[Ansteorra] fwd: [MR] Artists: a Chance to Merchant at Pennsic
Stefan li Rous
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
Fri Apr 27 19:09:57 PDT 2012
I am forwarding this from the Atlantia list because I think it is an
excellent opportunity for someone who might wish to test their toes in
the water of SCA merchanting. I don't think I've met Henry Best in
person, but I've seen his postings on the SCA lists for many years.
Stefan
===========
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:22:14 -0400
From: "Henry Best" <henry at askdoctorbest.com>
To: <atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org>
Subject: [MR] Artists: a Chance to Merchant at Pennsic
If you are an SCA artist and would like a painless and supportive way
to try
merchanting your art at Pennsic this summer, read on!
Greetings, O SCAdian, however this message reaches you, from Dr Henry
Best.
If you regularly attend Pennsic, you might know of me from my daily
advice
column in the Pennsic Independent, "Ask Doctor Best".
The past three Pennsics, I've told fortunes in the back of Sunbaked
Studios,
Mistress Nonna's Pottery Studio. It's been a great partnership, but
Nonna is
retiring from active merchanting, and I am stepping up as the new
manager of
the booth, now renamed to Starlit Studios.
We will be offering some exciting products: consulting divinations
using a
wide range of period oracular techniques, from astrology to cards, from
palms to i Ching, we will be using any period system we can find and
document which doesn't involve disemboweling animals or nice people. We
will be performing magic shows in the street and generally having, and
sharing, a jolly time.
Now, this project is, at its heart, more a large scale Arts and Sciences
experiment than a money making venture. Our customers are a critical
part of
our research into these arts and their nominal payments are part of the
experiment. And what I'm discovering, as I step up to run the booth, is
that, what with booth registration, liability insurance, tent rental,
etc,
merchanting at Pennsic is hideously expensive, far beyond anything I can
reasonably expect to make back telling fortunes. In short, if I don't
change
my business model, I will go broke in one year and be forced to shut
my arts
project down.
And so, to keep my project alive, I am offering retail space in my
booth, on
a year to year basis. My vision is that, as I run a personal consulting
service in back, my front waiting room will be filled with incredible
art
created by our fellow SCAdians, and the art will be for sale. If you
are an
SCA artisan, and you've ever considered merchanting at Pennsic, for a
market
of some 12,000 people, I am offering an open door to you, bypassing the
massive cash and administrative investment (and time spent on a near
infinite waiting list) that it would normally take for you to attempt
this.
I will share the actual financial numbers with serious querents, but
here I
will say that I hope to host six to eight artists, granting each one
space
for a 5 foot display table at a prime booth along Battle Road, next
door to
the food court.
These artists can participate under one of two plans:
1) You pay a flat fee for your space, to help cover the booth's
expenses. You help your fellow merchants man the booth, serving as sales
clerk for everyone's art and as receptionist for the consulting
business.
With 6-8 artists, you'll probably only need to man the booth for two
days
out of the war.
2) You pay a flat fee for your space, as above, but you don't
help man
the booth. In that case, you also contribute a percent of your
revenue. This
money goes into a kitty, and is split among those who DO man the booth
on
your behalf.
So there it is. For the right artists, this is a golden opportunity.
Because
we are sharing costs, this is an extremely painless way to put your
art up
for sale at the largest market in the SCA.
Please pass this message along however you wish, and especially
forward it
to those who make exquisite art, and really deserve a wider audience.
And
thank you for reading.
Dr Henry Best
Henry at AskDoctorBest.com
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous Barony of Bryn Gwlad Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mark S. Harris Austin, Texas StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at: http://www.florilegium.org ****
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