Ok here's the meat, along with a few pictures. First off, this is a small show in a small Chicago suburb that lies between Highland Park to the north and Winnetka to the south. Lots of money here, and a very cute little downtown area. The show is on Park Avenue, a block west of Green Bay Road, and on Vernon.
Park Street View, looking west. Middle row of booths on right side.
It's an easy set-up, with two flights two hours apart. Setup continues as late as you need. The layout places artists on both sides of the street facing each other, backs to the businesses, and then there's a third row of booth down the center of both streets. It does add to the energy, as there aren't a lot of people at any given time. Packing the booths in a little tighter makes it seem busier, even when it's not. And there were many times when it was very not busy.
My booth, with Penelope Osio-Brown parked in front of it, watching her booth (off stage left)
I had a spot on the end of the middle row on Park Ave. I was right at the corner, where Park met Vernon. Since the booth had a facing on both sides of the street and in the front, I had to alter my standard corner configuration to allow for doorways on all three sides. There was a bit of space behind the booth, too, so I did have a little space to store the toolbox and a duffel bag. Plus, I was right across from Starbucks. Bonus! Karyn likes Starbucks. And there were a couple of good little restaurants right there -- the Food Stuffs grocery and deli has amazing sandwiches and salads. The Homestyle Pizza place also has good salads. Nobody starves here.
Lots of AFI'ers were there. Geri Wegner came by and introduced herself to Bob and Patti Stern, who were right across from me on the north side. She's a hoot! Hi Geri! Nice to meet you! And Carla Bank stopped by, too. I got snagged by a customer, and by the time I finished answering a question, Carla had gone on. Sorry I didn't get a chance to chat with you more, Carla!
Loel Martin, after making his first sale of the day
Cheryl Ward, PJ Commerford, Wendy Zoschke (L to R)
Marc Zoschke
Stevie Ray Baldauf, doing his rock-star imitation
Paul Zerjay and Jim Parker. Why are we smiling? Who knows!
Stephen and Cheryl Ward, manning two separate booths
Paul Zerjay was there, as were about a million photographers, including Rob and Jim Copeland, Loel Martin, Scott Fishman, Scott Fincher, Igor Menaker. PJ and Dick Commerford were there. So were Wendy & Marc Zoschke, Steve & Anita Baldauf, Cheryl and Stephen Ward. Lots of artshow couples. We had a huge dinner on Saturday night at J. Alexanders in Northbrook. That was fun, but I didn't consume any tequila, Nels. The prime rib sandwich was excellent, and the shoestrings fries are good as long as they're hot.
Rob Copeland, scoping out the competition (me)
Traffic was good early in the morning. People started coming around 9:15, fully 45 minutes before the show opened, on both Saturday and Sunday. Taking advantage of the cooler morning breezes. But sales were like pulling hens' teeth. Everybody was singing the blues on Saturday. Many of the artists still had not made expenses by the end of the day on Saturday. The hours are civilized: 10-5 both days, and so by 5:15 we were on our way to cooler climes. There was a bit of an artist party, with cheese and crackers, but we skipped that, since my niece was visiting with her husband and 7 month baby.
Sunday wasn't much better. I had a few sales , mostly smaller prints. The Sterns sold a bit, as did our painter friends PJ and Dick, the Baldaufs and the Wards. But mostly it was slim pickins. Paul Zerjay told me that it was one of his best shows last year, and was looking forward to it this year. But somehow the heat kept the buyers away, and by 3PM, the artists were all wandering around talking to each other.
Load out is pretty easy. Big parking lot on the south end of the show for trailers and RVs was reserved all weekend. Again, Amy had two flights for load-out. The artists in the middle were to pack up and bring in vehicles first, then the artists on both sides. In practice, it was easier for most to park outside the show and dolly out. We had a load-out record of 1:45 -- and I was able to bring the trailer in to load, which helped. We hit the road by 7:30, and got home to Michigan at around 3AM. It was an exhausting weekend, mainly because of the heat.
Amy does a good job of organizing the show, publicizing it, and running an up-to-date website. Her communication is excellent, business-like, and she's visible throughout the entire show, along with her green-shirted staff. But she can't force people to come when it's hot out. The thermometer was in the 90's both days, with slightly less humidity than Ann Arbor. But it was uncomfortable in the sun. There was lots of shade behind the booths, which is where this Streetwise vendor was sleeping, near the Starbucks. And that just about sums up the show. Sleepy, but fun.
StreetWise vendor, working behind Penelope Osio-Brown's booth, near Starbucks.
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