Wall Art Business Revived: the Wacky Interview
Posted by Walls Need Love on 11/29/2011
As I said in my last blog post, I had revived my wall art business using monogram wall decals--er, that is custom-painted wall monograms, wall quotes in calligraphy, and art accents. Actually, I'd started up in four communities under different names:
Wonderful Wacky Wall Art
Delicate Divine Wall Designs
Custom Created Wall Curiosities
Novel Nuances for Nurseries and Nooks
My first customer for Wonderful Wacky Wall Art was turning out to be VERY wacky. I followed the lady into her living room. A fireplace dominated one wall, and a dirt-streaked window looked out on a yard strewn with bones, dog excrement and bits of torn fabric. Hmm . . . I wondered how "harmless" Killer the dog actually was.
"I'm Ms. Willis," said the housewife in a creaky sort of voice. "May I offer you a cuppa coffee er some moonshine?" I glanced around the dusty room. Newspapers lined one wall to the level of the window sill. They appeared to be topped with mouse droppings. I swallowed reflexively. "Er, thank you kindly, but I've just had coffee. What a lovely...view...of the forest you enjoy."
"Hmmf," said the lady. We were saved from further attempts at conversation when the we heard the door open and someone entered. It sounded like whoever it was wore boots. "That'll be Darla," said my hostess.
The girl--at least, I thought this must be a girl because of the name--came in and slumped in an easy chair. She wore jeans torn up one side almost to the panty line. On her right wrist she sported a set of handcuffs. Her short black hair sprouted in tufts all over her head, and a single earring dangled from her right lobe. It was in the shape of a skull. "You the wall artist?" she asked without preamble.
"Yes, that's me. Wonderful Wacky Wall Art at your service. Would you like to see my portfolio?" I flipped open the album to the section on monogram wall decals.
"Nah, I know what I want. I'll show you the room now and we can dicker."
If anything, the girl's room was more of a disaster than the rest of the house. One wall seemed to be in decent shape, and I was glad that was the one she wanted painted. Her desires were pretty specific.
She pointed to a water-stained area. "I want a skull here. Big."
I pictured the X Skull. That costs $29.95. I paused a moment and said aloud, "OK, that'll be about $150."
"Under it I want the monogram. In a square. Black. My initials are BDW. Stands for Barbra Darla Willis, but don't ya dare tell nobody."
I nodded agreement. I could get a monogram wall decal for $29.95. Those monogram wall decals would certainly come in handy. And they'd go up in seconds. "That'll be another $150," I said.
"And up there I want 'Undead & Unstoppable.'" I could use the Custom Text Tool for that, I thought. "I want bats flyin' over that quote," Darla continued. Maybe bats would be in the seasonal offerings, or I could request some. That could take some time. I nodded.
After quoting a full price of $500 for the whole job, I said I'd be back in two weeks. I'd need at least 6 hours of uninterrupted painting time. Then I got out of there fast.
Driving home, I thought about how I could place the monogram wall decal under the skull. It would look spooky. Just right for this customer. It takes all types to keep Wonderful Wacky Wall Art in business . . .
