JJ Vincent was at his usual Saturday Artist’s Market, where he learns something new every weekend…most of them things he never expects.
—
1. A three-year-old can be charmed for a good 12 minutes by a spool of ribbon, provided you let her unroll most of it. And help her roll it back up. And let her unroll it. And help her roll it back up, And let her unroll it. And help her roll it back up. And let her unroll it. And roll it back up. Lather, rinse, repeat. Actually, almost 13 minutes.
2. The same three-year-old gets very disgruntled when you won’t let her lead you around by your “pants ” leash and retaliates by trying to set up a tripwire made of ribbon. (see #1).
3. Side pony tails never go out of style.
4. No matter how hard you try to camouflage her and her crate, the first dog owner to walk by your booth is going to ask to see your puppy.
5. You can go years without seeing someone and then when they reappear in person, it’s like no time has passed.
6. FORGET FANTASY FOOTBALL. There’s a new game called Fantasy Hot Guy, a game in which you vie for who, in a Fantasy World, will get him on what days, for how long, and under what circumstances.
7. The wackier the people look in your booth, the more likely people are to stop for a moment. One guest in the booth today was wearing a printed hippie-ish skirt and a green tshirt with a side ponytail. Two weeks ago, it was a men’s dress shirt tied into a belly shirt above white capris, with denim blue cotton knee highs and black patent leather ballet flats.
7a. Everyone has their own sense of style, even if you just don’t get it. Like, ever.
8. No matter how well things are labeled, people will ask what something is. You can put a sign saying APRONS, with sign pointing to aprons, and people will still ask what the things hanging there are. Aprons. The answer is aprons. Aprons.
9. If you put up signs inviting people to do things – ask questions, touch things, try things on, pick up things, they will stay at least a foot away. Leave the signs off, and they will attack like small children in a kitten-and-candy store. Either they don’t believe what they see, or they are seeing what they are trained to see – a whole lot of DON’Ts.
10. When necessary (and by necessary I mean the crap is going to hit the fan if it doesn’t), space meant for three people, three folding chairs, and a TV tray can accommodate 7 adults, two children, four folding chairs, and a dog in a crate. Love+family+panic. It works magic.
photo courtesy of author