Droplets.

I'm getting these little designer art toys called "Droplets" in this week.

I was commenting on my Pegasus Blog, that no matter how much I love these kinds of things, they simply don't sell all that well in Bend, because people don't know what they are.

Which begs the question: Do people buy because of intrinsic quality, inherent value? Or because it's a known quality, a familiar culturally approved item?

The other day I was so tired of explaining that my "Ray Gun" wasn't attached to any known license, that it was a work of art and just plain cool looking.

"It's just a raygun," I said in a deadpan voice. Hey, I wasn't trying to be rude. But it's $700.00, and there was no chance in hell that they were going to buy it -- and, well, it IS just a raygun. A very cool and neat raygun for anyone who has eyes on quality. But, hey, it aint' Flash Gordan's raygun or Buck Roger's, or, more to the moment, Star Wars or Star Trek -- so it don't exist.

For most people, it don't exist if they don't already know about it.

Sorry, it's just true. Funny thing is -- and I've seen it over and over again, if for some strange reason a customer actually breaks through and buys something like that, sometimes as a 'joke' -- they are totally jazzed the next time I see them. Pleased and happy, and boy, they want more of "That." You know, now that they've actually had it at home and it stands out amongst the cultural detritus.

So these "Droplets": they ain't Smurfs and they ain't Beanie Babies.

They are visually pleasing works of art.

And even though every customer who sees them will be intrigued -- indeed, more intrigued than by the stuff they actually purchase, intrigued enough to pick them up and talk about them -- no one will buy them, until someone accidentally breaks through and then they and their friends will buy me up and wonder why I can't get more....

One barrier at a time...