My one day show

This is just some quick snap shots of the one day show event from today. They are not the best quality, but you will get the general idea. I figured, in case anyone ever decided to do a show and needed some ideas on a set up, thought I'd share mine. I was offered an 8 foot round table. Normally I set up with a 6-8 foot rectangular table. So, this was a unique opportunity. I'm not sure if you can see them on the table, but I also have the african american santa ornaments there too. I finally finished them in the last couple of weeks too along with all the other hussle and bussle. There are only 10 of them. I'm not sure how well they will go over, especially since I have not sold any of them yet. *shrug*






Enjoy!

Hugs,
Lori

Looks like a great display. How do you handle everyone wanting to pick up your pieces and mess up the hair?

If you look closely, you'll see mousetraps all around the table. One snap, and they loose a finger!

Actually, though, people were very good about looking and not picking up. The little babies they would pick up and look, but the dolls they did not try to bother. Which was alright by me. I think if they like to touch, it makes them closer to the item. Kind of a weird thought, but, I guess I'm just like that.

At any rate, thank you, Sue for you lovely compliment.

Hugs,
Lori

Lori!
I miss talking with you! Things have been...difficult... for me around here lately and I was tied up with other things.
Your display looked very appealing! I would have gone over to have a look! How were the sales???????????? And did you have a good time? Tell us everything, as my sister says.
Hugs....Diane

Awe, Diane, my friend, I'm so sorry things have been going rough for you in your neck of the woods. I miss talking to you too, but I also understand when things in life take precedence. I do hope all is well and that your health is good too. If you need anything that I can try to help with give a holler!

As for the show, it was in conjunction with the bigger very well known festival that people come from all over the state to see. I didn't see how many people were in attendance at the outdoor part of the festival since I was inside all day. But, I do hear the crowds were pretty large. But, you can tell the economy has taken its toll on everyone. There were people buying, but mostly if the items were $20.00 and under, if it were over that...it was a rare purchase. So, that was the gest for the outside crowd.

Where I was at, it was the first time that the church tried to hold the "bizarre" at the same time as the festival. (and only the 2nd time holding a bizarre if you will) They had thought that they would get a lot of foot traffic since the busses dropped off festival patrons directly in front of the church, then they could shoo the people into the church before they got busy shopping on the streets. Well, a good many people were not really intersted in a "church bizarre", and were only interested in the festival.

Aside from that, there was pretty much a steady flow of people coming into the church to look. They trickled in by ones and twos....sometimes in 3's. Every once in a while there was a gap in people. Probably because they were looking around the perimeter of the room, and no one was in the center area where I was at. At any rate, the biggest comments I had were mostly like, "WOW, I did not expect that a church bizarre would have something that was this exquisite!" And, the people who did stop and look, really did stop and look at all the details and were amazed. Plus, when I'm sitting idle, I like to sculpt...crowds do not bother me to work in front of. So, I was busy working on my wicked witch, and people really got involved with the process of how it was made. So, that was to my benefit. They felt they could relate to my work much more clearly than just seeing a doll or a figure on the table.

At any rate, in all I sold a small fairy and one ornament. So, it was about $80.00 in total that I made. I managed to make back my table fee, and have some pocket change in my hand. Which, I happily turned around and went out into the festival on Sunday and bought a very nice hand crafted purse! LOL I am not an impulse buyer, and I'm not big on buying stuff for myself, but I just HAD to have that purse. LOL I love it!

Anyway, that was how it went for me. I really believe that if I had been out on the streets with the rest of the vendors....I would have done extremely well. No one knew we were inside the church, that was the hurtful part. After touring the festival on Sunday, I can tell you, it was not their usual wares that they had. Some of it was returning vendors..but some of it would be what I expected from flea markets and I found myself wondering how in the world will those people make up the booth cost with that type of nickle and dime stuff. I think the booth fee is about $350-$400 so I can see some people feeling the cruch on that.

Anyway, something I'll consider doing next year as it is a VERY popular festival and a nice quaint town with wonderful little shops. But, I heard a rumor that there is also a small store opening up that will be a christmas themed store. I might take my chances there and see if I can put in some of my pieces. I figured, if they charge me a 20% fee for each sell, I'd still come up cheaper in the long run that putting up an entire booth. I don't know..I'll have to think about it.

In the meantime, I'm gonna go finish my cup of coffee...and try to finish this witch. LOL

Hugs to you Diane, and hope things are good. I am happy you popped on here cause I sure miss you.

Hugs,
Lori

Thanks for such a great reply, Lori!
I was in a show once that was
like what you're describing. The people who came were just interested
in looking as a curiosity thing but they really came for the rides and
the food. Don't you think that the best shows are the ones when people
come with the mindset to buy something, instead of just having a fun
afternoon? They have to be on a MISSION!!! I'm traveling to Maryland tomorrow to stay with my wonderful
sister-in-law......and then go on Sunday to what should be a very good
teddy bear show....the Hunt Valley Christmas Show and Sale. They will
have Teddy Bear artists from across the country as well as some from
Europe!! I EXPECT to find a teddy bear that I want to bring home! And even more than that I want to take a good hard look at what makes special bears....special! My Santas are developing an affinity for bears, I think, and I want to make them good enough to even be sold if they were on their own! I can't wait! (And dear Kathy doesn't really care about teddy bears, but she lives in a household of men and she'll have a grand time just getting out to do girl stuff. )
Bottom line is, I've never been at a successful show that had competition from other venues besides just other artists. Just glad that it sounds like you had a pleasant day anyway. You just worked so hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will you be in some other shows soon? Like...............
What is the quaint town you were talking about??? I love places like that!
Keep up the good work, Lori, and I believe that you'll hit the right show yet! THAT'S when it's fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice to be conversing with you again, sweetie!
Big hugs.....Diane

Hiya Diane,

I hope you and your sister-in-law have a fantastic time at the teddy bear show. I am positive you will bring home a very special teddy! I, myself, have always enjoyed teddy bears. There is something special about them. Every thing from a bear hug to a snuggle. hehe In January, when I go to the ever popular Idex show in Orlando, there will be a mix of teddy bear and doll artist from all around the world. I always enjoy seeing the teddy's as much as the dolls. So, I can only imagine the over-whelming feeling of joy you will have walking into the show....it's a grand feeling to see much of it in one spot. I am fortunate that my hubby doesn't mind going to these types of shows with me. I'd go by myself if I had to. I go to the Idex show by myself, it's no biggie. But, he does like going to the craft and fine art shows with me. He just trails along behind me. lol But, I broke him in early on in the dating game and as newlyweds when I did fine arts shows with my own work. So, he is accustomed to it, so much so, that if he spots of a craft or festival in the paper, he is sure to tell me so we can go. lol If that isn't love, I don't know what else is.


I was considering doing the show at the local winery venue, it was a weekend event. But, after doing a weekend show a few weeks back at the mall, I discovered that I really only had enough stuff to fill out one table comfortably. Albeit, I have made more pieces since that time, but, it still isn't enough to fill out like I want to. I don't want to feel like my table is too scrimpy on the first day of the show.....you never mind it on the last day cause it meant you sold a lot. lol So, I think I will consider doing the winery show next year when I have more material under my belt. I figured, I will list pieces up for auction on ebay in the meantime, if they don't sell, then they get shoved into the "possible do a show" pile. lol We'll see how I feel next time.

Aside from that, I will be showing up again at the mall, for a one night thing. They are calling it, "ladies night out" shopping experience. It will be a lot of work to set up for one night, and more than likely, no one will show up because it is a Thursday night. We'll see what happens. Then, I was asked to put up a table at another venue for a one day thing at a Christmas light up ceremony at a local park. I live in a triangle town area (3 towns right next to each other), each having wonderful parks located on lakes. They deck the local parks and towns out with Christmas lights, and on the lighting event, generally there are Christmas carolers, etcs. It is really a wonderful event at either town location, and a lot of fun. So, I was asked to set up a table at one of the events. I have to get in touch with the lady who presented the idea to me and see what the details are.

Other than that....I'm contemplating working with a couple stores locally here to see about getting my wares into the business locations. But, I just haven't found the time to approach them yet. Not enough hours in the day when you have even one kid under your feet. lol

Anyway, I've got some chores I need to do before a baseball tournament game today. My son managed to get picked up on a baseball team for this tournament at the last minute, so instead of being able to finish my wicked witch, I'm off at baseball games that are an hour away at the Houston Astros training facility in Kissimmee. Last night, we didn't get home until midnight. I was dog tired and really no idea how I even made it home. lol But, he played on the actual Astro's field where they play the spring training games. Such a nice complex it is and that is a super nice field.

Anyway, I'm off to clean a uniform for the game....

Lots of hugs to all, and to you too, Diane!

Lori

ps. the quaint towns local are Eustis, where I am from, Mount Dora and Tavares. The triangle area towns. lol

Lori!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've done it again! This is the THIRD time I've tried a response and erased it! I figured I've been hitting the backspace button instead of enter.
OK. Try again. !!!!!!!!!!!! I did have a wonderful time with Kathy and actually spent another day! I was thrilled when we got to the show on Sunday and found out that, instead of looking at the leftovers from Saturday , we were among the first because it was a one-day show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There was a table at the entrance to the showroom and I spent about 20 minutes buying mohair and such for making bears. Great prices and great pieces!!!! I must have been having a noticeably super time because, when I went back 2 hours later to get my bags, there was a different lady at the table and she said, "OH! I HEARD about YOU!!" Well, I ended up buying a 14" bear named Elliot...he was made out of lynx!! And a tiny little, fully-jointed purple bear named Lavender. (What else?) Several of the artists spent time explaining to me how to do unusual techniques. It was grand. Now tomorrow I'm going to work on my Santa. I WANT TO GET HIM DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for your reply about the shows. I'm going to Florida early next year to visit my mother-in-law. She lives in a town around Tampa Bay. Is that close to you?????
I'm really fading from the day and writing one response three times , so I'm going to sigh........sign (yeah, that too)....off.
Big hugs, Lori!
Diane

Diane!

I'm so glad you had a good time! I knew you would come home with some goodies....I can hear it in the music of your last post. lol You should take some pics and stick them up of Lavender and Eliott; I would love to see how cute they are.

I grew up in a town next to Tampa, called Brandon. I'm somewhat familiar with the area...and it is roughly 2 hours from me from where I live now. I could possibly feel a road trip coming on in the new year. lol You will have to give me more details so I can get a better idea where you'll be hiding out at. Maybe we can plan a lunch or something like that.

Anyway, I was just passing by from checking email...and I'm about pooped too. I have work in the morning and not looking forward to it. rofl

Glad you had a great time and came home with some nice goodies. I'm looking forward to seeing your wonderful bear creation.

Hugs,
Lori

Hey, Lori!
I've got some pictures to show you! These are the bears that I got at the show on Sunday.
Elliot is the big 14" bear....and Princess is, well, the little one!
She's only about 3", but fully jointed. Both of the bears were named
by the artists, but I changed Lavender's name to Princess. Just seems
to suit her better! I thought I'd take a picture of them together (they're already inseparable!! ) so that you could see the size difference.
I STILL haven't had a chance to work on MY things........life just gets in the way!
I would love it if, somehow, we could get together when I'm visiting Greg's mom. Maybe we could work something out!
Big hugs.....Diane

Diane, those bears are adorable. I can see why they went home with you. hehe I would have had a hard time leaving them there too. I LOOOOOVE how you have them photographed....that looks sooooo professional. Wow.

I know how life gets in the way of our many projects. Geesh! Doiesn't it know we have things to do.

As far as your trip to Florida coming up, just send me a PM on the details and we can see what we can do. :-) I'd love to meet you too! I'm sure we can work something out when the time comes.

Big hugs,
Lori

Thanks, Lori......All I did was throw some velveteen over my computer for a backdrop (here on my sometimes sewing/sculpting table ) and took the pictures with my cell phone. Then I e-mailed them to myself and figured out....again....how to get the pictures posted on this message board. I was pleased with how nicely they turned out.
Florida.....here I come.....sometime!
Hugs! Diane (aka MBear.......and Greg named me that YEARS before I got interested in bears. Wonder if it had a great influence??? )

LOL Well, the back drop worked nicely. I call that a Happy Accident. Love it when those happen.

Big hugs, Mamabear!

Hugs,
Lori

Let me tell you, that was A LOT of work for the 3 hour show. And, I didn't sell a thing. But, again, some possible hopefuls in the future, and some connections.

One of the biggest connections of the evening was with this fella's wife. She was there, but he was not...."ladies night out" ya know. lol He happens to run the "Eustis Main Street" events in my quaint little town. He is in charge of running the local festivals: craft, art, and folk festivals. And, too, the first Friday of each month there is a "Street Festival". Not to mention the 4th of July, Light up Eustis, and (our town is a little weird) Washington's Birthday Parade. lol Ya, you read that right. Any excuse to pull the community together....... pretty funny I know.

Anyway, his wife encouraged me to contact him after I made a comment on wanting to get into the bigger festival events but didn't know for sure exactly who to contact. The Street festival events would be kind of a pain i think, much like last nights event but with lots and lots more people. It would be worth doing just because of so many people there. But, it is an outside event, at night, and lots of people walking to and from, drinking in the streets and kids running amuck like wild kids out of the jungle. So, that is where my hesitancy comes from. It takes so long to create this things; I would really kick myself if something got knocked over and broke. Though, the lady assured me there has never been a problem with anything happening. And, a lady that has pottery sets up and she is not too worried about it.

Last night's event was also kicked off by a local radio station called The Hearbeat, and the radio announcer at the event liked my dolls so much, she just had to do a free advertisement plug and interview with me over the radio. Man, for someone who is generally pretty outgoing as I am, I was a little nervous about that. LOL But, it is kind of a new radio station I think as I have never heard of it. So, probably nobody I know heard it, that or no one was really listening. But, it was a nice gesture and what the heck, it was a free advertisement opportunity. LOL

Anyway, that was my big Ladies Night Out adventure. Now, onward to the next opportunity. I think.

Lots of hugs,
Lori