Tales from a First Art Show (The good, the bad, and the port-a-potty)

This summer I had the chance to be in my first art show, right in my own neighborhood in Seattle - The Wedgwood Art Festival. I was both excited and nervous to be presenting my leathercraft art and overall I can say it was a positive experience. The absolute best was making new friends of my fellow artists. I learned so much invaluable knowledge and heard some amazing stories of their beginning experiences. I also sold well! Yay! However, I realized later than I left out an entire demographic market - The Men. In hindsight, I definitely should have made more guy stuff. And that is one of the hardest questions to answer when one is a rookie - what should I make that will sell but still be an expression of my artistic point of view?! The answer is to know your market and present unique, well-made items that will appeal to all of your potential customers.

Backyard practice set-up.

Beginner’s Luck: At the Wedgwood show, I lucked out with a corner booth since my neighbor was a no-show. Now I see the value of having a corner and would probably pay the extra next time to have the breathing room on one side. It made such a difference to be able to sit outside the 10x10 boundary - we even made an “artist’s lounge” with a row of chairs in the empty space. I also had a nice breeze with an open side that kept my booth from being stifling hot.

Jacqueline with booth set-up before the start of the show.

Day 2 Set up with a few things up higher and the “artist’s lounge” in the empty space on the right.

Pro Tips:

*Place some of your products up high for better visibility. I did know this beforehand and spent hours searching for the right tall shelf that would also fold up. On the second day, I hung a few more things from the canopy frame.

*Having a mirror for customer’s to try on an item was key.

*Stick with white for the canopy top! I had actually bought a dark blue one first and when I did a backyard test, saw it cast a blue light and also made everything really dark.

*Do a test set-up.

* Use sandbags for weighing down the canopy legs. The 5 lb. weights I bought would not withstand a gust of strong wind.

*Haggling - just say no. I did have a customer negotiate for a lower cash price, I agreed but wished I hadn’t. The customer walked away to go bring back cash, and did not come back.

*Kid-friendly items. I was able to redirect a few kids to try on the “magic braid” bracelets, while the parents shopped.

A happy customer with a Magic Braid bracelet.

Another pro tip from a fellow artist was to linger a bit after the show time end before packing up. He called it the golden hour when a customer might come back to purchase something they saw earlier. I did have a customer come again the next day with her friend, which was neat. One artist said she had a following of customers, so doing the same shows year after year was a good idea.

The best perk of doing a show in my own neighborhood was having my family bring my lunch and deliver ice water on demand. The worst was, well, I refer you to the article subheader.

Overall, I had a fabulous first show and left quite eager to apply to another local venue. I just finished a new Rugged Tool Chest design that I hope will be a hit for both men and women. AND friends who are actually models are the best first-show visitors. See you at the next show!

Handsome Kobe models a belt-bag.