Best Practices for LAMA Booths During the Pandemic

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BOOTHS

● Outward-facing booths are advised (where customers don’t have to walk inside), and set up, where you can maintain 6ft distance from customers and fellow vendors, is mandatory. Booths will be set back a bit from the aisle this year to allow more space for our customers. Density can be a problem. If we all give a little we can gain a lot of space.
● Place your chair so that there is 6 feet of distance between you and customers who walk up to your booth/table. 6 feet of social distance is what we strive for, but we wear the mask knowing that is not always doable.
● Masks or some form of face coverings are mandatory for vendors while operating their booths. You must wear a face covering the entire time you are in your booth. Face shields are an acceptable face covering. Be safe.
● We encourage you to use tables that provide adequate space between you and the public. You have the option of getting a special deal on acrylic shields made by The Sign Dude in Medford. We mentioned this in the last email. We can order more, so let me know if you want one. We have already distributed 9 of these shields to fellow vendors.
● We also strongly encourage you to place signs in your booth suggesting that people do not touch the merchandise. Touched merchandise must be sanitized or set aside for a couple of days. For your own safety, and that of your customer, encourage less touching and more buying.

Sign Ideas

We recommend clear, concise signs in your display. These don’t have to be fancy. Get creative, have fun with it. Handwritten is fine. White markers on black paper make a clear, readable sign. Here are some ideas…

● Please ask permission before touching merchandise. Do not touch. Ask permission.
● Maintain 6 feet physical distance between you and others. 6’ social distance. 6’ is love.
● Which payment methods are accepted at your booth. Cash, check, credit card, Square.
● Prices clearly marked.
● Ask for assistance.
● A simple piece of yellow tape or sidewalk chalk on the ground acts as a sign to tell people where to stand when engaging in your booth. This should be placed where you expect to make your transactions. If there is room for another piece of tape 6 feet from the checkout spot, then you are free to mark with tape more than one location. If you don’t have yellow tape, Marcus will have some available. Bright sidewalk chalk can work to mark your spots.

Payments

● For Square users, you have the option to disable the “Signatures” function so customers don’t have to touch your screen. This is found in settings on the square app on your phone. Look for the three lines in the upper left corner of the screen on your phone when in the Square App. Tap the three lines and go down to “settings”, touch that. A new screen appears, tap “Signatures and Receipt” and then turn off the “Collect Signatures” option. Now you don’t have to have them sign your phone. One less touch place. Remember, you hold your phone up to your face… a lot. Think about it. Sanitize your phone often with an alcohol wipe or something.
● For vendors who accept cash or checks, we encourage you to have a cash box at your booth where customers can leave cash and you can count out change, but neither parties exchange cash directly hand-to-hand (same with checks).

Sanitizing

● Sanitizing stations will be placed prominently for vendors and the public to use.
● The public restrooms in the parking lot are not presently open. There are porta-potties and portable sinks in the parking lot, next to the public restrooms. Dave from Griffin Creek Coffee has offered his restrooms to the artists, but not our customers. I encourage you to patronize his business. (Marcus: I am bringing my own small bottle of Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap so I am assured I have soap. I encourage you all to have your own soap for hand cleaning when using the public restrooms.)
● Latex gloves are encouraged, especially for vendors who deal with cash payments, or who have items that need to be handled before purchasing. Gloves are also encouraged for setting up and tearing down. However, gloves are in short supply and high demand. They are hard to find.
● Vendors must have hand sanitizer and product appropriate sanitizing supplies in their booth for customers and yourself to use after interacting. Isopropyl alcohol rated over 65% pure is a good product sanitizer, as is hydrogen peroxide, and diluted bleach. The market will have bottles of hand sanitizer and spray disinfectant available at cost to the members – $4 per 8 ounce bottle. Kat Prince of the Herbal Gerbil wishes to remind everyone that she has organic hand sanitizer at a discount for vendors.
● Sanitize your hands before, or wear latex gloves when handling your own artwork and placing it out into display or putting it away at the end of the day. Act as if you are contagious and don’t want to be a spreader. You never know. Be safe. This is a new day.
● If a product has been touched, then you need to sanitize it, or set it aside for a day or two. Commonly touched areas also need to be sanitized. It’s best that people only touch what they want to purchase.
● Clothing items that are tried on and not purchased need to be set aside for at least one day. Preferably 72 plus hours. Minimum touching is recommended.
● No items may be tried on that go on or near the face (scarves, masks, etc.).

General things to be aware of

•  People may be acting weirder than normal due to the circumstances. We will work as a community to monitor and maintain the safety of vendors and report any nefarious activity to the Ashland Police Department.
• Vendors who refuse to comply with the social distancing and sanitary guidelines will be warned and then banned from participating (LAMA board will decide on a case by case basis).

We appreciate your participation in the market and in the collective well-being of our fellow vendors, community, and patrons. If you have any questions before showing please call Marcus at (541) 301-9811 and he will make sure you’re squared away for this season.