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YELLOW DAISY 04 Stone Mtn Ga
This is supposed to be one of the mack daddy festivals of the south east. voted #1 in crafts for the top 200 shows by sunshine artist magazine and with good reason. Here is my objective opinion of this year's show.
The show was well organized with many voluenteers. Rules and regs are clearly spelled out ahead of time for everyone's sake. It's a huge show 400+ vendors. A great MIX Not too many duplicates.(which I Imagine they put great thought into) We had gorgeous weather the festival has it's own grounds with paved paths and painted on booth numbers. Your 500.00 fee gets you a 10x20 space. The load in and out is the most organized I have seen yet. They use a ticket system and you are only allowed to enter the "loop" once your tent has been packed up.(no slow pack into your trailer direct from tent)There were plenty of porta potties, and one fixed central bathroom. They did get little attention once the show had started. The crowds were phenonimal 200,000 plus. This show was a little down from last years from what I heard due probably to all the recent storms that affected georgia too. There were many packing up merchandise on Sunday night, but that is not typical for this show from what i heard from anyone who had been before. My sales were brisk and the crowd was mostly suburban. I would deffinately return if I can get in again!
A word of caution, some artist's were complaining aobut their "funhouse" booths. The terrain can be very uneven at this sight. And while I did well at this show, the girl down hill form me had beautiful scarves and did poorly. (price point?) worth a try this one though and what a neat place to have a festival!

I'm just checking in on this page and want to comment about Canton Flea Market. There are many different sections of the Market. Depending on where you are, rather depends on whether you're part of the flea market or crafting section. It's too bad that the lady didn't uphold her contract, but they are reeling too from a couple of slow years and having many of their regular vendors dropping out and now they are turning their heads to what is presented. It's too bad too. But the people keep coming and I keep going too. I've been there, in the same place, for the past 6 years, twice a year and do extremely well everytime. I've never gone anywhere else and made the kind of money that I make there. So don't get too discouraged.
Talk to the "board" and tell them your problem and ask them to get you with another "landlord". Or email me and I'll get you in with mine....she's always looking for good hand crafted items. And I have easy parking where I am too.
Anyway, even with the attendance off in the past years, they keep coming. And if you don't make it in one spot, you can change to another, just let someone know that you need to.
It's a good market.....not for everyone to be sure, but for many.
Good luck

Has anyone been to the PC Craftsman Spring Market in Mobile Al? Are people buying there? Thanks for the feedback.

Phyllis,

Just finished looking at your photos and review of the Lillian Mullet Festival held on Labor Day. I was at the 2003 festival and those were not photos taken then. If you had been there in 2003, you would have discovered that there were only 3 booths (including mine) of crafters. The person in charge of this part of the festival had more spaces he said were taken but the morning of the festival, he said that people were canceling on him. The crafters were in the back—away from where people were—and the three booths left early (around 1:00) because no one was coming by and those who did find us were not buying—were more interested in the mullet dinners than in buying anything.

The festival promoters had put the yard sale participants out in front of the building under the trees where there was a breeze and more people could tell they were there. I was extremely disappointed in this festival (even though they did not charge because the 2002 festival for crafters had been so bad). I will not do the craft portion of the festival again if they have it this year.

You might want to check and see if this festival will be held since the Lillian Community Club burned down about a month ago.

Thank you for allowing feedback on fairs.

Linda Swiggart

I don't think anyone is cutting down Homestead Hollow. I just re-read every post and all I see are exhibitors giving reports. I see the weather being "cut down', the over abundance of repetitive exhibitors and copy cat exhibitors but no cutting down of the festival. I think we all agree HH is great.

Harvest Home, Pensacola

This was an excellent show! Got in last minute and was very fortunate to do so. Friday is the big day... did 90% of our sales that day. One would think Saturday would be better, but I think that friday all the ladies came without their husbands so they were freeeee spending. LOL There were a total of 5 booths in my category, but we each did well nonetheless. I recommend this show to my fellow crafters.

I LOVE HOMESTEAD HOLLOW, CANT BELIEVE SOME OF THE BAD STUFF I READ HERE CUTTING IT DOWN . I LOOK FORWARD TO THE TRIP OVER THE MOUNTAIN EVERYYEAR, I ALLWAYS FIND SOME DIFFERENT , COOL GIFTS FOR OTHERS OR MYSELF, GUESS YOU CANT PLEASE EVERYONE.

KS...email me and I'll try to help. I've done quite a few shows in Al.

has anyone ever done the following shows? If so,what are your comments.....Piney woods in Enterprise AL,, Prattville at spinners park, Peterman, AL, Williams station days in Atmore,AL, A spring show in Vicksburg,MS, I am interested in shows within two hours drive from Mobile. Have tried a bunch but haven't found a really good one yet.

Canton Flea Market (May)
let me try to be nice about this... hmmmm.. okay, here goes. PITIFUL WASTE OF MY TIME AND MONEY! Guidelines specify that items must be hand made or at least partially handmade... contract states that individuals who display B/S will be asked to leave. What a load of ____! I sell handcrafted jewelry and they set me up across from a booth full of cheap, imported silver and silver plated goods (some with the 'made in china/india' stickers still on them... and of course this booth was glaring with huge red 50% off sale signs. I inspected their goods and then found the organizer and told her that according to the contract, these people should be asked to leave (I had a lot of money invested in this show and I needed to make the money to get my broke butt back home, lol) and she just stared at me blankly before finally asking what I expected her to do about it. I told her I expected her to uphold her contract, pointing to where she had signed agreeing to uphold the show guidelines. She said she couldn't ask them to leave, because she couldn't prove that the didn't make the stuff... apparently, the stickers didn't constitute enough evidence to substantiate my claim.
In addition to this, there was yet another jewelry vendor to the left of my booth... so I had one across from me selling cheap imports for $5 and $10 (who can compete with that - if your stuff is handmade it's impossible) and another one right next to me that wispered in confidence to me that her jewelry was also B/S (thanks for the confession, right?) and she advised me that if I expected to make it at this show I had better get some buy/sell of my own to mingle in with my handmade stuff. That was testimony enough for me... I will NEVER go back to Canton Flea Market. This show COST me $400 (and that's after I deducted what little money I did make). I do not recommend it to anyone!

Homestead Hollow

I too walked Homestead Hollow in May. Not as an exhibitor this year but as a customer. I was amazed at the amount of duplicates at this event. I counted, if my memory serves me, 8 soap makers and 11 candle makers. Plus too many other duplicates to count. I am sure this is what leads to exhibitor dis-satisfaction. When an exhibitor pays a jury fee they should be assured the show will in fact be juried. Not just let anyone with the booth fee set up. I'd rather see no more than 2 soapers, 2 candlemakers, 2 kids clothes embroiderers..etc at a show. Homesstead is a wonderful show with wonderful atmosphere but I can see why this review was given. It was based on May's show. And May's show was not up to Homestead Hollow standards. Oct and Nov may have been better. Were I a new customer to this event I'd not be back based on May's show. Too much of the same thing.

I also heard Homestead Hollow had record crowds this Oct and Nov. I was unable to attend but I have several friends that did. You couldn't ask for better promotors, staff or a more beautiful site. In May Mother Nature and an over-abundance of competing festivals were to blame for any failures. I would HIGHLY recommend these shows to anyone.

Merry Christmas to all and have a good 2004.

Dear Panhandle: We have been exhibitors at Homestead Hollow in Springville, AL. for several years. From our experience we have found that Homestead Hollow rates as one of the Top 10 Quality Arts & Crafts Show in the Southeast. Attendance has always been good with 2003 being an outstanding year. We have found that the management of the show by the promoters and show's staff is always above the call of duty and with the exhibitor's needs placed upmost. Sales are consistantly exceptional compared to other craft shows in the area. Being an outside show only Mother Nature can decide what kind of weather she will deal out but most of the time we have very suitable weather according to the seasons. We highly recommend Homestead Hollow to any top quality artists or craftmen who may be interested in attending.

Hi:
Just read the review of Homestead Hollow on your site. Surprising! 2003 has been the best year in our 22 year history. The Harvest Festival drew such a large crowd, cars were lined up on I-59 for miles trying to exit for the Homestead Hollow Festival. Many of our exhibitors sold completely out at our October Festival and Christmas in the Country. I am sure you receive reviews from exhibitors. Could you tell me how many reviews you received to come to the conclusion that our festivals are not doing well? Weather was beautiful in October and November and the crowds came!
Thank you.
Mable Tingley
Festival Coordinator
Homestead Hollow Festivals

Christmas City USA 2003
Great advertising. This show was a 2 day show with an attendance of approx. 14,000. Saturday was much busier than Sunday. There was approx. 350 booths. The busiest booths were toward the front of the center. Someone was constantly talking on the loudspeaker, which got old after the first few hours. A woman on the staff was rude to me when I questioned an item she said I was giving away as a door prize. She said it was mine, but I had already given away my item. The woman on staff basically told me that I was hearing things, but the winner came by and thanked me for the item. She was so excited that I could not tell her that I did not donate it. Turns out it was from another booth, which did not get credit for the item donated. I did make back my booth fee ($250) and made a profit; however, I do better at the smaller events. Many people did not make back their booth fee and expenses. I don't think that I will go back again.

Peter Anderson Show in Ocean Springs MS

Great show! Wonderful people putting on this show every year in the streets of this quaint town. Very upscale shops and restaurants draw a good crowd. translation: They had loose pocketbooks. lol I didn't make as much here as I did Powers Crossroads but that was a 3 day show. No b/s at all and they did a great job of not having a lot of the same arts and crafts. I saw only one other glass painter. GREAT! I highly recommend this show although I didn't like having to set up the morning of the show. I like setting up the day before.

I drove an hour to the Foley Depot Days festival only to be turned away. They had not received my application and could not find a spot for me. They were very rude and dismissed me like a pesty fly. I will not attempt this show again.

Oct 10-12 St. Rose of Lima milton,Fl

Rain Friday and Saturday but nice turnout on Sunday made up for rain.
Alothough this was only my 2nd show it was much better than Thrifty NickleFest (at Pensacola Fair Grounds)
I really Enjoued This One.