Cheap Advice - The Care and Feeding of Boothies

Published by theadequate at 1:44 am under cheap advice Edit This

Most of my yammering here has been from the point of view of a Renfaire participant, an actor, a performer…

… in short, a ham

However, there’s another side to this Renaissance Faire experience thing, and that’s the people who come out and make and vend all the stuff you see for sale! Yes, the Boothies.

Frequently looked down upon by the uninformed Rennie Performer, Boothies help keep the faire going - they pay good money to lease a space, set up their structures, make, transport, and lay out their wares to attract the eye and disposable income of the Renfaire patron… and sometimes us performer people just tick… them… off.

In the interest of encouraging good Performer / Boothie relations, I give you… some cheap advice.

Remember, it’s “us” not “me”

We’re all part of the experience - This is why boothies have to dress up funny and speak with the random “thee” and “thine” salted in. In the long run faires, they have to take workshops too, plus they’re not just here to amuse themselves - they’re trying to earn a living!
One Village - Remember that we’re attempting to recreate a sort of town - one where people know each other, or at least the faire outside a town where people probably know the folks who come and sell each year. So be nice to ‘em. Get to known ‘em at least casually so you can whip out a “God ye good den, Master (milliner/potter/coin maker/weaver/etc)”. It helps to maintain the sometimes very flimsy fiction that is the basis of RenFaires everywhere.

Hawking isn’t just talking

Giving Focus = Helping a Booth - Remember what I talked about with “giving focus” back in my Cheap Advice to the RenFaire Performer article? The same works for vendors. If you just walk in and… well… look. You can “give focus” to a booth.
Shoppies! - If you’re short on “gigs” to do - Go Shopping! There’s nothing to say you can’t wander the faire with coin in your purse looking for a bargain! The Queen bloody does it, so you can too!

Be Kind, Observe Foot Traffic Rules

Observe Territorial Boundaries - All the Faire may be a Stage, but the area right out front of a booth is this person’s front yard! Do be kind and make certain you aren’t blocking incoming (and outgoing) traffic when you bust out your Marvelous Piece of Street Theatre… even if you do declare it to be “Sponsored” by the booth you’re in front of…
Accosting is Costly - If you can Read the Crowd, you can get a feel for who’s actually interested in playing and who might just be on her way to buy that one amazing thing they saw in the booth you’re right in front of… let ‘em through, friend, let ‘em through.

I can say from personal experience that being kind and conscientious to the boothies at your event can pay off in ways you never expect… discounts, freebies (there’s a certain crepe booth I owe for free fizzy water when I’m dead on my feet at 4:30 at a number of faires…) and just overall good will.

… and isn’t that worth the effort?

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