A Different Client
Autor: Leila Franca | Publicado: 2009-10-11T10:59:00-07:00

We never know who is going to become our client. Obviously, we have an idea about our customers profile, but actually a client can be anyone. However, sometimes a new client may surprise us.When I was back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, I started organizing myself to make miniatures again. I got clay, tools and all I needed to work (again!). I didn't know yet where I was going to sell (as always!), I just wanted to be started.Firstly, I got a call from a group of artisans (I don't know how they found me, but somehow I was in their files) and they invited me to be a member of the group. Of course, I accepted, but I had never worked together with other artisans as a group. An government agency would help us to get our papers as small businesses, new fairs to show our work and everything. That was good. Soon, I got my papers as a small business artisan and started selling my miniatures in different fairs. We had notes and pictures at the local newspaper about our shows and weekly meetings to talk about the group. However, after few months, the artisans weren't happy. The places where we had our shows were lacking buyers and the sales weren't good. They were picking the wrong places. It was the first time I had few orders. Really, something wasn't right.Generally each of us had his/her own boot, but once we went to a big show and we had a single big boot to all of us as a group in that event. Frankly, I didn't like it. I paid a lot of money to be there, but my small miniatures simply "disappeared" in the middle of the big pieces of the other artisans. I could have sold a lot more if I had my own boot, away of the group. That was a lesson to be learnt. Soon after that event I started missing some meetings because it was better to stay home working than to be there. I guess everyone thought the same and few weeks later the group was over. I don't regret having entered into that group. I met a lot of people and had new experiences. Then, I was alone again. The main subject in those meetings was the available places we had to sell our work. That was the main problem. The fairs and shows were too expensive. It seemed we were renting stores in the mall or something.So, I thought: how about to sell my miniatures in my own place? My parents had an old building and there was an empty area close to it. It was a kind of garage, a big room covered by a roof and a large gate to the street. It could work as a store.I thought: what if the people walking at the street could see me making the miniatures? So, I thought about to create an open art studio, where the people could walk in and see everything I was doing. And, sure, they could buy miniatures.That place was empty and nobody was going there for years. There was a lot to do. There was a pile of old stuff covered with dust. Everything was garbage. Then I spent some days just cleaning that place. Then, I put my things there and was ready to fully open that big gate and let the people see me working there. It was exactly 9 AM when I opened the gate. Less than a minute later I heard a big noise as a car was breaking and it finally stopped just in front of me!!! What a shock!!! I almost fainted!It was the police car! Four officers with heavy weapons as I had never seen so close of me came in my direction! While I was almost having a heart attack, the police officers were seeing my miniatures. If they were normal policemen, I would be just surprised to have them looking my work, but they were from that kind of special police, called only to deal with extremely hard situations. That is why they had those weapons and dress differently. I guess they were just passing by the street when they saw the opened gate - the gate that was always closed and they went to see what was that. Sure, they found me and my miniatures. They liked it and bought some miniatures.Next day there were two police cars in front of my place. Now I had 8 policemen as customers! All of them would want to buy my miniatures! The funny thing was that the people at street thought that something was happening there. Some curious people came to see why those police officers were there and when they saw that the police officers were only buying miniatures, they would want to buy too!