Nightmare Neighbors

[davejs]

I'm sure we all have had neighbor's at shows that are true nightmares. I can't believe I didn't think of this one before. Had a special request for this one. Let's get rolling with this one.

[laptoo]

I did a show in Monterey a few years ago, and had to be juried in and be accepted. We had a neighbor right next to us who, while they were very nice, were selling metal polish, and he was miked up and LOUD. Now, what does metal polish have to do with handcrafted arts/crafts? I'm sure his repetitive sales pitch kept people away from our tent. We did not return for day two. Laptoo

[traveler]

Ugh! I sold next to (downwind from) a guy that burned incense all day. HEAVY! At first it smelled OK, but by the end of the day, I crawled home and threw up.

[bmermaid]

I have done a couple shows with someone selling music nearby... meaning they play the same tunes over and over and over for 2 days. Like those Andean guys with the pan flutes? Ever been next to those guys?? Customers are saying 'oh, how nice for you' and I'm saying 'yes, it was great for the first hour... '

[bmermaid]

Oh and another bad neighbor was this tie dye guy... normally I am not put next to other dyed clothing folks. But, one show I had been doing for years got a new promoter who stuck like items next to each other... so I had this tie dye guy with his stuff piled out in front of his booth & blocking mine. Then he would leave his booth all the time to smoke out or I don't know lol. People thought we were the same booth, so they would bring stuff from his booth and try to buy it from me. I should have taken the money!

(you got me going now!)
At another show, it was indoors and I was next to a wine tasting booth. I have a tent, they have just a table and low divider wall. Well I guess they didn't like my goods showing through MY wall (which faced the entrance & I wanted to be seen), so they attached a curtain to MY tent. LOL. Didn't last long. 'Oh but we are selling wine, not clothes.' Ok then I guess you need your own tent if you want to cover YOUR booth. Mine is staying open. Hm maybe I was their nightmare neighbor...

[davejs]

Every year in November there is a Holiday Craft Faire in the large pavillion at the San Jose Flea Market and it's definitely not a money-cow.

Three year's ago I had a double-space in a middle row with an older Indian couple behind me. I had my covers up on the back side. The lady hung some of her clothing and blankets on the back of my canopy. Can you believe that? She actually put her stuff up there WITHOUT even asking me. The lighting was rather poor inside the building and her clothing on the back was making it even darker inside my booth.

I went around and asked her very nicely to remove her things. She said 'Yah, Yah, I weel do eet.' So, I bee-bopped back around to my booth. Ten minute later, her crap was still hanging. I told her again. I told her that this is my space and I didn't want her hanging her things there. "You never even asked me. Please take your things down NOW.' She then tried to tell me that she can do that. "No, you are not going to put your things up there."

I had some customers in my booth, so I had to run back around. She then brought over the promoter. Can you believe that? What an ass. They both then confronted me. I told them that 'this is my space and she can not hang her things from my canopy. I don't care what she says. Her things are blocking my light and I want those darn things removed NOW.' And so be it. The promoter made her take her things down.

[bmermaid]

Dave that is funny how she thought the promoter would be on her side. Well, funny now... frustrating at the time I know. At least in my situation, to relieve the tension between me and the wife, the husband fed me free wine all weekend. lol.

One thing I have seen bad neighbors do to other folks, is hang things on the back of their panels when they are next to a table booth with no walls. Like, in my wine neighbor situation... I have grid panels and just wanted folks to be able to see through. But if I had hung clothing on the back of my wall, so it hung basically in their booth... that's obnoxious. I've seen this at shows and it always irks me. Maybe they ask permission, but who would agree to that?

[susien]

Paula,
I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Susie

[bmermaid]

Wow Paula... that made me laugh. People are funny (that's code, in case you can't tell).

[traveler]

Way to go Paula! Sheesh. 8X8. I can't even have my family stand in the space at one time, let alone allow another vendor the rights for their customers to shop through my space!

I should have done something more at this past ND winter show. The neighbor had some very expensive belts on a rack and by the time she was one setting up, there was no room for people to shop in there, so she shoved her rack out into the aisle. We sat and watched as people angled away to not crash into the rack, and in doing so, really didn't see the gridwall with my signs on it.
I did put my foot down though when she closed up and left, and had 2 very bright lights left on, right on top of her covered items. I called security and said, "If this catches fire, it is going to destroy the $10,000.00 in stock that I brought in". They promptly entered her space and shut off the lights.

[traveler]

This is not so much about nightmare neighbors, as nightmare placement. I was sandwiched between a nail art stand and a Hena Tattoo stand and across the way from a shoe cleaning guy and 2 doors down from a guy selling puppets. If my stand wasn't being blocked by waiting customers, they were distracted by the puppets or rushing away from the guy hollering, "HEY MAN, OVER HERE! LET ME CLEAN THEM DIRTY SHOES FOR YOU!"
I loved all my neighbors, but I was just stuck in a bad location. Next year I hope to be in a corner where 50% of my problems will be eliminated!