11/24/06 Selling Art
This past weekend was the Blue Coast artists www.bluecoastartists.com annual Thanksgiving weekend open house. This was our 17th annual year.
Each of our individual member studios held an open house with group hours and we were all trying to sell the handcrafted items we - and our consigning artists create.
This year the weather in Michigan was a warm and sunny 55-60 degrees and we had a fabulous turn out of visitors for a holiday weekend! My quick head count was that 200+ visitors attended our three-day event with gross sales of over $700.00. What stood out to me was that the majority of our customers were not buying Christmas gifts. The majority bought a small item, sort of a "curtesy" $5.00 purchase. As the owner of a retail art gallery all the signs I see tell me that the economy is still in trouble in Michigan. We don't see the signs of the "upturn" we read about in the newspaper and hear about on the televison.
In 2005 we had terrible winter weather - cold and snow and according to my records and as a result had less than 90 people who attended. And my records say that sales were pittiful - around $250.00 for three days worth of work, comparied to the $1,700+ the year prior.
Because the weather was so cooperative this year we had the White Oak Blacksmith Forge open for tours. That is a "first" for Thanksgiving as typically no one will walk across the grass in the snow and cold to see the unheated foge. My husband Gene gave tours all weekend.
It was a hectic and very tiring four days. Thanksgiving we spent in the kitchen cooking my husband's "famous" Italian lasagne followed by the the three days open house event. Poor Spirit, our 3 1/2 year old labrador who is our official "gallery greeter" was exhausted and definitely over stimulated by the end of the event!
