Notes From a Pandemic

[offcntr]

Cross-posted from www.offcenter.biz.

Field Notes from a potter in a pandemic:

• Saturday Market has added a useful feature to their website: a real-time map of who's participating at the Park Blocks on any given Saturday. It's under the Visit Us pull-down tab, in case you lose this link.
• Market has been wildly variable. I've had a couple of weeks where I didn't make grocery money, a couple that were startlingly good, and one that was the best single Saturday I'd had in 27 years at Market. (Holiday Market doesn't count. Holiday Market is its own thing.)
• Speaking of Holiday Market, preliminary news is that we won't be indoors at the Fairgrounds this year. There's no way to maintain distance, limit exposure, and make enough in booth fees to cover the expense of renting the venue and paying for publicity. The answer seems to be to stay at the Park Blocks, Saturdays only, with reduced hours, 10 am-3 pm. They're still working out booth layout and allotment. I'll update here and at my blog as I know more.
• I've updated the In Stock list to reflect work from my early August firing. A lot of the kiln was taken up by special orders (one a 40-piece set!), but there's still new work, and three new patterns!
• One item back in stock again, after a long hiatus: Dinner Salad Bowls. I always liked the form, use it a lot for everything from pho to pasta to yes, big summer salads. Never had a good place to display it in the booth, though, but since so much of my custom is coming online these days, I thought I'd bring them back. Currently available in bunnies, elephant, fox, hummingbird and otter patterns.
• Tsunami Books sold several of my tall mugs in quick succession, so I've brought them another dozen, along with some pie plates. Check the Find Us link for details.
• I've scheduled a shared glaze firing with another Club Mud potter for late September, so I'm taking custom orders again, through September 24. Email me your orders as soon as you can!
• Why the hell don't people cover up their nose!?

Comments

[james]

I want to hire little old ladies to walk around our store and yell at people to cover their nose, the mask doesn't work if it's halfway down your face, didn't your mother raise you any better, etc.

Funny thing is, all the kids - even littlest ones - wear them properly. It's their mothers who pull their masks down "so they can breathe."

Yes. That's exactly what we do not want you doing all over everyone else.

[offcntr]

Or little kids to ask, loudly, Mommy, why aren't they wearing their mask right? Do they want to get sick?

Saw a woman in Winco the other pull her mask down to talk to the checker. *sigh*

[james]

If/When people do this to me at work I step away from them to beyond 6 ft and if/when they walk forward I just keep backing up. I don't care what item you want to purchase, it is not worth my health or my life.

Just talk louder, ffs.

[chefxh]

Today I had to say to the woman behind me, "Can we work on six feet between us, please?" which seems like a great response (I read it, didn't come up with it) and though she tried mumbling excuses, she couldn't really come up with anything to say back.

[sara]

Oh, it will be a hard year if we can't have Holiday Market. When we went through Custody Hell the one thing my daughter asked for really, really specifically was that she be with me for Thanksgiving so we could eat dinner with my parents and then go to Holiday Market.

[offcntr]

Right now, it looks like Holiday Market will return to its roots: Outdoors, on the Park Blocks. Current plan is Saturdays only, 10 am-3 pm, Nov. 21-Dec. 19.

They need at least 85 vendors each weekend to make it work, any less and they may have to call it off entirely. I'm hopeful though; the survey of members showed more than enough people willing to participate. I plan to be there--stop and say hello!