Dublin, Ohio and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  These towns represent the Irish Festival “O’Lympics”.  Milwaukee boasts being the largest Irish Festival in the world, and Dublin is #2.  “Like Ireland, but Smaller” is the one of the Dublin slogans, and “Irish is an Attitude” is another.  Why O’Lympics?  Well, the O-apostrophe is obvious.  The choice of the word is worth a story.

For three years, I have known about these two events.  Anywhere I travel, with fellow Irish festival vendors, they talk about these two places as the top events and the places to be.  The vendors do more than just talk.  There is a level of competition to be chosen to attend, to suit up and show up, to be ready. Ready is different for everyone, but the level of stamina and professionalism needed is unrivaled.  These are the top events.  The stakes are high and so are the returns.

There are waiting lists to overcome, committee members to please, and stock levels to maintain. There are also logistics of set up, traffic flow and access, and the ability to act pleasing to customers with consistent energy when you are sleep deprived.  These are in addition to having the right mix of merchandise that will appeal to customers, and quantities to last the duration of the show.  Add to that a safe, attractive display that can be set up in the space with the time allotted.

DIF Sand Art 2010

Shamrock Chic is ahead of the curve.  We applied to Dublin and got in, the FIRST year.  Grateful to be selected, we were pretty much operated on raw energy…it certainly was not sleep…4 days in a row with 4 hours or less.  We had outstanding, record sales, and made a huge splash.  Because Life’s a Stitch embroiders their own, production for this show was pretty demanding.  So was packing for it.  This year we are blessed with a newer van and more room.  No worries about running out of anything. We did almost as well as last year, with a major storm blowing through and early cancellation of the event.

For Milwaukee, we have a similarly impressive story.  Some of our clothing items were seen in an Irish store in Alexandria, VA, where we wholesale.  A committee member from the Milwaukee Irish Festival was vacationing there and demanded to know WHO designed that clothing line and WHERE it came from.  The store owner emailed me to relay the experience.  Weeks later, I got a call from the vendor chairperson, Maureen.  She was inviting me to the festival!  I asked about the waiting list.  I asked why us.  I was told that we offer something that no one else has, and that they want it at their festival.  What an incredible honor, I thought.  I had never applied.  I had even planned on attending another show, in the Catskills on the same weekend.

New LAS Van

Milwaukee is a game changer for LAS/Shamrock Chic.  The idea that I could have another van breakdown occurred to me, more than once. The thought of investing that much money in show fees, hotels, staffing and merchandise and then not be able to go…well, that was a nightmare that I could not let happen.   I set out to upgrade the 2003 with a newer model and by sheer determination, found and financed a 2006 Freightliner Sprinter with only 42K miles on it.  We got it ready on the interior and up to par in record time to be loaded for the trip west.  Even the rain held off, while the fixtures were staged in my driveway, awaiting the arrival of the new van.

It will be my first venture to the state of Wisconsin, selling or even setting foot.  I am thrilled to be a part of the event.  The very same store owner (from Alexandria, VA) and her relatives will be helping me there.  It is her home town and she goes every year.  My crew in Dublin drives home in a rented car tomorrow.  I will be working with people I have not met yet, but all are very excited to be working at the Milwaukee Irish Festival in the Shamrock Chic booth!!  We think we will make a big splash, and are ready for it!