Well, at least it wasn't just me. The first three days of the Jazz Festival turned out to be a losing proposition for the artists with handmade goods in the Artisan's Village. The crowds were far below the numbers from last year - rumor has it even the festival itself is losing money - and there was competition with vendors selling stuff from Africa and Asia. Even they weren't pleased with attendance. One Canadian jewelry maker said she did so well last year over four days that she signed up for eight days this year. She is not happy now. And to make matters worse yesterday, there was a sudden downpour. Turns out the tents provided by the festival aren't the least bit waterproof. Mine started leaking so fast I didn't have time to cover things up. Fortunately, nothing was damaged by the water. I did sell four rainbow items, but the Pride events were taking place in another part of the city so we didn't get many folks coming through the Jazz Festival location.
I decided not to do the fourth day that I signed up for partly because my car "check engine" light came on and I'm worried about having car trouble and partly because thunderstorms and wind were forecast. I discovered that my lightweight plastic earring display stands are not suitable for use in a tent because the slightest breeze knocks them over. I've got to re-think how to display my earrings.
All I can say is that it was a learning experience.
Oh Cynthia, that was a real bummer for sure! Sorry to hear that it didn't go so well. We were hoping it was going to be good for you. You listed several reasons why we refuse to do any outdoor shows. We are asked quite often to be in shows in our area and if they are outdoors we just say no and feel it is not worth it (all the trouble).
ReplyDelete