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This was my third year attending the Fingerlakes Celtic Festival and I have to say, this show is getting better each year. I’ve put together a complete review of my experience at the Fingerlakes Celtic Festival, hoping this will help other vendors in their event decision making.
One of the many reasons why I am going to start writing about my experiences at events is because when I am researching events, I have a hard time finding any information other than the application process. There very few reviews of shows. As a vendor, reviews are gold. They can tell you if your products will do well, or if you should probably pass.
I’m hoping my posts about different shows will help other vendors decided if this event is right for them.
Here’s a few stats about the Fingerlakes Celtic Festival, or you can visit their website here.
When: Saturday May 18th, 2019 (typically 3rd Saturday in May)
Where: Collett Rd, Shortsville, NY (It’s literally in someones yard.)
Past Experiences
My first year (2017), I actually had to work in the morning and later, around noon, I joined my Aunt Theresa with Stoney Meadows Alpacas to help her sell looms. As usual it was fun, but not a lot of buyers. As in, there really weren’t any… It was a huge disappointment.
The weather was cold and rainy and there was little to no advertising. I’m pretty sure, Theresa only knew about this event because they approached her about vending at a different Celtic show the year before. The crowds were small, and not buying.
On the positive side, they allow you to pull right up to your spot to unload and later, after the show, to load. The spots are 10×10, but they are not strict about you staying inside your 10×10. As in, they are okay with our mannequin sticking out in the aisle and as we tend to do, they were alright with us moving our looms out of our tent into another spot to weave. Not all shows would have allowed that.
The second year (2018), I actually set up our display the night before, once again there as Stoney Meadows Alpacas. The staff seemed confused and didn’t know where they wanted to put us. I started setting up three different times only to have a new person come charging out of no where to say “NO, you’re not supposed to be there!” It was upsetting.
Finally, they agreed on a location for me and I was able to set up. The day of the show, once again there were hardly any crowds. We surmised it was due to some rain in the morning and the little to no advertisement again this year. By the afternoon, the weather was beautiful out and still there really were not a lot of people attending. And those that did, were looking only. Again, another disappointment. We ended up selling 2 items all day.
Third time the Charm?
I honestly was not going to put us through that again is year. After being disappointed 2 years in a row, it was time to move on. I have a personal agreement with myself. I always give events 2 years. If I am still not doing well, it’s time to move on. Fingerlakes Celtic Festival fit the bill, and I was ready to move on and find new shows to attend.
But then the festival committee contacted me and said they’d work with me if I’d promise to attend and provide weaving demonstrations. I didn’t have another show planned for that weekend so I said yes. Besides, I always bring a loom to demonstration on. I’m glad I did.
This year when I arrived to set up the night before, the staff were A LOT more organized. They listened to my needs and I was immediately given the same spot I had the previous year that worked well for demonstrations all day. They were pleasant and great to work with.
Even when there was a little mix up, we were able to work everything out to everyone’s satisfaction. As a bonus, the committee managed to advertise the show a lot more. And it worked! Though, the beautiful weather we had probably helped. The crowds were the largest I’ve seen in 3 years. Unfortunately, most of the crowd were lookers but there were quite a few buyers in there too. I managed to sell over 20 items! (This was a HUGE improvement from the year before) Granted, I attended as Bubbles ‘n Stitches this year, so I brought my lotion bars which made up half of my sales.
I sold mainly small things, but then the crowd surprised me and bought several shawls. That was exciting. Honestly, though, I’m wondering if I sold those shawls due to my new waterfall hooks, or because the crowd was in a spending mood…
I also had several people stop and ask me questions about the looms and what I was doing. That doesn’t always happen, but it’s super nice when it does. I even ran into someone who reads my emails! That was just amazing to me! I still can’t believe someone actually reads my emails! Go me!
Will I attend next year? I think I will. I really enjoy Celtic festivals for the atmosphere and the people, not the sales. But don’t believe that will happen to you. I have a very specific niche of customers, whereas other vendors do very well at these events. It depends on what you sell and who your market is.
Lessons Learned
I learn new things at every event I ever attend. Here’s a list of 5 things I learned while at Fingerlakes Celtic Festival 2019.
- Bring sunscreen!
Even if you think it’s going to be a cloudy, rainy day, for the love of your skin, bring sunscreen. This is the first time I’ve forgotten my sunscreen and trust me, I regretted it about half-way through the day when my face and arms started to hurt. Ouch! Thank goodness I had buckets of aloe waiting for me back at home.
2. You never know what is going to sell.
I was super surprised to see several shawls walk away to new homes. I mean, it was a super nice, warm and sunny day. I honestly expected to sell 0 wool/alpaca items. So when I sold several shawls, I was elated. Who would have thought? Turns out, there were several women visiting who work in AC offices and were looking for something nice to wear when they start getting cold. This gives me a lot of hope that I can sell some shawls at my next event, the Webster Waterfront Arts Festival, at the end of July.
3. Be prepared for anything.
Turns out, the coordinators sometimes don’t talk to each other. I set up the evening before the show and was told that I had the space next to me for weaving demonstrations. Well, a different coordinator told the vendor (who was a lovely woman making brooms) she could have the entire space for her broom making demonstrations.
So when we both arrived Saturday morning to set up and found the other setting up in a space we both thought was ours, it got a little confusing. Good thing we are both reasonable adults and were able to work it out with the space. And actually, it turned out great! We shared audiences and I believe our demonstrations/ crafts complimented each other.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask.
The way the Fingerlakes Celtic Festival works is they assign spots as vendors arrive. Which is nice, because then you don’t know if someone didn’t show up, so no ‘holes’. Not so great when you’d like the same location as the previous year…
When we arrived to set up, the coordinators directed us to the next available location… I did not like it… I am proud of myself. Normally, I’d suck it up and let it go. This time I felt like what do I have to lose? The show is literally down the road from my townhouse. I really wouldn’t miss out on much if they threw me out, so I asked if there were any locations that had space for demonstrations, since that was the main reason I was there.
I was in luck! The coordinators were VERY accommodating! They showed me three different locations where I could set up that would give me space for demos. I ended up snagging the spot I had the previous year. It has a perfect view of the Highland games, is on the end of the row, giving me enough space for demonstrations on the side of my 10×10 space. And, it was where I was last year, making it easy for previous customers to find me.
5. Corsets are not the most comfortable things to wear…
Being a Celtic festival, vendors are typically asked to dress accordingly. Of course, this show it was optional. But, hey, I never get to dress up, so I hunted through my closets and found my corset and long cotton skirts to match. I conveniently forgot I was bringing my spinning wheel… you sit to spin… There is no ‘sitting’ when wearing a corset…
I was smart enough to bring a vest and I wore a shirt under the corset so when I could take it no more, I was able to make a wardrobe change without a bathroom.
Did I miss anything?
Well there you have it. My complete review of the Fingerlakes Celtic Festival 2019. If I’ve missed anything that you’d like to know, please comment below! I will answer to the best of my ability.