I am lonely at The Mouse House. Very few people are coming to visit and shop. Maybe it's the 11% unemployment in South Carolina (8.7% locally and growing). Maybe it's because our real estate property assessments have increased over 20% in the last five years while average housing purchase values have decreased 15% in one year. Maybe people are just too scared to spend their money on artistic luxuries because they fear that they are the next ones to be laid off and will need their money for food. For whatever reason, we have noticed this trend, not just at the MH, but at charity fund raising auctions where donations are down, turn out is down, and purchases are down. One exception was the recent Light The Way charity art sale (Susan and the Mouse House were proud participants as were over 20 other artists) which netted over $4400 for the Midlands Housing Alliance homeless shelter during a three hour one day art sale. I am sure that other businesses have felt the same pinch as us, and I hope that in April and the comimg months things will improve. We'll see.
During the month of April, we will be closed from April 13-20. We will be visiting Mathias in London and watching him dance at the London Coliseum. Grandma Linda (Susan's mom) wil also be travelling with us, and we will be staying at the plush London Marriott County Hall, courtesy of the 130,000 Marriott points that Linda cashed in for the trip. Thanks a bunch!! During this month, for anyone reading this blog and telling me so (an internet-only sale of sorts), I will pay the sales tax on your purchase of existing framed mirrors, framed artwork, and antiquarian prints. I hope to be inundated with sales from my loyal readers.
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3 comments:
I am sorry to hear about the situation but I think you probably hit it right on the nose...so many of us are very cautious right now. Things WILL get better. I'd be visiting you anyway, you know! Speaking of visiting...you DO know that we are planning to visit you...right? We'll be in the States for just 2 weeks and plan a quicky trip to SC to visit you. But we don't have any dates yet...waiting to hear if you have a prefered couple of days during that time.
Sorry too about your situation, and yes, my other artist friends said it is that people just don't want to 'splurge' on art right now...the entire art world is suffering. But relax and enjoy your visit to London. I hope it is great!
Next Monday is our big departure date - I"m ready! Remember when they were going to close the military base in Columbia and everyone thought the economy there would collapse? This too will pass. Art and music keep us sane.
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