turnover in the clientele with the large tourist base.  In addition, I did have returning clients.

There was a good mix of mediums. Wild life photography is popular with western subjects. Photography and jewelry were the most abundant mediums.  

AMMENITIES ETC.

     The Art Center provided a very thorough pre-show information packet. Besides the usual check in and set up information, there were tips about the weather, wildlife and adjusting to the high altitude. They also provided maps of the Estes Park region.  An artists’ reception was held Saturday night at the Art Center Gallery. There was coffee every morning and booth sitters were available. There was a kid’s area with bubbles, hula-hoops, face painting, and art projects.  There was a silent auction of donated art.  If you completed the exit survey, there was a drawing for $100 off next year’s booth fee. Booth sitters were available, and there are clean accessible rest rooms in the City Hall.

     Sometimes we hike in the park after the show, but grand kids were due to arrive at home Tuesday afternoon this year.  An interesting event this year was a cow elk that gave birth behind the library adjacent to the show. On other mornings heading down the hill to the show, I saw deer, cow elk and one young bull elk with a little rack still in velvet.

Photos:

1. Lunch break during set up. I use my tan tent at Estes because it is heavier and will take the unpredictable weather better.

2. Typical crowd.

3. Mama elk and her baby