A note from a gallery owner who would like to save you artists out there some trouble...

Hello all. Yes, it's me, the shopowner who almost never updates her blog.

Today, though, I wanted to take a moment to share some of my thoughts with those of you out there who are local artists/artisans/crafters who would like to ever have a gallery or boutique consider selling whatever it is you create. And in the interest of brevity, I'll do it in the form of a list of DOs and DON'Ts.

Pay attention, please. Seriously.

DO...
...call ahead or drop by ahead of time to find out who you need to talk to, what to bring, and when they're available to meet with you. This also saves you from wasting a lot of time in the event that you don't meet the basic requirements for inclusion. And in terms of artists exhibiting for the Art Walk, it helps to make contact ahead of time so that you can find out important things like the fact that we're currently booked up until January.
DO...
...know how to talk about what you do. Be ready to answer questions about technique or your inspiration or how you got started, even if you think those answers might be lame. They're not. Just be honest. It's fine.
DO...
...have an idea in your mind about what your work is worth. If you're not sure, look around at the work of others around you who do similar things, check out the internet sites like eBay or Etsy for similar items, or just figure out how much you spend in materials and time and put a number to it.
DO...
...be professional, polite, organized, prepared, and friendly. This isn't about how you look -- hell, I've been known to dye my hair blue from time to time -- although cleanliness and not smelling bad are a good thing. But you should still be able to come in, introduce yourself, shake my hand, show that you're organized and have a professional mindset about what you do, and speak the most proper English you're capable of. And smile.
DO...
...look around and see what else is in the gallery/boutique. Be interested. Don't fake interest in the stuff you don't like, but it does pay to show that you're curious about how your work will fit in with what's already here.

DON'T...
...drop into a store unannounced with a box full of your work, hoping the shop will just fork over some money for it to help you pay some bills.
DON'T...
...be an arrogant bastard. It doesn't matter to me if you trained at some obscure knitting commune in the Himalayas or if your granny taught you when you were three, I just want to see what you make. If you're good, it'll be obvious. And frankly, some of the best artists and crafters I know were self-taught. So spouting off about how you got your degree in New York and how that is supposed to set you apart from all the ignorant locals around here isn't going to win you favor points.
DON'T...
...badmouth the work of other artists already in the gallery/boutique. One of the worst things you can do as an artist hoping to have your work in my shop is to look at one of my artists' or consigners' work and tell me their technique/eye for color/choice of materials/etc sucks. After all, I liked their work enough to put it in my shop. So keep your opinions to yourself, because they don't matter to me, or anyone else, and they make you look like an ass.
DON'T...
...treat me unprofessionally. Yes, I'm a short female who doesn't look her age (or so I'm told.) I can't grow taller, I'm not interested in a sex change operation, and I haven't yet found a way to make myself look like I'm 45 (nor do I want to). Deal with it. And by "deal with it" I mean leave the sexist comments and condescending attitudes at home. I own the place. I don't have to deal with you if I don't want to. And if you talk to me like a child, I won't want to.

That is all. For now.