A few weekends ago I had a booth at the Cheraw Spring Festival “Spring Arts and Craft Show and Celebration”. It was my first time exhibiting at this show, although since it is the big festival in our town, I have certainly attended many times before!
I never thought this was “my” audience, but the organizers (our town recreation department) asked me to show this year, and I decided to give it a try.
When I do show reports folks ask me to give them a “feel” for the show, so I’m going to try to transport you to Cheraw, SC “The Prettiest Little Town in Dixie”. Cheraw is in Chesterfield County, adjacent to the NC state line. The town has a population of under 6,000, and the county has about 43,000. Cheraw is the biggest town in the county. Most of the county is state or federal forest land, with the majority of the remainder being farming land. Most of the industry the county use to have participated in that “great sucking sound” and went south to Mexico, or overseas to China, in the last 20 years.
The Festival takes place all around and outside of town, and included a tea and book sale, a Black Heritage Jubilation, a Ham and Grits Supper and Breakfast at the Masonic Lodge, a Canoe Float at the Cheraw State Park, a Children’s Fair and Wagon Ridges, a Centennial Park Fair, a Fire Safety Exhibit, Trolley Car rides, Antique Fire Truck Parade, a Fine Arts Show, a Duck Regatta, Down by the Riverside Living History Expo (reenactment of the 26th SC Volunteers from the Confederate Army), Civil War Lantern Tours, a Confederate Church Service, and the Spring Arts and Craft Show and Celebration.
The rec dept description of the SACSC is: “From the festival’s center stage come fabulous live performances by local bands, gymnasts and dance students. Magic shows, juggling and clown acts round out the fun.
Browse or buy as over 100 crafters and artists display their wonderful wares and demonstrate their art. This is one of the best craft shows in the Pee Dee (our geographic area), so you’ll be sure to find great buys.
The front entertainment lawn is also the site for exhibits, strolling clowns, costumed characters and children’s activities.
Add delicious Greek foods, barbeque, drinks, baked goodies, ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, hot popcorn, and funnel cakes and you have the perfect way to spend the day!”
So the scene is set – a small, rural, old Southern town in the US, with its annual town-wide festival, that draws a huge crowd from the surrounding area and into NC. The craft show is held in the old National Guard Armory, which is now home to the Recreation Department and the Arts Commission, and includes the huge gym space where the craft show is held, and a small gallery that houses the Fine Arts Show.
Walk into the craft show, and you discover that the definition of “arts and crafts” is quite flexible here! To your right is a large booth hosted by a local framing shop, with a collection of art prints. To your right is a booth by a local outdoor clothing store, with t-shirts, cups and mugs, etc. promoting local sports teams (high school). In front is a large booth by a local general and tobacco store, including an old timey drink machine dispensing Cokes in glass bottles, and selling college sports afghans, coolers, etc.
I didn’t get a chance to really see all the show, but what I did see included a face painter, a caricature artists, a man who made moving airplanes for your yard out of soda cans, a mother-daughter team who made really cool pet day beds (www.furbabybedsbypb.vpweb.com) – and yes, they made the wooden beds and the covers all themselves! There was a painter who specializes in lighthouses. Next to me was another Cotton Trail artist, Cheryl Postlewait, who did painting demonstrations thoughout the festival that drew huge crowds (although not as big as the face painter, whose line stopped traffic entirely on Saturday!). Sort of across from me was a lady who paints large glass vases with floral motifs, and then stuffs them with tiny Christmas lights. There were at least two booth specilizing in hair ribbons and such for girls. There were two folks with soap and bath products, at least one of them handmade. One booth had refinished old wood furniture and boxes and such. A local Hospice group had a booth. One booth had imported jewelry. Two booths had strung jewelry that they did themselves. And then there was me….
So perhaps you see why I did not think this was my market?
And boy, was I wrong! I am SO glad I went on and did this show! It was the best show I’ve had in ages in terms of sales, and VERY interestingly, the strong sellers were my mid to high-end pieces, not the low end pieces. I think the reason is the other jewelry booths. They all had strung or imported items, and generally did not have genuine pearls or genuine stones.
I do some stringing, but usually to make a necklace to go with a stone I have set. All my pearl necklaces are hand knotted on silk, with genuine pearls. Every piece is tagged with what it is – which folks love! I can tell them about the stones or pearls, and I do custom work and repairs (took in several repairs, and got several custom orders at the show!).
So what I had that was different was set stones; I used genuine pearls and gemstones; I use sterling silver and gold, gold-filled, copper and brass. I make most of my own settings and findings. I form the metal myself. Quite different from the other jewelry booths – and while it meant some folks flew past, it meant others came back and brought friends back around with them.
It was quite interesting, and a big surprise to me! I am encouraged to broaden where I look for shows based on this, and see if the pattern will hold in other places.
In addition, two ladies from a neighboring town came by and invited me to participate in an invitation-only show they were having, so that was a great contact from the Cheraw show.
All in all a great experience, and I will definitely do the show again next year. I bought a mini-bench from Rio this year, and next year will get a double booth and set up my mini-bench and do some demonstrations (no torch! grin).
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Love the mini bench! It is genuinely usable, and yet very portable. I bought a sturdy office stand to put it on in the studio. Will just use one of my 2×4 adjustable tables that I take to shows when traveling with it.
Good for you Beth! Great show! I’m so glad for you – and jealous of your mini-bench! j
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