9.21.2010

Art Fest #2 :: guess what happened...



It rained!!!



So that makes it 2 for 2.  I hope this isn't going to be a consistent trend for me.  At least this art fest was a 3-day show and it didn't rain the entire time--just half the day Saturday.  And Sunday was gorgeous. Here are a couple of booth shots.  This time, my booth looked much more cohesive and put together than the first time.  And you better believe I had lighting!  No browsing in the dark this time.  :)



Unlike my first show, I had plenty of product pics this time, for which I received great feedback.  People thought it was really helpful to be able to see the different ways pieces could be worn.  And rather than being in separate boxes, lying flat on the table, my signature pieces were front and center, hanging from pretty frames, which made a HUGE difference.


At the start of day 2.  You'd think it would be nice and sunny all day, but nope.




I got such great feedback about my jewelry, especially my Wrap and Thread necklaces and these chain and wire wrapped pendant necklaces!  It really made my weekend to hear what people had to say about my work.  I heard the words "unique" and "unusual" frequently.  I've never really thought of my work as "unusual" but I guess it's because I look at it every day.


All in all, it was a successful weekend despite the rain and sparse turn-out.  Thank you to those who stopped by my booth!  The face to face contact with customers is really nice and that's something that is missing when you sell online.  Maybe some day I'll have a real boutique!  Now it's time to restock several pieces and gear up for the next show, happening in less than 2 weeks!  Please keep your fingers crossed that it won't rain for the 3rd time.  If you're in the Lee's Summit area, stop by and say hi!

11 comments:

Sydney said...

Was this from Renegade in Chicago? If so, I was so disappointed to be out of town that weekend, I really wanted to go.

Ngan {eNVe Designs} said...

Hi Sydney! No, this wasn't Renegade. I WISH! hahah.. it was a local show in KC (the Zona Rosa Art Fest). Maybe I'll do Renegade when I have a few more under my belt. To me, that's one for the seasoned artisans. Nicole posted some awesome photos of her trip to Renegade in Chicago. You should check them out on her blog if you haven't already! :D

http://lillyella.blogspot.com/2010/09/renegade-recap.html

You will be the first to know if I ever show at Renegade Chicago! :)

Ashley said...

Looking good! Funny, I was a bit underwhelmed by Renegade. It was great and well organized, but . . . I'm not sure what I was expecting, fireworks? ;) There were tons of people, amazing things to look at and buy, there was a DJ and even a local "marching band" of misfits (who could really play) walking around.

Did you see my other comment that I saw Nicole? I considered accosting her, I even tried looking up your blog on my phone to shove in her face but I didn't want to alarm the poor girl.

Ooh, at least one of the shops that is part of my Etsy street team was there, right at one of the entrances! That was really cool to see.

Ashley said...

OMG! The very first photo on Nicole's re-cap - the coffee cups - that's the shop I'm on the same Etsy team with! Circa Ceramics!

Ashley said...

Um, so are the people she is all BFFs with in her story, cookoorikoo and pixel party. I'm all, "I know that guy! I know that guy! I helped him test the blogging feature on our street team website!"

Ok, I'll stop commenting now. :)

Ngan {eNVe Designs} said...

Ashley, you crack me up! I'm sure she wouldn't have thought you were THAT strange. :P I bet she gets it all the time, given how many people follow her blog.

Well it seems like all the really successful sellers do Renegade and to me that seems kinda intimidating. Maybe the one in Chicago isn't as big and overwhelming as I believe the one in San Francisco is. How many booths were there, do you know?

Ashley said...

See, I was thinking Renegade Chicago would be the biggest since it started in Chicago. I'm not sure how many booths. Imagine a whole bunch of people are holding hands, stretched out in a long line, like the red rover game. Right behind them is another line of people holding hands, and the 2 lines have their backs to each other. Now turn those people into booths and that's the layout. It was a loooooooooooooooooong line of 2 booths back-to-back. It spanned several long city blocks. Kind of like the block party at Riverfest, remember? The booths were in the center of the street and foot traffic was between the booths & the curbs. Then there were small tables on the sidewalks and the stores along the street were open for business. It's held in the trendy, indie, boutique shopping area of Wicker Park.

I think maybe the reason it didn't blow me away was that it didn't seem insurmountable. I mean, the quality of the things being sold was super high so obviously someone who hasn't put a lot of work into their product isn't going to get a space, but you? You could TOTALLY have a space there. I saw a shop or two that made me think, really? You know you're at Renegade, right? STEP UP YOUR GAME.

I've considered applying for the Chicago Winter Renegade, but the fee is $250! That's pretty high for me, even though I bet I'd sell lots of stuff. It's indoors, if you applied & got in I would put you up on our futon and drive you there and be your partner in crime so you can take bathroom breaks and stuff. :)

http://www.renegadecraft.com/holiday-chicago

They're taking applications through October 15th!

polka-dotter said...

looks great, wish I could've gone! ;D

S. (makimonster)

Waterrose said...

looks like a fun show and your booth is lovely. So are those necklaces....they are unique!

Ngan {eNVe Designs} said...

Thank you so much, Rose!

And thanks, S! Wish you could've gone too. :)

Ashley, we should totally do a booth together! We'd have a blast just hanging out all day. :D I think you should go for the next show. Maybe I'll do one there next year. I know they have one at that centennial park in naperville... maybe we could do that one together!

June Shin said...

Ngan, you booth looks AMAZING!!! It looks like you're a seasoned festival vendor!

I was just reading the comments, and I did Renegade Chicago this year. It was fun, and I met so many people, including the famous Berkleys of Berkely Illustration! But I hear the one to do is Crafty Bastards in DC. Anyway, hope you're well!