Has anyone ever vended at a renfest?

[MaggieTheCat]

I'm just curious what vending at a renfest is like. There's a relatively new one in Texas (near Austin, if anyone is interested, this year will be their second year) that I'd like to vend at, but I don't think I could handle it at the moment. Besides the fact that I'd have to be dedicated for 6-8 weeks straight (I get wiped out after a 1 weekend show like an anime con...nevermind 6 weeks in a row), everything you do has to conform to renaissance guidelines. Your booth/tent has to be made out of period-appropriate material, so no metal, no plastic, etc. Anything using electricity, such as lights, cash registers, etc. must be hidden from view. You have to dress in period appropriate attire and speak in an English accent the whole time. And of course, your wares have to be period appropriate (that's a given.)

I totally understand why they require all that...to immerse the guests in the experience. It just seems overwhelming to me when I think about it, since I'm just one person. I don't even know if I could make enough inventory in a week to stay stocked for a weekend, depending on how many customers there are.

[morgana]

I sold jewelry at the Kansas City RenFest for, let me think, eight years?

We didn't have to do the English accent, but all the rest of it was the same as yours. The booth actually belonged to a friend, but she allowed several of us to bring in our stuff, as long as we were there the whole time.

Being the only one there would be incredibly hard, I would think. I suggest seeing if you could draft any of your friends to just come out and be there with you; you'll need someone to relieve you for food/drink/potty breaks if nothing else.

What were you planning to sell? I spent most of the rest of the year making jewelry evenings and weekends to have enough for the seven-weekend show. And I generally worked on jewelry while I was there, unless I was actually cashing out a customer. I also kept three different outfits that were strictly for RenFest, because well, I didn't always get laundry done in time for the next weekend.

Of course, it didn't help that I was working a full-time, 40-hour-a-week job a three-hour drive away the whole time, either. I don't know if that's the case for you.

If you want more advice, just let me know. Happy to help.

[Andara Bledin]

My mother and aunt vend at Renn faires regularly, and I've worked with them as well as attended as part of street gig and live steel fighting guild.

The following is all based on what I've done and may or may not apply to the faire you are interested in.

* The booth. You can get away with a non-period booth type if you take the time to craft a period-allowed covering. In the case of the posts, you can either go with full sheathes, or wrap them. The sheathes are easier to deal with, but take more effort to make. Tables are actually a little more effort, but you can do similar things for those. This faire has permanent structures on site, although it appears you do not have to construct one if you prefer a temporary.

* The costume. Of course, you're going to need to have garb. The usual rennie garb is, of course, the most common. Depending on the faire, you can also get away with pirate-y or middle eastern garb. If you go with a tent for vending, you can go gypsy with your costume.

* The wares. These are the most important, of course, and will be based entirely on what it is you do. The fun thing about beadwork is that you can actually be working while manning the booth. I would suggest that you absolutely have at least 2 people manning the booth, and if it's viable, to do crafty stuff while there, 'cause it's cool.

* Speech. It's best to attempt an old-timey English accent, but you can get away with others if you're good. But, you just have to do your best. Nobody is going to get upset if you can't pull off a perfect faire accent.

They've closed vendor apps already, which isn't surprising since it's a spring faire. If it's a good operation, you'll want to get in well before the end of the year for a guaranteed spot. Apparently, they opened up new vendor apps at the beginning of May, this year.

I do have to say that the faire in question has some of the better done guidelines that I've seen. Although, to be faire, I've never really checked out the faire paperwork my mother and aunt deal with, so I can't say that the local faires aren't just as complete.

Let me know if you have any other questions I haven't covered.

^-.-^

[Squeaksmyalias]

The one I go to and will be working at in the spring, doesn't require the accent, just similar speak, m'lord, m'lady sort of thing. (Luckily for me I wear black and it's my job to blend in so I don't have to remember to do that. )

Don't worry too much, the venders there tend to be REALLY nice, I made tons of friends with just them, the performers are great too, I still chat with a couple of them after photographing them in the fall so I look forward to getting to hang out with them. Everyone tends to be a big family.
Maybe skip this one and go a day or two and ask around, check out the shows, maybe you will meet someone who wants to expand their booth and will go half with you? If nothing else they will answer questions and be happy to help you.

Btw I'm not sure which one you will be at but keep an eye out for the Wonderfool Death Defying Comedy Show, he is awesome. The Jayna Lee show is amazing, The Lost Boys will flash the audience ....wait...no...yea they will flash the audience but they have a great show.