Your Next Little Journey

I must confess to having gone nowhere this week, at least not outside of a couple of trips to the printer in Asheville and two meetings at the Grove Park Inn.

For many of you, your next little journey may also be taking you into Asheville and up Sunset Mountain to the famed Grove Park Inn. As your cruise director – for this historic resort has often been compared to a cruise ship resting atop a mountain – I would like to pass along a couple of travel tips intended to make your Arts and Crafts Conference weekend as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.

First, before leaving home, call your place of lodging and make sure they have the correct arrival and departure dates for you.

Second, if you are planning to attend the conference events, but have not received a 12-page packet of information, call my office (828-628-1915), for either the post office has lost it or perhaps we did not have the correct address in our computer.

Third, if you received your packet but forgot to fax or mail in your name badge form, do so today. Otherwise you risk having to step aside at the Registration Desk and wait for my staff to find time to type and print one for you. (Note: your name badge is your ticket to all conference events, so that’s why it is so important.)

Fourth, this is a selling show, both for contemporary craftsmen and women and the antiques dealers. While you may have become accustomed to paying for your morning coffee with a credit card, not every exhibitor is equipped to accept them. You don’t have to carry cash, but do bring a few blank checks along to be sure you can take home one of the great bargains you discover.

Fifth, follow Elbert Hubbard’s advise: head, heart, and hand, by signing up for one of the Thursday afternoon or Friday morning pre-conference workshops. You can read about them at www.Arts-CraftsConference.com, then call us (828-628-1915) to check on availability.

Sixth, and speaking of Thursday night, there’s no better place to be than at the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms’ Kick-Off Party in the Skyline Room overlooking Asheville and the French Broad River Valley. Here you can meet old friends and make new ones, as well as enjoy some great Southern cooking and bluegrass music, plus indulge in a scrappy game of Arts and Crafts trivia pitting table versus table of competitive attendees. For more information, go to www.StickleyMuseum.org.

Finally, if you have any questions or concerns, call Alex or me immediately. As I often say, “We can solve any question before the conference, but very few at the conference.”

Until next Monday,

“Think Spring at the GPI”

Bruce