I have not done a show on Sanibel Island in a long time but only because I have not been in the area this time of year for the last 3 years. Boulderbrook Productions promoted this one and as usual, did a great job getting top notch artists from all over the country. It was held on the grounds of the Sanibel Community Center on Periwinkle Way- the main street in the center of the island so you couldn't miss the show if you went almost anywhere. We had 65 artist in a semi-circle around the center; some grass, some hard top sand/gravel but flat and level. This was a Friday/Saturday show; very smart as the tourists/shoppers were still here and not focused on leaving til the following day. There was a great mix of mediums and styles in glass, metal or stone sculpture, wood, clothing, pottery, watercolors, oils, and, of course, jewelry. etc.

Set up on Friday was easy as you could come anytime after 10am and there was security both nights.
With a long setup, there was less congestion trying to get vehicles in/out during the day. Tear down was a bit more hectic since the sun sets at 5:30pm and the show ended at 5pm. If you did not get it well organized and packed, you were working in the dark.

Sales started out a little slow on Friday and Saturday morning but picked up during the middle of the day. I did about as well on Friday as I did on Saturday but it was not quite up to the usual flow as
I and others I talked to were accustomed to at this show or for this area. Sales were better for me in the low to mid range but my neighbor with mixed media sold a $2 grand piece early on Friday and another big piece on Saturday along with a good number of middle range ($50-75) pieces. Sales were mixed but I felt it had a better overall rating than some other shows I have seen this fall. Several returning artists to the area had returning customers who looked for them and bought; it helps to have an email list especially for traveling customers who make this their destination every year.

I had a few customers say they come to this (or an event) at this Community House every year at Thanksgiving but were not aware of any printed advertising, just saw the road signs on Periwinkle to jog their memories. I would do this show again and think most of the artists had a good enough show to consider it again. There are always exceptions but then it depends on what you are selling and the price range. High price things definitely have a disadvantage for this year.
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  • Once again Boulderbrook Productions produced a wonderful show on Sanibel Island. We set up late afternoon on Thanksgiving Day having had our holiday celebration on Monday. Our friday sales were adequate, but Saturday sales were twice Friday's. We've done this show for 4 years, I think, and find that there is a nice mix of locals and vacationers. Many people come from all over Florida as well as foreign countries to Sanibel. We were grateful for our regular customers as well as our new ones! Our price range is $10 to $500 and many sales were over $100. We will definitely do this show again as our sales continue to climb every year. Thank you, Richard!

  • Thanks Teri. I have been writing reviews for 4 yrs. or so for a magazine so it comes easily for me. Love doing it because we all need input when choosing shows for our schedules. I am sure we will cross paths again. Thanks again.
  • Thanks for the insight Teri. I did see high end stuff leaving but did not realize as much of it left as you indicate. I was on the west side of the building and I think alot of action was happening on the east side (where the food was!!). I am so glad to hear of the good sales.
  • Nice review of this show, thank you! I think that the Fri/Sat show dates are because the only available parking is in the church parking lot down the street and they're understandably not going to make it available on Sundays. :-)
  • YES<>>>>thanks for the correction. I am so used to doing Friday set ups...sorry. I missed turkey dinner but work comes first.
  • You said set up was Friday all day, did you mean Thursday?
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