(Gary Rith and young customer)
OK, so as you see below, the studio was readied inside and out. I do not usually have a bunch of tables and shelves and pots on display, for example.
Started with quite a bang. Saturday morning the first 3 customers filled 7 boxes of stuff--each box having a mix of mugs and bowls and such. Then there were steady single customers thereafter. 21 visitors Saturday, 37 Sunday and so many nice people and friends. My father made a surprise visit too.
It is a strange thing, opening your house to strangers. They do unexpected things. The people who ate the most snacks ( I made cookies and had fruit and juices) spent the least. Of course, I have visited open houses and pigged out all my life, but it is funny. Some people are out shopping, some people are out grazing. Secondly, people grab and touch all your stuff. You want to ask 'why are you in my house touching my stuff?' but it would be easier to hide anything you don't want strangers fingering. Thirdly, one woman got a cell phone call and went into my bathroom to talk. I was wondering 'what is that lady doing in my bathroom?'.
14 comments:
Glad it was a success.
Oh yes. Actually, sorry I didn't emphasize it, but it is SO much fun, I could do this ever week!
congrats dude!! glad to hear you had good sales and great exposure! On my way home from work on Friday there were signs pointing directions to the next open studio on a local tour here! A small world or the fall is a prime time for these.
hmm with all these people poking and touching.. maybe something to be said for a separate studio LOL.
again-well done!
I'm thrilled to pieces for you, Gary. And, I'm still laughing over the lady in the bathroom. Seems pretty durn nervy to me. Also, I hadn't realized that people were actually in your HOUSE! Greg said it, and I second it, you need a separate studio. The thought also crosses the mind, what did you do with the furry people, the ones with the waggely tails? And I don't know how you do all that you do.
Very cool, Gary ... This was the weekend for studio tours up here, too. We passed at least a dozen signs heading up to camp on Friday.
Glad you had both lots of sales AND a good time.
Well, the studio is attached to the house but seperate, but I am unused to people wandering through and, you know...everybody was polite.
So, the dogs and cats were all in the house howling and such. The could have been more noisy, I guess..
It sounds like fun! I have never heard of an Open Studio tour... I wonder if they do them down here. I am glad it was a big success! I think people like to 'know' the artist they buy from, so hopefully these will all be good contacts for you!
Ellen reminded me of something.. did you have a guest book so you can contact them in the future with mail or email?
I do have a guest book and people are sometimes writing in it, sometimes not. I was thinking of a holiday open house afternoon...
They do that sort of thing every year in Chicago---you may reall it---called "Around the Coyote Art Festival." One year my landlord, who was an oil painter, opened his home studio and I helped him greet people and hand out flyers, etc. He had a huge turn-out, and like you said--many people just looked at his home--I don't even think they cared about the paintings!!! Oh, and the few people who bought a painting ate nothing and left fast. The browsers/lingerers ate all the snacks and walked around forever but purchased nothing. It's the way of the world...
yeah, Susan, I was the guy with full mouth and empty wallet
What area of Chicago was that in? I grew up in Oak Park... We had a fabulous art department at our high school. There were six art teachers, each with a different specialty. It was awesome.
yuck, people in house not nice. Back when I lived with Darren and we used to rent out the rooms it was always yucky having people come in to inspect - the nice ones were nice of course, but there were always a few you just felt shuddery at the thought they'd been in your home.
Gee, I don't think I want an open house after all...people in my bathroom on their phone would be just too much! I loved reading about *your* experiece though!!
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