Open for Business

If you were going to open up a shop, what would you sell?

When I was a kid I loved watching the TV show Dark Shadows. As an adult, I found the bloopers on YouTube and howled (like Quentin the werewolf!) with laughter. One of the funniest things happened as someone entered a shop and the bell fell down—and the actor just watched it fall, lingered for a second, looked up, and went on with the scene.

That’s my humorous preamble (always open with a joke, right?) to today’s prompt answer, which I am now answering promptly. If I were to open a shop, what would I sell?

It would not be leather crafted items, since I tried that once and just wasn’t very good. I saw some incredible plague doctor masks at a comic book convention the other day, and realized—again—I didn’t have the particular skill set for that.

And I wouldn’t want to sell any food item. I am not adept at cooking or baking enough to inflict my product on anyone else for money. Plus, the permits I’d need to prove I wasn’t using rodent or insect parts…not that I would!

I am of course assuming this is something I would create for this shop. And I recall an article I found for the Arts Entrepreneurship program I created. The author spoke of going outside the normal production process of a theatre program, and students, instead of clamoring for roles in the faculty-selected shows, should open up a storefront, perhaps in a mall, and offer productions there.

So yes, that’s what I’d sell: theatre, stories, music performances, open mic poetry, improv nights—anything related to that. And that’s the current plan as we start StoryZ and StoryZStudios.