Wanna start doing Art & Wine Festivals

[CraniumDesigns]

yeah, i'm trying to accomplish a horseshoe flow. this is better done with a 2 booth setup, but i can still do it with 1 this way. talking to my mentor, stephen oachs, who has done many shows, he said that having that horseshoe flow tripled his sales. if you do the booth like in your pic, he said people come in and look, but u can only accommodate 1-2 people at a time inside, so most people wont come inside. the people have to go in and out in the same direction and it creates a traffic jam. better to have one entrance point and one exit point. i know my layout may not be very handicap friendly, but i'm not gonna sacrifice triple the sales for the small amount of people who may be in a wheelchair. i've given 3 feet of space on all sides of the 4x4 table, so that should be enough. tight, but enough. if this goes well and i pay off my supplies, i can upgrade to a double booth setup in the future and avoid this issue.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

So, I'm trying to decide between these 2 canopies...

Caravan 10 x 10 Displayshade Canopy Value Package + 4 Sidewalls - EliteDeals.com ($279.95 - comes with 4 sidewalls)
Caravan Classic 10 X 10 Canopy with Professional Top - EliteDeals.com ($399.95 - no sidewalls)

The more expensive one seems more durable, but it $120 more and has no sidewalls. Do you think the cheaper one with the 4 sidewalls would be fine? This is California, in the summer. I don't expect crazy weather it needs to stand up to.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I tend to want more than 3 feet of space because of the size of people today Sorry I wasn't thinking of wheelchairs. So I would move the two large print racks (back to back so two people can look at the same time) to the space where the small prints table is. Then, put two racks of smaller prints where you had the large ones. Last, cut down the laptop/checkout table to the smallest possible.

Why do you need a laptop? Are you going to run credit cards through it? If not, I would say, leave it at home. No matter what, a laptop does not need a 4 foot space. What else are you planning to have there? I would carry the cash in my pockets, so no need for a cash box, and I would make my prices, tax included so you don't deal with coins. For example: 18x24 print, matted and framed = $450.00 including tax.

This is assuming the different sizes on your floor plan are correct.

Cheers.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

I tend to want more than 3 feet of space because of the size of people today Sorry I wasn't thinking of wheelchairs. So I would move the two large print racks (back to back so two people can look at the same time) to the space where the small prints table is. Then, put two racks of smaller prints where you had the large ones. Last, cut down the laptop/checkout table to the smallest possible.

Why do you need a laptop? Are you going to run credit cards through it? If not, I would say, leave it at home. No matter what, a laptop does not need a 4 foot space. What else are you planning to have there? I would carry the cash in my pockets, so no need for a cash box, and I would make my prices, tax included so you don't deal with coins. For example: 18x24 print, matted and framed = $450.00 including tax.

This is assuming the different sizes on your floor plan are correct.

Cheers.

good points. i think i'll nix the checkout table. i wont have power anyways i found out at these events, and ill just keep cash in my pocket. then i'll move the large print racks up front and move the table back. this will also prevent me from having to put some big prints out front since the matted prints will be right there.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

just bought this... Caravan 10 x 10 Displayshade Canopy Value Package + 4 Sidewalls - EliteDeals.com

guess i'm doin this

 

[CraniumDesigns]

k, i also ordered 2 of the medium canvas racks. i order all my mats and bags from redimat.com. thanks HikinMike, you're a lifesaver.

 

[HikinMike]

k, i also ordered 2 of the medium canvas racks. i order all my mats and bags from redimat.com. thanks HikinMike, you're a lifesaver.

Glad to help!

Now, if I can just re-plug myself into the Arts and Craft shows circuit. I haven't been active since my surgeries a few years ago. Now that I'm more mobile, I'm trying to find out when this summer's show's are. Just had one a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I found out about it too late.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

well, these are the ones i'm targeting. you're in atwater, so a bit more of a drive, but still doable.

http://www.caartists.com/schedule/schedule_of_events.html

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Before I left the US, I helped a woman set up something very similar for her crafts. Her stuff is not that expensive and a lot of visitors (from my own experience anyway) show up with cash at such events but I tried to see about her getting a wireless credit card machine because I thought it would be stupid to miss sales if someone doesn't have cash...

Unfortunately, I could never get the bank to return my calls with the info: how it works, what it costs, etc. So I left not knowing how they work but you might want to look into it if some of your works are priced high. You probably need to have a decent sales volume and do quite a few of those shows to make the cost worthwhile, but who knows?

Just an idea. I did similar sales for my wife's pet food business but the most expensive item we had was about $60.00 so we never found a need to accept credit cards. We did take a few checks however... and we never got burned on those

Anyway, best of luck with the venture.

 

[CraniumDesigns]

yeah, i'm wondering what kinda payments to accept. i don't think i'd do enough sales to warrant using a wireless credit card machine. we'll see.

 

[HikinMike]

Yeah, Atwater isn't the best location, but it's home...LOL!! The photo of my booth was taken at Groveland.

FWIW, I don't offer credit card sales at the shows, just cash or check.

When is your show? Don't worry, I'm not planning on attending. SF isn't my favorite location....too many people!

 

[CraniumDesigns]

Yeah, Atwater isn't the best location, but it's home...LOL!! The photo of my booth was taken at Groveland.

FWIW, I don't offer credit card sales at the shows, just cash or check.

When is your show? Don't worry, I'm not planning on attending. SF isn't my favorite location....too many people!

my buddy told me that the majority of people dont carry cash at those things, and pay with card for even the small stuff. i think im gonna get a wireless credit card machine.

i think my first show will be the fremont one at the end of july.

got 10 frames today at aaron brothers. the fremont store is closing and i got em half off saved over $200!

 

[c.cloudwalker]

my buddy told me that the majority of people dont carry cash at those things, and pay with card for even the small stuff. i think im gonna get a wireless credit card machine.

Wow! Interesting. Must be one of those differences between the east and west coast, lol. Either that or times are a-changing.


Your talk of frames made me want to share this. I got very nice frames, very cheap (like around $2-5 apiece) at auctions. A lot of the regulars kept asking me why I was buying that cheap/crap art never realizing I wasn't buying art... :lmao:

Those frames would not work for just any photo or painting but I eventually found use for them and I saved an awful lot of money.

Just an idea. From the east coast

 

[CraniumDesigns]

cool. too late. just shelled out $213 for 9 18x24 frames and 1 24x36 frame. all black.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Cool. yes.

Too late. No.

There will be more photos for you to frame and you can use the idea later. Simple black frames work very well with photos so you didn't waste your money.

Even though it seems a bit on the high side I don't think your buy is a bad one. And if you keep this going you will learn to keep your eyes open for deals, auctions, etc. Expenses are always a bit higher at first until you figure out ways to cut costs.