header photo credit: Tse Hei Long
As an artist, I’m always sussing out which fairs are worth attending. Shuffling into all sorts of zine-stuffed venues over the years, I’ve often wondered which ones are worth the money for a table, which ones have organisers that give a toss about their vendors. Very often I put myself in front of stallholders and ask bluntly: “Has it been busy?”
In this article I’m going to find answers to these questions, and I have no intention of holding back. Previously I’ve been worried of making a pariah of myself and not being accepted in future events on account of slagging them off. But isn’t a bit of honesty good for us all? With prints to sell and an axe to grind, I’m here to pick apart just a few fairs that have taken place in the last few months – for your pleasure.
Zine Station
The first fair up for review was the third edition of Zine Station, a zine fair at Liverpool’s Metquarter. The whole thing coincided with an exhibition takeover by Liverpool Community Print Station, Tate Liverpool, and Comics Youth – wrestling themed. I’m no newcomer to Zine Station; it is always a joy to be part of, though in previous years the venue had been Edge Hill train station. Swapping the station for a shopping centre meant that customers just weren’t the same – people were cutting through the mall and were frankly not stopping to check out a zine fair. I also had issues with my card reader – which I believe was due to my table spot. The company of my fellow stallholders was lovely; I enjoyed trading zines and catching up on people’s lives. During my downtime I wondered whether a weekday may have seen more of Liverpool Media Academy’s students trot through. Still, there was enough to keep spirits high, from DJ-ing to badge making.
Verdict: Great stallers, not so great customers. But I do love wrestling.
Fright Club & Carnival in the Crypts
It’s not unusual for events to fall on the same day. There are only so many spots on the calendar, after all. But this can mean the already niche audience for little art fairs is stretched thin, leaving stallholders totally, utterly desperate for a sale. Noticing that two goth and alternative markets were happening on the same day, I took myself to see if either would come out on top.
Fright Club originally started in Bristol, but Rough Trade asked the organisers to set up an event in their Liverpool location. Stepping up the stairs I was immediately greeted by the visage of Ghost Face, along with an uncomfortably close air thanks to the small venue. Smaller venues make the event look busier, which works in favour for when organisers are taking pictures and when customers enter – ‘cos who wants to walk around in an empty room?
The atmosphere was friendly, if not a bit sweaty for me. I asked some stallholders if they knew another alternative fair was happening at the same time, and they had no clue. Imagine if they worked together on the promo. Imagine world peace but with goths.
Upon arriving at Carnival in the Crypts, I not only discovered that it was no longer taking place at the advertised Metropolitan Cathedral Crypts (now at The Black-E), but it had also been totally renamed – to Halloween Bash at Black-E. When I inquired about the sudden venue change, I was told that the church didn’t much like the themes on show at a goth fair.
By the time I got there, the fair was very empty, made worse by the fact the size and space was prepared for at least 100 visitors. It’s at these kinds of fairs you feel guilty for even existing. Eye contact can be excruciating; you wish you could just buy something from everyone. Despite the relocation, the mood was cheery among stallholders. As Alex Thomas, a graphic designer, told me: “Really generous group of traders, top performance from the organisers, cracking venue.”
Verdict: Bit of a ghost town, literally.
Bound Art Book Fair
Bound Art Book Fair at the Whitworth Gallery is perhaps Manchester’s best-known event to hock zines and indie-published books. As I entered, it was very busy – overwhelmingly so. The tables were very close to each other with not much space for visitors to move around. Browsers beware, because this sort of setup leaves you feeling like you’re on a conveyor belt. The signs and directions for workshops and events were small and overlooked, leaving attendees (me included) to randomly stumble upon them. I’m told stallholders dread being placed upstairs for fear of being completely missed by the public.
After a breath of fresh air and chicken nuggets in the park, I stepped back into the gallery and spoke with Short Supply, a group who provides all sorts of opportunities and events for artists in the North West. At the fair they were selling their newly published book, 517 Degrees.
“The fair was fun, well-attended and had good, busy energy. Though when talking to stallholders it seems many had slow sales,” they told me. “The price to exhibit is really reasonable, so unlike other kinds of fairs nobody is leaving severely out of pocket, but it would be interesting to see the venue give the event a bigger commercial push.”
“Attendees are – most likely – drawn largely by stallholders, which cultivates a good local art scene vibe, but sales are vital for those exhibiting and income generated for the venue is equally important. Personally, I think the fair needs to decide if they are going all-in on the local energy, in which case the fair could be more about being an events-focused experience or it ups the ante on branding and marketing.”
Verdict: Lovely venue, but I got lost a few times. Bound Art Book Fair, give me a sign!