What’s your opinion? Each month, The Crafts Report invites readers to respond to the Public Opinion question. Responses are published in the magazine. This month’s question is: How should craftspeople and retailers deal with friends/relatives who expect to be given large discounts or free merchandise? Please respond by Feb. 8. Responses to this question will appear in the April 2003 issue. E-mail: publicopinion@craftsreport.com; or answer online here. Send responses to: “Public Opinion,” The Crafts Report, Box 1992, Wilmington, DE 19899; fax: (302) 656-4894. Anonymous responses will not be published.

It is critical to me. If I’m in the first aisle, then customers don’t want to buy until they’ve walked the entire show, which is understandable. However, if it’s a large show and the person is too tired to come back, then I lose the sale. On the other hand, I don’t want to be in the last aisle or two of a large show because the customers may have already spent what they wanted to spend that day.

It’s best to be in the middle or preferably opposite a long aisle, so you can have maximum visibility. Corners, of course, are the best, but with shows getting so expensive, they’re rarely an option for me.

Suzanne Gentes
SUZKNITS
Amherst, Mass.

People are creatures of habit. If they are used to finding you in one location, they expect to find you there again.

Anthony Gauslin
A.E. Gauslin
San Clemente, Calif.

[A favored spot] is very important, especially if you are a repeat seller. I have had people come to the market looking to buy my products and having a favorite or specifically assigned booth allows them to find you. Also, other venders get to know your product and will send customers to you. The hardest part is finding which location works best for your product!

Beverly Anderson
Anderson’s Creations
Portland, Ore.

[A favored spot at a show is] not that important. If your product is good and the lighting is the absolute best, buyers will come to your booth ... assuming the show has buyer traffic to begin with.

Dani Greer
Ghiberti A.G.& M.
Colorado Springs, Colo.

I do not think that there should be a “favored” spot for a crafter each year. I believe that spots should be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is unfair to the crafters who are new to the world. Spots should be assigned by “needs” first, such as electricity, etc., then as the application and payment is received by the promoter. This would promote people submitting their applications in a timely fashion and not rewarding those long-standing crafters for waiting until the last minute to return their application.

Every crafter should have the opportunity to get a good spot; it should depend on reliable communications and timely return of applications only, not on seniority.

Tamirose Palmer
PackIts
Allison Park, Pa.

I think [a favored spot] is very important. For me, being located about mid-way through the main traffic flow is best. It seems whenever I am near the entrance I hear a lot of, “We just started looking,” or by the time they see you again they have spent all their money! I have, however, been developing a regular customer base that looks for me at shows, so for them it doesn’t matter where I am located.

Terrie Lightfoot
Lost Art Creations
East Lyme, Conn.

Just as in real estate, location is everything. But it’s not necessarily the same for each artist. More promoters should be willing to listen to artist’s requests because we know what works best for us. Not enough consideration is given to appropriate pairing of work, for example, placing a tie-dye booth next to a Zen booth, and clothing next to food.

Loud music that prevents our being able to conduct business in our space seems to me a breach of contract; we’re sold a space with the expectation of having the ability to sell in that space.

DeChauron
ZEN Modern Design
Carmel, Calif. TCR