Can I just say how good it is to be back doing festivals again?!??
Okay, so I was severely out of practice preparing for the festival. I couldn’t find my packing list so I couldn’t remember everything I needed to bring, things had to be deep cleaned, and set up took forever because I’m so out of routine. Granted, it’s been three years since I had done a festival so I should cut myself some slack, but it. was. hard.
The New:
Not much new on my end, really. I did set up my clearance items differently so it was easier to unpack and for customers to find things, but that was about it. There were new people running the show, and I felt like it was a smoother process. They also had free donuts available Sunday morning with the free coffee they bring around for the vendors (and their assistants, Ryan was super excited!).
Oh! I also was in a new spot! Usually I’m down in the business section, but this year I was down at the other end. It was amazing, we were under a tree, had a lot of shade and a nice gentle breeze, and then were right by the music stage so we had entertainment all weekend. It was PERFECT.
The Good:
The weather was unbelieveable! It was in the 70s both days with sunshine and a gentle breeze. It was the first time I’ve ever been able to put the sides of my tent up and not worry about melting in the sunshine or the battling the wind.
I also had a dollar amount goal that would cover double the expenses I put into the show and my time, and we surpassed it!
The Bad:
If you know me, you know technology is not my strong suit. I use Square for taking credit card orders and had linked my Etsy shop to it so all my products were right there to be sold with cards. Well, apparently not everything linked properly and then I forgot how to connect my credit card reader to my app. It was a bit of a struggle, but we finally got it figured out. So thankful for patient customers!
The Ugly:
Nothing this year! Woo hoo!
The Amazing:
Normally I bring one kiddo with me on Saturday and another on Sunday, but Ryan came both days this year. He was the biggest helper and during slow times (which there weren’t a whole lot of this year) he was able to go explore a little on his own. He’s begging to come with me all three days when I’m at Letchworth in October!
Also I had these two customers during the last couple of hours on Sunday purchase twelve prints, so that was an amazing way to end the show!
Things To Change:
I need more space for hanging my originals. I just purchased a lower shelving display for my back table for drawings so I can hang another grid panel at the back of my booth for other paintings, so hopefully that will work out well for Letchworth.
Also I need a stool for putting up my wooden displays. I’m tired of fighting with zip ties and barely being able to reach the hooks on the displays, so a stool is a must. I just grabbed a folding one off of Amazon and I’m hoping that it’ll be tall enough to really help set up and take down go faster and smoother!
Will I Do This Show Again?
I’m not sure. Honestly, I probably will give it a break for a couple years because I will have one kid going off to college this upcoming August and another one the following year. I want to really keep my summers open for spending as much time with them as I can, and I don’t know when college move in dates will be. It’s not a definite no, but my family will always come first!
Back to the Drawing Board 