In addition to creating fun things with our hands and imagination designed to delight and entertain children... it is highly enjoyable observing people's varied reactions to our dolls. On occasion, someone will exhibit a rather captivated persuasion ... a child in a stroller exhibiting an inherent need to hug every doll they can get their hands on, even if that induces near-strangulation from their stroller harness ... adults fluttering excitedly from one doll to another conjuring memories and emotions deeply rooted in childhood innocence ... elderly ladies who tell us stories about dolls they made for their children years and years ago ... or the quiet observer who smiles to themselves while running their finger along the cheek of a doll.
It is these fully invested reactions we especially enjoy.
One of our fondest craft fair memories is of a young man who came to our booth to buy a doll for his wife a short while after they had been to our booth together. His lovely wife had fallen in love with our Third Street dolls, moving frantically from one to another and showing them to her husband excitedly. He too was lovely, returning her enthusiastic reaction and pointing out others he thought she would like. They spent a lot of time looking through our display, with the young wife cradling various dolls in her arms as they perused. They eventually moved on, leaving us feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
A while later, seemingly out of nowhere the man returned to our booth with a gusto. He was a wee bit panicked, his movements erratic and his presence radiating energy within the booth. He was searching through the dolls and spouting gibberish - strange craft fair behavior to be sure! We derived that he had wandered away from his wife and hurried back to our table to get her the doll she liked for a surprise Christmas present - he was rushing in fear that she would come looking for him and discovered what he was up to. He frantically flipped through his wallet for cash because he couldn't use credit for fear that she would see the purchase on the statement. "She watches the accounts like a hawk!" he told us. Before we could get the doll in a bag he jammed her inside his jacket and sprinted off. We saw his wife a minute later obliviously admiring the wares of a booth further down the isle, completely unaware of the mayhem ensuing on her behalf.
We still laugh about that strange craft fair encounter, using the memory to lift our spirits during slow shows and periods of intense deadlines.
This is one of the many reasons we do what we do!!
It is these fully invested reactions we especially enjoy.
One of our fondest craft fair memories is of a young man who came to our booth to buy a doll for his wife a short while after they had been to our booth together. His lovely wife had fallen in love with our Third Street dolls, moving frantically from one to another and showing them to her husband excitedly. He too was lovely, returning her enthusiastic reaction and pointing out others he thought she would like. They spent a lot of time looking through our display, with the young wife cradling various dolls in her arms as they perused. They eventually moved on, leaving us feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.
A while later, seemingly out of nowhere the man returned to our booth with a gusto. He was a wee bit panicked, his movements erratic and his presence radiating energy within the booth. He was searching through the dolls and spouting gibberish - strange craft fair behavior to be sure! We derived that he had wandered away from his wife and hurried back to our table to get her the doll she liked for a surprise Christmas present - he was rushing in fear that she would come looking for him and discovered what he was up to. He frantically flipped through his wallet for cash because he couldn't use credit for fear that she would see the purchase on the statement. "She watches the accounts like a hawk!" he told us. Before we could get the doll in a bag he jammed her inside his jacket and sprinted off. We saw his wife a minute later obliviously admiring the wares of a booth further down the isle, completely unaware of the mayhem ensuing on her behalf.
We still laugh about that strange craft fair encounter, using the memory to lift our spirits during slow shows and periods of intense deadlines.
This is one of the many reasons we do what we do!!
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