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outdoor craft show ahhhahhh :/
13 years ago
General
only 6 hours long but easily much much more exhausting than a dealing at a con. I really missed convention center AC, man it was hot in the sun
people at cons are usually good about being respectful and careful about picking things up, and ASK first. people at this festival just grabbed at everything so I really had to stand up tall and look over the table the whole time to make sure things were okay, my feet are killing me
set up was an absolute nightmare, they had an elaborate drop-off/set-up schedule in place, and according to the plan I was to have 50 mins to unload the car and set up which is kind of a joke in the first place. BUT they were 45 mins LATE with everyone, plus booths were labeled wrong so some people who were partway set up had to move. Artists were still driving to their booths through the closed off street to drop off at 11 when the festival was OPEN. SOME GUY RAN OVER SOMEONES FOOT. I was setting up while people were coming by asking questions and touching things while I'm there super pissed trying to get everything together.
No one apologized to us for it. For that alone I wont be going back. it was their 5th year so it's not like they havent done it before
it wasnt all bad. I didnt expect to sell much, I really only did it to be a part of the emerging arts district there, and since I grew up nearby. A lot of my very good friends that I've known forever came by, it was nice for them to see me in action (none are furries, so I don't really get into con stuff with them), and we had drinks after. I was interviewed for a paper, and some women who owned a gallery were impressed with my design skills said they'd email me about something. My stuff was definitely unique there among the more traditional crafty stuff.
tldr selling in person is exhausting
going to sleep forever then tomorrow feast on turkey legs and beer at rennfest
I'm also going to initiate something exciting with Skullery on Monday, I dont want to share what it is yet but it's a big step for my business's future
people at cons are usually good about being respectful and careful about picking things up, and ASK first. people at this festival just grabbed at everything so I really had to stand up tall and look over the table the whole time to make sure things were okay, my feet are killing me
set up was an absolute nightmare, they had an elaborate drop-off/set-up schedule in place, and according to the plan I was to have 50 mins to unload the car and set up which is kind of a joke in the first place. BUT they were 45 mins LATE with everyone, plus booths were labeled wrong so some people who were partway set up had to move. Artists were still driving to their booths through the closed off street to drop off at 11 when the festival was OPEN. SOME GUY RAN OVER SOMEONES FOOT. I was setting up while people were coming by asking questions and touching things while I'm there super pissed trying to get everything together.
No one apologized to us for it. For that alone I wont be going back. it was their 5th year so it's not like they havent done it before
it wasnt all bad. I didnt expect to sell much, I really only did it to be a part of the emerging arts district there, and since I grew up nearby. A lot of my very good friends that I've known forever came by, it was nice for them to see me in action (none are furries, so I don't really get into con stuff with them), and we had drinks after. I was interviewed for a paper, and some women who owned a gallery were impressed with my design skills said they'd email me about something. My stuff was definitely unique there among the more traditional crafty stuff.
tldr selling in person is exhausting
going to sleep forever then tomorrow feast on turkey legs and beer at rennfest
I'm also going to initiate something exciting with Skullery on Monday, I dont want to share what it is yet but it's a big step for my business's future
Sorry you had a bad time :< I'm glad you sold a good bit though, and yeah I did see the touching without asking was rampant
It's also very handy to set up next to people you know. If you don't know them, get to know them. They'll help you out greatly if you manage to get chummy.
Also sheets. I know it's not fun not selling things at a booth you're paying for but sometimes a extra hour of not being pestered while trying to set up is better than three hours of frustration. Cover your things with cloths or tarps until you are 100% ready to sell. It stops folk from touching things since everything's covered.
Also a 'YOU BREAK IT YOU BUY IT' sign will stop people from man-handling things.
paying for a booth is fine, shitty organizing by the people running it is not fine.
a you break it you buy it sign might be necessary.... but IDK it seems kind of outwardly dickish. I get turned off when I see them in stores, I feel like the store thinks of its customers as children
I don't mean to have tarps draped over what you're currently working on, but the rest of the table. Folks come up and try to grab what you're setting up, just kindly tell them you're not open yet and to come back in a wee bit. Stores do not open up early because someone knocked on the door at 5:00. They tell them to come back at 6:00. That's not dickish. That's sanity saving or else you're in a mad scramble the entire day.
your suggestions are good but they're for dealing with problems I dont want to encounter in the first place
That's cool. Dealing with the general public aint for everyone. Sadly I have to deal with them at my regular job everyday so it's second nature to me.
I will keep the idea to block off the booth in mind if I don't have enough time at an event again. I probably could have just roped off the front of the booth
If I was you, I just wouldn't bother with the frustration. <:3c
yeah I had a lady make a disgusted face at me and a really nasty noise (even though I said the skulls were plastic)
it's like, HI, WE CAN HEAR YOU WE'RE RIGHT HERE
I wish I could have heard the rest of her roadkill comment
Bouncing off of Jesie's suggestion of sheets - you can use the sheets to create a barrier - two small saw horses on your end of the table will prop the sheet up so you can arrange the booth without anyone messing with your stuff. That way when everything is all set and done, you can just whisk the sheet off and put the props down and you're ready to go.
As far as how people react to plastic skulls - they're a bunch of ninnies. How many times did you see someone walk by and grimace at plastic replicas when they're wearing a suit with a cowskull relief on their backs and belt buckles? Hyproctrites I cry. I get the same reactions with my earrings that utilize *gasp* REAL bird feathers instead of the 'craft' feathers that are just re-colored goose feathers. There has been many times when one has to bite their tongue about making a snippy remark back at work about their having feathers in their hats that came from a dead bird.
I'm sorry the fair was stressful otherwise for you! It sounds like the festival has a lousy coordinator, if someone is late, or has a really big load (probably the cause of the delay), then they will have to find a place to squeeze in or quit dallying around and get the stuff out so the next person who /is/ on time can get their load out. Bleh.. One more reason to visit a fair, but not sell at one..
At the festival artbooth, we had stuff made for selling on one side, then a table for little kids to color and make masks for themselves. The kids were adorable and nice, it was the older kids and adults that were knocking stuff off the booth and not bothering to pick it up, bumping the table, and a few straight-up picking things up and putting it in their pockets. And we didnt sell much either, its a wonder why we even went every year. xD