Craft/Art Shows this year: what have you experienced?

[Michelle Davis Petelinz]

Given the state of the economy in the US, and gas prices going up seemingly every day, have you seen a reduction in attendance and sales at shows you've participated in so far this year?

[cheryl]

The 2 events I went to to sell my books at weren't craft shows, but they did seem to be normally attended. It'll be interesting to see how many show for the June 7 events. How about you?
I've heard that some people are carpooling more, but I don't know if they're the ones who were carpooling before the gas prices or not.

[Michelle Davis Petelinz]

As I wrote in my blog, my first show of the year last month was not as well attended as last year, and my sales were down about 40%. I think people are scaling back, and as a result, I've adjusted my prices a bit. I have to hope that my customers are people who aren't severely affected by the economy, and will buy anyway (I can hope, can't I?!). As I head to my next show in about 9 days, I'm looking forward to a new market, and a well-known and well-respected event (Piccolo Spoleto Festival, in Charleston, SC). I'll let you know how it goes!