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Friday, April 1, 2016

EZ Livin'

I used to have an EZ-Up. It was sort of my co-pilot, my sidekick, my compagnon de voyage. Together we traveled to art fairs in the Upper Midwest and around the country. It never had much to say, but it let me choose the music, and didn't shirk its job when the time came. It got destroyed a few years ago...let's say in a strong wind, although the story is much stupider than that...and I haven't replaced it.
Last year when I did my first art fair in forever, I borrowed my friend Karen's EZ Up shelter. She has, (I think??) a Vista; a nice little shelter, lightweight, with a wheeled carrying case, and it did, in fact, go up quite easily. The Vista is only $149.
The drawback to the Vista is that it feels a little flimsy - which matters if I am going to be using it alot; and also, the angled legs mean you don't actually get 100 square feet of coverage. So I am leaning towards either the 100s - which is $329, billed as being for entrepreneurs, and includes sidewalls - or the Enterprise, which is a sturdier shelter at $490, is billed as a "commercial grade" shelter, and is also named for a certain starship I am known to admire. Not that that would be the deciding point! But It would be fun to say, "Customers on the starboard bow."
Why now? Because the Maine Pottery Tour is coming up, and I think having the pop-up tent will increase sales alot - maybe almost enough to pay for the shelter, just due to increased visibility.

But here's where I run into trouble: in comparing the 100s and the Enterprise, and I don't see anything to make the latter worth its 50% higher price. So I feel like maybe I am missing something?

Is this a trick question?
So, bringing it to you, dear readers: what shelter do you use? What do you like or dislike about it?


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6 comments:

  1. Linda StarrApril 1, 2016 at 10:13 AM

    I have an EZ up and it was 149 I think. It does take two to put it up, neighbors often help if dh isn't with me.

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  2. Lori WattsApril 1, 2016 at 11:38 AM

    My old EZ up I could handle by myself. The Vista would have been a challenge without Doug's help.

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  3. bird231April 1, 2016 at 7:29 PM

    I can't see the advantage to the Enterprise. But it's easy to see the advantages of the 100s. Mainly that it comes with sides. If I read it right...you have to purchase the sides for the Enterprise. And unless you want a fancy color.....the 100s is a much better deal. JMHO

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  4. Lori WattsApril 2, 2016 at 6:57 AM

    Yeah, that's kind of what I thought...

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  5. Michèle HastingsApril 2, 2016 at 11:00 AM

    We have an EZ up, can't be sure of the model, I assume it's one of the higher quality ones. ... it's old and is still holding up. I personally would stick with a white tent. I have done a few shows that require your tent to be white. I guess they are going for uniformity and don't want the venue to look like a campground :-)

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  6. Lori WattsApril 3, 2016 at 4:05 AM

    Yes, I agree! I like the white tent better because it lets in more light, so people can see the work.

    ReplyDelete

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