Gretchen Raisch-Baskin's Story
In 1989, at the age of 26, I began my own craft business by selling my designs at local art fairs. The first art fair I participated in took place in the garden behind the Des Moines Art Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Selling tie-dye clothing, including socks and dresses, of my own colorful creation on a sunny day in May was pure joy. My partner, Bob and I produced marbled tee shirts and shoes for the event and we called the business "Old Book Tees". The response I received and the sales at this event energized me. Knowing I was off to a great start, I returned home to produce more items to sell.
The next craft show I participated in didn't go as well. Being one of three participants at a craft fair staged in the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Zoo, I left at 6 am to get there and set up my clothing. The day was overcast, cold and rainy in the morning. By 10 am the sun came out and the people showed up. Everyone just walked by my booth all day not even looking at my colorful clothing. By the end of the fair, I hadn’t sold anything and I was out the booth fee I'd paid!
Although my disappointment was great, I learned some valuable lessons; Participating in fairs that take place where folks are there to visit the main attraction, like a zoo, is a waste of time. Find the fairs specifically for buyers and collectors of artwork. Create an attractive booth that draws people in. Purchase a canopy or have some kind of protection against the elements. And finally, find your market. Locate the folks who want your product rather than just anyone off the street. There are a lot of publications out there to assist with this research. Personally, making friends with other artists and speaking to them about art fairs worked wonders for me.
In 1991, I began hand dying, painting and block printing clothing in addition to the marbling designs I was selling. Due to the competition with tie dying I wanted something that would be fun, unique and artsy. So, I decided to give up the tie dying all together as it was too select a group of buyers and could easily be created at home by anyone. I set up a studio in the basement of the house we were renting in Madison, Wisconsin. Learning to take high quality slides myself with my Olympus OM10 camera with proper lighting and backdrops, I started entering the best art fairs in the area. I began to sell my clothing designs at some local art centers including the Madison Art Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Going door to door myself, I made appointments and showed off my clothing to local retailers.
Clothing creations by the company I called “Articles” were very well received. Selling my designs was thrilling! No one else was doing anything quite like the look I had created. One of my best selling images was a Southwest Gecko design. Painting and printing the images with linoleum blocks was time consuming. So, I eventually gave up the marbled designs and created some high-end completely hand painted one-of-a-kind images instead.
In 1992, a local sales representative who lived in Milwaukee found my artwork at the Madison Art Center. We agreed to work together and I was soon sending her new clothing samples every season. Her advice on styles and colors at the beginning of every new season was a valuable addition to my business! She took a 25 percent commission on all the orders she generated for me. It was well worth it! Creating the art was, and still is, my passion. Selling it myself wasn’t!
Continuing to sell my work in both the wholesale arena with the sales representative and retail with art fairs, I built a thriving business. Most of the fairs I participated in at this time were very lucrative. The fairs I entered charged a reasonable booth fee for the two or three days of the fair. A few of the fairs where we had to travel far (such as one I entered in Kalamazoo, Michigan) weren’t worth doing again. The biggest obstacle we encountered was the competition for getting a booth space! Every spring I anxiously awaited the letters from the fair committee telling me whether I was accepted as an exhibitor or not.
One hot and steamy day in July we participated in a two day art fair on the Madison, Wisconsin town square. By five pm dark clouds started gathering in the west. If you’ve lived in the Midwest you know this means some wild weather ahead! Near closing time the booth was filled with people plus someone in my make shift “dressing room”. Packing what we could easily stow into containers, taking down parts of our booth and leaving most of the clothing on racks we prepared for the worst – a possible quick getaway! Just before fair closing time, tornado warning sirens went off. One customer, who couldn’t decide on what to buy, said immediately “I’ll take this one.” The folks in my booth quickly made their purchases and left.
Big rain drops started coming down.
Throwing everything that was left in to our pickup truck, with the clothing unpacked, rumpled and damp, we climbed inside the vehicle. The wind roared and the rain came down in sheets. The sound of glass breaking and large crashes followed us as we drove out of the square. Although some of my clothing was damp and slightly soiled from the quick pack job, I felt lucky that we left in the nick of time. Many of the artists at this fair had their booths and displays damaged by the high winds. Three or four artists couldn’t show the next day because of all the damage to their booths and inventory.
In 1995, I moved to Eugene Oregon where I discovered that the art fairs were very different on the west coast. Not only did the fairs charge a booth fee they also charged a commission that cut into profits in a big way! Disappointed, I entered two good fairs that year. I threw up my hands and said “Oh well… I still have my wholesale business!”
A few months later my wholesale business took a nose dive as well. The style of clothing I was producing was out of favor. The wholesale market preferred home décor items. My sales representative suggested I paint on glass items or paint silk scarves instead. In the end we agreed to part ways as did my partner, Bob, and I a year later.
Selling off the remainder of my inventory, I went back to school to learn to use computers and design software. I admit I missed the camaraderie of the artists and the amazing artwork at these events. I loved traveling to a new town and setting up my booth to see what happens. I enjoyed eating different amazing cuisines every evening. I thrilled at all the gorgeous artwork that I could never afford to purchase and that we traded clothing to obtain.
Now I'm a professional illustrator.
Since 1999, I’ve created artwork for greeting cards, book covers, children’s coloring posters and websites. Although the illustration profession can be a lonely life at times…I love it!
In 2003, my husband Greg and I married and moved to the Phoenix area where I attend art fairs regularly…as a visitor.
- Gretchen
www.GretchenArts.com
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