Ok, first the etiquette question. I was at the Nyack Street Fair yesterday in the section reserved for artisans. It was a lovely day and I had really nice neighbors. The crowds were out and I expected it to be a busy and pleasant day. 

And it was — at least until the smoker approached. He walked up to my booth with a butt in his hand and I believe blew smoke at me before even saying hello. He was looking for a baby gift and asked a question about one of my quilts. I answered his question in brief and then politely said, “sir, I would love to talk to you more, but would you mind putting out your cigarette?” He replied, “are you kidding me? You can’t tell me not to smoke. We are outside!” I then calmly explained that my items are made from fabric and fabric can retain scents and therefore he needed to step off as I don’t want my quilts to smell like cigarettes. He called me a name slight worse than witch and off he went. 

So, my quilts friends, what is the etiquette in a situation like this? Was i justified in asking him to stop smoking, or is it a risk of doing business and I need to deal? Let me know. 

And now for the tip…  

If you are displaying your work, especially at a show or fair, always, ALWAYS, always take a picture early. My booth looked so lame yesterday. It was a little too empty and a little too haphazard for my liking. 

I have been so busy at the day job, including nights and weekends, that I couldn’t have done anything about the amount of inventory. But, had I seen a photo before 2pm I definitely would have moved things around and hung some of my duplicate items to ale the space look more full. Lesson learned!!!