Disappointment
The lampwork shop, which was a 45-minute drive away through mucho traffic, was a disappointment. It's really a large studio in a renovated mill, actually a cool place, but the guy told me that he had to leave in 5 minutes. (I arrived at 4:00.) I asked if I could look at what he had before he had to leave, and he agreed. So I hastily collected a bunch of rods, the primary purpose for my trip. I piled everything up, and was about to start on tools, when he said he had to leave. I asked if I could pay for what I'd gathered, but he denied me even the opportunity to do that! He said he had to pick up his wife.
He also told me that his website said that the hours were "by appointment." I had looked all over his site for the hours his shop was open, but hadn't seen any; obviously I missed that. Looking at the site now, I can see it says an appointment is recommended, but only because they may be occasionally out of the studio. Maybe it's me, but this gives a different impression than what the owner gave me on my visit.
This was a big disappointment. I had been so excited to find a relatively local place that carried lampworking supplies. The owner of the place, though, was very abrupt and had no kind words to say, not even an offer to, for example, let me order what I'd picked out and ship it to me. Nothing! All I could say to him as I left was, "I could have been a very good customer." And I could have, too! Had he treated me kindly, I may have even bought a kiln from him down the road, an investment of hundreds of dollars. But I will not be visiting that place again. I would never treat a customer like that.
It took me a little while to get over that disappointment. One thing that helped was the friendly nature of a man walking down the street in the downtown area. This town has been depressed for a long time, but it's starting to revive. I walked around the area for a while, just looking at the changes, as long as I was there. Soon my path was joined by a man with two small children. The children were running around avoiding the cracks. I contemplated how children do that, and how maybe it's to create some excitement for themselves in the boredom of walking down city streets. If they lived in the country, would they have a need to do something like this?
Anyway, the man and I somehow got to talking, a very unusual circumstance among strangers on the street in the Boston area. Somehow that was comforting after the unwelcoming experience I'd had at the shop. Thank you to that anonymous man!
He also told me that his website said that the hours were "by appointment." I had looked all over his site for the hours his shop was open, but hadn't seen any; obviously I missed that. Looking at the site now, I can see it says an appointment is recommended, but only because they may be occasionally out of the studio. Maybe it's me, but this gives a different impression than what the owner gave me on my visit.
This was a big disappointment. I had been so excited to find a relatively local place that carried lampworking supplies. The owner of the place, though, was very abrupt and had no kind words to say, not even an offer to, for example, let me order what I'd picked out and ship it to me. Nothing! All I could say to him as I left was, "I could have been a very good customer." And I could have, too! Had he treated me kindly, I may have even bought a kiln from him down the road, an investment of hundreds of dollars. But I will not be visiting that place again. I would never treat a customer like that.
It took me a little while to get over that disappointment. One thing that helped was the friendly nature of a man walking down the street in the downtown area. This town has been depressed for a long time, but it's starting to revive. I walked around the area for a while, just looking at the changes, as long as I was there. Soon my path was joined by a man with two small children. The children were running around avoiding the cracks. I contemplated how children do that, and how maybe it's to create some excitement for themselves in the boredom of walking down city streets. If they lived in the country, would they have a need to do something like this?
Anyway, the man and I somehow got to talking, a very unusual circumstance among strangers on the street in the Boston area. Somehow that was comforting after the unwelcoming experience I'd had at the shop. Thank you to that anonymous man!
posted by Susan at Aspiring Arts at 8:26 PM
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