A BC/EFA Flea Market Review (For those of you that missed it)- Page 6

[lite2shine]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:49am

A friend of mine went and took this pic.
Updated On: 9/25/06 at 12:49 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 8:14am

Rent's booth had OBC Playbills signed for $75, front of house displays and doors for $100, new posters signed by the OBC for $75, and Rent 10 benefit programs for $1.
I only saw the actual 10th anniversary programs that just said "Happy 10th Anniversary!" and the cast for the night. siamese dream can attest to my snobby comment. As for the other comment, the Rent 10 benefit programs were just a big piece of paper, with the cast and all the major sponsors, so there's no reason why they wouldn't be inexpensive. They had giant stacks of them left over.

I had a great time overall, but I have to say that the autograph/picture areas really need to be more organized in the future. Perhaps it was the hour that I went, but there was no semblance of an actual line for most of the time. Orangeskittles can attest to this as well...
Were it not for the lovely Chris and Ed being so helpful, we would have been completely screwed, as opposed to only 75% screwed. Thank god Julia was so nice about it.

Oh, Em. I miss talking to you!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 9:40am

OMG I MISS TALKING TO YOU TOO! Do more book signings!!!

The new posters weren't even signed by the full OBC, but I don't think they were telling people that.

Updated On: 9/25/06 at 09:40 AM

[CJR]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 9:58am

In response to the person asking about seeing the doll that girl made for Jesse..... yeah I saw it. Im so not commenting though.

Oh yes, I finally met him too. CJR can now die a happy woman; I have met or worked with everyone I've wanted to over the years. Oh man. I about lost my damn mind (who knew he was so much more gorgeous in person?!)

[raulfan]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 10:49am

Was there a Jersy Boys table? I LOOKED and LOOKED and never saw one yet people on here are saying there was one. Where was it?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:14pm

It was there.. on 44th.. north side of the street, in front of the shubert, between mamma mia and disney tables.

[raulfan]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:25pm

DARN!!! I must be blind! LOL And I walked around that flea market 10 times!

Posted: 9/25/06 at 12:58pm

"Clumsy, I saw you a few times, and thought it might have been you. "

Why didnt you stop me to talk to me!?
I was talking to everyone.
Where did you see me at?
What were you wearing?

"Was there a Jersy Boys table? I LOOKED and LOOKED and never saw one yet people on here are saying there was one. Where was it? "

There was till it began to rain then they packed up and left. I passed it several times and almost bought a button, but I didnt feel like it, wish I had. The guy at the table kept telling me I could "Walk Like A Man" while being "All Shook Up!"

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:01pm

I was wearing a DRS shirt, of course. I didn't pay enough attention to what you were doing.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:03pm

I saw a few people I recognized, but didn't say hi to anyone.

Nice, right?

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:04pm

Ah. I was being all crazy, running around looking for tons of items, which I got quite a bit.

I'm happy. I'm going back next year- most deff.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:16pm

Clumsy, that's exactly what I saw you doing.

You were literally bounding over people and running people over. I was like...woah. Then I looked and realized it was you.

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:21pm

"You were literally bounding over people and running people over. I was like...woah. Then I looked and realized it was you. "

HAHAHA. Thats great.
I wanted my stuff.
If I hurt you, I apologize.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:25pm

Did you see me Munk? I haven't seen you in forever!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:26pm

No, I didn't see you.

I didn't see anyone that I knew already, just new faces that I recognize.

Mistress: Aren't you glad I bought that CATS plabill?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:35pm

I saw a bunch of people that made me go "hmm, I wonder if that's....?" because I thought I recognized them, but I wasn't sure.

[CJR]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:35pm

I finally met the LOVELY misspennywise. Love. Her. And of course I saw many of the usual suspects :)

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:45pm

damnit, why didnt you introduce yourself?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 1:51pm

I didn't realize it was you until way later, when I actually thought about it.

And I probably wouldn't have anyway, because I like to make a good first impression. Being stuck in that wind tunnell all day, my hair looked like a giant puff ball. I wanted to look my best!

Posted: 9/25/06 at 2:21pm

i think we were all a little wind blown :)

[ILoveWicked330]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 3:43pm

Which table was the United Scenic Artists? What exactly did they sell that they raised the most $?

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 3:47pm

Scenic Artists was right in front of Spamalot on 44th Street. From what I saw, they had a crapload of David Gallo stuff (noticed a scoreboard from the recent Charlie Brown revival), Drowsy Costume sketches, Barnum&Bailey Circus costume sketches and setplans, as well as models of Conan O'Brien sets.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 4:07pm

Hee, and pop-up scenary mock-ups from Blues Clues and Dora the Explorer.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 5:02pm

Hrmph, I missed most of the DCers.

[Dover]

Posted: 9/25/06 at 6:12pm

On the subject of opening the flea market early...
I work at one of the busier tables, and it drives me crazy that people get there so early and start rifling through boxes before we even have a chance to get all our stuff out. We begin bringing our boxes to the tables between 8 and 8:30. That's a full hour and a half at least before we should be starting to sell. As soon as the first boxes arrive at the table, people start hovering around, peeking inside, and taking things out if there's nobody right there to stop them. By this point, half the people we have on hand to carry and unload the stuff can no longer do their jobs because we need multiple people just guarding the stuff at the table and trying to set it up in some sort of coherent presentation, while the early birds start grabbing up the things they want to purchase.

This happens every year, and this year didn't seem to be particularly earlier than any other time. I finally asked for permission to start selling shortly before 9, because the people waiting had already grabbed armloads of stuff, and I felt it was safer to just let them buy it than try to keep track of it while fending off everyone by saying we weren't open. We can't start credit card sales until 10 because the bank isn't open, which then leads to people standing around with hundreds of dollars worth of stuff for an hour.

I truly believe it's unfair to allow people to purchase things before 10, but I have come to accept that unless people are physically shut out of the 44th St. / Shubert Alley area until 10, it is impossible to ask them nicely to go away and be done with it. They're incredibly pushy and grabby, and the easiest way to deal with it is to take their money (for a good cause) and hope they leave for a while before circling around again. I'm sure the amount of security required to actually shut the area of the flea market except to those with proper passes would be ridiculous, and for all I know might require a different kind of permit from the NYPD. Also, it could lead to hundreds of people piling up at barricades just before 10, which would impede traffic on the streets just outside of the flea market.

Maybe enough people writing to BC/EFA might get them to do something about it, or at least get them to make a firmer rule for the tables that we are not to sell until 10. Right now, the people who show up early just call you rude and start harrassing you if you won't sell to them. They know the flea market doesn't open until 10, but for some reason they believe it's their right to be allowed to purchase anyway, and that we're being "mean" when we say we can't. I wouldn't mind a BC/EFA rep with a bullhorn to chase them away.

That being said, it was a very successful Flea Market this year, despite the torrential rain that made me feel like I was in A Perfect Storm for a few minutes. There were also some very nice passers-by who helped us batten down the hatches on our table during the downpour. Thankfully it didn't disrupt the day too much. I quickly ducked out to buy the Playbill yearbook at the beginning of the day, but unfortunately never left my table again, so I didn't get to see what everybody else had. Probably best for my checkbook that way