Booth set up: left corner where under the table was used for storage and storage behind the charcoal colored screens that were offset for that purpose, as well as a sketch of the booth set up.
More On The Buyers MarketJudy Dunn, in her comment yesterday, left a really great link with discussions on the Buyer’s Market show. You have to register (it’s free), then you can read the forums. Click on "Shows" and the Buyer’s Market is the top topic of conversation right now. They have great suggestions for parking: according to one person you can get parking for as low as $40 for the whole show. I paid $140. It pays to know these links! There’s also a lot of discussion about traffic, and almost all of it is about traffic being down, along with sales. Somehow it doesn’t feel as bad when almost everyone is in the sinking boat with you! Thanks, Judy!
I think I had to write yesterday’s post to get beyond my disappointment with the show and work through whether or not to go ahead and go in August (as opposed to giving them $500 and just not going). The argument is this: is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome just insanity? or does that particular saying apply to wholesale marketing in a bad economic downturn in an election year? Or is it not insanity but rather honoring my commitment to myself to really really "go for it!" this year – fear and anxiety about finances be damned. As it turns out, when you sign up for 2 shows, you get a $300 discount on the 2nd show, which is less expensive than the February show anyways. So the booth (I believe, if my figures are correct) winds up being $1114 instead of $1875. That, to me is a significant difference in overhead. And I decided I’m going to honor me, insanity be damned too.
New Shops
I would like to introduce you to the new shops who will be carrying my work, and say thanks to them – if any of you are close by, go visit and say I sent you!:
Erin’s A La Cart, Barnegat Light, NJ (Pele’s Sister and a Mermaid to be made)
Ravenwood Curio Shoppe, Jackson, New Hampshire (Masks: Serenity, Satyr, Queen and Avalon and torso Jade’s Dragon)
Atlantic Artisans, Atlantic Highlands, NJ (the big Mermaid, Island Girl and the mask, Myth – and she liked the stories!)
Sarah Jessica Fine Arts of Provincetown, MA (mask Jaguar Man, and torsos Down by the River and Animus: The Raven (a male torso))
Other Vendors
Today I’ve send out requests to do interviews, along with questions, with several folks whose work I loved at the show. I’ve already heard back from Lois Sharpe who is a landlocked North Carolinian who creates wonderful sea oriented functional ware and wall hangings (I’m in love with her turtles and mermaids). She and partner Vicki Sutton had a corner booth across from me and were great fun to hang out with during the show. Can’t wait to introduce you to them!
Other requests are out to neighbor Cathy Broski (you’ll know why when you go look at her work), and vendors Rainer Lagemann (who does wire torsos) and Tom Kendall of The Oak Leaf Pottery (whose functional work with amazing glazes stopped me dead in my tracks when I first went by his booth).
There was lots of awesome work at the show, and over the coming weeks I’ll find my show guide and share some with you (everything is still not in good order here in the studio). I met Phyllis Handal of the Artisan’s Hand Pottery who is from Welcome (Charles County) Maryland (and was in the same block of booths as me), and visited with Parran Collery who sells in her mother’s boutique about 20 minutes from my studio in Prince Frederick, MD (here’s an article on her by my Body Politics collaborator, Heather Bartlett, which also include a story on one of my favorite local artists, Julia Musengo, whose work graces my walls here at home.)
Other Stories
I can’t go naming off people without calling our artist friend Dhyana Mackenzie who took care of my two pugs for me while we were off gallivanting. As fate would have it, the little pug,
Gracie, had a pug experience: her left eye popped out. Dhyana got her to the vets (who tell me Dhyana was a basket case but carried on like a trooper anyways and got Gracie where she needed to be), who put her immediately into surgery. We have about 4 weeks of compresses and drops 4x a day, pain pill 1x a day, and antibiotics 2x a day, not to mention the cone collar she has to wear and isn’t totally delighted with, and the other fact that her eye is sewn shut for the time being. But you’d never know anything was wrong. Pugs are troopers too! We don’t know if her sight will be okay, but the eye should be healthy.
thought for the day: No "try." Do, or do not – there is no "try"! Yoda
Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Yoda
"I can’t believe it." Luke "That is why you fail." Yoda
Booth at Philadelphia Buyers Market. Left picture is left corner, middle picture is storage area where we put all the containers, right pictures is the layout sketch from the top.
14 Comments
[…] is tending toward mixed media), some doing the same old and expecting it to wind up differently (the definition of insanity) and of course it didn’t. Which made me mad until I realized that it’s my choice to […]
I am, as usual, in blog catch up mode. I am so excited to read about your adventures at the show and stoked that you are going to honour *you* and do it again 🙂
Sending healing kisses to the doggie and love to you xx
agreeing with jana; who knew about dog eyes. they should stay right where they belong. I am going to ask my daughter who is becoming a vet if she has ever seen such a thing. I hope I never have to!
thanks for the heads up on my missing in action blog. i am going to take it down and try to fix it all in the next few days. maybe emerging with a whole new look from all this.
HOLY CRAP?! The dog's EYE popped out?! OMW!!!!!!! I am normally a very strong-stomached person… but an eye out of socket? I think I might have fainted at that.
I'm glad that you are doing the second show… I don't think "doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome" counts until you have tried at least two or three times when it comes to business. Perhaps the second show will have less vendors, so more people will buy from you? That would rock!!!
Looking forward to interviews!!!!!!!
Dear Tammy!
I think it is a great succes that you sold, even it is not enough to makes things even. But it was your first time, it could have been worth, I'm sure there were sellers who did not sell…
And congrats on taking the decision to go again, I mean, you can't get into this market by showing up just once, I imagine? So, go for it, and then you see! I send you lots of courage.
And oh my god for the little pug, poor little thing but it looks tough and I'm sure her eye will be allright. I heard that pugs have their "humors" and hope she will not be too badhumoured now…
If I understand right, this is something that can happen to pugs? Hope there is a way to avoid it?
Anyway, hug the little dog for me and Oscar says hello,
have a great week,
Andrea
PS I'm also happy for your son!
I meant in so far as your art and the booth – but may the force be with Gracie, too 🙂
I'm always hitting that post button a little too quickly to finish my thoughts properly…
OMG! Big hugs to Gracie and your fast-thinking friend – I had no idea that sort of thing could ever happen – yikes!
I think your quote for the day says it all – May the Force be with you, Tammy~xOx
I, too, think you need to stay on this path–
I'm going to be thinking about poor Gracie all day. I had no idea that could happen…
Tammy,
I agree with Mary. People sometimes need to see your stuff more than once. And I think it's wonderful that You're going to do "interviews" with people on your blog. What a great idea!
Your poor little Pug–they are such adorable dogs. But they do have some problems. (Saints do as well–too much overbreeding)
Keep up the good work!
Christine
http://passionforpainting.blogspot.com
These wholesale shows are often mixed blessings. Think about this….you are a new vendor and it's a tight market right now. People may have picked up your info and will watch your website, blog,etc. to stay updated. Did you collect names and emails? You might send some follow up newsletter type emails with a picture and a blog link inviting them to stay in touch. In a tight market buyers often stay with safe choices, familiar choices and you are new so don't beat yourself up. And do go to the second show. Be seen, go looking, listen, do some talking and collect those emails and business cards! It's all good. You're a brave spirit. Who knows what awaits???
I'm just getting caught up on your last two posts. Oh how I wish this show had been all that you'd hoped for — BUT when we take a new path I guess there's some learning that has to go along with it. In a past life I used to do craft shows and oh how I know those days when no one came — very depressing. However, you did make sales and you did break even so it wasn't a negative thing, more an experience where you learned, met new people and sold. My vote, for what its worth is that you stay with your dreams. I've often found in my life that perserverance paid off more than luck. You have a beautiful talent and you WILL be able to share it with others through your hard work.
or sell them rather. heh
were these new stores all from the buyers market? that's wonderful!! did you well them for your wholesale prices?
Cool quotes from Star Wars! Poor little pug – what an odd happening! I would have definitely freaked royale! Awesome that you have some new places carrying your work, Tammy. Congratulations!!! I am all too familiar with that Insanity quote myself. Best of luck with moving forward – "May the force be with you."