WarmGlass.com

Hi folks. I've been watching something happen, at least in New England, and I wondered if any of you had seen the same thing. Perhaps I'm too cynical for my own good, but here it is anyway.
Last weekend I visited a "High End" craft show which the promoters said was for top of the line crafting only. The table fees ranged from $750 - !,000 plus they charged a $12 admission fee for the general public. Promotion was excellent as was the jury process.
The show was, in my humble opinion, a flop! Certainly, there were sales, but of the 40 odd crafters I talked to, not a single one had made expenses, to say nothing about making any profit. Every table was taken, so the promoters made a bundle, but the crafters, I'm not so sure.

And therein lies my question; was the show put on for the benefit of the crafters, the buying public, or the promoters? I've been disenchanted with these shows for a long time and aviod them like the plague. This one caught my eye and I'm not sure why but we took the weekend off and did our visit.

I suppose timing might be a part of it too. These shows don't seem to do well until closer to Christmas, again, my humble opinion. This organization plans to do another show in November and that one may do better.

Our gallery along the coast of Maine does quite well even in the off season and I suppose I've gotten old enough and cranky enough that I'm just not interested in going through all that work just to stand around all weekend talking to other crafters.

I'd appreciate your thoughts. Am I just looking at the wrong shows? Or is this a real trend?

Jerry

If you look at their website you'll find out several things: the booths cost less than $100 per show, they are usually small one day affairs held almost every weekend in different places, and the quality of crafts, as shown in the "showcase" on the site, is definitely not what I'd call "high end".

If you want to visit a really good show in the NE, check out Crafts Boston in May or Crafts in the Castle (Nov.?).

Jerry

What was the show? where?

In NH there is the League show at Sunapee in August. I haven't done it for a few years now becuaus it lasts for 9 grueling days. I always made expenses at least though and i did get one $30,000 project from it. Some people can make a years living there.

Buyers are tuned in to this show. A few years ago it was brutally hot that week and attendance was down at least 1/3 for the entire show. Sales were at par though. This means that the buyers came and bought and the tire kickers stayed home.

There are a couple of craft organizations in ME, but I have to say that I was never impressed by their shows. Isn't the Directions show in Bar Harbor a good one? I guess your gallery picks up those folks already.

Look in to the Philadelphia Museum of Art show in November. People go there to buy. If the work is not expensive enough they won't buy it. Getting in is difficult though. A friend of mine won a prize for best in show one year and the next year he did not jury in at all. (different juries)

Sorry, but I think this needs to be brought up now and then.

http://www.warmglass.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=1236

ROTFLMAO.

Yes. Call me almost anything, but don't call me a crafter or a vendor. And never refer to my work as "wares".

Laughing -

Geri

Geri Comstock wrote:ROTFLMAO.

Yes. Call me almost anything, but don't call me a crafter or a vendor. And never refer to my work as "wares".

Laughing -

Geri

I actually emailed that link to a show promoter and they sent me back a nice email saying they will from now on be calling us booth artisans. It is a pretty good show (for the NW anyway) so I was amazed that nobody had brought this to their attention before. People don't want to make waves I guess.

Good for you, Els! More of us need to do this.

Geri

I did the Directions show last August in Bar Harbor and it was great. You have to be a member; I'm not but they invited me as they had a bit of extra space due to a date change. They only take new applications once a year and I didn't make the deadline again this year but I would recommend this group and their show. It was run fairly well and the shoppers came in droves.

I don't do many retail shows anymore, this was the first one I've done in several years and the first since I moved to Maine but It was the best retail show I've ever had.

I don't know too much about the others..... I hear the Fryeburg fair is good but have never been there...

Nancy

GlassOrchid wrote:I did the Directions show last August in Bar Harbor and it was great. You have to be a member; I'm not but they invited me as they had a bit of extra space due to a date change. They only take new applications once a year and I didn't make the deadline again this year but I would recommend this group and their show. It was run fairly well and the shoppers came in droves.

I don't do many retail shows anymore, this was the first one I've done in several years and the first since I moved to Maine but It was the best retail show I've ever had.

I don't know too much about the others..... I hear the Fryeburg fair is good but have never been there...

Nancy

Nancy

I live very near the Fryeburg Fair. I go every year, but I would not consider selling my work there. If you sell relatively low end jewelry it could be good. I know of a few people who do very well there like Rod Blood the blacksmith/metal artist. Rod sells a lot of work every year and I do love his work myself. He has made some great metal works that go with my glass. My buddy who sells flameworked glass hummingbird feeders and glass jewelry gave the Fryeburg show up in favor of the Big E in MA. If your work appeals to the rural, snow mobile, RV, farm crowd the show can be good. The crowds are pretty big.

The best junk food of the year though. Gotta love Mr and Mrs Sausage, and the Indian Pudding and ice cream, and Sunflower Pizza. Monday is the coolest day at the fair, It's Woodsman's day. They have chainsawing and ax throwing competitions. I saw a female ax thrower get 5 bullseyes.

GlassOrchid wrote:I did the Directions show last August in Bar Harbor and it was great. You have to be a member; I'm not but they invited me as they had a bit of extra space due to a date change. They only take new applications once a year and I didn't make the deadline again this year but I would recommend this group and their show. It was run fairly well and the shoppers came in droves.

I don't do many retail shows anymore, this was the first one I've done in several years and the first since I moved to Maine but It was the best retail show I've ever had.

I don't know too much about the others..... I hear the Fryeburg fair is good but have never been there...

Nancy

waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy back when i still lived in ne, the periodic craft fair at old deerfield village in ma was something i used to go to with daughter in stroller - i remember some really nice work and this was before i ever thought of becoming even a parttime artist, let alone a full time artist in any medium ;P - i also remember there being alot of people, admittedly i was much more a tire kicker than a buyer being a single mom with a young child in daycare that cost more than the avg apt rent at the time - is that show still in existence? it's become the example against which i hold many shows up to down here in the se - and many of them are lacking. the old deerfield village might be one to check out, i remember them having one in july and sometime in the fall also.....

sugarloaf festivals are also supposed to be very good and they have a new show in hartford ct, that's another one y'all may want to check out, they are supposed to be a very good promotor, a friend is doing many of their shows this year, did some of the fall ones last year and was quite happy with her sales and the promotors.
D

Bert,
Sorry to be so slow on the draw but it got busy here even in the off season.

The show I attended was with Paradise City in North Hampton. Their web site said the tables were $750 up and that's what the artists I spoke with said. It was a nice show in a good location with plenty of motel service nearby. But, as I said, none of them were making anything.

I avoid Bar Harbor like the plague but may give some alternative thoughts to a couple of shows. I've heard about "directions" before, but we are SOOOO busy in the summer I'm not sure I can, or want, to take on something else. Guess we've come to the point where we know how successful we want to be and how to get there. Well, at least for now, we have more work than time.

Looking forward to seeing you at Corning.

Jerry