Slightly Off Center

With the World Athletic Championships in town, everyone was prepared for an influx of tourists. 20,000 visitors! shouted the media. Be prepared! said Market. I even chose my speediest pattern--wild horses*--for the day's theme.

Eh, it could have been worse.

There were folks from all over the world: I talked to a couple from Jamaica, saw some folks from Lietuva (Lithuania), sold a horses creamer to a mom and two teens who discussed the purchase at length in what I'm pretty sure was Portuguese, even sold a pair of cat food dishes that were going home to India. (Anisuya was kind enough to show me her kitty, Kisto, a handsome orange boi, so I showed her the shot of Tiki I snapped Friday night in a futile attempt to get her off of the mouse pad.)

But that was the problem, or part of it. They were all traveling with limited space in their luggage. I sold four cat food dishes, the little creamer, and maybe a duck painted mug to track visitors. All my other sales were local, in some cases repeat customers. That's the other half of the problem. The potential for crowds had been hyped so much that the locals stayed away in droves, with the end result being that crowds were, if anything, less than usual for a sunny July day. I still sold okay--just over $500--but nothing like the days I had, even in the rain, in June.

Had a nice chat with a young woman about my work and process for a while before I realized the abstract pattern on her tote back was in fact different shapes of pottery ribs. Turned out she made pottery too, so I hooked her up with my card and pointed to the blog. (Hi!) Another customer told me their dad was a potter, recently gone pro, selling as Honeybones Ceramics. I've looked up their website, it's nice stuff. Another customer had a book bag with an elaborate pattern that I only deciphered as A.Z. Fell, Bookseller after she'd left the booth.

Saw a blind couple with matching, his'n'hers seeing eye dogs, his a black Lab, hers yellow. Had a lot of serious-looking kids wave back solemnly at my teddy bear as they went by. And I saw a native American family with stair-step kids, five in all. Second youngest was in a stroller pushed by mom; the baby was carried by dad on a cradle-board, swaddled in with bright quilts. Thought it was a doll at first, demoing a craft product, until he got close enough that I could see baby watching his surroundings.

And what might be the most Wisconsin t-shirt ever: Hey Babe, followed by a picture of a blue ox.


* Well, speediest currently. I've done cheetahs and gazelles in the past, and in fact will be bringing the former back on a tall mug next firing.