Summertime-Road Notes-Buffalo Billfold Company 2018

The summer road trip ticked off the weekends all over the Western U.S. Edina, MN. Stone Arch, Mpls, MN. Des Moines, IA. Milwaukee,Brookings,SD. Fargo,ND.SweetPea Bozeman,MT. LONGMIRE DAYS! Buffalo,WY.Duluth,MN Bayfront Park, and this week we’re in Sioux Falls, SD. (the closest art festival to our home) . Attending these juried art festivals require thousands of miles of travel. Our reward is selling our buffalo leathergoods. We reflect and realize that, as importantly is maintaining contact with our valued customers that we often only see once each year.

We share our experiences with them and they with us.

Part of our road trip story are the other artists, artisans and fine crafts people with whom we travel. Many people attend an art festival once or twice each year. We have spent over 1,200 days at Art Fairs in the past two decades. The people with whom we travel become part of our family.

We have witnessed births and deaths, first steps and final steps. These people become our safety nets when things go bad. We help others, they help us, no questions asked.

We travel as artisans, artists, craftsman and musicians. We sometimes find ourselves in curious situations. Our musician friends have a penchant for daring do. (old english-daring to do) . We find ourselves playing in tent cities by the interstate after work, by the invitation of the homeless.

Our livelihood is also dictated by the weather. We adhere to the guidance of our weather app’s on our cell phones. They instruct us and give us the security we need to leave our crafts and arts out on the street. It represents months of labor and many of us travel and sell as a full time profession. We are modern day gypsies/travelers.

Our labor is displayed for all to see. They love us or they haven’t any interest, we overcome the fear of rejection.

Most of our decisions are good ones. Most people understand our products and our efforts.
If we make all the right decisions and the price of gas isn’t to high, we celebrate! We play music late into the night knowing that morning comes early and we have to rise!

The first phone call on the new cell phone rings (as we spend our profits on technology) our musician friend of 20 years of performing together has died. His wife has dreaded calling us. We are crestfallen. Sonny Boy was an above average harmonica player, having played with the best bands in Colorado and beyond. In a blink, funeral travel to Pueblo, to rekindle beloved friendships and honoring those that have meant so much to us.
The relationships that we have built at home and on the road are intertwined. We are fortunate to have an expanded world of friendships, they all mean a great deal to us.
Bill Keitel Buffalo Billfold Company 2018