Those of us who grew up in the Northeast and summered at one of the shore resorts know that September is the best time of the year to visit: school's back in session and vacation crowds have been replaced by homeowners who come down to enjoy the warm ocean, pleasant late-summer sun, and spend a little of the cash they've earned from three months of rentals. For artists, it's a great opportunity to sell to homeowners instead of vacationers, and this venerable one-day show fills that niche nicely. I was especially happy to be accepted, as it gave me an excuse to escape Florida humidity. Besides, I vacationed here with my family years ago and love the area.
Like most beachside shows, sales vary directly with the weather, and this year it couldn't have been better: blue skies, low humidity, and temperatures in the mid-70s by noontime. Crowds came early, in droves, and flowed steadily through my booth all day. I posted my second-best festival sales of the year...and did I mention this one a one-day show? (As in past years, Sunday is reserved as a rain date, and artists are requested to keep both days available. But this year, at least, it wasn't needed. Other artists I spoke to, including the aforementioned show veterans, also said sales were well up from last year and 2008 (a victim of bad weather).
Of course, one-day shows mean a same-day setup and teardown. And at Bethany Beach, that's not made easier by the site logistics. Bethany's boardwalk is short, and access is tightly controlled by volunteers and the town's police force. Setup didn't begin until 7 AM (maybe that's typical up north, but it sure seemed late for me, since most Florida shows start much earlier). There's load-in space directly in front of the boardwalk for 3-4 vehicles at a time, and plenty of angled parking next to that....but a series of three tiered platforms lie between street level and the boardwalk, which makes dollying difficult or impossible. After I made two trips, I belatedly realized that there just had to be a wheelchair ramp around somewhere, so I asked, and learned it was about 50 feet to the south, on the other side of a building. It's a steep one, tough to see from the street, but smooth enough to navigate once you know it's there. I suggested to the show organizers that they let the artists know about that in advance in the future.
Overall, it's a long, brutal setup and teardown for someone working solo.
Artists with 10x10 spaces were set up in an unusual, more or less square configuration on the wide bandstand at the center of the boardwalk, There wasn't any back-to-back: (each booth had 7.5 foot aisles for showgoers on all sides) and no back-side storage area, which made for a clean-looking show. Spaces were neatly laid on with blue masking tape, and you could set up your storefront facing any way you wanted...helpful if you didn't want the rising or setting sun in your eyes. As one of the show board members told me, "It's different, but it works!". (I think that outside of the bandstand, some of the booths were arranged more traditionally along the boardwalk, but frankly I was too busy to check that out.)
Artists (mostly crafters) who purchased smaller spaces (at reduced prices) were set up along the main street leading to the boardwalk. I didn't speak at length to any of them about their sales, but surely their setup/teardown was far easier than for those of us on the boardwalk. Artist parking was ample, well-controlled, and only three blocks away.
The organizers and volunteers couldn't have been more helpful. The show organizer personally booth-sat for me at 2 PM, and another board member found space to store some of my packing material to save me a trip back to my vehicle. Both pre-show and game-day communication was outstanding. Although I heard several veteran artists grumbling about the need to follow the rules ;-), most everyone had great sales and a good experience overall. Maybe I was the beneficiary of "beginner's luck" on my first out-of-Florida show, but this is one I'll definitely do again.
