Written by: Tom Roberts

The one thing in common at any show, be it a car show, ren fest, arts and crafts show or any other of a long list, is FOOD.

People like to eat.  Look around at a show and see how many people are noshing on something or another.  Lots, right?

I just had a thought, and I hesitate to post it but, it seems ironic that the longest lines at festivals are at the food booths and the port a potties.  sorry

Anyway, after more that 30 years in the arts and crafts we decided that we would develop a food item to be sold at shows, farmers markets and hopefully, distributed in stores.

Once we decided on a product and refined recipes we needed to research the regulations set forth by the state in regard to producing and selling food.

We have a little experience in this department as our home kitchen has a New York State baking exemption.  After filling out some papers an inspector came in and took a look around, made sure we understood safe practices and issued us the permit.  This permit, however only allows us to produce a specific list of food items.  For example we are permitted to bake a cherry pie with a top crust but we may not make a custard pie.  Likewise we can bake bread but not banana bread.

The item we chose is a fresh food item and requires an inspected kitchen with a 3 bowl sink and it can not be the kitchen used for the household.  That left us with the option of converting a room in the house to a kitchen or setting a kitchen up elsewhere.

Setting up at home would be straight forward.  Buy a sink and refrigerator and a small stove.  Section off a room and make it easy to clean.  For example, no carpet, white walls and ceiling that can be cleaned, hand sink and access to a bathroom.  This is defiantly an option but our house is small and we would be sacrificing a room.  A renter probably would not have this option at all.  The only way we could make a good decision is to examine all the alternatives and weigh the pros and cons.

Renting a store front and building a kitchen is expensive for a small start up.  If we had tens of thousands of dollars behind us and a proven product this might work we are not in that position.   Just to get a key the land lords want firsts, lasts and in many cases a security deposit.

An other option would be to rent space in an existing restaurant.  We have a small deli in town where they agreed to rent us space for a set per hour rate.  It seemed fair but recent events, the death of one of the owners and the fact that the business is up for sale put this option down on the list.

This was not going to be easy.  One of the stipulation set forth by New York State is you may not use the kitchen while the owner is using it.  For example if you find a restaurant who serves meals, the state will not allow anyone to produce food while the owner is serving.

We found a site through searching, MiKitchenEsSuKitchen  and Kathrine Gregory was kind enough to send us a few links to helpful sites that list shared kitchens.
These sites are:
http://www.culinaryincubator.com/maps.php/
http://www.commercialkitchenforrent.com/

Unfortunately the closest location to us is about 60 miles away but our time on the sites was well spent as there are other resources listed.  The more info the better!

Then the other day I was helping a neighbor mow his lawn.  He is a medic in the 10th Mountain Division here at Fort Drum  and since he is gone for extended periods the neighbors pitch in with things like mowing the lawn and watching the place.  As it would happen he is going to Afghanistan for a year starting in a month and he offered us the use of his kitchen while he is gone.

Since no one will be living there is is not a family kitchen.  There is a frige and a bathroom, work table and the only addition would be an extra bowl for the sink, but that could be on a temporary stand as long as it was plumbed in.
Our ag and markets inspector seemed intrigued by the idea but said he would need to make a few calls to get details.

We are hopeful that this may work as a year would be a good time to test the product and get things going.  Moving from site to site would be expensive as this permit costs $400.00 for 2 years, paid in advance and if you move the permit process starts all over and another $400.00 to the state.  Not a fortune, true, but $400.00 goes a long way in buying supply’s and other expenses and I don’t know if I agree with the way the state spends money, but that is another topic for sure.

So we wait for the inspectors reply, meanwhile, we are wondering if it would make sense to set up an incubator in this area.

Written by: Tom Roberts

When we started the arts and crafts network we wanted to list and offer free information for arts and crafts including show dates and details.  We looked hard to find a script that would allow users to list their information and we found plenty of them but we could not find one that offered all the details and features we wanted.

We decided to make our own form scratch and what started as a simple form that would list the shows has evolved into a full featured script that will allow users to list shows then edit or delete if they want.  This way a promoter need only list a show once, then go back in and change the date for next year.
The edit feature also allows a promoter to fix mistakes they may have made when listing the show.

Unfortunately, the shows now listed will need to be edited or deleted and then re listed in order to appear in the user panel.

The good news is all the shows from now on will be in the new format.

The last step in the script is a admin panel but that does not affect listing shows but it will make things easier for us!

As always we hope that our users will help to improve our site by offering ideas on what to change and what to add.

Please check back from time to time for more updates.

Tom and Phyllis

Written by: Tom Roberts

This past weekend we took a last minute chance on a local show.  It turns out there were a few spots open and we were “lucky enough” to get in.

It should be said that we have a standing rule of not attending a show that we have not previewed.  As it turns out, most all our rules are more like “guidelines” and often broken. In this case we were promised 15,000 people and the fee was only $75.00 for the one day event.   Add to that the show was only 45 minutes away and we were in.

In most cases, with well organized shows, spaces are assigned well in advance so when a vacancy appears it can be anywhere.  In the past we have sometimes lucked out to find ourselves in a very good spot.  At other times, not so lucky.

This weekend turned out to be one of the latter.  Our assigned spot was at the end of a dead end branch, added this year to accommodate more booths.

One problem with dead ends is the lack of traffic flow.  The street we were on turned out to be a branch, away from the main traffic.  The flow came to a T and the choice was to go left or right.  If you go  right you were sent along a busy roe toward the main festival area. The likelihood of people turning back to explore the left hand turn, after they had traveled all the way back around was slim.  In fact it looked as if there was much more going on to the right so naturally,  many more people were drawn in that direction.

Being at the end of a dead end is worse yet.  Often, show goers will not trudge all the way down a street if they sense a dead end or a relative lack of a crowd.  Many show goers turned back when only half way down the row.

Several of our neighbors could be heard complaining about lack of sales and our sales were only rescued by the sale of a big ticket item.

If a show is not really busy we often take turns checking out the grounds and touching base with the host of friends we have made over the years.

One couple, who we have known for many years was “lucky enough” to also find a spot at the last minute.  Their spot was right next to the food vendors, a spot we would never envy.  For what ever reason, when people get near food the sounds and smells tend to drown out all other senses and that means slow sales for crafters.

In both of these cases the sites were assigned at the last minute, a day or so before the show, and beggars can’t be choosers but there may have been a way to garner a more choice location.   Had we asked about any last minute cancellation that morning, we may have been rewarded with a better space.  I don’t think I have ever been to a show that did not have one or two spots open the morning of the show.  Promoters do not have time to go around offering better spots to all the vendors but if asked, they may have something that “just came up”.  Be frank with the person in charge but don’t make up any elaborate stories or you may not be invited to the show again.

Remember that the best way to get a good spot is to pay for it well in advance.