Setup Becomes a Logistical Nightmare for the Vendors . . .

I never saw the store on Friday.  Instead, we spent the morning jockeying for unloading position behind the Sharonville Convention Center – we were greeted by an amazing sight . . .

This is the view from the loading dock – for those of you familiar with this building, the loading dock and the ramp next to it are all that’s left.  Or all that’s left besides a big hole in the ground . . .

This is where the vendors used to pull in to unload and park.  Eventually, new construction will make the convention center twice the size it is now.  But it’s a mess these days.

Ryan was off work, so I had a helper to unload the truck and give me time to put up the gridwall.  He has lots of experience – Ryan was only eight when we started on the circuit.  But with his job at Best Buy, he hasn’t been on the road with me for more than three years.

It was entertaining watching Sue, Frankie, and Crystal set up the USArtQuest portion of our booth.  Sue was directing traffic from her ground-level throne.

 

I got a kick out of watching their sign go up – especially when they realized that it was a little off-kilter . . .

Finally finished setting up and everyone headed to the hotel next door to get ready for the Preview Party.  This year’s theme was My Superhero.  You could make that mean a lot of things – for a long time I have wanted to to “Geriatric Superman” with worn and frayed tights, gray hair, and a cane.  But Karen came up with an idea I liked better – why not pay tribute to her daughter Ashley, who is in the Army?  So we did a little bit of both . . .

Karen and I went military, and Tweety Jill and her daughter Lindsay went as the Mad Hatter and Wonder Woman.  And for those of you who are disappointed, keep in mind that these are Ashley’s fatigues, so technically I am still gender incorrect!

 

Once inside, Jill and Lindsay did a make it/take it in our booth, and Sue did a USArtQuest demo on her side.

But there was still time for fun and games . . .

Self-portrait with cell phone at arm’s length so I could send a shot to Ryan at home.  Was instructed that we were “on duty” and shouldn’t smile . . .

Entertainer for the evening (he was really good), and the best vendor costume I saw – this is Dallas from Custom Wood by Dallas as Captain Sully, with his flight attendants.

And this was the runner-up customer costume (at least in my opinion) – these ladies said they were dressed as “Captain Art” (I made the mistake of asking if they were Alvin and the Chipmunks).

For obvious reasons, these were our favorite customer costumes, worn by the gang from Christy’s Main Street Memories.  And neither we nor they knew what the other was wearing . . .

. . . but the outfits certainly went well together!

One final set of images at the end of a long day.  After the Preview Party ended, we all trooped back to the hotel next door.  Karen and Tammie were staying overnight, and I stopped for a quick change before driving home.  I think Karen was just about done . . .

Almost a little bit of a Cruella DeVil look there . . .

Day Four: Another Trailer in the Parking Lot and a North Carolina Reunion

When I came into the store on Thursday, I came in the back door and around the corner, and walked straight into Libby Friel’s “baby romper” make it/take it.  She was doing half-hour shifts and everything seemed to be moving smoothly, but I started to wonder when I walked out into the classroom . . .

. . . and saw a crowd of people sitting and waiting!  It didn’t hit me what they were waiting for until I walked out the back door . . .

. . . and saw another trailer in the parking lot.  Ron & Sarah Justison from The Paper Cut had just pulled in, and Jeff, Robyn and Chase from Sweet Stamps had come out to greet them (the Richardsons spent three days “camping” in our parking lot).  Sarah had a 12:00 demo – that was the reason for the crowd in the classroom!

It only took Sarah a few minutes to set up and get started, with Robyn alongside!

Meanwhile, our North Carolina contingent had arrived – Bonnie and Lou Ann were busy demoing in Marco’s Too, and Peggy was restocking in the store.  If you come to the store this weekend, you’ll see a lot of them.  I made some wisecrack about North Carolina as I walked through, and discovered that the two ladies at the table working with Bonnie and Lou Ann were also in from North Carolilna – it is truly a small world.

This is another out-of-state family – the lady at right first stopped in the mail center instead of the store.  But she recognized me (“you’re the guy up on the ladder giving out prizes”) from the Orlando show – she was up from Florida visiting her grandkids.  So I gave her directions to the store, and by the time I got there she was almost finished with her shopping.  She said next time she’s coming by herself!

Here’s a sight you rarely see – Gary somehow seems to avoid almost all photography.  Only got a long-distance shot today, so he never saw it coming.

By contrast, this is Kim – if you go through the blog posts this week, you’ll see her in every one.  It appears she has taken up residence.

Friday, the store will have to do without Karen and me – we will be in Cincinnati setting up the booth for the show, and then doing the Preview Party in the evening.  This year’s theme is My Superhero.  Lots of people want to know what we’re wearing (and if I will be gender-correct for a change this year)  Stay tuned . . .

A Busy Day Three That Ultimately Goes to the Dog . . .

I made two trips to the store on Wednesday. The first was about lunchtime, and the place was rocking. This is not an unusual sight during the Stamping Gala . . .

Stacey Richardson (and family) were busy demoing Sweet Stamps’ new Shapes die inks (at least 60 colors – all coordinating with a Core’dinations color). Meanwhile, it was business as usual in an area of the store you rarely see. In the back middle of the right photo, Tammie and Donna are busy at the cutter, and in the back left, Helen is busy wrapping packages of paper.

Meanwhile, Polly Weed was setting up in the classroom while husband Norm took time off from his busy golf schedule to lend a hand. The earlybirds had already snatched the prime seating for Polly’s class.

When I came back a couple of hours later, I had a friend in tow. A lot of customers had asked to see Zoe, so I ran home and brought her back for a visit before I headed to the golf course. Maureen Payne was taking Polly’s class, so Barry set up in a corner of the back room to work on his latest model (Barry is an award-winning model car builder). The shot of Barry is out of focus because a certain canine decided to tug on her leash just as I snapped the shutter . . .

Robyn Richardston (Stacey’s daughter) gets the ultimate compliment from Zoe. And a very nice lady asked if she could take a picture of Zoe and me together – no one ever sees that since I’m the one shooting the photos.

The out-of-staters are beginning to pour in – this is part of the Indiana group. The lady in the middle is the one who always wins a prize in the giveaways in Indianapolis (and often in Cincinnati – so watch out for her this weekend). She greeted me with “I thought I’d stop by to see if there was anything I could win here.” I also had a conversation about training dogs with a very nice lady from Michigan.

Jill and Lindsay were set up in the front corner of the store doing Tweety Jill demos and make & takes before Jill’s class later in the afternoon. Jill said several customers asked to see her samples from the Vintage Tags class she did on Tuesday, so here they are – first the whole set, and then the individual tags below.

Since this is the only show of the year where I’m in the area all of the week before, I get a chance to watch the buzz and excitement level grow each day. Lots of happy folks in Southwestern Ohio this week!

Day Two of the Gala Features a Big BIG Bus . . .

This was the first thing I saw when I came around the corner this afternoon.  Might not mean much to you, but those of us on the stamp show circuit know that this means the Sweet Stamps caravan is in town . . .

Sure enough, I found Stacey Richardson inside doing demos, and customers shopping the Sweet Stamps trunk show.

And in our prep area, Stacey’s husband Jeff and my good friend Ken were wrapping packages and reloading for Stampaway this weekend.  Ken has helped me with setup and teardown often over the years – he is part of the All-Time Record Teardown Team (an hour and thirteen minutes in York, PA a couple of years ago).

I was running late – missed Mitra Friant and Melinda Doster and the Impression Obsession demos completely.  I had it in my mind that they would be around later in the afternoon.  Guess I should check the schedule – I have typed it enough . . .

Meanwhile, Tweety Jill was hard at work in the classroom with a full house of Vintage Tag enthusiasts.  I couldn’t help but notice that someone must have misbehaved – Mom put Lindsay in the corner by herself . . .