~ 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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