realistic and/or "more period" Ren Faires?

[Magpie]

A question was asked by a gentleman over one of the Kingdom level SCA lists that I'm on about merchanting at faires...

Here is exactly his question:
Could anyone help me identify the more serious Faires. I am interested in ones with more authentic arts and crafts demonstrations and ones that require the vendors to carry realistic reproductions. I don't want to sound like a snob but I wish to put up a serious booth with real relics and an academic slant. I do not wish to be sandwiched between plastic tents full of plastic unicorns and coffee mugs again.

Is there such an animal on the Ren Faire circuit, or would he be better selling at flea markets and SCA events?

Thanks much for your thoughts!

[Lady Sarah]

I would say that he'd actually need to contact the Faire management.

I can only speak for what I've seen at Scarborough... definitely no plastic unicorns there... and haven't seen any coffee mugs, per se.

[FairieTink]

I know at one time MI faire would only allow real items, none of that mass produced stuff.

[I'Cin]

Maryland doesn't carry mass-production of the plastic sort as far as I know (except maybe at the one management booth inside the front gate, which sells t-shirts, disposable cameras, etc. and perhaps the kazoos at the House of Musical Traditions). The vendors are "serious" not just "amusement park souvenir" stands. Even the MDRF souvenir mugs are pottery pieces.

:hmm: { Racks brain} Nope can't think of a single junk souvenir vendor.

I'Cin

[Jeannie Fitzgerald]

The Festival in Corona, CA (running right now), is education oriented. Vendors for the most part tend to have more period wares than most Festivals or Faires.

[syndony]

There's also NCRF which is education oriented.

[Mistress Kristi]

I think for a very historical bent one should speak with the SCA people. Also, academic conferences sometimes have vendors (there were several at mine this year). your friend could check those out

[Magpie]

Thanks everyone! I've sent him your comments along with a few of my own.

He merchanted at the Ashville this weekend and was *sorely* disappointed by the amount of crap that was being sold.

To be honest, so was I. If I want a batik wrap skirt/shirt/pants, t-shirts, carved gourds (although they were lovely), Plains Indian style stuff, or mass produced multicolored dragons, I will go to a street fair. (the dragons were cute, though)

The food vendors didn't even *try* (although the Thai tasted really good) for peri-oid. The workers at the vegetarian place looked like escapees from the goth and punk scenes, as did the girls at one of the jewelry booths... their waist length hair matched their cabaret style belly dancing costumes... turquoise with green and purple with magenta. Very pretty, but not what I would expect at a better faire.

The merchants I actually thought should be there were this guy (selling the actual medieval and renaissance artifacts), GreyCat, the woman with all the random useful crack (bells, socks, fans, feathers, knives, jewelry, beads, buttons, belts etc etc etc), the blacksmith, the varous pottery people, the lady with the "middle eastern stuff" (mostly Indian, a lot of it inappropriate, but enough that "worked" that it didn't bother me), the guy with the handmade bamboo flutes (totally droolworthy and not terribly expensive), the woman with the handmade jewelry, and the couple of vendors selling cheap blades (I'd rather them sell expensive blades, but the cheap pakistani stuff sells when the expensive hand forged stuff won't).

So, I see completely where he was coming from.

I was not expecting fabulous things, though, and I had lots of fun playing with my friends, so it was well worth it.

[cyd]

I know you've already spoken to him, and I'Cin did mention it... Maryland faire requires that a certain percentage of the product being sold be made by the vendor themselves, depending upon the market (they don't require it of the sword makers), and they require that the vast majority of the wares be of the non-mass-market variety.

Mind you, not all of it has to be strictly period (such as CD sales at House of Musical Traditions, or the leather bikinis at Miles Tonne)s, but it does have to be "close enough". NO PLASTIC.

The food also tends to stick to steak on a stick and varieties thereof... turkey legs, and such. If it's on a stick, tthey'll sell it.

i believe (and don't quote me on it) that Sterling Renaissance Festival (oswego NY) has similar restrictions. RPFS (southern california) tends to have the 'more period' vendors, too... But they do have a bit more non-period than mDRF does.

Many of the smaller faires will get what I refer to as "schlock vendors", because they can't afford to have better vendors... and many of the non-schlock vendors can't afford to be at smaller faires, because they charge a much higher price because of handmade items and high quality items, so the average person won't buy. too few patrons, and you can't afford to be in business unless you do mass market cheap crap.

Short run faires tend to have more garbage and less quality. this isn't always the case, but most of the time, it is.

Actually, out of any faire I've been to, I'd say MDRF hands down when it comes to periodicity. They're not perfect, but they're among the closest I've seen.

Cyd

[Psyche]

I really wish GARF was more period... but it is getting more fantasy. So avoid that one.

[syndony]

He could also try TRF.
The food vendors at NCRF this year were rather glaring. The kettlecorn vendor at least made an attempt at periodicity in their clothing.

[MisRed]

Sterling, MDRF and others are "juried". This means that you must submit an item /you've/ manufactured along with explinations on how it was crafted, historical documentation on how the item(s) were used, and prove that you aren't just buying stuff from Oriental Trading and marketing to Ren Folks.

In addition, Sterling is quite stringent with it's requirements for Artists to be onsite, and limits the number of artists who manufacture an item to one. That's right, one paper maker, one book binder, one pewtersmith, one leatherworker etc.

[Magpie]

I wonder how they would feel about *real live honest to god* artifacts?

I mean, obviously, he hasn't made them, but he had a *gorgeous* sterling Tudor hairpin, several German woodcuts, buckles, wrought iron, etc.

*shrug*

Hope he finds something... he seems to be a nice guy, his prices seem reasonable, and it's actual artifacts, not reproduction.

[x]

Hello!!!1

I just found this forum. Many thank Magpie for your help. I will certainly be in the Raleigh Faire next spring and I am going to schedule a couple for later this summer. I am talking with MDRF also for next year.

I think I am realistic. I don't expect to get rich at Faires. I don't expect these to replace my antiques shows. I have gone to the Raleigh Faire from the beginning and my kids love it. I see this as an opportunity to have some fun and do a little business. I am hoping to find a few where I can make a few bucks and let the kids have fun and maybe actually learn something.

I love the people, both paticipants and the ticket buyers. Compared to an antiques show, everyone is so much friendlier. If I were single, I would have a van and do the circuit year round.
I shouldn't really critcize Asheville too harshly. There has been a change of management and the new promoters have to learn to appreciate the need to use media advertising. If the public doesn't know about it, they can't buy tickets. I will probably do it again next year if it looks like the advertising is better. Unfortunately, all of the vendors I spoke to, except the locals, said they would not be back. The blacksmiths were great but they had a big issue with the management and say they will not be back. They seemed essential to the Faire to me. Unfortunately, the problem isn't fixable it seems.

If you have read this far, I do have a poll.

Are you interested in real items?
I always assumed that the Faire people that really go for an elaborate and authentic costumes would be interested in relics or antiques from the period if they were affordable and quality. A lot of people in Raleigh and Asheville told me I was wrong and that it is all about dressing up. Actually, my target customers are the ticket buyers that care enough about the history to come to a Faire.
Time will tell.

Thanks,

steve

[shadow]

Steve

You NEEED a webpage

Im actually salivating over what stuff you might have concerning actual period stuff. I know your not going to have clothing but I'm assuming buckles and small knives and the like. My other question would be is it reproduction peices or is it ACTUAL certifiable artifact?

[x]

Hi,

I have a broad range of items. I concentrate on mass quantities of nice but inexpensive stuff and leave the problematic expensive stuff for others. I am the Wal Mart of antiques.

I buy mostly from a few diggers in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and England. All contacted me over the years when they saw mw bidding on eBay and now I buy directly from them.
There is good stuff on eBay but I am increasingly wary. The Bulgarian coin fakers are now faking artifacts and are very good. Almost all the nicer Roman toga pins on eBay are made up of composites of broken pieces put together in Bulgaria. I found out the hard way after I heard a reference to fakes on a coin forum. I soaked my stock in acetone and a lot fell apart when the super glue dissolved. I am trying to contact the people I sold ones to and make sure they are okay. The other big fake field is iron arrowheads. A lot on ebay are filled with epoxy and a almost impossible to tell until you hold them. My stuff comes to me uncleaned and I will guarantee anything forever.
Let me know what you are interested in and I will send some images.
I have about a 125 knife blades from &)) AD - 1700 AD. Most are $10 - 30 bucks.

Steve
Steve

[shadow]

Steve im actually interested in cloak pins knife blades and kilt pins. Also if its Irish im probably going to buy it

:-)

Go ahead and send me pictures of the knife blades and any cloak pins and or kilt pins you might have

My email is Bonecrsher at yahoo dot com

[x]

Has Homeland Security see this photo?

Tom whats his name may drop by to see you.

[shadow]

HEHEHEHE

Homeland security has been around for a long time and they already know ALLLL about me. I was a military child with a father in top secret state afairs i know alot of things i shouldnt know.

:twisted:

[I'Cin]

HEHEHEHE

Homeland security has been around for a long time and they already know ALLLL about me. I was a military child with a father in top secret state afairs i know alot of things i shouldnt know.

:twisted:

The real question is, do you know the things you SHOULD?
MWAH.

I'Cin

[shadow]

what you mean like hot wiring a car??

Or hotwiring a wench?



im pretty good with wench's im horrible with cars

:twisted:

[Psyche]

Or hotwiring a wench?
hmmm... *ponders*

[Kirvin]

I know it was said on here - but Sterling is a juried show. I know a person or two who has tried to get in. I don't know all the details, but I do know that after you get approved initially you get a one weekend (usually) temporary booth, then if you do well enough and they like what you have you can get your own booth - note - you have to build it! They do have "temp" vendors who return year after year though for a few weekends.

One of anything is a bit off - there is Miles Tonne and Potomac Leather shops, and we now have a few garb shops - Fantasia, Threads of Time Wolfstone Kilt Co. and the Needle Fairy are the bigger ones. However they all have slightly different styles. I love the atmosphere of Sterling - I tend to think that it is one of the most historically accurate Faires out there (though I haven't been out on the West Coast or down South).

Good luck. Maybe we'll see you someday here.

[KissMeKate]

Bristol is also a juried Faire and has many artisans, but have been bringing in more buy-sellers and other things to try to bring in more patrons (it should be an interesting season to see all the changes). From what I understand, there are discounts to merchant fees for those who do demonstrations/educational talks. You can find a contact by sifting through their website - www.renfair.com/Bristol
Good luck!