Show Reports- June

A-kon
Wow!  We were thrilled with how well A-kon went.  We definitely weren't as prepared as we should have been.  We spent every night in the hotel working on more dolls, so by the end of the con, we were zombies.  But it was worth it!  This was our best convention ever, and was about $20 away from being our best show of all time.












Chatty Crafty
A wonderfully organized show with a bevy of incredible vendors.  There were a ton of people we knew, so it was great to see familiar faces and meet new people.  The weather was iffy all weekend, which I think kept people away.  It wasn't as crowded as it should have been.  We also unfortunately had to break down early on Sunday due to a massive storm coming through.  Breaking down in a thunderstorm = no fun.  :(

New shows and exciting news!

We just added 5 new shows to our events page, so go check them out.  We're trying to fill up our fall/winter schedule.  Also waiting to hear back from a few more juried shows, so we will post those when we find out. 

Joe is scheduled to be in two upcoming gallery shows:  one is a group show at Triple 7 Studios in Chattanooga, TN in August.  The other will be his first solo show!  It will be held through the month of October at S&S Art Gallery here in Columbia, SC.  Both shows will feature new paintings.

So, as some of you might know, we've been trying to pull together a storybook of our characters for quite some time.  Well, we finally buckled down, and the book is very close to being done.  It will feature 20 stories, all illustrated, as well as adding in some new characters!  We are so thrilled about this project and expect to have it ready to sell by the beginning of October.

Here's a sneak peek at an illustration of a new character:

Show reports- May

Here are the show reports for the shows we did in May

Art-B-Que
A smaller, funkier art festival in Avondale Estates, GA.  A lot of the same artists that did Inman Park were here.  Great vibe, good art and music, good barbeque, but not much profit.  Oh well.  We made some friends, but we're not sure if we'll be back next year. 

FinsterFest
Named for Rev. Howard Finster, the folk artist, and held on his estate in Summerville, GA.  Never heard of it?  Yeah, we're not surprised.  It's a very small town with not much in it.  Paradise Gardens (Finster's home) is incredible if you're into art.  He basically transformed everything he could into a work of art.
The show started really really slow.  The first day we were set up way in the back, with barely any traffic.  The second day, however, they let us move our tent over to the front side, which helped us out a lot.  It ended up being a decent show overall, but we probably won't return next year.
Best thing about the show:  Thee Inner Cirkus performed!  Check out a video I took here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q33rkXcV-8

Who-Fest
Was waaaaayyy too hot.  We were miserable throughout the show, and I think the heat kept people away, because there was very little traffic.  After having a good experience at this show last year, we were disappointed in it this year.

Abbreviated show reports- April

It's been hard for us to keep up these long show reports since we're constantly doing shows.  Not to mention I don't know if they're actually useful to anyone.  So I'm just going to start doing abbreviated show reports at the end of each month, and if anyone wants any more info on a show, just send us a message.

Here's the rest of our shows from April:

Crafty Feast at Indie Grits
Wow.  This was our best 1 day show to date.  Amazing considering that the weather was awful all day.  If it wasn't pouring down raining, the wind was blowing over our tent and merchandise.  But a huge crowd came out, and I think a lot of it had to do with the film festival.  I really hope Crafty Feast continues to be held alongside Indie Grits.



The Handmade Market
Has been a great show both times we've gone, and we hope to continue going back.  There is always a crowd, and always a great mix of artists.  It's indoors, so no weather worries.  A pretty good one day show.  I think the traffic is slightly higher for the holiday show, but we made about the same both times.  The Handmaidens are so helpful and always around if you need anything.
Best thing about this show:  they give out free tote bags to attendees and encourage them to fill them up!  This really promotes buying.
Worst thing: the tables are super cramped!  I think we are just used to having our big spacious tent.  Next time we are going to try to get a booth space instead of a table. 

Inman Park Festival

Holy crap, this show was awesome.  Our best show ever, profit wise.  Not neccesarily our favorite show (lots of resellers, street festival feel instead of indie arts and crafts) but we will certainly come back.  The festival is overwhelmingly huge, with a juried and non juried section.  Hint:  don't bother trying to get into the juried section unless you're very experienced.  (we got that hint before we went.  Thanks, Brooke!)
It's the same price, and I can't imagine that the juried section got much more traffic.