Can anyone offer some tips/info on set-up at St. James Court, especially the Belgravia section? Are there any significant factors that make one section particularily better or worse than another in terms of sales, ease of set-up/take-down, etc. Since applicants apply to the different sections individually, I'm assuming there must be some reason(s) why one would prefer one section over another. Also, any info related to campgrounds in the area would be helpful Any comments relating to any of the above would be greatly appreciated.
You need to be a member of Art Fair Insiders to add comments!
Comments
Connie,
Thank you for the good info. I appreciate it. St. James sounds like a very interesting show considering all the help from neighbors, etc. that I hear about. I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I'll be in hurry. We set-up in Houston the Thursday after but I should have plenty of time.
I've never been in the Belgravia section of this show, Don, but we did this show for 25 years so have visited it many, many times. Come early, take your time, plan early for your parking place, bring a dolly, lots of shims. Be prepared for some wonderful Southern hospitality. The people who run the Belgravia show are devoted to making you happy and will take good care of you. Many of the artists in Belgravia have been there for years and will be helpful to you also.
We almost always stayed in a motel/hotel in Jeffersonville, across the river from Louisville, never did camp. But while you are looking look into Indiana also, it isn't far at all. As Travis said we also always stayed overnight on Sunday because the load out can be hell or just fine if you aren't in a hurry.
Melanie is correct: this is a very artist-friendly event.
You may set-up all day on Thursday, so plan to arrive early and take your time. We always stay over Sunday night, which makes for an stress-free closing. One cannot drive to one's booth, but one may park relatively close. Plan to dolly in and out.
Each of the five shows has it's plusses and minuses. We love Belgravia, and customers go everywhere.
We exhibited at Belgravia for a couple of years and it is a very relaxed easy set up; however, be prepared to shim. Some very, very nice people in the neighborhood loaned us bricks to even out our display cases. The walkways are very narrow (it's one way traffic for the event) and the exhibitors set up under the tree lined median between the walkways. Amazingly enough, patrons follow the rules of the one way traffic. The crowds will come!
Volunteers are just terrific and will help in any way they can. Connie and her crew are always around to answer any questions you may have. The morning offerings are complimentary coffee, donuts and assorted pastries at one of the neighborhood townhouses. I think that most areas of the show have an "open door bathroom policy" at the townhouses. The people who accommodated us could not have been nicer.
I was very apprehensive at our first trip to this event and we were, quite frankly, shocked at the warm welcoming, wonderful help and we did have good sales. Due to a family conflict this year we did not apply and will miss it.
Regarding campgrounds, I have not a clue. We stayed in Hurstbourne at hotels and they were very nice. Very friendly staff. You might ask Connie or Chris for further information; however, if you google it, I'm sure something will pop up. From our experience, Louisville is easy to get around.
I hope this helps and that you have a great show.