Today we’d like to introduce you to Gretchen Fleener.
Hi Gretchen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started face painting at the age of 16 at an amusement park in high school (Valleyfair in Shakopee, MN) as a way to pay for college. When the park closed for the season, I moved indoors and got a job painting faces at the Mall of America in what used to be known as Knott’s Camp Snoopy. During that time I also started my own face painting booth at my local county fair which I ran every summer. Even after getting married and moving to Ohio, I returned to Minnesota each summer to run my booth, picking up additional parties and events on the side as I worked my way through college. I graduated in 2002 with a bachelors in Industrial Design from The Ohio State University, and moved back to Minnesota to work as a retail display designer for Best Buy. Part of my negotiations included an extra week off to keep my county fair booth going! In 2006 I left Best Buy to start up a small design firm with two partners, had my first son and when we decided to dissolve our firm a year later, I went full time into my face painting business! I opened up an online retail store where I sell face and body art supplies, took on more events and grew my client base. Over those years I’ve self published 7 books on the topics of face and body art, have traveled as far as Belgium to teach at conventions, and created a body art magazine called Wet Paint.
Through that time I had always been interested in getting into the MN State Fair, but the word on the street was that it was impossible to get in. They had one face painting booth already, and were not allowing any more. I had applied a decade earlier and had heard nothing.
My family and I love camping, and one night while drifting to sleep in our camper bed an idea came to me. The idea was to combine my love of camping, 1950’s retro style, glitter and body art into a new business: the “Glitter Glamper!” I used my design skills to photoshop an image (this was all pre-AI of course) my dream setup, which included a vintage Shasta camper, an antique barber chair, lights, flowers, awnings and the works. I came up with a new catalog of offerings that reached beyond typical face painting and into body art and the adult market, including glitter beards, glitter tattoos, decolletage designs, festival glitter eyes, and 3-dimensional gem clusters. I used my graphic design background to put together a pitch for the state fair, sent it off and hoped for the best. To my surprise they reached out just a few months later. They loved my idea and wanted me to join them for the 2019 state fair! The only problem was, they didn’t have a spot to put a trailer. They did, however, love my barber chair! (Which you remember was only photoshopped…so I set out on a mission to find one!) The fair offered me a 10’x20′ vendor stall space, and tasked me with pulling off the glamping vibe without a camper. The kicker: I had only 3 months to pull it all off.
I set to work frantically searching for items to fill my space and give it a glamping feel! I scoured the city through garage sales and Facebook Marketplace, picking up fake trees, mirrors, glittery fabrics, astroturf and furniture pieces. I made countless trips to Menards to purchase fencing and supplies to define my space. I traveled to the fair and measured my space, putting my retail design skills to the test, creating custom shaped banners, awnings and signage. I called up all of my friends in the business and built a team of artists to work for me. I spent every camping trip that summer painstakingly hand making thousands of pieces of gem clusters and unicorn horns on picnic tables across the US to complement the face paints. I stocked up on glitter, glitter tattoo stencils, makeup and accessories to sell. I held training sessions for my team of artists, and developed a system for tracking each artist’s sales and income so I could pay them based on the work that they do. And I did what any good state fair booth operator would do: Create an 8 foot tall photo prop board featuring Paul Bunyan and Babe the blue ox, complete with glittery horns and beard. I spent more days than the length of the fair itself traveling back and fourth to customize and build out my space. When the state fair opened, I was already exhausted but had pulled it off!
2019 was a year of record attendance. We were a new booth, but quickly gained a following with many guests coming back every day of the fair. Then came 2020. No state fair, no body art jobs at all for more than a year! I decided to use that time to invest in the future of the Glamper…to pull off that dream Photoshop rendering I had originally submitted to the fair. In September 25th of 2020 I found the Glamper, a red and white 1963 Shasta 16-SC trailer for sale in St Paul. What little cash I still had left after nearly a year of no business was exchanged, titles were transferred, we hitched her up and brought her home! I immediately set to work adding Glam to the Glamper, and the endless stream of creative projects kept me sane during those crazy covid days! My husband helped re-do the plumbing and electrical. I designed a convertible booth and work space that my carpenter dad custom built. The Glamper got a floor to ceiling renovation, just enough to make it scream “Glitter Glamper” and make it functional for business while still keeping it’s original vintage charm.
In an effort to bring back the state fair buzz post-covid in 2021, the MN State Fair decided to start a new event over Memorial Day weekend, the “Kickoff to Summer.” They reached out and invited the Glitter Glamper, only to change their mind shortly after…they were still to nervous to have activities that involved touching faces. I continued working on my camper up until the state fair returned in August. I still remained set up in my original vendor stall that year, and business was undoubtedly slow for the entire fair, but the Glamper’s business actually increased. We had so many people coming back to find us, pulling up memories on their phone from 2 years prior, telling us they couldn’t wait to come back to the Glitter Glamper!
Fast forward to spring of 2022….the fair decided to invite me back again for their second Kickoff to Summer event. I figured even if business was terrible, this was my chance to showcase the real Glitter Glamper to the fair! And just as I had hoped, immediately after the Kickoff to Summer I was offered a new space where I could spread out and set up my Glamper trailer for the MN State Fair in August. Expanding from 200 to 1,500 square feet gave me a whole new set of work to design, and I set to work again with only about 10 weeks to prepare a new layout with the camper. I converted my storage trailer into a second work space and “back room” storage space, purchased more fencing, banners, tents, tables and built two more photo boards to create what we now lovingly call “the Glampsite!”
Since 2019 we have become an annual tradition to countless fair guests. We’ve been featured on 6 tv news stations, in Vintage Trailer Camper magazine, and multiple local papers. The Glitter Glamper has traveled to corporate events, and our artists “bring the bling” to company picnics and homes all over the Twin Cities!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a definite labor of love! The learning curve in working at the fair is steep that first year, with a huge list of things to prepare, register for and do just to set up. Getting the ground marked by utilities before putting in a tent stake, signing contracts, arranging for internet, vendor parking, admissions, camping, insurance, banking, and tax forms. There’s a lot of business that is done behind the glitter as well, including artists’ scheduling and contracts, countless days of setup, cash register setup and operation, inventory, designing a safe and functional space for both artists and guests, predicting crowd flows, etc. Technical issues with wifi or electricity in general always like to come at the most inconvenient moments! I have an incredible team of talented and reliable artists, but life always likes throw in a wrench or two that can make staffing stressful at times!
I’d have to say the biggest struggle with the state fair though is the one thing that is out of everyone’s control: weather! Face paint is water soluble, so of course rain brings our business down a lot. We love those sunny days, but they always keep me busy adjusting curtains and umbrellas all day long! But with 8 tents and an awning, wind is the biggest threat to our setup. One year we had so many severe storms, that we had to take down every single tent covering and put them all back up…twice! But all that work saved our booth, as many of our neighbors blew away.
Another big struggle for me personally is just the sheer exhaustion. The setup is so intense, I’m usually wiped out by the time the fair starts! And then I must start my string of twelve 16-hour days at the fair, followed by days of teardown and cleanup. I usually lose my voice part way into the fair, just from talking to so many people! But this piece has gotten easier through the years as I learn to lean on my friends and family to help more, and carve out time to recharge each night! The last few years we have decided to camp near the fairgrounds at least on weekends, which helps me to get more sleep, shaving off the 2 hours of driving every day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Among the face and body art community, I’m most known for my realism. I love to paint super realistic art, and have published a book on the topic, “Realism for Face and Body Artists.” I’m also known for my realistic jewelry painting, which is another topic I’ve published a book on. Both of these topics I have taught at conventions and classes in MN, New Jersey, St Louis and Belgium, as well as several online webinars. Aside from realism, on the other end of the spectrum, I’m known for my fast “cheek art” face painting. Many artists don’t like to do cheek art anymore, as they feel the level of detail in a small area is too time consuming. Cheek art definitely still has it’s place, and I’ve continued to share my tips and tricks through books and classes.
I think the thing I’m most proud of and what sets me apart is probably the culture I’ve worked to build amongst my peers, not only in the Glitter Glamper but my overarching business Paintertainment. I really strive to help the artists I work with to stretch themselves, learn and grow from each other. We are constantly learning from each other at the Glampsite and on the job, as well as at “paint jams” I host once a month in my home. I may have been doing this for 30 years, but I still learn new things from my friends! I’m a firm believer that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room! We ALL have things to learn, AND teach, regardless of how long we’ve been in this business. On the business side I strive to be the kind of agent I want to work for…one that has her artists’ backs, who pays well and quickly, and treats them like the invaluable part of success that they are. Aside from my personal artist friends, I am always working hard to help other artists grow across the globe. Whether it’s through my free online resources, online classes, magazine, blog posts or personal email interactions, I’m always willing to help my fellow artists succeed!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Wayde Fleener – My husband, who has helped me haul my Glamper, set up at fairs, takes care of me during the long fair days, and is the best at running the register and keeping the lines moving at events!
Sam and Toby Fleener – My boys…I used to have to entertain them in strollers while setting up my booths, but now they are a huge help with setup and teardown, running registers, acting as line managers, and they can even do the occasional glitter tattoo! All of my guys put up with glitter on themselves and all their stuff in our house, haha!
Phil & Rollie Brandt – My parents, supporters and cheerleaders…My dad (a carpenter) who always has a solution to fix anything that needs fixing in my booth, My mom who helps out at the register and during setup, and helped keep my county fair booth running on those week days when I had babies that I had to be at home for! Both of my parents were entrepreneurs and instilled that drive in me!
My team of artists since 2019, some painted with me one year, some every year since: Tricia, Tamina, Naomi, Anita, Jelly, Barbara, Noelle, Nanette, Lori, Megan, Tina, Jo, Pam, Victoria, Mickey, Tiffany, Jodi, Kathryn, Kira, Leona, Kendra. I 100% could not have ever pulled off a fair without these amazing women by my side to handle the volume of customers! Their countless hours of hard work and beautiful art has created too many smiles and repeat customers to count!
Tricia Heagle – A vital part of my team early on, besides working at my booths, she was always willing to go the extra mile in helping me before and after the fair, go with me to all my live tv interviews at the fair, fill in when I needed an extra hand, force me to take a morning off, opening or closing for me when I had to attend a funeral or kids’ school orientation, helping me talk through challenges, her list is endless!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.GlitterGlamper.com and www.Paintertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glitterglamper
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlitterGlamper and https://www.facebook.com/paintertainmentdotcom
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-fleener-3723692/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Paintertainment
