WildWoodWear officially debuted this past Earth Day weekend at the Pilot Mountain Outdoor Adventure Festival! The event was a huge success, and I made many wonderful new friends. My booth looked fabulous, if I don’t say so myself, and held up beautifully, even during a couple of intense thunderstorms. Unfortunately, many booths around me caved in the fierce winds and needed repairing or replacement before festivalgoers returned with the Saturday afternoon sunshine.
But the show did go on, and people came out and had a great time. There was great music, crafts, food trucks, and even a climbing wall. After closing up Saturday night, my sweet friend and helper, Kimberley, and I even got to dance to some live music. We enjoyed feeling like a part of main street Pilot Mountain, honoring the “Year of the Trail,” Earth Day, as well as the iconic monadnock, Pilot Mountain herself, standing tall in the background.
[Here is the local paper’s piece on the festival: https://www.pilotmountainnews.com/news/8317/pilot-mountain-event-celebrates-nature]
It has been a longtime dream of mine to participate in a festival such as this. I had designed the space many times in my mind before constructing the booth. It was a fun, creative project… from layout and accessibility to creating a functioning changing room from a hula hoop, zip-ties, and a tapestry hung by rings with clips. I received terrific feedback about my designs, fabrics, and colors and walked away feeling successful and inspired.
It was, however, a lot more work than I had ever could have imagined! Simply loading and unloading all the supplies, merchandise, an enormous tent and all its trappings, and endless items …that I may or may not have needed… makes me appreciate the upcoming WildWoodWear events. 
I will be hosting my very own “pop-up shop” right here in the WildWood Magic Art Gallery in Asheville, N.C. (No massive stormproof tent needed!)
Stay tuned for exciting offerings and events coming soon!
xoxCollin
