Crafters--what makes you happy?
Isabella
putting up a small, one-weekend faire next year. As I collected contact
information last week at FlaRF, I heard from a lot of crafters that they had
needs from the craft coordinator that not all faires were able to meet.
(Not necessarily at FLaRF, just in general).
What makes you happy as a crafter?
What kind of set-up area do you need, and what information do you need in
advance to plan your booth?
What kind of jurying process makes you happiest and why?
How do you feel about you or other vendors being allowed to move if you/they
hate your spot for whatever reason?
What kind of assistance or advice do you need from the craft coordinator
during the run of the faire?
Thank you so much if you are able to take the time to respond to even a
couple of these questions! You can post (I check pretty often) or email me
at devi...@gte.net
Thank you,
Allison Williams
Fondor
Jay here from Knightly Endeavors. I would be happy to help you with this.
This winter we have applied to numerous faires so have a variety of experience.
The set up area for different vendors can vary quite a bit . As a clothing
vendor with a pretty big line (mens', womens' and children's) we usually need a
minimum 20*20 area/tent. A lot of one weekend faires seem to want to rent 8*8
spots and the price can be prohibitive for four of them. Unless the faire is
going to build permanent structures and rent them to us for the weekend, I know
I would be leery of putting the money into one myself for a one weekend event.
Jurying processes are a tough question, ideally I would like a quick reply as
to whether we are being considered (we had to wait 2 months to find out that
one faire had too many clothing vendors this year) so we can start doing stock.
Finding out we had not passed it later wouldn't be as big a disappointment,
but waiting that long is tough. An appeal process would be cool as well,
sometimes you have something unique to add that does not come across in the pix
and descriptions, especially for a crafter that has not applied to too many
faires.
Letting folks move is a tough thought, because if it is a one weekender, you
really cannot tell until the second day anyway if it is a bad spot. If the
move doesn't displace someone else or block the view of another booth/tent,
then it should be allowed.
Info that should be provided to the vendor by the crafting
coordinator/management in general depends on the level of participation in the
theme of the faire I think. For the vendor to know the storyline allows them
to be more of a villager. Gate count is a useful fact too. I can't think of
too much else necessary during A weekend.
Jay
Knightly Endeavors-If you can imagine it, we can do it
There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast.
www.knightly.com
Jen Parrish
As a small operation of one, I tend to enjoy the one weekend
fairs because you can manage on your own pretty well. What
is very helpful to me are the fairs that have people
(volunteers)who watch your booth when you need to take a
break.
It is also great to have information about the fair site, so
we can plan how we will transport work to the booth...
knowing what to expect takes a lot of stress away.
I'll come back if I think of anything else, I haven't had
my coffee yet :)
Jen Parrish
Parrish Relics : Amulets & Ornaments
http://www.parrishrelics.com
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Dawn BB
> Jurying processes are a tough question, ideally I would like a quick reply as
> to whether we are being considered (we had to wait 2 months to find out that
> one faire had too many clothing vendors this year) so we can start doing stock.
> Finding out we had not passed it later wouldn't be as big a disappointment,
> but waiting that long is tough. An appeal process would be cool as well,
> sometimes you have something unique to add that does not come across in the pix
> and descriptions, especially for a crafter that has not applied to too many
> faires.
responses from beginning to end of the process--I've had to wait months
just to get an application, scurry like mad to meet the deadline, then
wait forever to hear if I'm accepted or not. If we're not accepted into
one faire, we often have others we'd like to apply to--if we haven't
missed the deadline by the time the first faire responds. One small
faire--which shall remain nameless, but has now incurred my everlasting
wrath--did not even send out rejection letters--vendors who did not
receive notice of acceptance/contract had to call to find out if they
were in. Also, regarding the appeal issue, this would have been a very
helpful option at this faire, in particular. The event was close to
Christmas, so it was an important show for a lot of us, and some who had
been accepted and done well in previous years were rejected by the new
(and snootier) jury, even though the products proposed fit all the
criteria (handcrafted, etc). In such a case the an appeal process would
be a real benefit--both to crafters and to management. I heard through
the grapevine that a number of vendors who did get accepted at this
faire didn't show, and management was looking for replacements at the
last minute, with little success--so the event was not as good for the
holiday shoppers as it had been in past years. Serves them right,
IMHO...
One more suggestion--allow photos OR slides with the application. We
often have one available but not the other. Ditto with those who want a
sketch of the booth--my sketching skills are pathetic at best--but I
have a number of good photos of my booth.
Delilah
Wench # 306
Bard # 16
Skye
"> As a small operation of one, I tend to enjoy the one weekend
> fairs because you can manage on your own pretty well. What
> is very helpful to me are the fairs that have people
> (volunteers)who watch your booth when you need to take a
> break.
Or have to move your car :)
--
Skye
RavenHawke
Ren Merc
Wench #538
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level
then beat you with experience.
"Man must first cease attributing his problems
to his environment and learn again to exercise
his will--his personal responsibility."
- Albert Schweitzer
Visit Chastain and I at www.ravenhawke.com/~chastain
bronxelf
Can someone send me the original post to this thread? I never
received it.
Thanks.
bronxelf
ElvenGlass- http://www.elvenglass.com
Myest... The Concrete Forest of BronxElf- http://www.bronxelf.com
Fabulous Finishes Custom Decorative Painting- http://www.fabulousfinishes.net
Proud divisions of FabooCo.
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Inspiration is for amateurs.
Its only paint, it's not blood sacrifice. Blood sacrifices go to another division of FabooCo entirely.
Townsend,T&C
Jen Parrish didst post for her very second time here!
::::reading every word with care, then snipping::::
:::big ol' grin:::
Well met, M'La - *GASP*
:::dropping to the floor while gesturing wildly:::
Get down! Get down!!
:::waiting patiently:::
:::leaping to her feet the instant the lady is prostrate:::
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE------> P O U N C E ! ! ! !
*LOL* The best part was that there was no falling down, aye? ::grin::
::::climbing to her feet laboriously, dusting her hands and skirts:::
There, then, that's done. Welcome to th' madness of AFR! Would ye care to
share a wee mazer o' cranberra mead wi' me??
--------------------
For AFR FAQ's (yes, YOU, oh newly pounced one!), click on
http://member.aol.com/jmcathcart/afr.html
---------------------
Capi; Christian, Costumer, Counselor Bard #17
aka Capi Kilnewbie, Patroness of the AFR Virgin,
- she who loves corduroy { {hugs} } -
Mistress of the Welcome Wagon!
Official Guardian of th' Cranberra Mead
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Head Cheerleader of the Bardic Realm
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Oh, and She Who Remembers Just a Tad Bit Late...
Kirby
> Crafters--what makes you happy?
> Date:
> Tue, 15 Feb 2000 16:14:31 GMT
> From:
> "Isabella" <devi...@gte.net>
> Newsgroups:
> alt.fairs.renaissance
>
> I am doing research for a company that is exploring the possibility of
> putting up a small, one-weekend faire next year. As I collected contact
> information last week at FlaRF, I heard from a lot of crafters that they
> had
> needs from the craft coordinator that not all faires were able to meet.
> (Not necessarily at FLaRF, just in general).
>
> What makes you happy as a crafter?
Besides all the nice things people can do, first and foremost is
customers that are buying! What this means for someone organizing a
faire is "How are you going to get the people there?".
Aside from that, most would agree that it is much nicer to do a fair
that is organized, professional, and consistant and clear in their
policies.
>
> What kind of set-up area do you need, and what information do you need
> in
> advance to plan your booth?
Since you are gathering info for a one weekend event, I'm assuming that
the booths will be tents of some sort (instead of buildings). I have
done both art fairs and Renaissance fairs. It is pretty standard with
art fairs to offer a 10 x 10 space. Ren faires seem to be all over the
board. If you want vendors to have a "period" style booth, please do
not limit their space to 10 x 10 unless you want decorated pop-ups. I
didn't apply to one new faire last year because I would have had to pay
a double booth fee for my 12 x 16 pavilion. It didn't seem worth it for
a new faire.
>
> What kind of jurying process makes you happiest and why?
1. Clear expections.
I did an art fair last year that touted itself as a "fine art and fine
craft" show and ended up next to a woman who was selling outfits for
those concrete geese people put on their stoops. I had all originals
with me (no prints). I may have been able to move some prints but the
originals didn't have a chance at this show. I have nothing against
people who sell schmaltzy doo-dads but it is an absurd waste of time for
me to try to sell original art work next to them. Same goes for
buy/sell vendors. Don't say you want everything to be hand made and
then allow importers in. If you allow buy/sell--make it clear. A
vendor needs to know if the show will suit them and what types of
merchandise they can possibly sell.
2. Deadlines for applying _and_ for notification of acceptance/rejection
that are kept. A relatively speedy notification process is also
appreciated. People want to nail down their show schedules as soon as
possible!
3. Don't ask for booth fees with the application. I hate this. If I
don't get into a show, they still have my money tied up for a while.
This is just wrong.
>
> How do you feel about you or other vendors being allowed to move if
> you/they
> hate your spot for whatever reason?
I suppose this depends on the fair and the site. Sometimes flexibility
is necessary but you don't want mayham.
>
> What kind of assistance or advice do you need from the craft coordinator
> during the run of the faire?
I appreciate it when they identify themselves and make themselves
available. Any number of things can happen during a show, especially a
new one. Knowledgeable people should be around to deal with whatever
comes up.
>
> Thank you so much if you are able to take the time to respond to even a
> couple of these questions! You can post (I check pretty often) or email
> me
> at devi...@gte.net
>
> Thank you,
> Allison Williams
--
Laura K.
Yarak
http://www.mcs.net/~yarak
fix the addy to reply
Chas
> I am doing research for a company that is exploring the possibility of
> putting up a small, one-weekend faire next year. As I collected contact
> information last week at FlaRF, I heard from a lot of crafters that they
> had
> needs from the craft coordinator that not all faires were able to meet.
> (Not necessarily at FLaRF, just in general).
>
> What makes you happy as a crafter?
-We avoid events that ask for a per centage of our sales as part of the fee.
-Are there booth discounts for formal craft demos?
-Participants and management who understand a good faire is built on 3 equal
legs:
*Good entertaiment, *Good crafts *good food.
-Good communications between event organizers (At a rainy event an offical
told us we -could- drive on site to pack up in spite of the mud, and someone
later told us to remove our vehicle after we started packing it.)
>
> What kind of set-up area do you need, and what information do you need
> in
> advance to plan your booth?
-At "soft" events we use a 11' X 17' sales tent. And when possible, we sleep
on-site in a couple 8'X 12' wedge tents behind it. -So we need to know if
sleeping on site is a problem.
-What kind of security is on site after hours if we cannot sleep onsite?
-Any food available onsite after hours, or will I have to go to town, or cook
for myself in the evening?
>
> What kind of jurying process makes you happiest and why?
-I'll second the "prompt response" comments, or a least a clear message that
if I do not hear something by a certain date I can assume we're out of luck.
-If we pass jury but find we have a conflict the first year does our approval
still stand for a year, or two (assuming there is still space available)
without jurying again?
-Do any events jury based on web site info? It would be nice not to have to
copy photos/slides if my primary wares are all viewable online.
-Honesty about reasons for rejection (Is there something wrong about what I
sell or is that there are already 42 booths doing the same thing?)
>
> How do you feel about you or other vendors being allowed to move if
> you/they
> hate your spot for whatever reason?
-Some flexibility is nice -but I normally would not expect to be able to move
during the run unless there's lots of space available, or I'm being flooded out.
>
> What kind of assistance or advice do you need from the craft coordinator
> during the run of the faire?
-Many of the one-weekend blackpowder rendezvous we attend have a short "camp
meeting" to share information Saturday night, or Sunday morning on weather, or
changes in break-down plans etc. Every camp/booth/group is asked to send a
person to attend, This might be helpful at some faires to avoid some of the
rumors and word-of-mouth announcements that get passed around.
How about an on-going thread on other Misc. things that are good to know from events?:
-Are there any local city/cty. sales taxes required on top of state sales tax?
-Do you need a certificate of liability insurance from my agent?
-Does event provide firewood, water or ice for coolers? (We also do fur-trade
era events that usually means no restaurants nearby and cooking onsite over an
open fire)
Chas
--
MacGregor Games
Purveyors of historic pastimes to re-enactors around the world
http://www.historicgames.com
idone_d...@my-deja.com
point that is currently driving my mother out of her mind.... if
someone calls for an application, either *send* them one or tell them
that you are *not* going to send them one, for whatever bizarre
reason. There are several faires my parents have called numerous times
about getting an app - and still don't have one, even though they say
they'll send one.
Also - a *huge* second to Laura's comment about requiring payment with
the application. This often makes for an enormous amount of money
spread all over the place at a time of year when business is slowest.
You never know which checks will be cashed and which won't. Makes
bookkeeping a little tricky.
And another thing - Laura mentioned it - but I need to take it step
further with a little rant and a serious question: Is it common for a
faire to not notify a vendor if they are not approved? My mom is at
her wits end over it. You know - it's happened to her several times,
but I can't believe it is standard practice. It just seems like common
courtesy if a vendor goes to the trouble of being juried (and in many
cases sending payment with the app) - you'd think a faire could just
drop them a note or return their call to say they didn't make it.
The "why" would be nice too, but she could probably live without it if
it meant getting notified right away that she was not selected. At
least then she could expeditiously move on to something else. I just
think it's really rude to keep a vendor in limbo weeeeellllll after
your jury process deadline. I asked her last night which faires she
was doing, and the woman just about cried out of frustration. Perhaps
she's not as savvy at this process or as established at her "sure
thing" faires because this is only her second season, but seriously.
What's up with this?
Okay. I'm done. Any pearls of wisdom would be appreciated.
Thanks for the ear.
Idone de Clare
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Kirby
>
> Laura and Chas make many excellent points - but I have one to add - a
> point that is currently driving my mother out of her mind.... if
> someone calls for an application, either *send* them one or tell them
> that you are *not* going to send them one, for whatever bizarre
> reason. There are several faires my parents have called numerous times
> about getting an app - and still don't have one, even though they say
> they'll send one.
I have gone through this myself with some smaller faires. I have come
to the conclusion that if the organizers can't even get applications
out, I have to seriously question their ability to run a faire in an
organized, professional manner. Then I have to ask myself just how much
I want to do a faire under those circumstances.
>
> Also - a *huge* second to Laura's comment about requiring payment with
> the application. This often makes for an enormous amount of money
> spread all over the place at a time of year when business is slowest.
> You never know which checks will be cashed and which won't. Makes
> bookkeeping a little tricky.
amen.
>
> And another thing - Laura mentioned it - but I need to take it step
> further with a little rant and a serious question: Is it common for a
> faire to not notify a vendor if they are not approved? My mom is at
> her wits end over it. You know - it's happened to her several times,
> but I can't believe it is standard practice. It just seems like common
> courtesy if a vendor goes to the trouble of being juried (and in many
> cases sending payment with the app) - you'd think a faire could just
> drop them a note or return their call to say they didn't make it.
> The "why" would be nice too, but she could probably live without it if
> it meant getting notified right away that she was not selected. At
> least then she could expeditiously move on to something else. I just
> think it's really rude to keep a vendor in limbo weeeeellllll after
> your jury process deadline. I asked her last night which faires she
> was doing, and the woman just about cried out of frustration. Perhaps
> she's not as savvy at this process or as established at her "sure
> thing" faires because this is only her second season, but seriously.
> What's up with this?
>
Again, I think practices such as this reflect poorly on the organizers.
If this is the level of professionalism you can expect from a company,
do you really _want_ to do business with them? I don't think I would.
I have not run into this particular problem but I think if I did, I
would just start making phone calls after a reasonable amount of time.