A guide for New Boutiquers

Black Rock Boutique
Let us slip you into something a little more questionable…

By Sepiatronique, May 2011

Black Rock Boutique has been a fashion work camp at Burning Man since 1996.  It started small and pretty basic and has blossomed into an absolute Rite of Passage for burners yearly.  We run a free boutique filled with the funky, the fabulous and the furry. All we ask in return is that black rock citizens strut their stuff on our runway as they leave, often to the applause and cheers of the people waiting to get in. Our custom built structure houses a DJ station, to keep the energy high, and we are graced with amazing DJs yearly.  Our decor is inspired.  We offer an alteration station and assistance altering clothing-from safety pins to actual sewing. Our staff is blindingly awesome and searingly sexy. We have volunteers who return to us yearly and help us run the camp during the day.  We are a Portland based theme camp and on Playa, we are located in Center Camp.

What makes a good Boutiquer?  Creative style and the willingness to dress up and represent at events/on Playa is highly desired.  Boutiquers share their skills with the group and plug into work they like doing for the benefit of all.  Returning Boutiquers have shown in town and on the playa that they can work hard and pitch in, they participate in local boutique events and take on and complete responsibilities on the playa.  They participate in meetings as they are available and communicate solutions and ideas.  They are fun to be around and look out for others.  They pitch in without being asked.

Some people come with us for one year, some people get hooked and stay on for years, becoming leaders in the group.  Overall, we want a group of people who can work together and respect each other even when things are rough or you have a case of Playa-induced ADHD.  After all, we are fabulous glittering stars!  Boutiquers not asked back may have become unreliable in the midst of the excitement of black rock city.  They may have snapped at fellow Boutiquers and not tried to rectify the situation afterwards. They may have flaked out on shifts or only shown up for food.  Maybe they did not help with set-up or tear down and placed extra work on others.  If you use the privileges of the boutique without giving back, you may not be asked to return. The above instances are very rare, most Boutiquers long or short term are awesome burners and campmates!

Think you’ve got what it takes to rock it with us? Wanna join up?  Find a sponsor. Any veteran Boutiquer in good standing can sponsor new members. Sponsors are committed to bringing in people who are funky, willing to work, excited to be a part of the camp and to bring whatever gifts and skills they have to our black rock boutique, to share with thousands on the playa.  Sponsors answer questions about the burn or the camp and give advice.  Sponsors can be communicators for new folks and the rest of the boutique at large and if the need should arise, they advocate for the boutique and for their sponsored Boutiquer. 

Sponsored?  Ok, now what?  You have to continue being awesome and you have to pay dues.  It costs a pretty penny to bring a camp this fabulous to burning man every year and we all pitch in to make it happen and keep our overall costs low (for a camp of this degree). The benefits we get for paying dues are stellar.  What are they?

• A functional camp kitchen with pots, pans, grills, dishwashing stations, recycling and garbage
• Outstanding chef-prepared hot dinners; examples are yam and pinto burritos with greens, gluten or pork dumplings and savory soup, cheese and vegan enchiladas, Indian, Italian, Americana like mac and cheese/faux cheese or chicken/faux chicken and waffles. And bacon.  We work with dietary restrictions.
• Often daily smoothies, coffee and tea in the mornings
• Pina-Coladas (virgin and vegan options) in the afternoon
• Often lunches or snacks
• The truck/trailer to haul our structure, camp, kitchen and all the clothes to Playa and back.
• A kick-ass camp with chill space, shade to camp under, bike parking, a shower and a freezer/fridge for camp meal storage. (Bring a cooler for personal items)
• Often, our own Porto Potty-which sounds more glamorous when you imagine sharing honey-pots with 50,000 asses instead of 35.
• Some personal items transported to Playa as space allows.
• The Evapatron-our grey water evaporation machine makes it so you don’t have to create your own evap pond to get rid of grey water.
• Most water needs are taken care of by the Boutique.  (Bring a few gallons of personal water for drinking and showers.)
• Shower station attached to Evapatron. Besides “bowl-baths”, most boutiquers take 2 or 3 showers on playa.  We cannot evaporate more than that so plan accordingly!
• A central location where people can find you easily, near to coffee, ice, medical, lost and found, the radio station, the post office, lamp lighters and of course a view of That Man Fellow.
• The possibility of early entry for set-up crew based on pass availability.
• 24/7 free shopping and VIP access to all donations on playa.
• The ability to help friends and loved ones cut the line or go to VIP.
• People love us and we have a wish list for the public that usually gets   fulfilled-with things like massages, cases of PBR, cigarettes, replacement camel-baks etc.
• The fun of seeing fellow Boutiquers fight over and gift each other with clothing you brought.
• The ability to help someone in actual need of clothes on playa-people lose their coats, shoes, can’t find their friend who has the box they shipped, have a wedding to attend etc
• The chance to work at something really fun where your work is needed and appreciated and you can see the fruits of your labor.
• Working with a bunch of people as wonderful and crazy and fabulous as you are.
• The fun of guiding people towards self expression, stepping out of their shells, slipping into something a little more questionable…
• The right to call Black Rock Boutique home and be part of one of the longest running theme camps at Burning Man, in Center Camp, Black Rock City, Nevada, USA, Spaceship Earth (superimpose a boutique flag waving over the desert)…

As you can see, our dues go a long way.  The following is our new dues structure, reflecting our commitment to valuing work and participation.  To gauge what your dues would be, take an honest look at what you can commit to and choose accordingly.  Feel free to throw a fundraiser/garage sale/etc to help raise your dues.  Please note the possibility of scholarships on a case by case, need-based basis with general priority given to returning Boutiquers.

There are 5 major areas of participation:

1. Meetings and Committee Participation
2. Committee or Subcommittee Lead
3. On Playa Shifts (the shift schedule)
4. Off Playa preparation, staging, loading, unloading, storage
5. On Playa camp set-up and/or tear-down (if setting up, plan for early arrival -if we have enough passes- and leaving on Tuesday)

There are 4 levels of dues based on participation:

1. $200 -Full Participation = fully participates all year in all 5 areas (typically this will only be fully participating veteran Boutiquers)
2. $300 – 75% Participation = fully participates in 1, 3, 4, 5, everything EXCEPT taking on a committee or subcommittee lead (typically this will be fully participating new and out of town Boutiquers - of course there are exceptions, like Hera who is taking care of food prep in Eugene.)
3. $400 –50% Participation = fully participates in 3 and 5 - the on-playa work load, INCLUDING set-up and/or take-down. Most Out of town members would fall into this category with exceptions.
4. $500 -Glitterati! = fully participates in 3 (on-playa work shifts only) with wit, charm, grace and beauty! This is a great option for people who are not attending the entire event or simply don’t have time to work before and after Playa. 

We ask that everyone except the Glitterati and $400 level keep the week/weekend before leaving for Burning Man and the week/weekend returning from Burning Man as open as possible. We need everyone’s participation in prepping, packing and loading the camp and unloading and storing of the camp when we return.  These are not work parties to miss.  We make it fun, often with music, drinks and food.  And it is a chance to physically work together without all the dust ;)

All of us have obligations such as work and family, therefore, if you know that you will have obligations that would prevent you from participating in the major prep-work for getting the camp ready to go, please let us know up front and choose a higher dues payment with lower work requirements.  When all camp members participate, we can get the work done in a timely manner, which will allow all Boutiquers time to get their own personal camp gear ready too. 

Dues, work, what about the fashion?  All Boutiquers except Glitterati and $400 level are required to gather 200-300 items of clothing to give away on Playa.  Boutiquers gather clothes in a variety of ways; Buying by the pound at The Bins, often in groups for discounts, soliciting donations from friends and the community, our sorts from buffalo exchange, free boxes, garage sales, their own closets. 

It is really fun gathering awesome pieces of clothing and for some of us, digging at The Bins becomes a favorite pastime.  Group trips to The Bins are really fun and productive-having extra eyes to help you pick and choose can be really helpful. Is that vintage mc hammer backpack really that cool? Is the fur on this fabulous coat real or faux? Should I grab this size XXX leather bustier? Do accessories count toward the goal? Do we applaud tie-die as a first step towards liberation or is it a gateway to socks with sandals and alternative-fashion laziness? Ask a Boutiquer!

The answer to the above questions are: yes, take either, yes, yes and the latter.  If you join us, you will be well on your way to answering these types of questions.  Thanks for trying us on, let us know if the Boutique fits you!

See you in the dust,
Sepia