DGM Woodworks

Closets and Rain

I had to change gears this week and get back into “closet” mode with Closet Dreams.  I spent all day Monday fabricating the material for a walk in closet project.  Today, I drove up to Alpharetta in the rain to install it.  It took me about two hours to get there.  Then I drove all the way back in an even harder rain this afternoon.   I’m glad its over because having back to back shows over the last two weeks and then a large installation today has just about wore me out.  I need some recharging.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  Everything in this room is pink.

I don’t know what I am going to do tomorrow because it is the first day in the past two months that I haven’t had anything important to do.  Some friends and I had planned to play golf, but with all the rain today the course will be too wet and muddy for my taste.  I guess I will clean up my shop because it is a mess right now.

The Last Show of the Year

I always love doing the Avondale Autumn Fest show.  It’s one of those laid back, low intensity shows that is just downright comfortable to attend.  The people are nice and I get to socialize with artists that I hadn’t seen since last year’s show.  They moved the show to a closed off street this year because the park was too soggy.  I’m glad they made this decision because being on pavement is much better than sitting in a muddy booth all weekend.

We only had rain during Friday setup.  Saturday was dry, but very cold because of the wind.  I started out with a long sleeve shirt Saturday morning, and finished the day with two coats on top of that.  We still had a decent turnout with buying customers in spite of the cold day.  However, Sunday made up for everything.  The weather was beautiful and warm.  It also brought out a large crowd to enjoy this nice day.  Sales were great and everyone obviously had a good time.

I had many repeat customers from last year come by and purchase more products.  It’s one thing for someone to compliment your work, but it is always special when they come back for more.  Since most of the customers live in this neighborhood, it’s not uncommon for someone to buy on Saturday and return to buy again on Sunday.   Avondale Estates has such nice people living there.

This is sort of the crossroads of the show.  We had artists set up on three different street segments.

We were set up in front of beautiful old homes.  This is my booth and neighbors in front of “Leave it to Beaver” style houses.

Here We Go Again

Another busy weekend is underway with the Avondale Autumn Fest this weekend.  I just got back from setting up in the rain which is a repeat of last year’s Friday setup.  Fortunately, they moved the festival to South Avondale, in front of city hall, so we don’t have to deal with the muddy park.  The park setup is very pretty with the lake in the background, but considering the rain we had today, I am glad we are on the street this weekend.  The weather forcast has changed again and it now appears that we are going to have very nice weather all weekend.  This is a very pretty venue and there are about 85 artists, so it should be a great show.  My space is across from the artist hospitality tent this time, so I should get more chocolate chip cookies this year!

Maryville Foothills Fall Festival

Well, my shows just keep getting better and better.  The Foothills Fall Festival was absolutely the best show I have ever been to.  The weather was horrible on Friday because of rain and cool temperatures, but the customers came out with umbrellas and spent money.  Saturday was dry, but cold and windy, and they still came to spend money.  Sunday was sunny, windy, and cold, but once again, customers were there to buy.  I can’t help but wonder what it would have been if all three days were sunny and warm.   I sold out of many products, and was pleased that my new items were big sellers.  Overall, my wood bookmarks were the biggest hit.  They were flying out the booth by the handfuls.

One of the things that made this show work well was all the volunteers dedicated to supporting the artists.  The Chilhowee Baptist Association provided free hot coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks all day long throughout the weekend.  I have never been catered to at a show like this.  These volunteers did a wonderful job and made a cold and long show much more enjoyable.

It was great being back in Maryville for a few days.  I made a lot of new friends and socialized with many people about how things have changed since the 60s in downtown Maryville.

This was the center of the show where Broadway and Cusick Street intersect.  They had artists set up here at Artway West, and a block down Broadway at Artway East.  Up and down the street were antique cars and tractors.

This is Artway East where I was located along with some wonderful artists and craftsmen.

I could not resist taking a picture of the old Capitol theater.  Saturday afternoon matinees were very popular with my friends and I during the early 60s.  It only cost 25 cents, and  I watched many cowboy and old Abbott and Costello movies at the Capitol.  There are a lot of good memories in this building.

I’m Off to See The Wizard….

Excitement is in the air because tomorrow I am on my way to Tennessee.  The trailer is packed full of product and I hope for three wonderful days.  The temperature is dropping for this weekend and it is forecast to be in the low 40s each morning, so I threw my propane heater in the trailer to be on the safe side.  I also had to dig out my flannel shirts and a hooded sweatshirt.  I wasn’t expecting to go into winter mode this early, but this cold spell was very much unexpected.  It should warm up to the low 60s if the Sun comes out this weekend.

For those attending the festival, I will be set up in the ArtWay East section next to CBBC Bank.  It looks like there are 35 artists in this section with a lot of variety.  Some, like me, are from out of State.  Hope to see you there!