Hi again! Back from Montreal and happy to have some time to catch up on my blog and tackle some office work (my desk is full of papers that need filing!). How did the show go you ask? Well.. it got a fat zero from me I hate to report. And once again, I find myself examining my impulses to attend these affairs.  Grumble grumble…..

Here I am in my booth on St. Catherine Street, Montreal. (I was smiling for the camera, though not terribly thrilled with my results at the show)

I sold two bags, a coffee warmer, a wallet and a cosmetic bag. Abysmal, but I should have known better.  This festival was primarily focused on paintings, with photography and some sculpture mixed in, and about 5 artisan vendors out of 200.  I knew this, and I didn’t think it was ideal, but I signed up anyway. Passers-by were kind of out for a stroll in their neighbourhood and not exactly shopping for tote bags, if you get what I mean.  Some people were put off by my prices as well, and even huffed when they found the price tag. At $95 a-piece, the bags were often just out of affordable range.. “ooooo, not something I can afford, but they are lovely”.   After two days of that kind of reaction, I became a little annoyed with myself for having jumped in to attend this event.   It became quite apparent that this was not my target audience.

Since I don’t have a whole lot of experience in the domain of gift shows, it’s a bit like hedging bets at this stage of the game, but could I have prevented this misguided choice?  I think so.   I had a gut feeling when I first read about the show and thought it was not ideally suited for my products. It was an art show after all.  When I was set up on the street, it was as though my collection of bags were on display in a coffee shop. i.e. most people were buying coffee, and though pleasantly tickled to discover my pretty bags, not in the mindset to buy.   Quite a few passersby were picking up my business card, so who knows, some might end up browsing my etsy shop in the next while.

I hedged my bets when I signed up. I worked so hard to build up an inventory for a four-day show. And in the end, I don’t think it was worth the trouble.
Both Thursday and Friday were quiet during the day as I watched people running errands; doing a grocery shop; stopping into the pharmacy. The evenings also turned into somewhat distressing experiences once the sun set given the number of drunk and wired-out homeless people wondering our block. Some were shouting and weaving in and out of booths, laying on the sidewalks until they were moved along by the police, and not soon enough for my liking. This did nothing but detract from what I think was meant to be an up-scale shopping ambiance.  By the time Saturday rolled around, I had made up my mind that I was leaving the show that night. And though traffic was getting heavier as the day progressed, it was just more of the same for me. I took yet another gamble to pass up on the increased flow of pedestrians, and the very remote possibility of a few more sales Saturday night and Sunday. I was packed up by 6:30 and heading home.  I am not proud of having skipped out early. I don’t normally get so impatient nor irritated. I just decided that I should listen to my gut this time and pass up on the last day instead of sitting there regretting my mistake and wasting time.

Of course there is always a silver lining. I did meet some terrific people. My neighbour / artist was most interesting. We chatted often about her previous enterprise as a production artist in ceramics. She offered me many insights into the gift show and wholesale circuit and we plan to stay in touch.  I met a wonderful portraiture artist from Philadelphia. She and her daughter came round each day to say hi and sit with me for a while. They were accompanying her husband who was exhibiting at the show. We plan to reconnect as well.  I also had the chance to stay with a very old friend whom I had not seen in years. She was a big help tearing down every night and delivering meals (and sitting in for my pee breaks!)  Plus, my lovely sisters dropped by to visit with their kids and deliver lunch on Friday, which was great fun for me and much appreciated.

I can’t say I regret the the experience. Heck, I now have a full and lovely inventory of bags for the summer! It’s just that I have to listen to my gut more often. A bit like what Malcolm Gladwell proposes in his book “Blink”, combined with a bit of rational thinking and doing more research as proposed by Michael LeGault in his book “Think”.  I am already committed to two shows between now and December. One of them I am confident will be more of a success, but the jury is out on the second one.   More research required before I sign up to another show, and am happy to get back on track with my quest to sell to boutiques!      Until next time,   Anne

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