@Hypocrisy_Central It is rather complicated. She isn’t what I would call a ‘Team Player’. She invested money and got on the board. She convinced two other board members to side with her, so all of her decisions were instantly being implemented by her. Every time we came to the shop, she moved things around so her stuff took up more space and was displayed in the best parts of the store. She then doubled her influence by bringing her husband into the collective, against the wishes of the majority of the members (but it was the board that decided these things.) The products they produced were like things that kids made at summer camp. We tried to talk to her about the issues. She would even go as far as ask us if something was ok or not, but if we said ‘No’, she did it anyway. She also bought products from makers on Etsy and passed them off as her own. (we suspected and investigated and it was confirmed by the Etsy seller) We had a strict, ‘You only sell what you make, no cheap Chinese imports’ policy. When something in the collective was selling well (she was constantly checking OTHER PEOPLE’s sales) she copied the product and brought in her version. If she overheard a good idea at a meeting, she took it. She also was really good at lying and trying to turn people against each other, for a time, until she was found out… then she would deny everything and say we all just misunderstood. We caught her out in too many lies. Then, she had the board put up the prices, demanded more work from the volunteers and took over all the accounting. Because we didn’t trust her as far as we could throw her, we all walked out. Since we left, she has a new policy for the commission sellers. We don’t think it is strictly legal, or at least not ethical. The commission sellers pay a monthly price for space and then a commission on top of that based on their sales. If she thinks the commission artist is selling their things too cheaply, she puts a higher price tag on it and keeps the difference. She has a huge over-the-top, overbearing personality and just talks over the top of people and she was re-writing the minutes of the meeting so they reflected the outcomes and decisions she wanted and when we tried to discuss it with her she acted like she didn’t know what we were talking about. We could have stayed and fought and argued but it is a hobby for us and it just wasn’t worth the effort. Most other members have full time jobs (we three have jobs other than the shop) , but she doesn’t. She actually told a few of the members during the first meeting she attended that her plans were to take over and make that space her shop. Looks like she did just that. One of the founding members left 4 months ago. So, yeah… there’s more, but the whole thing is boring.
The real-estate was in bad shape, cold, chipped cement floor, very little light and the place we have now is cheaper, warmer, more windows and a nice wooden floor.