This past Sunday, I had the honor of participating as a vendor at the Made in Maryland Festival at Kurtz’s Beach in Pasadena, MD. This was the first year for this festival and I send kudos to the organizers!
There were 40+ vendors, all from Maryland, as well as food trucks, mascots, wine tasting, a petting zoo, specialty cocktails and more! Kurtz’s Beach is such a beautiful setting, right on the water. I was lucky to have a space under the pavilion with a stunning view and a great seat for the bands. The bands were Sons of Pirates and New Romance – Buffett and 80’s – it doesn’t get any better than that!
This was my first show where I primarily showcased my paintings. I was so excited and so nervous before the show. Paintings are so much more personal than the other crafts I have made and sold in the past. And they are very subjective, so it’s really hard to find the right customer. The display was tricky, given the high winds on the water, but we ended up with some great solutions. Here are a few photos of my booth:
The old shutters and wire racks worked perfectly for displaying original canvases, along with the help of some paper clips. Those trusty diaper boxes always work when trying to create a tiered look on the table. Overall, I was very pleased with my setup.
The best part of the show was that people were engaged. There was terrific traffic flow through most of the day and people really spent time looking at items. It was nice to see everyone flipping through my basket of prints, showing friends and family their favorites. The sales weren’t too bad either! I think my favorite part of the day was one man who repeatedly came to my stand to look at my framed Rainbow Sunset print. He was trying to convince his wife that he should buy it and he finally wore her down. His excitement at buying it was so rewarding!
I’d say the show was definitely a success and I hope to return next year and possibly even participate in Wine on the Water in October. Keep an eye on my Events page for show schedule updates!