Review of Mt. Gretna Outdoor Art Show

Hi there!  I realize I'm a day late with this post (my apologies) and I really don't have a good excuse!  I just didn't have a chance to get around to posting yesterday.  These types of posts tend to be long-winded, so I wanted to make sure I had the time to sit and compose!

Let's dive right in...

This past weekend I had an art show in Mt. Gretna, PA-- a lovely little town nestled in the woods around the rolling farm lands of Pennsylvania.  The event was amazing.  I loved it!  Steve loved it!  It was an all-around great experience. 

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Friday

Steve and I arrived early Friday afternoon and it took us no time to set up, considering the circumstances.  Setting up was a little tricky since parking close to your booth spot was very limited and pretty much impossible.  We managed to get an okay spot and went right to work. 

Once we finished we headed to our hotel and got ready to go to HERSHEY PARK! 

It was all Steve's idea, and I was totally for it!  We decided to go after 7:30 since ticket prices are cut in half then.  We were so excited!  It was our first amusement park together.  When we got into the park I wanted to ride as many roller coasters as possible in our 2 and a half hour time frame.  We managed to hit 7 out of 10.  Not too bad!  The lines were short and moved quickly.  I really enjoyed the park.  It is nice going somewhere totally new and different!

Okay, so back to the show.

Saturday
The show was running from 9:00 to 6:00.  Steve and I got there early to tidy up and grab some breakfast.  Once the show opened, there were tons of serious shoppers, and I was on my feet talking to people most of the day. 

Booths on the street

Booths located in the woods (close to my spot)

Can you see me!?  I was loving my set up at this show.

I managed to sell 3 small paintings, and I was super excited about it.  It was my best show yet!  The weather was perfect, too.  By the time 5:00 rolled around, I was pretty tired.  Going to the amusement park wiped me out, and I felt like I was running on pure adrenaline most of the day.  Around closing time, I was feeling pretty good and coming up with ideas on how to get better. 

Sunday
Our last day.  The show was open from 9:00 to 5:00.  The audience was different on Sunday.  It was full of browsers.  I didn't see many people walking around with purchases.  It's amazing how a buying crowd can shift within one day!  I didn't sell anything, but I was somewhat okay with that.  I was coming up with ways on improving the appearance of my "shop" and some new painting ideas.  The down time also gave Steve and I some time to walk around and take some pictures of the beautiful location we were in.  Check out some of these gorgeous bungalows that lined the streets along the art show.

I loved how all the homes are nestled amongst the trees, surrounded by green ivy and colorful flowers.  It was like you were in a fairy tale!  House after house was beautiful!

I also managed to snap some shots of the crowd on Sunday.

It was very quiet on Sunday towards the end of the day.  There was a storm rolling in and it was due to hit around 4:00pm.  A big surprise Steve and I got was a visit from his cousins Karyn and Sarah!  They made it to my booth right before the storm hit.  It was so nice to see them!  Karyn and I exchanged art show stories, and she gave me some pointers and tips (always appreciated!). 

Once the sky opened up and it started to storm, all 4 of us were stuck under my booth for about 30 minutes.  Nothing got damaged, thank God.  My tent is pretty awesome. :)  Once the rain slowed down, Karyn and Sarah took off to head back to State College.  Steve got the car and miraculously pulled it very close to the booth spot.  We began to break my booth down at record speed... all while it was raining.  By the time we were finished, we were both soaked.  I didn't care though.  My paintings were safe, and that was all that truly mattered to me. 

***

Now it is time for my rankings! A brief overview of how I do this: I list my important categories and rank them 1 through 10- 1 being the worst to 10 being the best. Please keep in mind this is simply my opinion and I'm trying to sell contemporary paintings.

Location: 6

The ONLY reason I am giving this a 6 is because my booth spot wasn't in such a great location.  The location of the entire show is a 10.

Audience: 7

There was a buying audience present on Saturday.  People who came to the show were expecting to walk out with something.  Sunday was a different story.  I had many browsers coming in and out of my tent, but that was it.  The energy of the crowd was just different.

Sales: 8

I sold 3 paintings, and I feel like once I improve the appearance of my booth, the overall quality of my paintings, and my sales technique, I could sell many paintings at this show in the future.  Other seasoned vendors around me were doing awesome.

Show Organization: 8

The set up of the show was chaos, and there was nothing anyone could have done to make it better.  It is just because of where the show is located.  But the organization of the show itself and the handling the vendors was great.  We all got t-shirts upon arrival!  That makes me really happy! :)  And the food there was spectacular.  A lot of work goes into this show, and you can see it.

Overall: 8

This is a show I would love to do again next year.  I loved the location, I loved the area, and I know once I improve my techniques I will do well there.  Even if you aren't a part of this show, it's a fun one to come and just check out.  You'll eat very well and see a ton of fantastic artwork.

OK!  So... that wasn't too painful, was it? :)  Thanks for reading!  I really do enjoy writing these up.  As a newbie artist, I depend on feedback like this for shows I'm participating in.  I hope it helps a few people out there!

Peacing out,

Nikki