Many of you spend a lot of time traveling to craft shows. Your van is packed with your work -- often worth thousands of dollars. You often carry hundreds or thousands of dollars around from each day's sales. You leave your booth unattended for short periods of time during shows and overnight. So, if you're doing craft shows, you are probably familiar with the fear of theft. Many of you have probably even experienced theft firsthand. Fortunately, there are some easy ways that you can protect yourself.

Common-sense precautions

1.

First of all, be careful. This may sound obvious, but craft artists by nature are so giving and sharing that "outsiders" are often bewildered by this generosity. People from the gift industry cannot believe how craft artists will share trade secrets. I personally hope this never changes, but to the criminal mind it can appear as naiveté and make you a target.

Fortunately, craft shows are not high crime events, but theft does occur. Shows that have existed for a number of years are more likely to be targeted than newer shows -- the criminal mind believes that everyone there is making a killing, otherwise the show would not have survived over the years. Shows that have been going for 20 years or more especially fall prey to this kind of criminal philosophy.

2.

Know that anyone has the potential to steal from you. Someone, someday will take advantage of you, no matter how vigilant you are. It is part of doing business. I once was robbed of $65,000 worth of jewelry, so I know firsthand how it feels. The thieves came up through the floor with an electric chain saw and thwarted my alarm system. It was terrible, but I survived, and I learned a lot about how to prevent other types of theft from happening to me.

At the show

There are several ways that we are vulnerable at shows, and likewise, several ways to protect ourselves.

3.

Pay attention. We become vulnerable when we are too passive. Sitting down with your face buried in a book is an "open season" sign for thievery. When you are up and aware, it makes the possibility of being robbed much more unlikely.

4.

Theft-proof your booth. Make sure that the corners of your booth are joined together so that someone cannot reach through the fabric at the corners and grab a piece of your work. This is particularly important at outdoor fairs where it is easy for someone to come up behind your booth when it is getting dark or when no one is around.

Also, consider this: You are standing behind a table that displays your work; you consider the space behind the table to be your private space where you store your handbag and other valuables (cash from the show), or even backup inventory. But the person whose booth is directly behind yours has a dressing room located against the back of your booth, behind your table. A customer in the dressing room can reach down and pick up your handbag or a pouch of money, and you won't even know how it was taken.

If you design your booth properly, you will prohibit this type of theft. First, make sure your background fabric or panels come all the way to the floor as well as together at the corners.

Also, any valuables you have under a table or counter should be protected with a sturdy material, like masonite or plywood, that is not easy to cut through. Valuables or cash behind a single sheet of fabric are not secure. Frequently theft occurs when a criminal identifies where you keep your valuables, perhaps even by purchasing something. When they know where it is, it is easier to take.

5.

Be aware of "distractions." Whenever anyone is taking too much of your attention or the situation just seems unusual, take a step back and evaluate what is happening.

Criminals usually work in pairs. Often they will buy from you while they are stealing from you. A customer who is purchasing something should not be overlooked as a potential criminal. Also, a customer who is looking at only your most expensive pieces may mean that something else is going on. While you are distracted and excited by the potential sale, an accomplice may be ripping you off. Step back and evaluate. This precaution does not need to blow the sale; take your time and just make sure you are aware of what is happening in your booth. Directing the conversation to both customers at once is one way to keep your eye on them.

6.

Build a "secret compartment" into your booth. I believe that every booth should have a hiding place built into it -- a little secret place for you to discreetly place your cash and other valuables when you have to leave your booth.

This is particularly important at night. Most of what I have had stolen at shows has been stolen at night after the show closes. The bottom line is that valuables (calculators, display props, other valuable items) should be kept out of sight when the show closes, or they may not be there in the morning. If you are a jeweler, or have other small work that can be easily packed up and carried, you should take your work with you overnight. If you are leaving your work in the booth, cover it with drapes, cloth or paper. I have seen artists seal their booth off at night with fabric and Velcro -- this is a great idea.

7.

Don't keep all your "eggs" in one basket. I frequently see artists using fanny packs as a cash box. I truly would not recommend this. A skilled pickpocket can take one of these off of you so fast you won't even know what hit you. Any traveler will tell you this. I was recently pickpocketed when I was in Peru, and I didn't feel a thing.

One time after a show, as a joke, I distracted a friend of mine in a bar and lifted his wallet out of his pocket. I could not believe that he didn't feel it. Then I asked him to buy me a drink. As he left for the bar, I turned to his business partner and told him what I had done. Soon my friend returned from the bar with terror in his eyes. As it turned out, he was carrying all the cash from the show in his wallet. This could have been a disastrous situation, and it was so easy that neither of us could believe it. We both learned a lesson.

Always follow this rule: Don't keep all your eggs in one basket. I firmly believe that cash should not be kept in one place. When it gets to be a large sum, separate it. Put half of the large bills in another safe place. This way, if you do get hit, you will not lose it all.

Checks and credit card slips should be kept away from the cash. They will not do a criminal any good, but you will be out of luck if you lose them. I would even go so far as to separate the parts of the credit card slips (if you use manual credit card processing). Separate your copy from the bank copy. Also, ask customers for their addresses and phone numbers for your mailing list. (If they do not want to give it to you, that is their option. Usually if you tell someone that you will notify them the next time you are in their area, they are delighted to provide this information. Especially if you assure them you will not sell their name to anyone else.) This way, if someone steals the credit card slips, you have the copies, and the customers' addresses and phone numbers, and could recover your losses.

8.

Don't make yourself a target. Avoid carrying bags that say "I am carrying money," or "I am carrying jewelry or other valuables." A box that is obviously a jewelry display is a target. When you zip it in a gym bag with a pair of ratty sneakers tied to the outside, it takes on a totally different identity.

9.

"Identify" potential shoplifters. Shoplifters are most easily identified by shifty-eyed glances to see if you are noticing them. If you don't notice, you are vulnerable. If you do notice, watch them and make direct eye contact, with raised eyebrows -- as if to say, "I know what you are up to."

"Identify" them in some way. For example, "What an amazing tattoo, it is so colorful!" or "What an amazing belt buckle." This type of personal identification makes criminals move on to the next potential victim.

When shoplifters work in pairs, listen carefully for them to use each others' names, then you should address them by their names too. If they disappear quickly after you call one of them by name, you will know that your suspicions were probably correct.

In your motel

10.

Don't assume motels are safe; keep your valuables in the safest place. In some areas you would be better off to leave valuables in your room and not carry them on the streets where you might be mugged. In other situations, you might be better off carrying your valuables with you. Evaluate the risks of both of these situations. Again, I feel it is better to separate your valuables, so if you get hit, you do not lose everything.

11.

Keep a low profile. Do not tell people what you do or why you are there. This is especially true if you are a jeweler, or if you are well-known.

12.

If you are staying with someone else, leave the room separately. Space your departures by several minutes and join up later at a predetermined spot. If people are coming and going, it makes it seem like someone else might be in the room or coming back at any minute.

13.

Leave the television and even the lights on in your room. I always arrange the drapes so that the light of the television is visible from the outside of the room, but the bed is not. This leaves the impression that someone is in the room.

14.

If you have a lot of valuables in your room, leave an offering to a potential thief. A spare wallet with a small amount of money left out in the open might be enough to satisfy them and have them move on without pursuing your big trove. This is the method the Egyptians used -- offering smaller treasures to thieves to satiate their desires while preserving the king's ransom.

15.

Use the areas under the bathroom sink to hide valuables. These pipes provide an amazing array of hiding places, where criminals are unlikely to look. The pipes are usually dusty and gross, so it would be a good idea to put your valuables in a plastic bag to keep them clean.

On the road

16.

Never leave anything of extreme value in a car or a van. Good criminals can get into a van or car within seconds. Most insurance does not cover loss from unattended vehicles, aside from the vehicle itself. Therefore, this is a situation where you are better off bringing your valuables with you.

17.

Always pack your car or van in the light and where there are lots of people doing the same thing. It may take you an hour longer to get out of the show, but it could also mean that you arrive home with everything you brought with you and all the money you made at the show.

If you are late to leave the show, and most others have departed, do not hesitate to get a show security guard to stand with you until you are on the road.

18.

Never leave your keys in your vehicle while you are loading it. More and more theft occurs at the end of shows. There are several reasons for this: You are tired and your guard is down, and all you want is to be on your way home; you are saying goodbye to friends and are easily distracted; and you have all of your cash, your inventory and your vehicle in one spot ready for someone to drive off with the entire bounty. This has happened more and more over the years. For this reason, never leave your keys in your vehicle when packing.

19.

Be aware of intentional distractions. Many scams are used during pack-up to rip people off. Be aware of these and others that might come along.

The flat tire scam: Just as you are about to leave the show, someone punctures your tire with something small like a hypodermic needle. As you drive away, your tire is loosing air slowly. When you finally notice that it is flat, you stop on the side of the road, and some "good Samaritan" (the person who punctured your tire) comes along to help you. When you get out of your car, they rip you off, and off they go. They have even forced people into their trunks after they have taken everything they want.

The rule here is do not stop. Keep driving until you have reached a service station or other public place. The most this will cost you is a new tire and perhaps a rim -- a small price to pay compared to losing all of your money and work.

Another scam is when someone points out that you have mustard or some other substance on your clothes or hair -- it provides them with an opportunity to get close to you and swipe your wallet or cash pouch. Do not allow them to help you in any way. Be assertive. If they assist, you will most likely be ripped off.

Real or staged distractions may occur that provide a thief with an opportunity. For example: Someone is violently abusing a child, and you intervene. When you do, someone else rips you off. Just be aware that this may be a setup, and keep an eye on your work. If you need to leave your booth, get someone to cover for you.

20.

Be aware of someone following you when you leave. After leaving a show, stop in a public place shortly after you are on the road. Get gas. Notice if anyone is following you. Stop again shortly thereafter, and see if the same car is visible. If so, I would consider waiting for a while to see if they leave. This is particularly important for jewelers or people carrying large sums of money. Make eye contact with them, and use a telephone (keep your vehicle close by and in full sight) -- either to call the police or to pretend you are calling the police. If when you use the phone, they quickly disappear, most likely your suspicions were correct.

21.

Know when to acquiesce. Always give up material possessions before putting yourself in danger. Also, if you have separated your valuables, your loss may be significantly less.

Don't be paranoid

These scenarios are not designed to make you paranoid. One of the truly beautiful things about the craft field is the level of trust and honesty that is a part of it.

But, again, theft does occur, especially when thieves know that people are making sales and collecting cash. Obviously, craftspeople who are successful and carry lots of cash are going to be the major targets. But no person or medium is exempt from risk. Being careful and aware is your best defense.

Bruce Baker is a jeweler, a gallery owner and a nationally recognized expert on booth design. He and his wife, Nancy Dunn, own two craft shops, Middlebury Jewelry and Design and Sweet Cecily, both in Middlebury, Vt. Contact him to arrange a seminar or to order his recently recorded cassette, titled "How to be a Dynamic Craft Seller," at (802) 388-3434. Write to him at 56 Main St., Middlebury, VT 05753-1426, or visit his Web site at www.dbakerinc.com.

SEPTEMBER 1999:

| HOME | TABLE OF CONTENTS |