Sunday, July 10, 2005

Weekend two - things slip

When we checked the books last sunday we found that our sales were
actually up from last year. But one weekend does not make a trend. Last
year our saturday was good and sunday sucked the sweat off a dead mans
balls.

Ahem.

Yesterdays attendance was down significantly. This was the Celtic themed
weekend, usually its packed. The weather was great, so what's the cause?
When things are slow you have all kinds of time to ask that question.
What gives? You talk to your neighbor "how's it going?" you ask "pretty
sucky" they reply. Where is everyone? Is there some other local event?
What's happening in Cleveland? The day drags on and on. There is a kind
of communal misery lightened by some gallows humor.

Eventually the crowds pick up though they're still not not at the level
you'd like. (The crowd can never be too big). With Lindsey and Jesse's
help I manage to pull the day out of a nosedive. There is a nice post
4pm, slightly drunk rush. Alcohol is a great wallet lubricant.

One woman is keen to get a corset but the husband is resistant. She goes
off and has a short conversation with him. I can sence her usuing her
feminine whiles on him the way Obi Won can sence disturbances in the
force. She comes back witha credit card, smiling. 'This corset's gonna
cost a blowjob'.

I look at the woman with a completely straight face and tell her that
although her husband seems like a nice enough fellow, I am happily
married and don't swing that way.

She laughs so hard we have to pick her up off the floor of the shop.

When I check the numbers at the end of the day I am suprised to find we
did pretty well. This is always a bit awkward. you don't want your
fellow merchants to feel bad. You never discuss actual numbers. Instead,
you resort to broad generalizations "pretty good" or "not bad" are
fairly non commital. We retire to the local restaurant for dinner with
fellow crafters and then off to camp Buccaneer to sleep. Tomorrow is
another day.

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