The Michigan Dolly-Wednesday, July 19, 1978-Page13
Fair relieves merchants'summer slump
By ELIZABETH SLOWIK
"Sale" is the word for Ann Arbor
merchants during the art fair, and
"bargain" is the word for consumers
looking for low-priced goods outside of
what the fair has to offer.
Merchants along State Street and
South University plan to slash prices to
attract the crowds brought in by the
fair, and everything from shoes to
records to Egyptian tapestries will be
on sale.
Some merchants don't mind the fair
and the new customers it brings in,
while other shop owners and employes
groan over the hectic results of the art
fair influx.
"I'm going out of town during the
fair," admitted one employe of a State
Street store.
But Mark from Foreign Matter, a
boutique on State, had a different
viewpoint. "The Art Fair kind of pulls us
through the summer, for small.
businesses," he said.
The masses of potential buyers
require shopowners to hire extra em-
ployes to handle the lines of hot, im-
patient customers. Several stores along
the fair route hired part-time workers
especially for the sale period. Foreign
Matter took on approximately ten new
people, and the Attic, a clothing store
on South University, doubled its usual
number of employes.
Several merchants said sales during
the art fair help clear out summer stock
to make room for fall merchandise.
Most clothes stores on both State and
South University will spread their mer-
chandise on tables outside.
Summer clothes will be offered at low
prices.
"Our buyersa*buy with the Art Fair in
mind," said one Attic employe.
Back on State Street, Discount
Records has tentative plans to have a
band perform on their corner.
The Ann Arbor Shirt Gallery will
feature a magician as well as art fair
Tshirts. Magician Lee Darrow will per-
form three or four shows daily.
The Gallery, which sells art fair shir-
ts with a new design every year, will
peddle this year's shirts which boast an
eyeball-and-hand design. There are
eight or nine different Art Fair 1978 T-
shirts available around town, according
to Gallery employes.
Middle Earth on South University
will have a special showing and sale of
Wissa Wassef tapestries from Egypt,
and a special sale on prisms.
Complete Cuisine on Main is having
sales and nightly classical concer-
ts-harpsichord, flute, violin. Other
stores will display the typical sidewalk
sale, to get rid of old merchandise and
make room for the fall stuff.
Along with setting up the Super-
umbrella and the Graceful Arch,
Ulrich's Book Store employees will be
bustling to keep up with the flock
responding to their sales. Bob Foster,
one of the managers of the store, said
there will be sales on children's books
and current novels which they can't sell
throughout the year. People come back
just for the ten-cent paperback sale,
according to Foster, because they can
buy a year's reading for around a
dollar.
He said they will not be adding extra
staffers for the fair rush. "We always
have lots of people working around
here, but everything comes to a stan-
dstill to prepare for the Art Fair," said
Foster.
Merchants utilize their sidewalk
space to lure customers to at least stop
and browse. For the last two years,
businesses have been required to apply
for a permit from the city to display
their wares on their stores' exterior.
Actually it's a bargain fiend's
market all over Ann Arbor during the
fair, because the stores are anxious to
eliminate poor sellers. The cut-rate
stock purge pleases buyers and sellers
alike.
ACTORS ENSEMBLE PRESENTS
Theatre for the Art Fair
T U 0 PERVERSITY
IN EMIEAS
THE SEVENTH by DAVID MAMET
by JONATHAN REYNOLDS
JULY 19 -22 8:00 PM.
SCHORLING AUDITORIUM
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION BUILDING
TICKETS $3.00 at UAC Ticket Central - Michigan Union and at the door
Local merchants embark on hiring sprees and move their wares outdoors to
attract the passing parade of art fair goers.
^ SAVE 25%
Marshall's SA Ea5l
{ *Colognes, Perfumes, 8 Make-up
in our Cosmetics Dept.
Dealerss
See Us Also For:
NO 2-1313
235 S. State at E. Liberty
Open Mon.-Sat. 9-11, Sun. 11-7
Open to 12 for the Art Fair
* Beer and Wine (Domestic or Imported)
e A Complete Line of Party Goods
* ice * Drug Items
* Food to Eat on the run
L