News / Blog
12/14/2011
A Work In Progress
12/14/2011
Autumn 2011 Haiku Contest WINNer Announced!
10/12/2011
My Dream
10/12/2011
Check This Out!
10/12/2011
Have You Seen Teddy's Fountain?
10/03/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Haiku Contest Guidelines
10/03/2011
Summer 2011 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!
6/14/2011
WPMT FOX 43 Visits Igneous Rock Gallery!
6/14/2011
Video of Current Inventory
6/14/2011
New and Improved Landscape Lights
6/14/2011
Spring Haiku Contest Winner Announced!
5/03/2011
Fountain to be Auctioned at Derby Day!
3/24/2011
Simply the Best?
3/24/2011
An Enduring Tribute
3/11/2011
2011 PA Home Show Special
3/11/2011
Remembering Rick Alcorn
3/11/2011
Winter Haiku Contest Winner Announced! / Spring Contest
Entries Welcomed
2/16/2011
Rest In Peace, Rick Alcorn
2/09/2011
Counting Past 130 and Balancing Rocks
2/09/2011
Autumn Haiku Contest Winner / Winter Contest Submission Deadline
2/09/2011
PA Home Show
2/09/2011
Igneous Rock Gallery Fountain Design Party Discounts!
2/09/2011
Sedimentary Rock Gallery?
11/17/2010
Current Special Promotions – Our Best Ever Offer!
11/17/2010
Autumn 2010 Haiku Contest
11/15/2010
One Thing Leads to the Next…
11/08/2010
I'm A Rock Star
10/15/2010
Sid and Gena's Indoor Fountain Sculpture
9/07/2010
Vacation Musings/Balancing Work and Play
9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Traveling Dog and Pony Show
9/07/2010
2010 Summer Haiku Winner Announced
9/07/2010
Igneous Rock Gallery Harrisburg Fall Home Show Exhibit/One Million Dollar Cash Giveaway!
8/10/2010
This One Could Be Yours
8/8/2010
Summer 2010 Haiku Contest Deadline Extended
8/2/2010
Jerry and Crystal Created Their Own!
7/13/2010
She Stole My Heart
7/13/2010
Table Top Fountain Workshop
6/17/2010
New Fountains
6/15/2010
Do You Want to Meet My Dad?
6/14/2010
The Year of the Creep
6/6/2010
My Impending Incarceration
6/6/2010
Spring 2010 Haiku Contest Winner Announced!
3/20/2010
First Quarterly Haiku Contest!
3/13/2010
Honorable Mention at 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show
3/12/2010
Video of Valley Forge Display
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Igneous Rock Gallery Traveling Dog and Pony Show
At Igneous Rock Gallery we like to bless the people who bless us, so when Betty bought a fountain last year we booked a vacation in her Cape May, New Jersey rental condo. This year she hired us to install low voltage landscape lighting (Yes, we still do that!) and once again we booked her condo for a business/pleasure stay at the shore.
The Cape May trip seems to have been fruitful! I will share more if the results we hope for actually materialize. At the very least the Igneous Rock Gallery traveling dog and pony show turned a lot of heads! In addition to my parents' minivan we took our logoed truck, complete with a lighted fountain and landscape display mounted on the bed. We parked the truck strategically along the promenade or near the Washington Mall, wherever we thought it would be seen the most.
Dozens if not scores commented on our creative marketing. It is fun to watch people's reactions! One woman feigned a sob, then gushed about what a failure she is! When I questioned why she would say such a thing she said that she hopes one day she will add beauty to the world like our surprise display did to hers! Although a bit dramatic in the manner she expressed it (she had enough personality for two people!) she was indeed sincere. The next day she brought a friend around to see the display.
Another vacationer with an entirely different personality said, "Excuse me Sir, I just wanted you to know you have a fountain in the back of your truck". I thanked him for bringing this to my attention. This was his way of expressing how it grabbed his attention, how unusual and unexpected it was.
Last year the Cape May Police Department didn't know what to do with me at first! An officer approached me, then was soon joined by a second. There are ordinances against soliciting, I was informed. You need a license to operate a business in Cape May. I respectfully informed the officer that I am here on vacation, contributing to Cape May's economy, and although my truck does display a business logo, it doubles as my personal vehicle, the one I drive wherever I go. He then said it is obvious that I am soliciting, that he just saw me hand someone a business card, not to mention the big fountain and garden on the back.
I truthfully responded that I had not solicited that gentleman. I simply smiled at him when I witnessed him admiring my truck. He then asked if I had a business card. In fact I did, so I gave it to him. Regarding the fountain on the back, that has to stay on there until the snow flies. It is too heavy to take it on and off with much frequency.
At this the officers looked at each other and grinned good-naturedly. Then one of them summed up that I was conducting business in Cape May without a license and would have to stop.
I noticed another logoed vehicle nearby and posed a hypothetical scenario. "Suppose I approach the owner of that van and ask him what he does for a living. If he is friendly enough to respond, and I then ask him if he has a business card, would it be illegal in Cape May for him to grant my request?"
With this they smiled at each other, expecting the other to supply the right response. About this time another cruiser pulled up and this guy seemed to outrank them both. The two officers went over to confer, so I asked permission to approach. I appealed that if this is a grey area where they may exercise discretion, I would appreciate a little grace. This is a tough economy, and I am trying to grow a business -- but will abide by whatever they decide.
In the end the guy in charge instructed the officers to leave me alone. I thanked them all and promised I would not overtly solicit, which I had no intention of doing in the first place.
That was last year. This year I was getting friendly waves from Cape May's finest, and I am grateful for their acceptance of my presence in their lovely town. My wife, Beverly, would like to move there some day, and hopes I will join her! It was nice for Beverly to step off the treadmill and out of her routine. More Cape May reflections in a separate post.
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