This was our very first show in Minnesota, in the lovely riverside (St. Croix) community of Stillwater. The show was moved from the very underwater (flooded) river bank park to a nearby downtown parking lot. About 50 artists were in attendance, although it was promoted as 75-80. This juried show was a little heavy on dichroic glass jewelers, and light on potters, but otherwise had a good mix. We sell hand dyed & decorated silk scarves and clothing, and for a change there were several other fiber artists in the show.
The show and jury fees totaled $205. There were 4 modest cash prizes awarded. Free coffee and bagels were there both mornings for the artists. Setup & take down was a breeze. There was lovely live music featured both days. Several food trucks were there selling a wide assortment of good food, ranging from Scandinavian to Chinese, desserts to main dishes. Hours were 10-5. Saturday was cold and pretty windy, with a good number of people attending. Our sales were moderate. Sunday was warmer and sunnier, and was very busy from noon on. The Fall leaves, or "color", brought out lots of people. Our sales were very brisk. The show's modest size allowed people to go around the entire show several times to pick and choose what they want to purchase.
We'll probably be back next year.
Comments
We haven't crossed path at many shows this summer, have we? You are a wise woman to stay away from Warrens. It was certainly not your type of crowd. (Or ours either! :) ) Even though we made fairly good sales, we've made equally good sales at other shows with much, much less time, effort and hassle.
On another note - You haven't seen some of Mari's new 100% cotton black clothing. You'd love them She uses real plants and leaves to make rust-colored mono-print designs on them. They've been really popular, especially when it's too cold to look at flimsy silk camisoles. Next year I've got to get her to try ginkgo leaves too!
I enjoy your blog. Question, did you have to file for sales tax# before hand? Miss seeing Mari at shows and sounds like it has been adventure. I went to Warrens as a consumer one year just to see the layout and decided not for me "ever". My cousins make wonderful organic soaps and she does well every year at Warrens.