This past weekend I had a booth at Harbor Days, along with Kandyse of Blue Fox Glass and Dawn of LaGrave Designs. The weather was gorgeous and the setting perfect. My booth was 50 feet from the harbor with a cool breeze, views of the tugboats and Olympics in the distance. And having friends to share a room and dinner with each evening makes for a fun weekend.
It was a busy weekend with many folks there to tour the tugboats and watch them race, check out the tall ships and see the new boardwalk and park.
Saturday two if my items disappeared. In the last 2 years of doing booths almost every weekend, I have had only had one theft, a pair of earrings this past August. This day a bracelet and ankle bracelet disappeared. And folks were so rough on my things Saturday! Dropping them on the sidewalk, bending, breaking, stretching, cheesy popcorn fingerprints on earring cards, dripping ice cream on my displays, etc.
Glass gardens are a fancy, fringed beaded bracelets I make that take a lot of work and a lot of beads. I usually put them out front because they are interesting and in the sunshine their sparkle draws folks in. The sixth time my purple one hit the ground it broke in 3 places. I re-arranged my display and put them back by my cash box so I could keep on eye on anyone who touched them. I also had a woman pull so hard on a necklace she broke the clasp. I know that my memory wire bracelets are indestructible, but did a lady really have to totally straighten one out and let it snap back? Another woman grabbed a crystal sun catcher and promptly dropped it on the ground. Retail value of my losses on Saturday: $144. Two steps forward, one step back.
An artist puts thought, creativity, time and a little bit of themselves into each piece they make regardless of how small or the price. Being so rough on my things was disrespectful. As my booth neighbor Kandyse said, it felt like a personal violation.
Sunday was another beautiful day – and Olympia redeemed itself. The day was extremely busy. Folks were appreciative and they bought many things. In the end I made my goal for the weekend. And the best part of the day – Kandyse made more than 2 times her best ever show!!
Kandsye and I often get booths next to each other so we can share funny stories, commiserate as needed and keep a running commentary on people and dog fashion. One of the memorable things this weekend was a sticker on a skateboard – “I do what the Rice Krispies tell me”. So when is the last time you listened to your Rice Krispies?
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