Bad Shows
The worst craft fair I attended was with 'Live Crafts' at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. This beautiful castle has featured in many film sets such as 'Robin Prince of Thieves' and also the new Dr. Who series. We were there for a long weekend and I'd hoped to make some money for my upcoming holiday. As I've said craft fairs are not cheap to do. This one which was over 12 years ago cost £270 for a space, 3 nights digs in Chester £90 and fuel costs £30, not to mention food and drink.
The layout looked good inside the castle's large halls. Unfortunately I and one other stand were not part of that set up. In order for anyone to see my paintings thay had to cross a moat, climb 2 sets of stone steps up a tight circular staircase, have a sword fence with Prince John, and sneak past half a dozen Cybermen. I was there for three days and only saw 2 people, and they only popped there heads around the door. I only made one sale at £32 that weekend and that was to the man on the other stand.
The worst of it was that at the end I had to carry all my stock and stand back down the stairs over the moat and half a mile down the hill to the car park. This is a problem with some craft organisers, if you are not a regular ( some people travel with the fair week in week out living in their caravans ) and part of the clique you end up with lousy spots in the fair. I did a fair with at Badminton Horse Trials a few years ago. I had done 2 other shows with them and also had 3 more booked for later. I won't mention their name but they had two large marquees and when I arrived I was shown my spot in the second marquee. I had arrived on the Friday evening to set up ready for Saturday and as I was early there was no one else there when I left for my hotel. Next morning I arrived to find that I along with 3 other crafts were in the food marquee.
Whereas the other marquee was beautifully lit and looked great we were in the bottom dingy corner badly lit. But worse was to come when the food stalls started cooking. There were burger vans, bacon stalls, hot peanut vendors and various other stands all chucking out greasy smells and steamy fumes that had no where to go but back down on my pictures and some expensive coats on the stand next to me. We complained but no use came of it.
On the last day I'd had enough and dismantled my stand to go home early. Someone squealed because next second the organiser was there telling me to put it back up again. But I wasn't having any of it and loaded up my car, at one point someone moved a van across my car's way out but when they saw the look on my face ( I would have drove in to him ) they backed off.
Needless to say I cancelled the rest of the shows. The hardest fair was at Glasgow in 1990. It was a cold March when we opened on Friday morning. But the tragedy that was Dunblane had just taken place a few hours before that. No one was interested in a craft fair and to be honest neither was I.
I went to Glasgow a few years later with Ian to another show. On the Saturday night we had a few beers then went for an Indian meal. Inside was pretty full and there was a queue. Me being dead clever picked up a card with the phone number, went outside to a phonebox and booked a table under my name. I walked back in and asked if my table was ready so Ian and I were shown to a table. A bit later when some local lads who had been ahead of us in the queue finally got in they passed our table. One leaned over me and said 'Enjoy yer grub cos after A'm ganna put yer on the next train out of Glasgow' We sneaked out while they were getting served and I didn't feel safe until I was in my digs. Looking back on it I had it coming.
Published: 29th May 2006 | Back to Watercolour Memories.
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