CONGRATULATIONS! You were selected to participate in the 13th Annual Affordable Arts Festival on August 25.
PLEASE SEE THE PAYMENT PROCESS BELOW.
Please note that you will need to accept and pay for your booth fees by June 21. (After that date if you haven't paid for your booth, it will go to an artist on our waitlist.) If you are not able to accept the invite, please let us know ASAP so we can let someone on the waitlist know. Payments for single booths, double booths, and corners are with CHECKS or Venmo Venmo account - @Jim-DeLutes (last 4 digits of phone number is 1964)
Do not check out through ZAPP.
You don’t have to do anything with ZAPP, just send me the checks or pay through Venmo, and I will change your status on ZAPP.
Please send Separate checks (or pay with Venmo) for the following amounts:
Booth – $285 check
Double Booth – Two $285 checks (in case we don’t have availability for a double)
Corner - $95
Booth Sharing - $75 (plus the normal booth fee)
Remember, the booths are 15X15
Send checks to:
AAF
PO Box 1743
Berthoud, CO 80513
Try not to wait until the last day to mail checks since they take a few days to get to my small-town Post Office!
Please contact me with any questions – jdphotos7@gmail.com
Sincerely,
Jim DeLutes
Director
Affordable Arts Festival
PS – Just to let you know that over the last 12 years we have contributed almost $290,000 to the Arapahoe Community College Foundation for scholarships!
We have a couple of Hotel deals for you. You can find them at this link: https://affordableartsfestival.com/hotels
Here is the info about Sales taxes: https://affordableartsfestival.com/taxes
Jim DeLutes
Affordable Arts Festival
The artists have been posted online. Please go to this link and make sure your info is correct -
https://affordableartsfestival.com/2024-artists
Also, you will see your booth number at the bottom of this email.
Thanks,
Jim DeLutes
Affordable Arts Festival
jdphotos7@gmail.com
There’s a lot of important info in this email. Please take the time to read it.
TAXES - Sales tax rate in Littleton is 8.75%. You can download the forms for both the State of CO and the City of Littleton at this link: https://affordableartsfestival.com/taxes
You will find phone numbers there also. Please make sure you file for your state license right away since they can take several weeks to get your license to you. Please send me your State license number (I don’t need your Littleton license). If you gave me your number last year, you do not need to send it again.
HOTELS: I have secured deals at the Hampton Inn that is near the show and the Staybridge which is next door to the Hampton Inn. You can find the info to reserve rooms at this link: https://affordableartsfestival.com/hotels
If you want to search online for hotels, the address of the festival is 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120.
Tents: I have several 10x10 canopies for rent at $100. Please let me know ASAP if you are needing any rentals.
RV PARKING: Once again there will be an area on campus to park and stay in your RV. Just know that you need to stay in the RV and can’t sit or cook outside. If you park on campus overnight on Saturday, you will need to move first thing Sunday morning to make room for patron parking. I will have more info as to where to park off-campus.
BEST DEALS – VERY IMPORTANT! To help promote you and the show I ask that you send me an image of your best deal ASAP. Tell me the size, what the price was, and what it is now. These will be posted on the website to help people find the artists that they want to go to first to get the deals. Click here to see our 2023 best deals: - https://affordableartsfestival.com/best-art-deals
WIFI AT THE FESTIVAL:The WIFI on the campus is not great. I know there have been glitches in the past so be ready to do your CC transactions offline and upload them later. You do not want to try to learn how to do that with 10 customers waiting to buy something so learn how to do that now!
TICKET SALES: Tickets are now available for patrons. The link to buy tickets is - https://aaf.wellattended.com/events/affordable-arts-festivalPlease send the link to your patrons. Admission is $12 (kids 12 and under are free).
TIPS AND OTHER INFO:
I hear from artists who have a lot of their work already priced below $150 and wonder how they can create a few deals for customers. If you can put a set together of your lower-priced pieces that may equal say $150 and then discount it to $100. You don't have to have your booth full of deals, just enough to get the attention of the early buyers. Tell the later buyers what they missed and that will en
sure they will come early next year! Feel free to contact me if you have questions or ideas.
For those who are new to the show, this festival is a bit different than other shows that you do and there are unique rules that you need to pay attention to. A few of them are listed here:
1) No separate pricing of pictures and frames allowed (you can’t tell a customer that a framed piece is $150 for the image and another $150 for the frame that it is in). Also, sales tax can be added to the $150 price.
2) All pieces should be individually priced. The reason for this suggestion is when the show gets busy and your booth is filled with customers, they need to be able to easily see how much something costs. This is not mandatory but it really will help you and your sales. If the piece is one that you have marked down, you are allowed to put a price sticker on stating ‘Was $_____ Now $_____’ But, having large 'Bargains', 'Rummage Sale', etc. signs are not allowed. The show is a high-quality show even if it has low prices.
3) Absolutely NO SALES are to be made to other artists, artists’ helpers, volunteers, or staff members prior to 9AM on Sunday. The buying public (who paid admission) needs to have a fair chance at purchasing the best deals before they are all gone. This rule is important and if I find that you have sold before the gates opened you will not be invited back.
4) ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IN YOUR BOOTH MUST BE FOR SALE AND CAN NOT BE OVER $150!
5) Be ready to ‘Bag & Tag’ the pieces that are sold. Customers do not want to carry what they buy so that they can move quickly to the next artist. You have the 5 feet behind your tent to store these pieces. Make sure you tag them with a label that doesn’t fall off easily or you will have issues. When it gets busy it’s possible you will have 20-30 (or more) pieces stored there. One question that keeps coming up is the 10x15 booth space. I don’t expect anyone to have a 10x15 canopy and you will just put the 10x10 canopy in the space however it works best for you. Most times that will be to put it to one side of the space and have an open area of 5 feet (you also have 5 feet of storage behind your booth). This may be used for your area to complete sales and display more items, etc. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact me.
There will be more info as we get closer to the show but these are the important rules you need for now.
Again, I ask all of you on FaceBook to please ‘Like’ the AAF page, if you haven’t already - https://www.facebook.com/AffordableArtsFestival and invite all your friends to like it also.
Set up info will be sent closer to the show but so you can schedule, there is set up available on Saturday from 9AM to 6PM and then Sunday morning from 5AM to 9AM.
Questions? If you have any questions, especially if this is your first time doing the show, please email me – jdphotos7@gmail.com
Thanks,
Jim DeLutes
Director
There’s a lot of important info in this email. Please take the time to read it.
TAXES - Sales tax rate in Littleton is 8.75%. You can download the forms for both the State of CO and the City of Littleton at this link: https://affordableartsfestival.com/taxes
You will find phone numbers there also. Please make sure you file for your state license right away since they can take several weeks to get your license to you. Please send me your State license number (I don’t need your Littleton license). If you gave me your number last year, you do not need to send it again.
HOTELS: I have secured deals at the Hampton Inn that is near the show and the Staybridge which is next door to the Hampton Inn. You can find the info to reserve rooms at this link: https://affordableartsfestival.com/hotels
If you want to search online for hotels, the address of the festival is 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120.
Tents: I have several 10x10 canopies for rent at $100. Please let me know ASAP if you are needing any rentals.
RV PARKING: Once again there will be an area on campus to park and stay in your RV. Just know that you need to stay in the RV and can’t sit or cook outside. If you park on campus overnight on Saturday, you will need to move first thing Sunday morning to make room for patron parking. I will have more info as to where to park off-campus.
BEST DEALS – VERY IMPORTANT! To help promote you and the show I ask that you send me an image of your best deal ASAP. Tell me the size, what the price was, and what it is now. These will be posted on the website to help people find the artists that they want to go to first to get the deals. Click here to see our 2023 best deals: - https://affordableartsfestival.com/best-art-deals
WIFI AT THE FESTIVAL:The WIFI on the campus is not great. I know there have been glitches in the past so be ready to do your CC transactions offline and upload them later. You do not want to try to learn how to do that with 10 customers waiting to buy something so learn how to do that now!
TICKET SALES: Tickets are now available for patrons. The link to buy tickets is - https://aaf.wellattended.com/events/affordable-arts-festivalPlease send the link to your patrons. Admission is $12 (kids 12 and under are free).
TIPS AND OTHER INFO:
I hear from artists who have a lot of their work already priced below $150 and wonder how they can create a few deals for customers. If you can put a set together of your lower-priced pieces that may equal say $150 and then discount it to $100. You don't have to have your booth full of deals, just enough to get the attention of the early buyers. Tell the later buyers what they missed and that will en
sure they will come early next year! Feel free to contact me if you have questions or ideas.
For those who are new to the show, this festival is a bit different than other shows that you do and there are unique rules that you need to pay attention to. A few of them are listed here:
1) No separate pricing of pictures and frames allowed (you can’t tell a customer that a framed piece is $150 for the image and another $150 for the frame that it is in). Also, sales tax can be added to the $150 price.
2) All pieces should be individually priced. The reason for this suggestion is when the show gets busy and your booth is filled with customers, they need to be able to easily see how much something costs. This is not mandatory but it really will help you and your sales. If the piece is one that you have marked down, you are allowed to put a price sticker on stating ‘Was $_____ Now $_____’ But, having large 'Bargains', 'Rummage Sale', etc. signs are not allowed. The show is a high-quality show even if it has low prices.
3) Absolutely NO SALES are to be made to other artists, artists’ helpers, volunteers, or staff members prior to 9AM on Sunday. The buying public (who paid admission) needs to have a fair chance at purchasing the best deals before they are all gone. This rule is important and if I find that you have sold before the gates opened you will not be invited back.
4) ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IN YOUR BOOTH MUST BE FOR SALE AND CAN NOT BE OVER $150!
5) Be ready to ‘Bag & Tag’ the pieces that are sold. Customers do not want to carry what they buy so that they can move quickly to the next artist. You have the 5 feet behind your tent to store these pieces. Make sure you tag them with a label that doesn’t fall off easily or you will have issues. When it gets busy it’s possible you will have 20-30 (or more) pieces stored there. One question that keeps coming up is the 10x15 booth space. I don’t expect anyone to have a 10x15 canopy and you will just put the 10x10 canopy in the space however it works best for you. Most times that will be to put it to one side of the space and have an open area of 5 feet (you also have 5 feet of storage behind your booth). This may be used for your area to complete sales and display more items, etc. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact me.
There will be more info as we get closer to the show but these are the important rules you need for now.
Again, I ask all of you on FaceBook to please ‘Like’ the AAF page, if you haven’t already - https://www.facebook.com/AffordableArtsFestival and invite all your friends to like it also.
Set up info will be sent closer to the show but so you can schedule, there is set up available on Saturday from 9AM to 6PM and then Sunday morning from 5AM to 9AM.
Questions? If you have any questions, especially if this is your first time doing the show, please email me – jdphotos7@gmail.com
Thanks,
Jim DeLutes
Director
JULY 10
The Affordable Arts Festival is the cover story for the recent edition of Thirst Colorado magazine. On the cover is a piece by Caroline Young. The artcle starts on page 8 and interviews include Caroline Young, Lisa Diamor Sanchez and Bruce White. Images from those artists plus Jenny Bullard, Dan Sawusch and John Scanlan are also part of the article.
There is also a separate interview on page 40 with me.
This magazine has a distribution of 75,000 and should be a great promo for the show.
Here is the link to the magazine - https://issuu.com/pubhouse/docs/thirst_julaug24_web
Please share the link with your patrons and social media
Thanks!
Jim DeLutes
Affordable Arts Festival
JULY 11
I will begin adding the best deals to the website today. If you haven't sent yours in yet, please do so. Include category, size, original price and discount price.
I will be sending an email out to our list of 10,000+ patrons so make sure your best deal is on the site.
Any questions, please let me know.
Jim DeLutes
Affordable Arts Festival
JULY 25
IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT PARKING:
Since patrons sometimes have a hard time finding parking spaces, we have acquired several parking lots across the street at Hudson Gardens. There is a large dirt lot that will be for artists. LAST YEAR MANY OF YOU PARKED IN THE PAVED PARKING AREA. Please leave the paved lots for the patrons. Use the dirt lot only. The show is a great success and I need you to help the show by helping the patrons find parking spots. Frustrated patrons will not return in the future.
For those staying in their RVs, you will still be able to park on campus in LOT I overnight Saturday but must move to Hudson Gardens by 7am on Sunday. DO NOT park any vehicle on campus during the show. If I find out that you did, you will not be invited back. We lost a lot of clients two years ago because they could not find parking. I have secured Hudson Gardens to help but I need you to park in the dirt lot. This is an issue that we have to solve. Also, if you have any health issues that make it difficult to walk the two blocks from the Hudson Garden’s parking lot, please see me on Saturday and I’ll find you a spot that is closer.
TICKET SALES:
Ticket sales are going well. Please help by getting the info out to your patrons. Here is the ticket purchase link to share with them: https://affordableartsfestival.com/tickets
HOTEL:
The hotel deal at the Hampton Inn EXPIRES 8/1. Here is the link for more info:
https://affordableartsfestival.com/hotels
TAX LICENSES:
Many of you have already sent me the license number for your Colorado Special events sales tax license. Please note that if you are needing to renew it, you can still send me the past account number since that doesn’t change on renewal. Please have the numbers sent to me ASAP. Make sure you get your Littleton tax license but you do not need to send that to me. Here is the link for all of this info - https://affordableartsfestival.com/taxes
BEST DEALS:
We have over 55 artists on the Best Deal which will be online in the next few days. We had over 100 last year so please get me the image, how much it was originally and what the AAF price will be. Include the size also.
If you haven’t sent your photo in yet, please email your Best Deal to me ASAP so I can get the website updated. Only one item per artist. Thanks.
Promo piece – I’ve attached a copy of the poster that you are welcome to use on social media, emails or on your website.
Remember, if you need any info from previous emails that I have sent, just go to this link to see them all - https://affordableartsfestival.com/emails
11AM DEALS – We are doing the 11am deals again this year. I hope you are planning on participating. It seemed to work very well over the last 5 years. The purpose of the 11AM deals is to keep the early patrons from leaving too quickly. For those new to the show, we ask that you set aside one (or more) of your better deals and bring it out at 11AM. We will ask you when you check in if you have a deal (or deals) and we will give you a small but bright green flag for your booth. You can have the flag up the whole morning or put it up at 11. We will blow the air horn at 11 to let you know to put out your deals and let the patrons know that the 11am deals are open.
Set-up info and other items will be covered closer to the show. So you can schedule your time, Set-up is Saturday the 24th from 9am - 6pm or Sunday the 25th from 5am until 8am.
If you rented a tent, we will have them up as soon as possible but it could take until noon. You can come earlier to see if yours is up already. We have a small, but great crew so be patient as they get the tents up.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Jim DeLutes
Affordable Arts Festival
Director
AUGUST 12
Less than two weeks to go! Please make sure you’re getting the word out to your patrons. I’ve attached a promo piece that you can use on social media or in your emails. Thanks!
11 AM DEALS – I heard from many of you that you’re planning on doing an 11AM deal. We will ask you when you check in which deal you will be doing and we will give you a sticker to put on your booth sign and a small flag. Please make sure to hang your booth sign in an obvious place in the front of your booth so people can see if you’re doing a deal. I encourage you do have something for the 11AM deal since our patrons hang out after they do their first round of buying and wait for the 11AM artists. We will blow the air horn at 11 to let you know it has started. You can have just one piece or many pieces. It’s up to you but make sure to point out to the customers what you have as special deals.
CHECK IN AND PARKING – The check-in table will be under the shade trees near the Northwest corner of the fencing (by LOT G ) which is halfway down Sumner St. Please check in before entering the field. On Saturday during set up, you can park anywhere while you’re setting up.
ON SUNDAY YOU MUST PARK ACROSS THE STREET IN HUDSON GARDENS. PLEASE PARK IN THE DIRT LOT. WE WILL HAVE SIGNS SHOWING ARTIST PARKING. PLEASE PARK IN AN ORDERLY FASHION IN THE LOT SINCE THERE ARE NO SPACES MARKED. Make sure to have your parking ‘permit’ on your dashboard since we may need to get in touch with you if you are blocking anyone.
DO NOT PARK IN THE PAVED PARKING AREAS. SAVE THOSE FOR OUR PATRONS.
You can see the layout of the field and campus on the website plus an aerial video: https://affordableartsfestival.com/booth-layout-map
RENTAL TENTS & PANELS - If you rented a tent and/or display panels please note that we will have them up by noon on Saturday. We are short on our normal staff so it may take a bit longer. You can come early to see if we have them up but you can only yell at us if it’s past noon!
RV’S AND OVERNIGHT PARKING - You can park in Lot I overnight on Saturday but you must move your vehicle across the street by 6AM on Sunday morning.
As stated before, please don't set up your grill and sit outside the RV. Use it for sleeping only and go to the nearby restaurants if you need to socialize. The college usually does not allow overnight parking so we need to not abuse the privilege.
Set up on Saturday, August 24th from 8 AM to 6 PM. You can show up before 8 AM but I can’t guarantee we’ll be ready for you. You must leave at 6 PM sharp so we can set up security for the evening. Set up on Sunday morning starts at 5 AM (it’s still dark at 5 so have flashlights) and you must have your vehicle off the field no later than 8 AM. As I've said in previous emails, you will be able to drive on the grass to your booth both at set up and tear down. The only thing that could change is if we get a lot of rain and the field is too soft to drive on.
KEEPING AISLES CLEAR:
Since we had issues with over-crowded aisles in the past, please do not put your chairs out in the aisles, do no put bin work out in the aisles and do not hang vertical banners from you awnings that interferes with the flow of the patrons. You have a 15x15 space so you should be able to keep within your footprint.
Also, please pay attention to the small flags and orange cones on the field. These are sprinkler control boxes and you can NOT drive over them. Also, if you have a large vehicle or trailer (dual axle or box truck, etc.) please see me before driving onto the field. Thanks.
STAKING – If you need to stake your tent please only use the dog leash screws. Do not screw them any deeper than one foot There are sprinklers so if you hit resistance while screwing into the ground STOP! Move the screw to another location. The ground is not rocky so any resistance is probably the sprinkler pipes. If you’re having issues please let me or my staff know.
WIFI – There is free WIFI on campus. Can’t guarantee that the signal is strong in the field so test it out at set-up on Saturday so you don’t have any surprises on Sunday.
There will be security Saturday night plus the six-foot fence around the field and we have a light tower keeping the field lit all night.
SHIPPING – I know of several patrons flying in from around the country. Please be ready to discuss shipping costs if they ask you. Please work with them since they have no way of getting pieces back home otherwise.
One more reminder about ‘bagging and tagging’ the purchases. People who know how to shop at this festival will buy from you and want you to hold their purchases. Please be ready to 'bag and tag' things so that you have their name on them. I've seen artists that have 20-30 pieces bagged behind their booth (that's why I give you 5 feet back there) so don't think you'll remember who bought what - use tags!
Remember - NO DOGS (except service dogs)
I will also follow up with more info next week.
Look forward to seeing you,
Jim DeLutes
303-517-1964
jdphotos7@gmail.com
PS – Remember you can read all of the emails that have been sent by going to this link - https://affordableartsfestival.com/emails
TIPS AND INFO FOR FIRST-TIME ARTISTS:
I hear from artists who have a lot of their work already priced below $150 and wonder how they can create a few deals for customers. If you can put together a set of your lower-priced pieces that may equal say $200 and then discount it to $150. You don't have to have your booth full of big deals, just enough to get the attention of the early buyers. Tell the later buyers what they missed and that will ensure that they will come early next year! Feel free to contact me if you have questions or ideas.
For those who are new to the show, this festival is a bit different than other shows that you do and there are unique rules that you need to pay attention to. A few of them are listed here:
1) No separate pricing of pictures and frames allowed (you can’t tell a customer that a framed piece is $150 for the image and another $150 for the frame that it is in). Also, sales tax can be added to the $150 price.
2) All pieces should be individually priced. The reason for this suggestion is when the show gets busy and your booth is filled with customers, they need to be able to easily see how much something costs. This is not mandatory but it is a good idea.
If the piece is one that you have marked down, you are allowed to put a price sticker on stating ‘Was $_____ Now $_____’ But, having large 'Bargains', 'Rummage Sale', etc. signs are not allowed. The show is a high-quality show even if it has low prices.
3) Absolutely NO SALES are to be made to other artists, artists’ helpers, volunteers, or staff members prior to 9 AM on Sunday. The buying public (who paid admission) needs to have a fair chance at purchasing the best deals before they are all gone. This rule is important and if I find that you have sold before the gates opened you will not be invited back.
4) ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IN YOUR BOOTH MUST BE FOR SALE AND CAN NOT BE OVER $150 (There was some misunderstanding about this in the past.)
5) Be ready to ‘Bag & Tag’ the pieces that are sold. Customers do not want to carry what they buy so that they can move quickly to the next artist. You have the five feet behind your tent to store these pieces. Make sure you tag them with a label that doesn’t fall off easily or you will have issues. When it gets busy it’s possible you will have 20-30 pieces stored there.
There will be more info as we get closer to the show but these are the important rules you need for now.
Again, I ask all of you on FaceBook to please ‘Like’ the AAF page, if you haven’t already - https://www.facebook.com/AffordableArtsFestival Invite all your friends to like them also.
One question that keeps coming up is the 10x15 booth space. I don’t expect anyone to have a 10x15 canopy and you will just put the 10x10 canopy in the space however it works best for you. Most times that will be to put it to one side of the space and have an open area of 5 feet (you also have 5 feet of storage behind your booth). This may be used for an area to complete sales and to display more items, etc. If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact me.
AUGUST 19
The final countdown is on! We have a busy week of TV appearances and getting the field ready for the show. Weather looks warm and dry with temps around 90. Please pack your sunscreen and lots of water. The main building of the college will be open during setup on Saturday and during the show on Sunday. The nicer bathrooms are in there plus if you feel overheated the air-conditioned building can help.
Field conditions– The field is 90%+ flat and level. There are a few spots with humps and dips. They can change locations over the years since that field is built on an old neighborhood that is still settling. We have a large quantity of wood mulch that we can use to help level the bad spots. If you booth has issues, let us know and we’ll do our best to level it for you.
Here’s an interview I did the other day with Mandy Connell on KOA radio. She has been a huge supporter of the festival for years and this is a good interview that you can share with your patrons - https://koacolorado.iheart.com/featured/mandy-connell/content/2024-08-15-88-the-mandy-connell-podcast-08-15-24-interview-jim-delutes-the-affordable-/
The 11AM deals
The patrons have really grown to like our 11AM deals. You can have just one piece or multiple pieces that you set aside for the 11AM deals. I highly recommend that you find a way to participate since it can create some additional energy to your booth. Some artists have found that if they have several people show up at 11 to get that piece, that they have put names in a hat and pull out the winner. When you check in we will give you a small bright green flag plus a sticker that goes on your booth sign so people know who has deals at 11. We will set off the airhorn at 11 to remind everyone. We created this years ago when we found people shopping quickly and leaving within an hour. By having the 11AM deals, they now hang out longer and usually spend more money while awaiting the 11AM horn. So, please try to find a way to participate. You will pick up your sticker and flag when you check in. Any questions, please feel free to contact me – jdphotos7@gmail.com
Set up on Saturday
Set up will run from 9AM to 6PM on Saturday (You can also setup on Sunday morning starting a 5AM. Bring flashlights since it is dark at that time. You must have your vehicle out at 8AM). Please make sure you check in before pulling onto the field (Check-in is by Lot G next to Sumner Street). As stated before, if you rented a tent, we will get those up as soon as possible but we have a small crew and a lot of tents to set up. You can come early and be ready as soon as your tent is set up but do not interfere with the crew. Any issues, talk to me not them. Thanks.
Thanks for your support and just know that as the show continues to grow, we have to be flexible in order to deliver an event that the patrons absolutely love!
Sincerely,
Jim DeLutes
Director – Affordable Arts Festival
PS - I've attached one of our promo pieces for you to use with your clients or on social media.