So I run a very small gift shop in a town which is mostly financially supported by travelers/tourists. I hand make a lot of my items, and have built the business up from nothing. My friend however stops through when she is in this part of the state. She travels full time in a bus, so she carries all of her goods and such with her. But she only rolls through during major holidays and times when business is at its best. When she stops through she places all of her inventory in front of my place, and attempts to pull my customers in before they even get to my entrance. I don’t want to be greedy, or discouraged her from making and selling souvenirs and whatnot. But I rely on my income from my shop to support me. How should I handle this situation? Should I just let it go and lose 2 weeks of typical income? Or should I ask her to move away from my store front? I’ve spent a significant amount of time landscaping and making it eye catching, and I feel like she is taking advantage of the hard work I’ve done, and attempting to give the impression that it’s her place. I don’t know what to do, honestly.
We’ve known one another about 3 and a half years. Since this town is largely occupied by short term residents and tourists, she was one of the short term ones who came through. We connected about our likes and whatnot, so she began visiting for a couple of weeks to a month a couple of times a year. The last two times she has set up shop in a private parking area that’s meant for guests of me, not of the store. I’m 40 and she is 47-48. The spring time isn’t that busy for us, but the months between thanksgiving and march/april are pretty busy. I live near the Palm Springs/Joshua Tree area. It’s upwards of 110° in the summer. Fall is 60s-70s. Which is why this time of year is crucial to my sales. I live on what I make now during the 6 months when it’s an oven outside. So that should kind of explain the where and why this is an issue.