Hatch Market 2009 – feedback & review
Posted on May 11, 2009
Filed Under Reviews, Shows | 7 Comments
This weekend was a gamble.
I knew it when I signed up since it was the first-ever Hatch Market in small-town Griffin, GA.
I did it anyway & teamed up with Alicia from Alicia’s Colors to cut costs and carpool.
My Table
One unfortunate thing (of several) was that communication up until the show was lacking. I never got any of the mailings and had to get Alicia to forward when she got them. All the way up until the day before the market, I had NO idea whether or not I needed to bring my tent or tables – and I scoured every inch of the application and all the emails I had been forwarded. So I called one of the organizers and asked. She was helpful, although surprised that I didn’t know what was going on and insisted that the information was in every email. Turned out I didn’t need to bring anything but my product & display stuff which made me super happy.
So on to the day of the show.
Alicia of Alicia's Colors - Glass Art
Alicia and I got there around 8:30 am to set up. The only indication that we were in the right place were the tents and one sign in front of the venue. No signs lined the main drag. No people waving folks in. No indication at all that there was a big event going on. Eep!
Mismatched gigantic candy-stripe and plain white tents were all over the grounds. All the tables were draped with tablecloths and although we were told we’d have signs at our “booths” we didn’t see any, so we had to track down someone to help us locate our space. The space was not 10″x10″ as promised. We barely had 10×4, just the size of the table and definitely not enough space for 2 people. I didn’t realize how much stuff I actually had! Thankfully (?) whoever was to the left of us didn’t show up so we each had a 10 foot table to ourselves.
Detail of part of my booth
The layout of the show really left a lot to be desired. I understand the “first time show organizer” dealie but there are conventions for laying out shows, and having vendors see each others’ asses is NOT a good thing. Not only that, if you promise 10″ x 10″ space, vendors expect 10″ x 10″ and will be a bit pissed if they don’t get it.
There was a lovely garden area off to the side of the venue with a fountain and flowers and such but no signs pointing that there were other vendors in there. Poor folks in the garden area had a great vibe and probably 10 degrees cooler than the rest of us but no customers!
Several folks ended up bringing their tents and setting up wherever they could which also interrupted the non-existent flow. Lots of unhappy vendors the first day and as a result quite a few failed to show up on Sunday.
Although I understand the reason why they refused to show up the second day, I think it’s never a good idea to go back on your end of the bargain – even if the other party failed to live up to your expectations. For me, it’s an integrity issue.
This was a first-year show and although it could have been run a LOT better, it’s not a show without vendors. I also think the organizers could have been a bit more cordial – after all we came from all over expecting to make some money that weekend and if we weren’t there, there would have been no Hatch Market. I know of a few vendors who had some “words” with the organizers and ended up leaving early.
And another shot of my table
Foot traffic was minimal on Saturday because of Prom. I was informed that the high schoolers were planning on being there on Sunday (with their parents) but really – how much to teenagers really spend on crafts in small towns? Especially after prom? At any rate, I was seriously reconsidering showing up on Sunday. But I sucked it up and did it again the next day.
I made twice my booth fee (which was only half the “full” booth fee due to a stroke of good luck) on Saturday. But it was S – L – O – W! I ended up chatting with quite a few of the vendors including some of my NORGA team mates. Sunday was slightly better in terms of traffic, and I was able to reach just over 6x my booth fee, which was WAY beyond my expectations. I sold a book necklace & a new distressed-leather 224-page sketchbook, both of which were a couple of my higher-priced items.
The gal who bought that book necklace also brought in her copy of 1,000 Artist Journal Pages: Personal Pages and Inspirations (1000 Series)
I was so nervous 1) because I sold a book necklace 2) I was given a $100 bill to make change for and 3) someone actually wanted *my* autograph that I failed to count out change correctly. Now mind you – I grew up in a restaurant and as a teenager ran the till with NO problem counting out change (who needs a stinkin’ register!). I can count change in my sleep. But I kept screwing up. AND I ended up signing in BALL POINT PEN instead of Sharpie which I had in my pocket. *headdesk* Oh well. If you’re out there, ENJOY your signed book & book necklace!
So overall, despite the gloomy weather (thankfully it didn’t rain), disgruntled sellers, disorganized organizers and no beer despite being sponsored by Yuengling, it was a decent weekend for me – both in terms of money and adding tons of new people to my mailing list.
More traffic, better advertising, reorganized flow & better vendor relations may make next year’s (if there IS a next year) Hatch Market even better.
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7 Responses to “Hatch Market 2009 – feedback & review”
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I am so glad you stayed on Sunday and that you did do well! I really think it was a good experience all around for me, as imperfect as it was. I learned a great deal. Sure, I bumped into a few snags, but met some fantastic vendors, customers, got some terrific advice, feedback and more energy to contribute to future shows. That’s all well worth the $85.00 booth fee.
Oh and the first thing we did was buy a case of that beer we’d been craving all day Saturday. It really was a magical mother’s day for me.
The first year’s always the toughest with an event like this but I have no doubt that the organizers will take our suggestions and create an even better event next year. I posted pictures of my booth on my blog and pictures of many booths including yours over on my flickr page. I enjoyed chatting with you and really loved seeing your book!
Yep! And I’m looking forward to next year’s event – hopefully bigger & better!
Thanks! I was actually floored when I added it all up!
It was great to meet you, too – good luck & I may end up taking one of your calligraphy classes
Probably a bit late to chime in, but i’ve done several first time indie craft fairs with SOOOOOOO much better organization and turn out. The only thing Hatch had going for it is that the logo/signage was pretty cool. I missed hearing about the fact that it was prom weekend, but that certainly explains what several us were questioning regarding the teen crowd.
I just don’t think Griffin has the population to back up such an event.
And seriously, if I have to hear Michael Jackson one more time…
I recommend Melanie and Friends hit Crafty Bastards, Renegade, and other more established and better organized fairs before asking for $85 booth fees (that did not deliver what they promised…). At best, that show was a $25er.
But everyone was nice, so I wasn’t one of those who had words…..just annoyed when i’ve had much better experiences.
Hey Alicia and readers!
Just wanted to let you know that we are doing Hatch again this year, hopefully with better organization! We did realize the event did not go as smoothly as we thought (and not to shift blame at all because we definitely share in some of it, but the peopl who own the grounds on which we held Hatch Market last year didn’t deliver on their promises, which we had to make do and roll with the punches…) Anywho – this year’s location is MUCH better – right on Taylor Street, the main drag in Griffin, and we definitely listened and will adjust accordingly to the constructive criticisms from last year.
Go to http://www.hatchmarket2010.com for more information and feel free to shoot me and email or call me personally if you have any questions!
Excuse my name mistake in my earlier post – *Alexia* and readers!!! I had been reading your blog post and saw Alicia’s name… Sorry!