SPOTLIGHT ON ... ARTICLE
January 2006

Surviving Tucson
by Jessica L. Rosenfeld

Well, the holidays are over. The gifts have all been opened. The Christmas trees are coming down. That can mean only one thing: Tucson is around the corner! We'd like to share some pointers to make the most out of your shopping experience this year, so you can declare with pride "I survived Tucson!"

Always wear comfortable shoes. Tennis shoes are a must. Ladies, we all know how much we enjoy our cute (I.e. uncomfortable) shoes, but Tucson is not the place for them. It's about the beads ladies - not the shoes! Walking will be the one thing that is a guarantee in Tucson.
Bring a bottle of water. You are in the desert, after all, and the concession stand lines are often extremely long. You need to keep hydrated in order to keep focused on the bead find of the century.
Bring a portable, battery operated fan to keep cool. It can get a little warm with so many people in one building all at once AND all those hot buys!
Be kind and patient with the vendors you're buying from. A lot of magic happens behind the scenes to pull off Tucson: traveling for days, planning for months, being away from home for so long, to make you, the customer, have a fantastic shopping experience. Who knows, your kindness and patience may pay off in the form of a discount!
Last, but not least: HAVE FUN. Treat Tucson as a vacation, not just the chore of a buying trip. Visit some of the beautiful sights in Tucson. It's a great time of year to be in the desert.

We look forward to seeing many of you this year. Perhaps by following some of our tips you can have a shirt that says. "I survived Tucson" instead of "I went to Tucson and all I got was this lousy t-shirt".