Great Business Idea for Quilt Shows -- Let's Brainstorm!

Ok. I heard this story about a late-middle aged {read: old} man who went to one of those "Modeling Studios" in Houston where -- I THINK -- you pay money to sit in a cubicle with a small window and watch a person or persons in another room doing "modeling." Again, I'm not clear on the details of the modeling activity, but I think it's like a peep-show. The upshot of the whole thing was that the man had a heart attack and DIED in the cubicle.

The police were called, learned from his ID that he was from out of town, attempted to contact the hometown and learned that the deceased and his wife were in Houston for Houston's big International Quilt Festival at our famed George R. Brown Convention Center. So the wife was contacted at the show. Guess what? SHE REFUSED TO COME AND CLAIM THE BODY! And do you blame her?

Not sure what happened after that; probably some other family member had to fly in, go to the morgue, and say, "Yes, that's my dad, the dead guy with one hand on his johnson."

Anyhoo, got me to thinking . . . what kind of booth could we set up at the Quilt Show that would appeal to those bored husbands who obviously have no interest in hand-turned applique, tiny stitches, and intricate patterns. Probably a modeling studio would be frowned upon, and if you opened a sports bar,then you'd get surly old midwestern drunks who'd just fall face-first into a $14,000 quilting machine, or barf on the Best in Show winner. Think of the liability issues. And, of course, the George R Brown would have first dibs on all liquor service, thereby cutting into our profits.

I've thought of a mini-Academy sporting goods store, perhaps fly-tying demonstrations, a magazine stand of nothing but magazines men read, along with a comfy place to sit (by the hour of course)with foot massager machines. I'd love to be the one to take someone's $20 bucks, give him three "Field and Streams" from 1997and a couple of dog-eared Orvis catalogs, make him comfortable, and then send him away an hour later. Or take another $20 from him.

Any other ideas? If you go to the quilt show, you see HUNDREDS of these morose men, zombie-walking down those long rows of fabric, thread, needles, patterns, and silver-haired ladies wearing brightly-colored but nonetheless depressing quilted clothing. Maybe we could joint-venture with some therapists to provide suicide counseling by the hour?

I'm open to other ideas. The show is in October. We need to get busy and reserve our booths. With the right mix, we could be IN THE MONEY.

Ideas?