NH Ren Fair 2016

The 2016 season at the New Hampshire Renaissance Faire was my first event vending with a full booth at a themed venue. I really love this fair so I was thrilled to be able to join it. I had plenty of grand ideas for the decor and function, but an illness (pneumonia) compounded with semester finals (2 research papers, a portfolio, and a special project due) meant intentions with the booth fell a bit shy. But I made do, thanks to the help of some great friends.

~ First Weekend ~

(From top left, clockwise)
The art wall and main table. I really like how the table turned out, but the wall itself was a bit bland. here was a lot of white, which helps with light, but it's cold and stark. The that wasn't covered by flowers wasn't horrible, but it looked unfinished. Hanging the frames from 50lb clear fishing line worked surprisingly well. The line was hung from hooks underneath the garland. This table hold and displays my prints and necklaces.

Opposite the art wall was a smaller table with some illuminations. The illumination section is probably what took the brunt of my time crunch. It was halfway through the day before I realized I hadn't brought any Coat of Arms samples! I felt so dumb. I really wanted this space to be more of a demo area and have pieces you'd find in an actual scriptorium, but it just didn't happen. I'm not entirely disappointed though, as the prints and necklaces were more popular and it seemed people wanted to admire and shop, not learn.

The exterior of the booth, with a minion or two inside. I tried to make the outside have some kind of interest to make people wander over (we were at the end, in the back field). I thought the ombre (gradient) curtains might be noticeable.

A side merchant table to hold administrative items like contact info, receipts, bags, the snack cooler, etc. I guess this would technically be the "hooch."

Overall, the only issue I had with the EZ-Up (Express II) was that it doesn't have bars that go horizontally across the interior perimeter, which means I can't hang much directly off the tent frame, especially if I want it level. So I used a wood "beam" (strapping) to create a level support. I used a long iron-looking curtain rod on the back wall to clip on my Celtic throw with clip-on curtain rings. We set up most of it the night before, which was a realllllllly smart idea. The day was very chilly and overcast, but went by very fast. I'm glad I brought a thick cloak, warmer shoes, and a warmer underdress. I'd say overall, we were fairly prepared as far as function went. I couldn't get he WiFi to work, but the only person who asked about credit/debit was very understanding and had cash.

~ Second Weekend ~

A bit of an upgrade the following weekend...

I had some time to fix up somethings since all my school work and classes were over, and I didn't have any teaching classes scheduled. 

One of the first things I did was fashion a sign for the front of the booth. This is a major pet peeve when I go to art shows and any vendor fairs...I never understand how people don't have their name or business name big and obvious. The first week I had a medium sign inside on the back wall that couldn't be missed, but I needed a sign for the outside (again, something that had been planned but had run out of time for). I used a swath of purple duck canvas, a white fabric paint marker, and some magnets (to hold it on the tent without damaging the tent). In addition to try to upgrade a few things, my buddy wanted me to make him a Plague Doctor costume. I made the coat and the hat, and he made the mask (with a little guidance). I had also made the Wizard's cloak (out of a bedsheet!) several weeks prior. Believe it or not, I didn't make myself a new costume this year, but rather re-stylized one I had made years before and it worked great (so comfy)! The Wizard fit in so well and was a big help, and the Plague Doctor was very popular and brought in a lot of traffic.

The art table stayed pretty much the same, only a black cloth was added and a blue backdrop rather than just the white sidewall. The pictures may not show it, but it did make a difference.

The illumination display got spruced up a little, too. Instead of having things spread out, they were put in an [open] shadow box. The Celtic blessing prints got boxed so they were easier to flip through and see, and I added a coat of arms portfolio. The scrolls are actually order forms for the Coat of Arms, but int he digital age they were pretty useless, so will be omitted next time. I will likely omit much of the Illumination display (or change it) and replace it with something that will hopefully attract more interest. 

In the back you can see an easel that says "Lessons" which showed painting and drawing samples of traditional subjects (i.e. not fantasy), and there were postcards on the main table next to the business cards if anyone local was interested in signing up for a lesson.

Overall Observations

• Many people asked where I got the Celtic throw (many years ago at one of the Highland Games), people did take business cards (more on the second weekend). 
• The consensus is that the first weekend (overcast) was attended by dedicated rennies: people who go to the fair regardless of the weather because it's part of their lifestyle and they've waited a year to go, and that the second weekend (sunny) had more families and non-rennie people. I did better business the first, overcast weekend than the second, sunny weekend until the last hour -literally- when I got a special order request and a few last minute purchases. 
• People were most responsive to my "darker" art themes...specifically the Morrigan print and necklaces. A personal favorite too that is well liked by friends as well. The second favorite was Priestess of the Sidh. Both pieces have a lot of meaning behind them and I think it shows. 
• While we were there, I [pencil] drew a dragon that folks seemed really interested in, so again, more fantasy, more common fantasy themes, more "darkness."*
• Speaking of darkness...the booth itself needs to be toned down on the bright-n-happy. I love purple and it's a great color for medieval anything, and it's noticeable. It was also spring, so I wanted to play into that, but the floral, blue-purple-white just became too....gendered. It was lovely, but just too much bright and needs to be darkened or warmed up. I don't want to scare away the guys before they even enter the booth. 
• I need to offer a larger variety of products, including practical use items, and I've always known this. Again, it was a resource/time problem. I plan on working on this. I've noticed I'm so used to Etsy requiring products to be hand made, that I've transferred that requirment over to the fairs, when in reality I can supplement my art work with retail items if needed.
• Sales-wise we did better than expected. This was really a first-time test to see if vending was something I could even handle (with Fibromyalgia and being a shy introvert). The first weekend was pretty great: minimal pain and I actually slept. The second weekend was a bit more exhausting and seemed longer, but I think it was due to the heat (which doubles any existing struggles). Still, it all went well and I'd do it again. I made back my vendor expenses (rent and insurance) for both fairs during the two days at NHRF.

*disclaimer: when I say "dark" I don't mean I think it's dark...to me, and other fantasy lovers it's normal, but to mainstream art lovers and the general populus it might be a little "dark."

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Booth Design - February Progress

There have been so many sketches over the past few months trying to figure out what will look best, work best, what can be afforded, and what can be accomplished. I'm trying to use what I have and can collect second hand to save money. So far, this {image} is where we're at.

And now for some elaboration... 

Backdrops

The piece that much of my color decisions were made around is a Celtic throw I have- if you've ever been to a ren faire or new age store I'm sure you know the kind. Mine is a beautiful denim blue with black interlaced horses and knotwork (gentle sketched in above on the right wall). I love the colors, and I love purple with blue (bonus: purple gets attention without being obnoxious). From there is where I went with deciding how to color everything else.

I plan on buying a canvas drop cloth and painting it up like a grey-blue stone wall for behind the framed art work (left wall). I considered painting a forest scene or a knotwork tree (mocking some of the other tapestry throws out there), but after making this sketch I thought anything more than a fairly simple pattern would become too busy and detract from the items on display. I'm also thinking about adding small grommets where I want to hang the frames. The frames will then have cup hooks attached and I can just hook the frames right into the canvas backdrop. As long as I secure the backdrop well, it should work and the frames will add weight to it to keep it down. That's the theory anyway, otherwise frames will be hung with wire/string/cord/jute/fishing line.

Side Curtains

The ombre curtains in the corner are still yet to be made. I have a bunch of old but nice white sheets (same style, different sizes) that I think I might attempt to ombre dye. Why? Because I think having a little color, especially a gradient, will draw people in more than just white, but I want the curtains to have some relation to the white tent. That and I think they would just look "off" being only white. Since I'm not going to add anything atop the tent, I'm trying to keep some uniformity but add a little interest. Plus, some fairs require you to have white tents, and I think even this idea would be acceptable at stricter venues. Or so I would hope.

Table Coverings

I have two other white sheets, a twin and a queen, that I will dye to the denim blue color and sew into a table cloth. I just picked up some beautiful purple fabric from JoAnn Fabrics: I lucked out and walked into a fresh clearance sweep and found it marked down to $6...but Red Tag (clearance) was 50% off so I got it for only $3! Over four yards, for about $12. That will cover two tables (shown) and then some.

Foliage

Above the art wall are some vines and flowers that I think will soften the display a bit. I really want to bring a nature feel into this booth, particularly because my brand of fantasy is whimsical and nature oriented. I've had this string of moss and hanging flowers [I made] in my room for a long time, and I've refreshed it for the booth. I'll show it up close and how-to later.

I also picked up some surprisingly decent faux flowers at the dollar store, along with some reindeer moss. I love that stuff! And for price(s) compared to the craft store, you can't go wrong. I plan to wrap some kraft paper around some wire and glue on some flowers to look like a vine. That will attach to the "ceiling" to hide some of the frame and give the booth a little extra atmosphere. Hopefully.

I'll probably hang this stuff up with some strong magnets since my tent frame is made of steel.

Frames

I've had these salvaged frames kicking around for years. They are baby blue and baby pink, so they definitely need some paint to make them uniform and actually go with the color theme. Initially I was going to paint them gold to tie in to the illumination/fantasy thing, but again after making this sketch I decided black would be better. Black would also allow me to use them again for a different type of venue, and it's neutral. Incidentally, that is something I'm trying to keep in mind while planning all this: keep the bigger items multi-venue friendly. Meaning, don't permanently make a display something you can only use at Renaissance fairs if you think you might want to do regular art fairs or more modern/normal venues.

Display Items

Awhile back, I picked up some small, narrow wooden crates that were on sale at the craft store. I'll be staining those a dark, warm wood tone: probably a dark walnut. These will hold prints. After the holidays, I also bought several of those small, laser cut wooden ornaments that I might use for signage on the boxes, after staining or painting them of course.

There are two black velvet necklace displays, and I have two rather large candle stands a friend gave me years ago. The candle stands are a bit dragon/gothic with some knotwork, one gold and one silver. The necklace displays fit well on these and the stands elevate the displays. I'll eventually secure these together with some Velcro or carpet tape. There was a bit of empty space on top of the candle stand around the base of the necklace display, so I cut out some felt and glued on some reindeer moss and a few small flowers. An alternate idea would have been to fill the top of the stand with glass drops or pebbles around the necklace display, but I'm trying to pull in some nature again.

Also shown is a mirror in the middle. It's actually an ornate standing frame I found at the second hand shop for $10, but I'm going to replace the glass with a mirror. It'd be nice if it tilted up, but it's great as it is.

There's also a black candelabra I had found years ago in the Halloween clearance section at Walmart that I thought would come in handy one day. I did the same thing with the felt/moss on the candelabra, and I'll either add some LED flame-less taper candles or just some regular unlit/pre-dripped candles. I do have some LED flame-less votive candles I will place around the table/booth. If I can find or make a chandelier, I'll decorate it generally the same way.

Miscellaneous

The chair coverings are still up for a decision. I may just add a simple covering, rather than get too fancy. The banner hanging down from the right wall I made out of duck canvas cut to shape and finished with blue bias tape on the edges. It folds over the tent frame and attaches with Velcro. On the banner I'm going to write and illuminate basic information people might want to know.

Back to the main art table: the candle stands come in big square boxes which I've used to support a pine board as a riser shelf. This shelf is then just covered with cloth and the display items put on top. No need for anything fancy, and I don't have to worry about packing boxes kicking around!

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Booth Layout

The first step to designing this booth was making a list of what I planned on peddling. The main product line is traditional 2D art, so that means prints and anything I can make from artwork.

Next, I needed to decide on how I wanted to display theses items, so of course I went to Pinterest for some inspiration. I also needed to decide on a theme for the booth. Ultimately, I decided to go with whatever was in my heart but still would fit in with the fair, because what's in my heart is what's in my art. That means Celts, Vikings, and the world of Faerie, which means human sized mystical beings, like elves, huldra, bean sidh (banshee), mermaids, as well as fairies, gnomes, etc.

After deciding on function and form and all that may be necessary to acquire it, I had to figure out how to put it into a 10' x 10' space. I played around with a room planner online (Icovia Room Planner), which is very helpful and much more convenient than graph paper (as much as I love graph paper). The program allows you to design the shape of your room, put in structural items, furniture, and decor. It also lets you change the dimensions of any of those items. I use this often when I'm thinking about rearranging things at home. My final layout decision is this:

In blue letters...
A) Fantasy Wall
B) Back Wall
C) Medieval Wall

Outside
At first I wanted to close in the tent a bit, just 12-18" on either side with some sheer curtains and suspend framed artwork in front of the curtains. This would allow light to come in and still some visability from the outside, but soften the look and make it more "homey." Instead, I think I'll keep it entirely open, just add some drapery at the corners to cover the poles, and put some decor outside (potted plants, for example). But I also want to put something outside the tent to encourage people to come in, so one side will have a banner to hint at what's inside, and the other side I want to make a tree table and put an illumination sample, guestbook & contact info, or some other curiosity on it.

Of course, there will be a large banner above the tent with my business name on it. I'm hoping for a wood carved one if I can get my BFF to help.

A) Fantasy Wall
Here's where I'm putting all the fantasy themed art and products on a 6' folding table between two tree displays. The table will be covered and decorated to fit the theme, and there will be a tiered shelf. On the table and shelf I'll place baskets or crates full of art prints. Suspended from the wall behind the table there will be framed art samples/display so people can see what's available and find it easily in the baskets/crates. It's a major pet peeve of mine to sort through unorganized prints at art fairs. It's uncomfortable to me, I feel like I'm violating some kind of privacy by rifling through stacks of prints without any clear intent in mind. I'm sure there's some tactic...getting people to see prints they weren't planning on looking at, or maybe there just aren't enough multiple prints of the same work to warrant separating them. Whatever the case, I need organization. My private space is messy, my professional space must be clean. I'll put any 3 dimensional products like necklaces in the tree displays.

B) Back Wall
The back wall won't have too much going on, because I need the space for traffic and the hooch. I'll just hang my Celtic throw for some atmosphere, and hand a banner with some company info printed on it.

C) Medieval Wall
Coming around the corner will be the "checkout hooch." Obviously, checkout and information will be there and it's a place for my helper and self to sit (the "hooch" part). Above I want to hang a chandelier just for looks, and I'll hang another information banner on that wall too. At the Scribe's Table I'll set up my illumination demo/display, as well as any illuminations/manuscript/medieval themed prints. Above I'll hand some wooden coat of arms (COA) samples, which can be custom ordered.

Well, that's the general gist of it thus far. It's a work in progress, and one I can hopefully achieve!

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