I Brake For Tulips!

There are a few expressions that you often hear from potential customers while selling art and craft on the street. One of the most common expressions is "I'll be back".  As art and craft vendors, we call them the "Be Backs".  Most of them move on, find other things, and don't come back.  I once met a craftsman who had a little contest at an art fair.  He gave all the Be Backs a card with a time and a number on it.  He placed a duplicate card in a bowl and told them that if they came back at that time later in the day there would be a drawing and that they could win one of his items if their card was drawn.  I don't know how it all turned out but I thought it was a clever little ploy to get the Be Backs back!  At a show in Newburyport, MA this past weekend I was reminded of this when I heard some folks say...."I'll be back..."I want to do the loop first"..."I've got it in my brain now"...."she has a Yankee Swap coming up so we will definitely need to come back and get that"...."I'll be back...I won't have to carry it around that way", etc.

But there was one little girl, about 10 years old, who saw one of my tulip paintings as she and her mother were driving down the street  behind my booth!  She was also a painter and she convinced her mother to stop, park, and come back to see the tulip painting.  They both liked it and said they would be back later and asked if I would set it aside for them.  I did.  At about 5 PM, just before the show was about to shut down... they came back.... and said that as they were driving out of town they remembered that they had forgotten about the tulips!  They hit the brakes, turned around, came back and bought the tulip painting.... just as I was starting to pack up.  You gotta love the energy,  persistence and honesty of some kids.  I hope she paints some flowers when she grows up too!  And you just never know these days.  The elderly folks who needed a "Yankee Swap" gift might see my work again back at home... as they slowly cruise the internet... without having to "be back", "do the loop" again or even "carry it around"!