Art Fire of Michigan Guild: artfire

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Friday Finds - Wine and Harvest Festival - Paw, Paw Michigan

Today's Friday Find come from Lois of LoisUniqueCustomKreations. Thank you for the suggestion! I want to try to cover as much of the state of Michigan as I can for the guild, so I hope all of you will continue to give me more great suggestions for shows and venues that I can feature in upcoming Friday Finds.

This weeks find is the Wine and Harvest Festival in Paw Paw, Michigan. The festival bills itself as"Something for Everyone!" Held September 7,8, and 9th, 2012 this southwest Michigan show does have something for everyone. Children's activities, Wine tours, car show, a juried craft show, and much more. The craft show rules seem to indicate they run a pretty strictly enforced "hand made only" show. That's always a sign of a good show for me. This is an outdoor show-so you need to come prepared for rain or shine. This year will be the 34th year for this craft show, another indication that maybe you should put this one on your show list. If you need more information about the craft show, just go to the Wine and Harvest Festival Website.

Outdoor Tents for Craft Shows-Which one to Choose?

If you are interested in doing outdoor shows, one of your first considerations is how to keep your items covered. Most shows require some sort of a tent or canopy. I've been looking at several different tents for myself, so let me share with you some things I've found to help you make your choice.

Color

My suggestion is ALWAYS go for a white tent. Plain white, no stripes, not a blue or green or tan canopy, white, just plain white. Why? Many shows require only a white tent. This doesn't mean you can have color-just accessorize! Also, a white tent will be cooler on hot sunny days, and your products will show with a much truer color if you have a white tent.

Size

If you're just starting out, I suggest a standard 10 ft by 10ft tent. It's the normal size for most shows-If you have a little extra room, you can always move some of you displays to fill the area, or to keep extra stock and supplies in the back of the area.

Budget

Budget is a concern for just about just about everyone when thry first start looking at outdoor show tents. You can try to find a used tent on Craigslist, or perhaps a local classified ad or craft guild. I've heard of people renting a tent. This might be a good way to test out a tent you are interested in, or to see if outdoors shows are something you really are interested in. Give a few of your local rental places a call. Often their price includes set-up, so it might be a good investment if you're only going to do one or two outdoor shows. What should you expect to pay for a tent? Show tents range in price and quality, from less that $100 to well into the $1000 range. So what do you get in the different price ranges? Here are some suggestions:

Under $100

10x10 Canopy by Biscayne

Giga Tent from Walmart 10x10

I found these two canopies for under $100. The 10x10 Canopy from Biscayne is available on Amazon. For $44.95 if you just want to test the outdoor sales market it's not much to pay. Of course, you don't get any sidewalls, to protect your items. I think at 13 lbs.it just wouldn't be sturdy enough for me. The Giga tent from Walmart is priced at $70.00 and is also available in white. So if you're really in a pinch these might be an option. Don't expect them to last for more than a season or two, and you'll have to be pretty careful with them. In my opinion, they're not worth the trouble. Save up and buy something a bit better. You will regret not having a sturdier canopy in the long run. You don't want these canopies getting blown around in the wind, and it would be terrible if a customer leaned against a corner pole and bent it!( And you know it will happen!) If you have used any of these style of canopies please share your experiences with us. What ever style of tent you chose, be sure to practice setting it up and taking it down before you take it to a show.

Next week I'll look at mid priced canopies from $100 to $500-There's a lot more choices available in this price range.

If you would like more information on the Artfire of Michigan Guild please check out our guild home page. We'd love to have you join us!

Until next week,
Have a wonderful week!
Felicia
FishPrincessDesigns

Friday, December 30, 2011

Friday Finds -Leon And Lulu's - Clawson, Michigan

What is "Friday Finds?"

"Hello" and welcome to the Art Fire of Michigan Guild Blog. I'm Felicia from FishPrincessDesigns and every Friday I'm going to be sharing some great artisan markets and venues for crafters across the State of Michigan. From boutiques to farmers markets and everything in between, I hope to share with you some of the varied and unique venues that you might want to check out to sell your items.

Michigan has a treasure trove of "undiscovered" places to find and market your handmade items. I hope you will share some of your favorite places with me. I'd love to be able to feature more shows and markets!

This Friday I wanted to start with a wonderful shop in Clawson, MI called Leon and Lulu's. You can't go wrong with a store whose motto is "live well. laugh much. shop often." Leon & Lulu is metropolitan Detroit’s own award winning lifestyle store, selling well-designed furniture, fun accessories and unique gifts in a friendly and fun atmosphere. Located in the historic Ambassador Roller Rink, you will find a shopping experience unlike any other. Leon & Lulu is serious about good design, fabulous service and great pricing, but it has a sense of humor about everything else. If you're looking for some great gifts, or a new dining table-you can find just about everything here!

But it's a lot more than just a retail store. The owners of Leon and Lulu's have made a commitment to both the Artisan and charitable communities. In fact, of the 64 special events they hosted in their store last year, 51 of them helped local charities! The special connection for me to the store is that twice a year-in the spring and fall they host Special Artists' Market Days! The Next Artists' Market Days will take place on Sunday, March 4, 2012 and Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Leon & Lulu is delighted to celebrate local artists' work with our Artists' Market. There is no admission fee to attend or exhibit. For those Artisans who are fortunate to be selected to sell in this event, you can can expect to give Leon and Lulu's a gallery fee for the items you sell, similar to any professional gallery. While some artists from the previous Market will return, more than half the exhibitors will be new to the Market to ensure that the greatest possible number of artists can participate for the first time.

FishPrincessDesigns at Leon and Lulu's Artists' Market

For those of you who have always desired to sell your items in a retail setting, this might be a great venue to try. You can feel like a real "professional" in this gallery setting, without a long term or time commitment.

I'm going to explore a variety of venues and areas of the state. If you are a ArtFire of Michigan Guild member, and have a special venue you would like to see featured, please use this link to contact me in the guild forum. If you are not a Guild member and would like more information about the Artfire of Michigan Guild please visit us at our home page. i hope you enjoy my new feature, and come back every Friday to see what new I have found!