Local Arts and Crafts festivals

[Johnboy2978]

There are several small Arts/Crafts festivals in my immediate area from late summer to early fall. Typically there are several photographers who set up booths and sell prints ranging from 8x10 - 16x20 and larger. I've often thought of printing some work, matting it and setting up a booth, but the overhead seems like it would cost more than it would make. I know at one of the festivals, it's $500 rent just for a booth for the weekend, plus you have the cost of your prints. I would think that you would probably have maybe 2 dozen different prints and probably 2 dozen of each print in a 8x10 and 2 dozen in 16x20? What do you do with the leftovers?

If any of you have set up at this type of event, was it worth it? Give me an idea about quantity that you had on hand and some idea of how sells were for it. I guess if all you do is travel from one festival to another, it's just the initial start up cost that sucks and then you just replinish from there as needed. What type of print sells the best? It looks like landscape and still life is what I see mostly. Any insight?

 

[KmH]

At $500 to rent a booth for a weekend, consider starting your own art festival, and renting booths.

20 booths at $500 per is $10,000.00!

 

[Johnboy2978]

Yeah, it's pretty steep which is the main reason I've never really pursued it. This one gets quite a bit of foot traffic, but I've always wondered if those folks turn a profit. I assume it must be worth it for them as I see many of the same photogs year after year. Most of their prints are priced at $100+ but still they have to sell several before they start making any money. Plus, many are from out of town, so you have to figure their lodging and meals, gas, etc.

 

[HikinMike]

I already have the tables, tent, walls etc and I would NEVER spend $500 just for a two day event.

 

[msf]

bit off topic, but slightly related, I read a forum thread somewhere *forget where* about a person that went to an arts festival, took some pictures here and there, posted them online and one of the artists sued this person for infringing on their copyright.

And ouch at $500 for the festival. Starting your own might be a great idea. I got a space at my local county fair, hopefully itll be worth the money. $150 for 9 days. Of course it would cost the 2 of us half that fee just to go to the fair for the week.

 

[Johnboy2978]

I checked further into the pricing and this year it was $600 for the whole festival, not just the weekend. So it was $600 for July 24-Aug 8. So, for those that sell at this type of venue, how many different prints, sizes, etc do you prepare? What do you do w/ the leftovers?

 

[tirediron]

I think the value in these sorts of shows isn't so much in the sale of goods, but in meeting potential clients and getting your name out there. $500 seems a tad steep to me.

 

[Morpheuss]

500 dollars seems a little expensive to me and i would probably take like a dozen different 8x10 and start them out at like 50 dollars each or whatever and then like 5 or so bigger ones starting at 100 dollars or so and I would also have one of those digital picture frames and have pictures going of some of your other work so people could be like man i really like that photo on the digital picture frame do you have it here and you can be like no i don't but I can get it to you if you want to buy it.