The Fresh Pressed Entrepreneur, Miss Amanda was on tour over Labor Day weekend..and what an outstanding success it was; over 70% of her exhibit sold..... she told me, and when I looked around I could understand why.
This was the star of the show....."Grateful Heart" and it has to be one of the largest pressed flower creations ever..... with a price tag of "on request" it was already sold when I arrived.
The exhibit was exquisitely displayed in "The Barn" an architectural icon on the Island which was in gallery mode for the holiday weekend. Notice "Grateful Heart" on the back wall and get a full realisation of the absolute scale of it. Many took advantage of the incredible weather and arrived to view the exhibit by bicycle and in full biking atire.....attesting that Fresh Pressed appeals to a very varied clientele.
Miss Amanda told me that this year on the studio tour people had actually come to see ART, and were actually interested in buying. Fresh Pressed was one of 20+ studios which opened their doors over the Labor Day weekend. You can read more about Miss Amanda in The Fresh Pressed Entrepreneur.
In the two days over 500 people came to the Fresh Pressed exhibit. It was a steady stream from start to finish. It was also the first year Miss Amanda had been on the ART tour, so of course there were many curious to see her Art and of course the Barn. But curiosity can turn into buying, which it obviously did!
When you see the amazing Fresh Pressed creations you begin to understand all the meticulous planning and time consuming work that goes into each one-of-a-kind design. Almost all the pieces were framed: so you could buy and hang instantly :-)
The sheer number of creations was in fact mind boggling.... especially to me as I knew Fresh Pressed was a start up business and this is only Miss.Amanda's third exhibit ......or would you consider it... more of an event?
From what I observed it was the larger (more expensive) pieces of art that sold first; interesting in today's economy.
These were the ones I was considering........and as many people know I am into poppies and some of the poppies were from my Natural Landscaping.
I overheard one tour participant mention that he thought the architecture was a distraction from the exhibit; quite the opposite in my opinion...... and everyone else I spoke with concurred..... the art was truly enanced by the magnificent architeture!
Fresh Pressed does of course need lots of presses for the fresh flowers (raw materials) and these in the foreground are the ones custom made for Miss Amanda. Simple and effective. Note the antique press on the far right; this came from my friend Karen who had used it as a fireplace hearth decoration for many years. It's a book binder's press and now has been repurposed yet again, and is pressing the flowers for smaller creations.
The entire event was a lesson in consistent branding of a small business.... everything went together perfectly.... every detail had been designed... and thought through........ making a really enjoyable customer experience...... including the approach through the woods to the studio (see below)
So what's next for Fresh Pressed? An exhibit in NYC I asked......... "maybe this winter", Miss Amanda indicated shyly!
More details of the "event", it's preparation and some choice Fresh Pressed creations can be viewed on this short video.... well worth watching.
