Art Fair Aftermath

The rain kinda sucked, but it cleared up for Sunday. Know what sucked more than the weather? The artists. The entitlement mentality was rampant. They rented a booth, so they owned the whole damned area. My shop was largely untroubled by the transient artists, but Sage & Daisy were. So were lots of other shops. I refer to them as transient artists because we are here all the time and we are artists too. The transients thought nothing of leaning their stuff on windows of open shops. One blocked the front door to Sage & Daisy and got pissy when asked to move her crap. I saw another leave her booth to smoke. She didn't want to smoke at her place, but she thought nothing of leaning against the window to Kevin's jewelry shop. Way classy.

Then there was the bathroom problem. Our shops have a common bathroom for customer use. We each have a key. The art fair promoters put port-a-pottys out for the fair, but many artists preferred to use our john. I can see that. The portable variety are kinda gross. What irked me was the way the EXPECTED to use it. On Friday I was asked for the key about 35 times. One lady (the pissy door blocking artist) asked 7 times all by herself. By the end of the evening a couple of transient artists were trying to go in my shop and get it for themselves. I was annoyed, but I'm fairly nice most of the time, so I got past it. Until Saturday. On Saturday one art fair vendor walked up to me, while I was with a customer at my button table, and said "key" with her hand outstretched. Tommy got it for her, but when she returned I told her no more. It was just too much.

Later Stephanie overheard her say to another artists that they pay so much for their spaces that we should be happy to get the bathroom key for them. I didn't get one dime of the cash she paid to sell her overpriced art. Next year I am making the key free for customers and $1 for everyone else. I pay enough for rent that she should be happy to pay me for use of my bathroom key. I should charge an extra quarter for anyone who wants to use my air freshener I keep under the sink.