Cain Park 2008

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05bfd5a3.jpg"> <div> <B>Cain Park 2008</B></div> <div> <B>6260 N.W. 19 Street, Sunrise, Fl. 33313 Toll Free 1-877-512-3333    Email: </B><A HREF="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mike@mikealbin.com"><U><B>mike@mikealbin.com</B></U></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05cd2043.jpg"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mike Albin.Com "><U>Mike Albin.Com </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="wd.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Web design"><U>Web design</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ma.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Articles"><U>Marketing Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="sr.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Show Reviews"><U>Show Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mt.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing Tools"><U>Marketing Tools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="l.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#777777" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>July 11-13, Cain Park Arts Festival, Cleveland Heights.</B> Contact: George Kozmon, City of Cleveland Heights, 40 Severance Circle, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118; phone 216-291-3669, fax 216-291-3705. E-mail: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>jhoffman@clvhts.com</U></FONT>. Web site: <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="ITC-NewBaskerville" ><U>www.cainpark.com</U></FONT>. Application fee: $25. Space fee: $350. Space size: 10x10. 100% outdoors. Exhibitors: 155. Attendance: 65,000 (staff estimate). </div> <bR> <div> This was our first time participating in this well-established show put on by the City of Cleveland Heights. Setup is on Friday, times are staggered and there are show staffers everywhere asking if you need help with anything. One of the really great things about setup here is that you can park your vehicle behind your booth for the entire show. Spaces are large enough to allow Patty and me to hang our work on the outside of one side wall and on the back wall too.</div> <div> Show directors Honey Feinberg and George Kozmon came around to every booth to introduce themselves, welcome us to the 31st annual show and ask if we needed anything. By far, this was the hardest-working and most enthusiastic, intelligent and accommodating show staff we have ever seen! Period! Anywhere! If you really want to see how an art show should be run, come here! </div> <div> Weather was a factor at this year’s show, with heat on Friday and rain on Saturday, but Sunday was actually very nice. Crowds were down a bit on the first two days but came out strongly on Sunday. This was our first art show of any kind in the Cleveland area, so we had no one on our mailing list. Sales for us were extremely disappointing considering this is usually such a great show in which to participate. We actually sold nothing but still discussed coming back, hoping that a better economy might provide more sales. We had lots of interest in our work, but we just couldn’t close on any sales.</div> <div> I spoke with two jewelers; one reported an average total and would definitely be back while the other reported a slightly below-average result and said selling this weekend was like pulling teeth. A painter reported selling several large pieces to a collector of his work and ended with an above-average total. A ceramics artist reported well-below-average sales and was doubtful about a return. I also spoke with two photographers; one was slightly below average, and the other was way below average. One of them said he had been doing the show for years and this was his worst outing here. Still, both were undecided about their return. </div> <div> The show is in a Jekyll-and-Hyde location! It’s in a beautiful park with lots of trees and a winding asphalt path, with artists on both sides of the path. The trouble starts when it begins to rain: The park used to be a riverbed, and it wants to turn back into one. Drainage is poor, and the ground turns to muck — not mud in the traditional sense, but a thick layer of really soft muck. Tow trucks were needed to rescue stranded artist’s vehicles!</div> <div> I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the flood. It rained pretty hard on Saturday, and the asphalt path down the way from us flooded to a bit higher than ankle deep. The show’s staff came to the rescue with boards and brooms to squeegee the water away. It was quite an event and lasted for about an hour. It rained again early on Sunday morning, making the thick layer of muck even muckier. Several artists found that the spots they were in were no longer usable, and the staff helped move booths, displays and entire inventories to drier ground. Again, I’ve NEVER seen a harder-working show staff. </div> <div> Breakdown was very easy for most of us who still could park behind our booths. Others had to wait for areas to clear out before being able to pull close enough to their booths to load up. I was really glad we had purchased a four-wheel-drive vehicle; it sure came in handy this weekend. </div> <div> I’ve heard this was such a strong show in the past. I just hope the economy will improve soon.</div> <div> <I>Editor’s note: We heard from seven auditors, and most agreed with Albin that the management was great but sales were worse than usual because of the economy and the bad weather. From best to worst, a painter made $4,450 from average sales of $325, a fiber artist brought in $3,000 from average sales of $63, a glass artist made $3,000 from average sales of $45, a clay artist grossed $2,875 from average sales of $102, a ceramics exhibitor took in $2,100 from average sales of $50, a 2-D mixed media artist made $1,600 from average sales of $25, and an oil painter managed only $315 but would still try the show “one more time — high potential but [business is] not happening like it used to!”</I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>