How to Secure Your Booth...

Setting up at a street festival can be one of the most direct, and fun, ways to put your products in front of a new audience. The dense crowds of happy-go-lucky festival goers have made this approach the backbone of our micro-business. Effectively conducting business at one of these festivals, is, however, a highly nuanced matter, which is to say, there are about a billion different aspects to keep in mind. Today's focus, securing your tent.

A solid tent provides shade from the sun, relief from the rain, a barrier to the wind, and a more professional display for your work. That being said, not all tents are created equal. E-Z Up, while making a variety of tents, is the most common and one of the least expensive tents on the market. But they're cheap for a reason. I've seen more bent poles, collapsed canopies, torn corners, and leaky messes with an E-Z Up logo on them than any other brand. Light Dome offers a much higher quality, and much pricier, tent, that has kept us covered for years now.

Regardless of the tent you go with, it's essential that you tie it down. With the canopy stretched over the top, the tent effectively becomes a giant sail, and you'd be shocked how little wind it takes to lift those suckers into the air. Over the years, I've seen all sorts of strategies for tying down a tent, but  two approaches seem the most popular: weights on rope or lots of heavy merchandise. Large sand filled weights, like these (above) are a popular option, but old dumbbells work too! (below)

Like I said, weighing down the tent is 100% necessary, but procuring extra weights is not always necessary. Our display, for instance, is held solidly in place by it's own weight. If you look closely you'll notice that all our hangers, shelves, hats and shirts are all attached to 3x8 foot metal grid panels. Each panel weighs 6 lbs, so with 16 or so, plus all the merchandise, we have more than enough weight to keep things secure.

For most, however, the additional weights are indispensable. Jewelers, potters, painters, musicians, all should be sure the weights are securely attached to the tent itself. I've seen people who simply rest weights on the base of their tent, THIS WILL NOT WORK! Once that tent starts to sway back and forth, they loose their effectiveness. TIES ARE KEY, as you can see from the images above. So be safe, be secure, and good luck!

Diversity at the Custer's Last Stand Street Festival

The summer festival scene is well underway, and for those of you unable to make it out to this weekend, we wanted to share a few of the sights, sounds, and smells of a prototypical Chicagoland street festival. Custer's street fair is, for all practical purposes, on the far North Side of Chicago. The surrounding Neighborhoods make this the most diverse part of the Chicagoland area, and this diversity was certainly reflected in the festival. 

For better or worse, food is one of the principal ways we experience diversity, and this fest had it all, from Greek to Mexican, sausages to raw vegan creations. 

Music lovers were not disappointed either. From rock to country to Native American Spirituals, they not only had diverse options, they had quality options. One of our favorite performers, Kraig Kenning, was there with his signature steel guitar stylings. 

Even these folks were putting on a show (though we never did figure out exactly what kind of show).

Clothing venders were also out in full force, displaying wears for everyone; infants, hippies, grill masters and those with more distinguished sartorial dispositions. 

Fun was the glue holding these diverse strands together, and it was everywhere! So if you're looking for fun, new experiences this summer, be sure to check out as many of the summer festivals as possible. For those of you already frequenting the festival circuit, which one's make your "must see" list?