Retail Craft Shows in New Jersey

[koolkale]

I am trying to get some information on retail shows in the North Jersey area.  I live in central/southern New Jersey and have concentrated on doing shows in this area.

I am hearing good things about the Rose Squared Productions shows.  Specifically, I have heard Anderson Park and Morristown Armory are very good shows.

Overall, I do well at Fine Arts and Crafts shows.   My best client is upscale, female between the ages of 30-60.

(My best shows in this area are Haddonfield/Stone Harbor/Long Beach Island.)

Any feedback would be appreciated.

koolkale

Well, what's your media?  Is it contemporary or traditional?  Janet and Howard Rose are excellent show promoters and they produce a total of 6 events.  Some are better for traditional work while others are better for contemporary.

The Armory shows are not Rose Squared productions.  The October show is produced by the Rotary and is extremely difficult to get into.  The spring and holiday shows are produced by ArtRider and are moderatly difficult to into.  Again, your media and type of work are big factors.

I've done all the shows mentioned in your post and have dropped all of them for various reasons.  What, specifically, are you looking for?

[koolkale]

Hi Anne,

Thank you for your reply.  My media is beaded jewelry.  I work with only high-end gemstones and pearls.  I do a lot of twisted wirework.  I would say that my work is a combination of traditional and contemporary.  Some pieces are classic, while others are more contemporary.  I would say that most of work has a delicate feel to it vs. large and bulky. (YOu can view my work via my website...robinkale.com)

I have a rep and do a lot of wholesale.  Most of my customers are gallery owners and/or high-end boutiques.

I guess what I'm looking for is to do 6-10 good shows a year in addition to my wholesale.  I 'm not into doing a different show every weekend and traveling far distances.  A good show for me is 6-10x the booth fee.  Pretty hard these days to find shows like that, but I'm trying.

I know that the jewelry category is so difficult and competitive, but most of the time I can hold my own.  You never know how a jury will respond.

After all the above, any recommendations for either Rose Squared, Artrider and/or the Rotary?

Thank you.  Robin

Robin,

OK, now I can give you some information.

You won't qualify for the Rose Squared shows.  They only allow beaded jewelry if you're MAKING the beads.  However it's worth giving them a call (or an email inquiry) to see if they're interested in taking a look at what you do since a lot of old-time "regular" exhibitors are leaving the ranks and they seem to be making some changes to the shows.  The fall shows tend have higher sales than the spring ones with Brookdale and Anderson Park being my 2 best.  Personally I like Anderson but sales have been about the same at both shows.  

I suspect that you won't qualify for the ArtRider shows either, but in truth, I haven't spent much time looking at the jewelry at these shows (I'm a potter so jewelry doesn't hold much interest for me).  They're much more expensive because they're indoors.  Quality is high at these shows so I'm thinking that, once again, she limits beaders to those who make their own beads.  There is a show in the first weekend in December at the Armory.  You could come talk with Stacy or her staff.  They've also got a website and are EXTREMELY helpful when making an inquiry.  (As are Howard and Janet Rose).

The only other North Jersey show I've done is Peter's Valley.  Don't know if you'd qualify or not.  I skipped this show last year (it fell on Yom Kippur) and I knew sales would be way off.

I suspect the Sugarloaf shows allow beaders but you'll have to travel for these.  I don't do them but those who do swear they are the greatest.

Anne

[koolkale]

Thanks  Anne.

You have been very helpful.  I will contact both Rose Squared and Artrider.  I have nothing to lose.  They can look at my website to see my work and determine whether I qualify for any of their shows.

I would be interested in some of the Sugarloaf shows, but I've heard that you need to apply for several at one time and distance limits me.  I do have close friends who live in Maryland and I know I could stay with them.  I will take a look at their shows and see which ones I would possibly consider.

Have a happy holiday.

Robin

[SUZKNITS]

I wouldn't give up entirely on Sugarloaf if you're only interested in doing their NJ shows. Although it's not the norm, I do know of quality work that gets accepted to just a select few of their shows. My advice is to send a quick note w/ your application to indicate the reason you can't travel much.

I was up front about this issue this year with my application. I said I knew that they give preference to artists who do several/most of their shows, but that because my work was seasonal, this shouldn't be held against me for the two Spring shows I wanted to do w/ them. I also stated that family demands still prevented me from doing their far-flung (for me) shows in the midwest. I was very polite and professional, and it worked.

The key here is to remember that whatever you can to do to "personalize" your application seems to help, because they're such a huge operation with several shows, and many that are HUGE. It's no guarantee, but it's worth a try.

FYI.. Their spring '05 NJ show will stay in Somerset, but their fall one will be moving to Secaucus. I haven't heard the reason, however. If you do want to do the Somerset show, definitely see if you can be placed in the newly added lobby spaces, if in fact they'll be using that space again for the spring show. They're carpeted and much better lit. I was there and had a fantastic show because customers saw me coming and going! It was a one-time thing, though, because I won't do that show in the spring. Oh, well...

Hth,

Suz