Greetings, Fanatics!
The month of October has certainly been a busy one for us. We attended two shows, The Market @ Mid-Main on Oct. 9th and Houston Halloween Fest on the 19th.
The Market is a seasonal, monthly craft market where Houston's local artisans and makers come out and display their wares for sale.
Showing posts with label vendors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vendors. Show all posts
Friday, October 24, 2014
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Good evening, Fanatics!
We haven't posted in nearly a month; but it doesn't mean that we don't care! We had some trouble with the pipes in the house that caused us to need to replace the floor in two rooms. Because of this, we stayed with Aaron's parents for a week. But we're back and ready to delight and inform you with our creature posts and rants.
As of last weekend, I am proud to announce that my voodoo dolls can be found in The Tinderbox on Main here in Houston! They'll be there throughout the month of October, so be sure to stop by and support me and other Texas artists at this wonderful local business.
We'll also be attending October's Mini Pops Marketplace this Sunday. Mini Pops is a small event held monthly by Pop Shop Houston and we're very excited to be participating in it. Mini Pops is being held at Leopard Lounge Vintage and Pavement Clothing on Westheimer and Dunlavy.
Helping us at Mini Pops (and hopefully at other future events) is my sister and guest blogger here on QF, LiLi! Aaron and I will be picking her up at the airport on Saturday and she'll be staying here in Houston for part of the year to go to school.
That's all I have time to write tonight, but we'll be back soon with some creature features!
Happy October!
Megh
We haven't posted in nearly a month; but it doesn't mean that we don't care! We had some trouble with the pipes in the house that caused us to need to replace the floor in two rooms. Because of this, we stayed with Aaron's parents for a week. But we're back and ready to delight and inform you with our creature posts and rants.
As of last weekend, I am proud to announce that my voodoo dolls can be found in The Tinderbox on Main here in Houston! They'll be there throughout the month of October, so be sure to stop by and support me and other Texas artists at this wonderful local business.
We'll also be attending October's Mini Pops Marketplace this Sunday. Mini Pops is a small event held monthly by Pop Shop Houston and we're very excited to be participating in it. Mini Pops is being held at Leopard Lounge Vintage and Pavement Clothing on Westheimer and Dunlavy.
Helping us at Mini Pops (and hopefully at other future events) is my sister and guest blogger here on QF, LiLi! Aaron and I will be picking her up at the airport on Saturday and she'll be staying here in Houston for part of the year to go to school.
That's all I have time to write tonight, but we'll be back soon with some creature features!
Happy October!
Megh
Sunday, June 30, 2013
What I actually bought from Comicpalooza (finally!)
Good evening Fanatics!
The other day I posted a very solemn and personal piece on this blog and though I feel like it was important to share, I also think it was a little heavy.
So I'd like to uplift the atmosphere of this blog by showing off what I got at Comicpalooza last month!
It's a bit late in coming. I mean, Comicpalooza is already a month behind us.
I have to admit, I'm not much of a comic Fanatic. I like the art (usually), but don't care for the convoluted story lines and universe changes. So, most of the vendors didn't appeal to me directly. I'm also not a spendthrift, so most of the few things I did really want, I ended up talking myself out of.
I must be great to hang out with.
I had the great luck of being boothed directly next to my sister's favorite web comic artist, Amanda Lafrenais of Love Me Nice fame. (link mostly SFW) I immediately (or eventually, depending on who you're asking) swallowed my social awkwardness and went up to her to order a commission. I went around the booth to the front of her table to talk to her even though I had been sitting immediately to her left. I commissioned a $30 color sketch of LiLi based off of a picture of her holding up a fish she had caught, because out of all of the photos I had of her on hand, this was the most shapely and flattering. That sounds really weird of me, but the Love Me Nice artist specializes in very curvy characters and I knew that LiLi would appreciate a sketch of herself as close to the LMN artwork as possible. I'd never heard of Amanda or her comic before, nor ordered a commission, so I was a little taken aback when I got this little beauty for only $30. This is only a partial picture (taken from Amanda's Tumblr, but you can still see the detail put into work. Only after the convention did I realize that she did not ordinarily do such detailed work for $30 and that I probably should have paid her more. (Note: If you ever read this, Amanda, sorry for not paying you more! I feel like I contributed to you no longer doing sketches for $30. The picture is great!)
I also got her a Victorian Era inspired picture postcard with a plague doctor on it, but didn't have the foresight to take a picture of it before I packaged it up to send to her. (Edit: Never mind, I found it on their Deviant Art account.)
I didn't really see anything at the con that caught my eye too much. I have too admit that while I love striking, powerful comic art (usually featuring Superman, Venom, or Galactus) and kitschy old style comic art (old school Wonder Woman and Etta Candy being my favorites), I actually don't care for comics. There were a few bows and plushies that I talked myself out of buying, but one print kept luring me over. Again and again I passed the Artistic Oddities booth that held the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, beckoning to me with it's soft colors and confident gaze. In the end, I capitulated and bought a 16"x 20" print of the fabled alapacacorn.
I also got a postcard sized print of The Barbed Wire Prince because the style matches my Joshua Norton print.
Stay Fanatic,
Megh
The other day I posted a very solemn and personal piece on this blog and though I feel like it was important to share, I also think it was a little heavy.
So I'd like to uplift the atmosphere of this blog by showing off what I got at Comicpalooza last month!
It's a bit late in coming. I mean, Comicpalooza is already a month behind us.
I have to admit, I'm not much of a comic Fanatic. I like the art (usually), but don't care for the convoluted story lines and universe changes. So, most of the vendors didn't appeal to me directly. I'm also not a spendthrift, so most of the few things I did really want, I ended up talking myself out of.
I must be great to hang out with.
I had the great luck of being boothed directly next to my sister's favorite web comic artist, Amanda Lafrenais of Love Me Nice fame. (link mostly SFW) I immediately (or eventually, depending on who you're asking) swallowed my social awkwardness and went up to her to order a commission. I went around the booth to the front of her table to talk to her even though I had been sitting immediately to her left. I commissioned a $30 color sketch of LiLi based off of a picture of her holding up a fish she had caught, because out of all of the photos I had of her on hand, this was the most shapely and flattering. That sounds really weird of me, but the Love Me Nice artist specializes in very curvy characters and I knew that LiLi would appreciate a sketch of herself as close to the LMN artwork as possible. I'd never heard of Amanda or her comic before, nor ordered a commission, so I was a little taken aback when I got this little beauty for only $30. This is only a partial picture (taken from Amanda's Tumblr, but you can still see the detail put into work. Only after the convention did I realize that she did not ordinarily do such detailed work for $30 and that I probably should have paid her more. (Note: If you ever read this, Amanda, sorry for not paying you more! I feel like I contributed to you no longer doing sketches for $30. The picture is great!)
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| Amada's rendition of my sister. Torso up and no fishie. |
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| Photo that sketch is based off of. |
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| This one, because my sister creeps me out. |
I didn't really see anything at the con that caught my eye too much. I have too admit that while I love striking, powerful comic art (usually featuring Superman, Venom, or Galactus) and kitschy old style comic art (old school Wonder Woman and Etta Candy being my favorites), I actually don't care for comics. There were a few bows and plushies that I talked myself out of buying, but one print kept luring me over. Again and again I passed the Artistic Oddities booth that held the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, beckoning to me with it's soft colors and confident gaze. In the end, I capitulated and bought a 16"x 20" print of the fabled alapacacorn.
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| So majestic. |
Stay Fanatic,
Megh
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Comicpalooza 2013 - A general overview
Good evening Fanatics!
As you know, we spent this Memorial Day weekend at Comicpalooza, Houston's Comic Con. This brings the number of conventions that we have been vendors at up to TWO. Go us! It was also the first multi-day, large convention we attended, and this came with its own set of challenges.
You may remember my recap of ZombieCon from last year.
This will fortunately be nothing like that. Comicpalooza was wonderful and scary and exciting.
Overall, we did very well. We did a little better than breaking even on what we spent, sold out of our zombie kittens (again!) and narwhal plushies, and saw a lot of great art and product. You might expect me to say that we met a lot of wonderful people. We met some very great people, but not as many as I would have liked to. I was sick and exhausted from lack of sleep and it being my turn to have food poisoning, so I spent most of the convention hiding behind our display. I was grateful for having the foresight to bring two other assistants who enjoy being sociable. Judy and Jaegger seemed very excited and happy to help; they also had never had much of a chance to go to conventions.
I had been preparing plushies for the convention since Christmas. I was too excited. After 5 exhausting months of making patterns, sewing, ordering prints and buttons, and designing; I was finally ready for the 3 day weekend.
Friday was slow, but I guess I expected that. People were still at work and school, after all. The display was fun to put up. I kind of like working under pressure and we had gotten there a bit late after picking up Judy and Jaegger. Friday night, I sewed two zombie narwhals spur of the moment. It turned out to be a good idea, we sold them both the next day. Saturday was markedly busier than Friday, and we sold out of our zombie kittens and fuzzy monsters. There were so many people in costume, and the place was packed. The line for admission on the second floor doubled over half the length of the convention center. Sunday was relaxing, most of the attendees there were the weekend pass holders, very friendly and talkative. I feel like we gained a lot of experience in selling at a convention setting and getting good feedback on what we make. We were one of four or so booths selling plushes in Artist's Alley, and it was nice to see other peoples' work.
I realize that this is a very clipped and shallow sounding article, and it is; I just feel that a few things deserve their own article. So please stay tuned for that!
Stay Fanatic.
Megh.
As you know, we spent this Memorial Day weekend at Comicpalooza, Houston's Comic Con. This brings the number of conventions that we have been vendors at up to TWO. Go us! It was also the first multi-day, large convention we attended, and this came with its own set of challenges.
You may remember my recap of ZombieCon from last year.
This will fortunately be nothing like that. Comicpalooza was wonderful and scary and exciting.
Overall, we did very well. We did a little better than breaking even on what we spent, sold out of our zombie kittens (again!) and narwhal plushies, and saw a lot of great art and product. You might expect me to say that we met a lot of wonderful people. We met some very great people, but not as many as I would have liked to. I was sick and exhausted from lack of sleep and it being my turn to have food poisoning, so I spent most of the convention hiding behind our display. I was grateful for having the foresight to bring two other assistants who enjoy being sociable. Judy and Jaegger seemed very excited and happy to help; they also had never had much of a chance to go to conventions.
I had been preparing plushies for the convention since Christmas. I was too excited. After 5 exhausting months of making patterns, sewing, ordering prints and buttons, and designing; I was finally ready for the 3 day weekend.
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| Zombie Narwhal! |
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| Me at the booth. |
Friday was slow, but I guess I expected that. People were still at work and school, after all. The display was fun to put up. I kind of like working under pressure and we had gotten there a bit late after picking up Judy and Jaegger. Friday night, I sewed two zombie narwhals spur of the moment. It turned out to be a good idea, we sold them both the next day. Saturday was markedly busier than Friday, and we sold out of our zombie kittens and fuzzy monsters. There were so many people in costume, and the place was packed. The line for admission on the second floor doubled over half the length of the convention center. Sunday was relaxing, most of the attendees there were the weekend pass holders, very friendly and talkative. I feel like we gained a lot of experience in selling at a convention setting and getting good feedback on what we make. We were one of four or so booths selling plushes in Artist's Alley, and it was nice to see other peoples' work.
I realize that this is a very clipped and shallow sounding article, and it is; I just feel that a few things deserve their own article. So please stay tuned for that!
Stay Fanatic.
Megh.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Come visit us at Comicpalooza!
Houston's Comicpalooza is happening in 9 days and you should totally come and see us and visit us.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Valentine's day date with the Quiet Fanatics
Good evening, Fanatics!
This past Thursday was Saint Valentine's day! Lovers and friends everywhere exchanged cards and chocolates and just, presents and junk or whatever they liked. In our last post, Aaron shared OUR day, which was filled with a fun trip to the Houston Zoo and Hermann Park with everyones' favorite little Fanatic, Isaac.
Aaron and I took this Saturday to have a bit of a couples' date and asked Aaron's parents to watch Isaac for the day. We decided to go back into the city and have a little picnic and then attend Discovery Green's Flea on the Green by night. We had also planned to attend Texas Art Asylum's (a local "junk" and art supply store) grand re-opening, but due to a few closed exits on the highway, we lost about an hour and couldn't make it. :s
We stopped by Central Market to get some things for our picnic, which turned out to be fairly short because of the unexpected chill and plus there were some people playing drums in the park, and Aaron and I really have a distaste for large drum circles.
The Quiet Fanatic Recipe for a Romantic Picnic
-Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
-Proscuitto wrapped mozzarella
-Garlic Parmesean Breadsticks (the hard, skinny sort)
-Blackberries
-Crudites
-Iced Tea (with no ice)
-A Chocolate filled croissant (to share)
All in all, the picnic was very fun. I found out that I do not care for raw zucchini, Aaron discovered that he likes chocolate filled croissants, and a young drug addict asked us if we had any cigarettes to spare.
Flea on the Green at night is much like regular Flea on the Green, with the slight difference of it being at night. Oh, and there was some sort of NBA All Star convention going on at the George R. Brown, which is RIGHT across the street from Discovery Green, so there was like 10x more people than we expected everywhere. They also had a mobile bar (which was closed) set up, and a temporary carnival food station in the middle of the park. We got foot long corn dogs, which I am starting to regret right about now. After milling around the Flea a bit, Aaron bought me a late Valentine's day present and we rushed home to see our little one, who we often miss for some strange reason.
I hope y'all also had a wonderful Valentine's day!
-Megh
This past Thursday was Saint Valentine's day! Lovers and friends everywhere exchanged cards and chocolates and just, presents and junk or whatever they liked. In our last post, Aaron shared OUR day, which was filled with a fun trip to the Houston Zoo and Hermann Park with everyones' favorite little Fanatic, Isaac.
Aaron and I took this Saturday to have a bit of a couples' date and asked Aaron's parents to watch Isaac for the day. We decided to go back into the city and have a little picnic and then attend Discovery Green's Flea on the Green by night. We had also planned to attend Texas Art Asylum's (a local "junk" and art supply store) grand re-opening, but due to a few closed exits on the highway, we lost about an hour and couldn't make it. :s
We stopped by Central Market to get some things for our picnic, which turned out to be fairly short because of the unexpected chill and plus there were some people playing drums in the park, and Aaron and I really have a distaste for large drum circles.
The Quiet Fanatic Recipe for a Romantic Picnic
-Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
-Proscuitto wrapped mozzarella
-Garlic Parmesean Breadsticks (the hard, skinny sort)
-Blackberries
-Crudites
-Iced Tea (with no ice)
-A Chocolate filled croissant (to share)
All in all, the picnic was very fun. I found out that I do not care for raw zucchini, Aaron discovered that he likes chocolate filled croissants, and a young drug addict asked us if we had any cigarettes to spare.
Flea on the Green at night is much like regular Flea on the Green, with the slight difference of it being at night. Oh, and there was some sort of NBA All Star convention going on at the George R. Brown, which is RIGHT across the street from Discovery Green, so there was like 10x more people than we expected everywhere. They also had a mobile bar (which was closed) set up, and a temporary carnival food station in the middle of the park. We got foot long corn dogs, which I am starting to regret right about now. After milling around the Flea a bit, Aaron bought me a late Valentine's day present and we rushed home to see our little one, who we often miss for some strange reason.
I hope y'all also had a wonderful Valentine's day!
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| My gifts! Aaron's mommy got me the Hello Kitty mug and plush, Aaron got me the Sanrio plush Pig and crochet cat. The chocolates were mostly for me, but we shared. |
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| Aaron's gifts! His mommy and sister got him the "Sexy" mug and plush puppy as a joke, and I got him some artist's postcard prints featuring other worldly creatures! |
-Megh
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
QuietFanatics go to Comicpalooza!
Good evening, Fanatics.
I have some exciting news for you. Want to guess it?
Well, you wouldn't have to if you had read this post's title.
Yes, it is true! Quiet Fanatics will have it's very own booth at Houston's Comicpalooza this coming May. This will be the largest (and second) convention that we will have had a booth at, and we are tickled pink about it.
Originally, we purchased the booth for TimandBen but decided that QuietFanatics would be a much better vendor for this con. Why? Well, as you know, TimandBen's sells voodoo dolls and monster dolls, so it wouldn't be quite appropriate for a comic convention. Or any month besides October, really. Secondly, we here at QF headquarters have been working on props and crytozoological displays that we would really like to show off, along with a few prints. Our Houston fans can still expect to see a few of our more popular voodoo dolls and monster plushes at Comicpalooza, but they can also look forward to items such as Cthulhu themed statuettes, plushes based on a few of my favorite sci-fi stories, and some art prints (if I can figure out where to print the darn things).
So look forward to updates for that.
Stay Fanatic,
Megh
So look forward to updates for that.
Stay Fanatic,
Megh
Friday, December 7, 2012
Shop Review: Howdy, Haunted Hair Candy!
Good evening, Fanatics!
Tonight we will be starting our "Shop Review: Howdy _____!" series. Our featured shop today is Haunted Hair Candy.
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| Click here to visit the shop! |
I found Haunted Hair Candy through a trading team on Etsy; the Needful Things Dark Trading Team. They were hosting a Christmas trading blitz and I traded with quite a few lovely shop owners for lots of neat goodies.
Haunted Hair Candy features handmade bows, clips, and barrettes that are made with a spooky twist. A few days ago, I got my Adorable heart black and pink Sugar Skull Hair clip set in the mail.
The skulls are made with polymer clay and hand painted with intricate designs. They are attached to alligator clips and seems quite sturdy. I am quite happy with my piece.
To show you the diversity of Haunted Hair Candy, I've included a few favorites of mine from the shop.
This Christmas, I've really focused on getting handmade things as gifts for myself and others. Being a seller on Etsy myself, it feels nice to be able to feel as if someone, an actual person, is behind the products I use and know that someone's hard work went into making this unique, interesting accessory.
____________________
Quality: 9
I love the handmade quality of my hairclips, but I feel that the polymer clay could have been sculpted a bit smoother. The paint job was nice, and the clips overall seem very sturdy.
Price: 7 The original price for these clips is $6.00, which is a bit high for the size and simplicity of the product. (Each clip is about 1.5" long.) The shipping is free for all U.S. orders though, which is nice. Shipping: 9
The shipping was free and quick, arriving just a week after I ordered them. The packaging was nice and professional.
Shopping Experience: 9
The shop owner was very nice and friendly, and very quick to respond to my messages on Etsy.
Overall Rating: 8.5
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Christmas, Christmas time is near....
...the time for multiple orders and gift making is here!
Hello, Fanatics! I am sorry that the blog has been so quiet as of late. I have been swamped with holiday and swap orders, gift making, and Isaac.
As Aaron mentioned in our last post, I've discovered a site called GothAuctions; where one can barter and bid on spooky, goth culture aimed items to one's content. I immediately, of course, started listing dolls and other goodies on it. They sold fairly quickly, and I hope all of the doll are happy with their new owners.
I also bought a few things.
I have also been trading things on Etsy, which is really neat. I got some Christmas shopping done that way and got a few presents for myself.
I'll be posting more photos of what exactly I got as they arrive and reviews of the Etsy shops where I got them from.
That's all for tonight, y'all.
Stay fanatic.
-Megh
Hello, Fanatics! I am sorry that the blog has been so quiet as of late. I have been swamped with holiday and swap orders, gift making, and Isaac.
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| Which is always a pleasure. |
As Aaron mentioned in our last post, I've discovered a site called GothAuctions; where one can barter and bid on spooky, goth culture aimed items to one's content. I immediately, of course, started listing dolls and other goodies on it. They sold fairly quickly, and I hope all of the doll are happy with their new owners.
I also bought a few things.
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| A medium plaid skirt and an XXL sweater! For about $1.50! |
I have also been trading things on Etsy, which is really neat. I got some Christmas shopping done that way and got a few presents for myself.
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| Some very cute handmade hair clips from HauntedHairCandy on Etsy. I'll be reviewing them tomorrow. |
I'll be posting more photos of what exactly I got as they arrive and reviews of the Etsy shops where I got them from.
That's all for tonight, y'all.
Stay fanatic.
-Megh
Monday, October 22, 2012
Zombies! Engagement! Thunder Birds!
Kind of a scattered post here tonight. First off, Megh and I got engaged today! I proposed at the park. Megh thought I was getting her Magic cards. It was one of the best days of my life, even if Isaac was too busy looking at trees to notice what was going on. His mind is prone to wander, and I doubt he even got the context of what was going on, besides.
Anyway, it was quite a shock to Megh. And I was flying by the seat of my pants, so the whole thing was a shock to me as well. We also didn't tell anyone else, so it came as a shock to everyone! Shocks all around!
Needless to say, she was speechless. And I don't think she expected it in what was supposed to be a lull after the wake of San Antonio Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse. If you don't know what that is, feel free to jump back a few days or weeks in the blog and give me some extra page-views.
The con was a lot of fun, but rough-hewn and unprofessional. There were too few vendors, too many bands, and not enough organization. The staff, composed of a single family, was expectedly unprofessional. It was a good try for the first con, and Megh can give you more details in yesterday's post, but I wanted to talk about Z-Con a bit on my own. Because there was something Megh left out in her review. Something that influenced me greatly, but did little to effect the con as a whole. The food gave me diarrhea. The overpriced carney food gave me the runs. At one of the most inopportune times of my life. I'm not sure I've ever had to sit and wait in one spot for that long before. It is not good for any human to sit at a booth for twelve grueling hours, trying to sell merchandise with a pressure cooker of pickle juice and McDonald's pig grease boiling over in his intestines like a farty witch's cauldron, accompanied by blaring dubstep music and teenagers screaming. It is even worse to have that aforementioned colonoscopy soup waxing and waning inside you like the Gulf Coast tide itself while mouthbreathers in camouflage take pictures of you. And all of the overpriced Gator-Aid in the world could not fix it. The only solace that I had was the fact that, if I did indeed poop myself, I was at least dressed in a straight jacket and could claim it was part of the costume.
So to you, San Antonio Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse, I must say that I will not be attending San Antonio Zombie Con 2013: The Post-Apocalypse. Nor any San Antonio Zombie Con to follow. I have eaten pickles. I have eaten McDonald's. And burning hot hot wings, Mexican food, Indian food, my weight in 2% milk, and several things I found on the ground outside, and nothing was caustic enough to bring me such spontaneous and urgent bowel movements. And hopefully, nothing will ever effect me that way again. Good day, San Antonio Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse. Good day and good riddance.
Stay classy,
Aaron
Anyway, it was quite a shock to Megh. And I was flying by the seat of my pants, so the whole thing was a shock to me as well. We also didn't tell anyone else, so it came as a shock to everyone! Shocks all around!
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| SHOOOOOOOCKS! |
The con was a lot of fun, but rough-hewn and unprofessional. There were too few vendors, too many bands, and not enough organization. The staff, composed of a single family, was expectedly unprofessional. It was a good try for the first con, and Megh can give you more details in yesterday's post, but I wanted to talk about Z-Con a bit on my own. Because there was something Megh left out in her review. Something that influenced me greatly, but did little to effect the con as a whole. The food gave me diarrhea. The overpriced carney food gave me the runs. At one of the most inopportune times of my life. I'm not sure I've ever had to sit and wait in one spot for that long before. It is not good for any human to sit at a booth for twelve grueling hours, trying to sell merchandise with a pressure cooker of pickle juice and McDonald's pig grease boiling over in his intestines like a farty witch's cauldron, accompanied by blaring dubstep music and teenagers screaming. It is even worse to have that aforementioned colonoscopy soup waxing and waning inside you like the Gulf Coast tide itself while mouthbreathers in camouflage take pictures of you. And all of the overpriced Gator-Aid in the world could not fix it. The only solace that I had was the fact that, if I did indeed poop myself, I was at least dressed in a straight jacket and could claim it was part of the costume.
So to you, San Antonio Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse, I must say that I will not be attending San Antonio Zombie Con 2013: The Post-Apocalypse. Nor any San Antonio Zombie Con to follow. I have eaten pickles. I have eaten McDonald's. And burning hot hot wings, Mexican food, Indian food, my weight in 2% milk, and several things I found on the ground outside, and nothing was caustic enough to bring me such spontaneous and urgent bowel movements. And hopefully, nothing will ever effect me that way again. Good day, San Antonio Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse. Good day and good riddance.
Stay classy,
Aaron
Sunday, October 21, 2012
We're back from San Antonio's Zombie Con 2012! (Review)
And I hate San Antonio.
Ok. Maybe I don't HATE San Antonio, but I much prefer Houston over it. I just don't understand a city whose downtown and main tourist trap (The Riverwalk) is almost completely devoid of people on a Friday and Saturday night. Oh, also the one way streets gave us an exciting adventure on our way to find the hotel because they aren't clearly marked at all.
But you want to hear about Zombie Con.
We did alright for our first convention. Sold out of our zombie kittens (definitely making those into a full time product), learned a lot of things about selling our dolls, and got real-time customer feedback (everyone who stopped at our booth liked the dolls, but thought they were a little too pricey).
We met a lot of fun characters, including a cute sock monkey dressed as a zombie and a ton of interesting vendors and artists that I was looking forward to seeing for months. Our booth was in between a really awesome special effects makeup team, who made prosthetic scabs, boils, and bites all through the convention, and a vendor who sold handmade horror themed jewelry and accessories. Directly behind us were some ladies transforming teddy bears into undead cuddly creations. A local anime and pop culture shop, Ooples, was across the aisle from us, and there were many San Antonio artists peddling the best of their gory and horror themed wares. A shop called OddbirdsBoutique offered industrial and steampunk light fixtures for the home and shop. There was an artist who had some amazing, cartoony prints of a zombie astronaut that I didn't get to buy because we were too busy manning the booth. :( I would mention all of the vendors' names (because they were all pretty great), but I can't quite remember all of them.
Let's talk about the actual event for a second, though. It wasn't the most organized convention. It was my first time going to any sort of event like it and I could see that. Now, I get that it was the Cuellar family's first convention ever. They had to plan it, get sponsors, reserve the event center, get vendors, artists, and bands to sign up, AND do publicity all by themselves. I applaud them for actually making it happen. Hopefully the next time they throw a convention, they will have all of the kinks worked out and have a really successful event. :) Some things that I feel could have been avoided really bother me though, like:
But the thing that really bothers me?
Really? That's really how you are going to talk to a paying customer who took the time and paid the money to go to your event. Instead of taking their criticisms and learning from them, politely thanking them for their attendance and promising that the next event will be better, you'd rather act like a child and go on the defense and challenge them to do better than you? What if they could? How embarrassed would you be if they had taken your challenge and threw a better Zombie Con, with more attendees, had made more money, and were actually polite to people? They expressed dissatisfaction and you respond with the easiest answer to give a customer; "You didn't like it? Too bad, we have your money and your opinion doesn't matter anymore." Great to hear, Zombie Con. You just lost the customers that you told that to. And you've lost my respect too.
So, thank you Zombie Con. I appreciate you letting me sell my wares at your convention. I had an interesting time, even if I was extremely disappointed at the event. I learned a lot. The vendors were really great (and professional!), of your attendees were awesome to talk to and get to know, and the bands weren't bad. But I won't be returning to any more of your conventions in the future.
-Megh
P.S. I didn't take the picture of Aaron or our booth, photo credit goes to Otaku Space.
Ok. Maybe I don't HATE San Antonio, but I much prefer Houston over it. I just don't understand a city whose downtown and main tourist trap (The Riverwalk) is almost completely devoid of people on a Friday and Saturday night. Oh, also the one way streets gave us an exciting adventure on our way to find the hotel because they aren't clearly marked at all.
But you want to hear about Zombie Con.
We did alright for our first convention. Sold out of our zombie kittens (definitely making those into a full time product), learned a lot of things about selling our dolls, and got real-time customer feedback (everyone who stopped at our booth liked the dolls, but thought they were a little too pricey).
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| And Aaron looked scary good in his costume. |
We met a lot of fun characters, including a cute sock monkey dressed as a zombie and a ton of interesting vendors and artists that I was looking forward to seeing for months. Our booth was in between a really awesome special effects makeup team, who made prosthetic scabs, boils, and bites all through the convention, and a vendor who sold handmade horror themed jewelry and accessories. Directly behind us were some ladies transforming teddy bears into undead cuddly creations. A local anime and pop culture shop, Ooples, was across the aisle from us, and there were many San Antonio artists peddling the best of their gory and horror themed wares. A shop called OddbirdsBoutique offered industrial and steampunk light fixtures for the home and shop. There was an artist who had some amazing, cartoony prints of a zombie astronaut that I didn't get to buy because we were too busy manning the booth. :( I would mention all of the vendors' names (because they were all pretty great), but I can't quite remember all of them.
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| Our booth. I wasn't aware that we were being photographed! |
Let's talk about the actual event for a second, though. It wasn't the most organized convention. It was my first time going to any sort of event like it and I could see that. Now, I get that it was the Cuellar family's first convention ever. They had to plan it, get sponsors, reserve the event center, get vendors, artists, and bands to sign up, AND do publicity all by themselves. I applaud them for actually making it happen. Hopefully the next time they throw a convention, they will have all of the kinks worked out and have a really successful event. :) Some things that I feel could have been avoided really bother me though, like:
- No one knew that parking was going to be paid.
- The booths weren't assigned/setup was a mess.
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| People hated the price. |
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| People REALLY thought it was overpriced. |
- The event center was way too large for a first time convention.
- The events that were not the band playing weren't organized.
But the thing that really bothers me?
- They are being really unprofessional now that the con is over.
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| I don't consider the ':P' emoticon to be softening at all. |
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| Also, yes, a guy in a Gumby suit was running around. He was pretty rad. |
So, thank you Zombie Con. I appreciate you letting me sell my wares at your convention. I had an interesting time, even if I was extremely disappointed at the event. I learned a lot. The vendors were really great (and professional!), of your attendees were awesome to talk to and get to know, and the bands weren't bad. But I won't be returning to any more of your conventions in the future.
-Megh
P.S. I didn't take the picture of Aaron or our booth, photo credit goes to Otaku Space.
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