Mayfair Festival of the Arts

Overall, all I can say is UGH! But lets start with the good first...

1) I have THE BEST customers on the planet. Their loyalty constantly brightened my day. Even when they didn't make a purchase, I was showered with smiles and laughs from people who are now old friends (and some new ones too!)Many stop by with their kids who I just love to watch grow up, and some seem to stay forever young as well:) This show does not have the rude, uncouthness of some other shows I do. I truly enjoyed every encounter.

2) We missed the worst rain. One night we left just as it started, at 9 pm and got home and could ride out the rain in the safety of our home. We also experienced no damage that night (a few others did) and no mud or poor drainage in the booth. The other night they claimed a bad storm so we left early. The storm blew over, but a few lost sales was better than the possibility of dealing with rain and hail in a tent:)

3) Sales were not all that bad. Not great, but they certainly could have been worse. About a 25% decrease from last year. This seems about average so far for me at shows. But my orders are up and that is filling the gaps...

and now the bad...

1) Upon arrival, the check in booth was not set up as indicated on the paperwork mailed earlier in the month. Another crafter had to explain to me how to get my booth assignment. It would be better if this information is just mailed to me, like every other show I do...

2) The booth numbers were screwy. Mine was 57, next to me was 68, and 58 was a dozen booths down on the other side of the street.

3) There are maybe 100 vendors, but somehow, me, another soapmaker, and the potpourri guy, all were in the same 50 feet. This means our scents conflict and we can't take advantage of one of our strengths- our fragrance and people smelling it as they walk by and being enticed in the booth.

4) Attendance was certainly down. Usually it is a challenge to get out of my booth at night and to my car because there are so many people. This year, it was empty...Low attendance equals low sales for everyone...

So that is it.. my critique for this year. I will probably be back next year if the lower the price some, but I am not sure if I will if it remains at it's current entry fee. I really thought this show had reached it's low and was on the way back up, but this year I am not so sure now...