PLACE
I jumped in as a guinea pig to do one of the shows that hasn't yet had a review! Scary. I did this because it appeared to be well organized, and it WAS. It was a really well run, well hosted show. It was in the Biltmore Park outdoor ice skating rink, a nice smooth slab of cement in the middle of the City. I concluded that if it did rain (rain or shine show) that at least there wouldn't be mud. There was a Rock n Roll Marathon the next day, so half the city was comprised of athletes looking for something to do after they registered. Awesome. I didnt really think there would be that many athlete shoppers, but I met people from all over the country- CA, IA, VA, MD, IL, CO, the list goes on. They all wanted souvenirs or gifts = super.
DETAILS
I'll get to the show nitty gritty now- check in was easy, they gave us coffee and doughnuts or some edible thing from Dunkin Donuts I don't remember because I already ate.
They also gave us a GOODY BAG! Mine had a fake wooden snake, snacks- lots of snacks, and more toys. Seriously. Fabulous.
All day, they had people walking around asking if I needed to make change$ or needed more water. As much water as I could drink. They also carried around a basket of snacks all day. Would you like more popcorn? Also, they had sponsor trucks- one was from the bank giving our FREE ice cream ALL DAY. Yes. And a game near check in where you spin the wheel and win stuff- I won a water bottle and something I dont remember.
Stuff like this THRILLS me to no end.
They had Big Nazo puppets entertaining and a kids craft table. There was probably more stuff happening too, but as a vendor, you don't always see everything that's going on because your in a 10x10 space all day.
click image to view larger via flickr
WHO
My friend Cindy came to help me out and hang out- which is always a plus. THANK YOU CINDY! It was a blast, Shes a natural at selling and I put her to work right away, finding fresh crepes from a vendor and wrangling in buyers, and handling the archaic credit card machine. I also had my trusty craft show man, John- who ended up running 14 miles around Providence (literally), its our old stomping grounds. He was a happy camper- runner.
OVERALL
The show was busy all day. It was a glorious, if not a way too sunny day. I had a lot of chatty buyers, who seemed genuinely interested in my work. I sold all the best pieces right away- HOORAY! It was exhausting, because there's a tent to put up and take down. It was worth it. I would totally do another Festival Fete show.
If you found this review helpful, let me know in the comments!