Sunday, July 25, 2010

Note to self


























1. Don't judge a show by it's first day.

My first day was not a monetary success but day two was twenty seven times more successful. I even sold several of my higher end pieces. So now, in all aspects, I do consider my first attempt at doing a festival successful.

2. Look for tables with telescoping legs.

I used bed risers to raise my table to a better eye level. One of the other artists from the Transit building showed me her tables with telescoping legs. These tables would take up less space and mean less things to tote. (I was going to put wooden blocks in the risers and drill holes in the middle for the thinner legs.) Plus, getting tables for the festivals would mean I could leave my other tables in the studio.

3. Make fitted table covers

I knew that I should have cloth table covers but time was running out and so was the money.
So, I used plastic covers, which probably would have been fine except for the strong winds. (They were a good choice though for the rain.) The artist who told me about the tables, also showed me her fitted table covers. Good thing I can sew.

4. Have vertical banners with pictures of my work made.

Again, this is something I knew I should do but lacked the finances. I've seen booths with these and they do catch your eye as you walk by.

5. Buy director's chairs

They would look much better than the black card table chairs I was using. (And I could sit at eye level to talk to customers. I got lots of exercise getting up and down and up and down. It was just too hot to remain standing..... the fan was at chair level.) We finally placed both fans to face out to the customer. The back of the tent was about ten degrees hotter.

The list could go on and on, but this post is getting long. So I'll quit.
Oh, and I found both cameras. The pictures aren't the greatest but they'll give an idea of how things looked.

2 comments:

Gail said...

Hi Alice, I found telescoping leg tables at www.lifetime.com. They work really great for shows. For tablecloths I went to JoAnne Fabric and found an apholstery fabric that looked like a dark faux suede. A booth is always evolving. Mine has changed 100%. Gail

Alice Walkowski said...

Thanks so much Gail for the information. I figured it would be an evolving process and I'm sure mine will change often too. Alice