The Show

[featherynscale]

The show went... poorly.
Promised: 70+ vendors, heavily advertised, venue convenient and easy to get to, all vendors required to sell only handmade stuff.
Actual: 25 vendors, 5 of whom didn't show up. Heavily advertised by direct mail to retirement communities and a radio spot on the soft rock station. Venue easy to get to if you have been there before. I was next to a guy who was selling As Seen On TV Taco Stands.

Of the 20 vendors that showed up, the breakdown went something like this:
Scented Candles - 2
Kozy Kuntry Floral Arrangements and Clever Outhouse Signs - 3
"Unusual" handbags (which all looked the same; apparently "unusual" is code for large, square and made out of bright material, possibly with some maribou around the top) - 3
Jewelry of some stripe - 4
Stuff Not Technically an Art or Craft - 3 (Taco Stand Guy, a booth selling accessories for little girls' hair, and a woman selling framed posters)
Melted Coke Bottles - 1
Silk Skirts - 1
Quilts - 2
Ceramics of the "Take it home and paint it" variety - 1

There was also a guy there selling food who was supposed to be providing free breakfast to vendors. By the time I got through his line, he was out of almost everything. I went to McDonald's and got a sausage biscuit. Ick.

The show started at 8. The first "customer" who was not also a vendor or show staff probably arrived about 9:30. I sold two pieces all day, and one of them was to B, who had showed up to help me run the table. I brought out my kit so I could work on jewelry while I was sitting, so that I wouldn't be bored. This meant that I actually left with more jewelry than I'd had when I came in. I probably had more people come by my table trying to sell me things (display units, craft show directories, chiropractic service) than trying to buy jewelry. I also had a number of snotty wretched people who came by apparently to complain about the number of jewelry vendors in the show, as if this were my fault. All in all, I made about half of what it cost me to be in the show (registration fees only, not counting the table and display stuff kittenpants bought for me for the show, or the cost of the materials for what I had to sell).

On the bright side, though, I did get to drive my car inside a building (to load and unload my tables). I've always wanted to do that. And I had curry for lunch and a very good latte. So it wasn't a total loss, I guess. Just about 7/8ths of a loss.

Comments

[zianuray.livejournal.com]

You run much better shows :) Speaking of which, please let whomever is running GCWB this year know I wanna come again? Or let me know so I can holler at 'em? Or heck, just post it here and I'll see it. Dratted ice storms......

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

niveus_tigris and teross50 are running the festivities this year. I'll let them know you're in, and they'll save you a spot. I don't know where it's going to be this year (so also I don't know when), but we'll let you know as soon as we know. We're working towards Dec 15, but a lot will depend on space availability. (And we'll see if we can order some better weather this time!)

[dramaticaddict.livejournal.com]

I'm really curious about requirements for winter bazaar and cost of space and such, I would love to do something with it(possibly a space, or justhelp with overall set up and such) so if/when you get some sort of info packet or something, send it my way...