Customer Service; Setting Up the Next Sale

I've been paying a lot of attention to customer service lately. Everywhere I go to spend money, I notice how the business and its representatives treat me and everyone else.
   This past weekend, I went to Calumet, MI to bring some of my paintings to The Vertin Gallery. This wasn't just a business trip, however. I brought my family so we could rest and relax in Michigan's fantastic Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw is a gorgeous place, and a popular tourist attraction. The people and stores in Calumet are fantastic, including the owner of the nearby Centennial Cottages!
   The northernmost settlement in the Keweenaw is a small lakeside town called Copper Harbor. Copper Harbor is a hot tourist destination. It's remote. It's historic. It's beautiful. It's a customer service dud.
   From the beginning: the woman at the hotel desk was polite, but in a forced, short and hurried way. I felt like I was bothering her. The cabin we stayed in was acceptable, but no more. There was a pile of grass clippings and dead brush outside our cabin door. We went to the General Store to use the ATM. I was charged $4.00 to take out a twenty. The store clerk didn't acknowledge my presence until I was ready to pay him for his overpriced drink. The owner of the restaurant greeted us with "It'll be a few minutes" Rather than a simple "hello." The waitress was nice, maybe because she was from Macedonia. Really! Macedonia!

Copper Harbor

Mackinac Island, MI

   Even though I enjoyed my visit, despite the hosts, I was constantly comparing this experience to our trip to Michigan's Mackinac Island. Mackinac Island is also a hot tourist destination. Like Copper Harbor, it's remote (even more so), historic and beautiful. But the difference is the way the people treat you. 

   From the moment we got on the ferry, we were made to feel welcome. The ferry staff joked around with the passengers, educated them about the island, helped people with luggage, and smiled at everyone. Once on the island, people greeted us on the streets. Business owners were pleased to see us and help us. A woman enticing people to eat at the Mexican Restaurant she worked at told us where we could go to get sandwiches if we didn't want tacos. The ATM only charged me $2.00 to take money out. The people working at the hamburger place were very friendly. The ferry crew was as nice to us when we left as when we arrived.
   The people at Mackinac Island know how to help a person enjoy the experience. They were nice, fair and very pleasant. They made sure that a person wanted to stay for a long time, and eventually return. The business people we encountered at Copper Harbor didn't seem to care if they got our business or not. They certainly didn't care if we came back! Copper Harbor is a nice place to see and visit, but not a great place to stay.
   To be fair, I did run into a couple of great people working in Copper Harbor. Literally, two! I've also been told that a few of the other businesses do take care of the customer. I'm sorry to have missed these. 
   I want to be the kind of artist that people enjoy dealing with. I want to ensure that I'm not only making the current sale in an upstanding way, but also the next sale!I want to be a Mackinac Island kind of guy!