Well Cooper Young Festival has come and gone! First and foremost, let me announce that it did NOT rain. Almost all week the forecast showed high chance of thunderstorms and rain and I was super panicked that the event would be rained out. Thankfully, all my prayers were answered and it didn't rain. There was a very light sprinkling around 10am that lasted maybe 5 minutes at best. By afternoon it was all sunshine. Lots of fiery hot sunshine.
So how did the event turn out? Well, that depends on how you look at it. Or rather how you define success. If success is defined by making a profit, then yes, it was a success. I covered all my fees and still turned a profit of a few hundred dollars. That should make me very happy but it doesn't really. More like it leaves me feeling kind of blah. See, everyone I'd spoken with who had participated in the event before swore that this was the most profitable event they did all year. They told tales of bringing in profits in the thousands. I knew the event got major traffic. Like 130,000+ each year. So with that in mind, I imagined this being my most profitable event as well. Now my items are very inexpensive so I wasn't expecting to make two grand or anything but I did hope to get close to a thousand. I didn't. I did sell the highest amount I ever have before but after the high booth fees (which I normally don't have) I fell just shy of the $400 mark.
I also spent a significant amount of time preparing inventory for this event in comparison to the others I've participated in. I also had to get significant more help with the event than ever before. I had so much inventory and so many booth props that it required multiple car loads. My brother had to get up before the sun and drive downtown to pick up a shelf and stool that I couldn't squeeze into my car. My sister had her car loaded to the brim with all my inventory. And then my husband, both my siblings and their spouses spent part of their day helping set up, work and break down my booth. I always have some help at a show but never have I needed that much assistance. I'm very grateful for each and every one of them and all that they did to make the day run smoothly for me. But having to have so much help and having to spend so much time preparing inventory made it feel like an unsuccessful event when I counted up the money at the end of the day. If it'd been a smaller, less help needed event, I would have felt like it was more of a success. The booth next to me had a serious abstract artist who sold several expensive paintings. One of them was $2,500. Yep, $2,500 for a single, abstract painting. That in and of itself can make one feel a tad unsuccessful. As a side note, this artist did paint very beautiful pictures.
But I did take away some valuable lessons from the day. I should not participate in events that have such high fees. It's not practical given that my prices range from $1-$40. By the time I've earned back my booth fees, there isn't enough left to make a happy profit. I should stick to the smaller, free and cheap events. I also learned that the amount of traffic doesn't always equal sales. The festival was packed but I saw more people with beers and pronto pups in their hands than artwork. I may do better at events geared more closely to art than to festivities. I also confirmed that I need a better way to show my paintings. I've got to figure out how to get more of them upright and vertical. I have some easels but not nearly enough. This is actually not a new thought but more of a confirmation. Oh, and I also can't be the person responsible for taking pictures. I didn't take one single picture. All that work and I didn't take a picture of the tables. I'm also starting to think that I need to narrow down my niche'. Most artisans have one specific thing they create and I'm still doing variety. Perhaps I'd do better to focus on just one type of art. I'm still thinking on that though.
So what did sell? I sold out very quickly of my Memphis skyline canvas paintings. I actually wish I'd had more of them to sell. Also sold out of my 901 (Memphis area code) wine glasses and mugs. Wish I'd had a few more of those too. As usual, I sold lots of my $1 painted rocks. I sold a few other small paintings too. And I had someone who saw my work at the festival send me an email about potentially doing some custom work for them.
So what's up next? Well, I have the Bartlett Hills Baptist Church Craft Fair in October and the Bartlett First United Methodist Church Craft Fair in November. Both are smaller than Cooper Young but are regular annual events so I expect good turnout. Both were cheap to participate so I'm not worried about covering my booth fees. And best of all, they're indoor so I won't have to worry about weather at all. Overall, I'm optimistic that they'll both be good events.
For now, I am busy updating my Etsy shop and painting some Nativity Sets for the upcoming season. You can check out my shop here if you want to see what's new: www.wishesandwonderment.etsy.com
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