How do you make the leap from from personal woodworking to
becoming a recognized craftsman? My latest venture is reproduction shelf and
wall clocks from the New England region. I recently did a craftsman show
in Wilton and sold one clock which paid for the booth.
The turn out at the show was small on Satuday and less on Sunday, needles to
say somewhat disappionting.
What other ways have you folks used to get your work out in the
public? I put up a website and passed out a lot of cards to people at the show.
I am thinking of selling through retail as a last resort, but it kills me to give
give 50% of the selling price, but on the other hand if it gets the work in people’s
homes it might be worth the price.
Please checkout my website any suggestion would be
appreciated, Thanks to all. www.classicclocksco.com
Replies
Sorry I don't have any good answers to your questions; I'm not a pro. But I just wanted to say that I think these are the types of questions that many, many people out there have, and I think it's curious there aren't more discussions about business here. I would be much more interested in learning anything about the business side(s) of woodworking than reading many of the other perpetually recurring themes that seem to dominate.
Anybody?
Good luck with the clocks.
Brian
You are correct in your assessment of the business tone on this forum. This is first and foremost a hobby forum, but since so many in this hobby toy with the idea of going pro, the questions is asked, and even a category given for what little discussion there is. Whereas, the Late Great, Fine Woodworking Magazine was the #1 resource for the true professional, it has now just dwindled to filler for ads. The forum follows suit. A far better forum is Woodweb at: http://www.woodweb.com/Woodweb has professional questions all over the place, and a fantastic information database that recaps all the best threads. Many opinions and answers to gizzo's questions. Some discussions get heated, but most all are passionate and informative. Dave S
http://www.acornwoodworks.com
Hey thanks, I'll check it out. Brian
Juried shows like http://www.paradisecityarts.com/artistinfo.html
Do you get American Craft Magazine or http://www.craftsreport.com/ ??????
Typically it takes a few shows to generate sales, especially big ticket items. Small stuff like spoons and birdhouses sell pretty fast to impulse buyers.
Having good slides to pass muster of the jury is a must. I've seen mediocre stuff at shows that must have great slides. Typicallyslides are shown pretty rapid and it's a yay or nay from the jury on who's in or out.
Some folks do shows for a few years and build up a reputation and stop doing shows altogether.
Edited 5/11/2009 7:31 am ET by RickL
Gizzo:
It seems that you have learned that market access has considerable value! You are not giving up 50% of the purchase price; you are buying access to your target audience. Typically retail access costs 50% and, of course, there are other routes to market that have different costs and benefits for your fledgling business.
Your web site is very primitive by today's standards and there is too much focus on the production and not enough on the product. You are clearly enamored of the process and the skills employed, but in general customers are not.
I buy almost everything on line and I won't bother with web sites that don't give me some idea as to cost and availability. I don't mind calling later in the selection process, but don't require it immediately as your site does.
Finally, I get no sense of your target audience. Who buys these? Why do they buy? Are they gifts for others? If you do not yet know, you might want to seed your product on consignment in various places. This is one of the most effective ways to do research since you see unadulterated customer behavior. In other words, don't expect to get it right first time. And don't put all your eggs in one basket. You might want to think of an ad in the Nutmegger. It also looks like the sort of thing you would see in those pricey shops on Greenwich Avenue (Greenwich CT). Word-of-mouth is arguably the most powerful way to get known.
BTW, your clocks look wonderful, but that's not your problem right now!
Regards,
Hastings
gizzo,
To create national demand for your work you must be a quantum leap more skilled than most. In addition you need to become a showman.. where gathering attention to you is your main priority not making a living..
None of that occurs overnight! In wood working because nearly ever person see's themselves either as capable of doing an acceptable job.. or that the journey to doing a worthy job is worth their time. National attention will be even harder to achieve.
The success rate is about the same as kids who play baseball becoming hall of Fame members..
Giz,
Read Dan Ransey's The Woodworker's Guide to Pricing Your Work, and Jim Tolpin's How to Become a Professional Cabinet Maker . These books contain lots of info on marketing woodwork. Also check with your local chamber of commerce; they've got lots of resouces, and some chamber members could mentor you.
Good Luck Giz,
Dave
From personal experience I can say that the market for your product is very limited in todays society. Back in the 1970 - 1987 era I made and sold over 300 Eli Terry, English Bracket, & School house clocks with wind up mechanisms etc, then all the local stores started selling plastic knock offs with battery operated works, sale went to zero in abut a year and since then I have only made another dozen or so. To make a point, I gave all three of my daughters a walnut bracket mantle clock and no one uses it today or has it on display. It seems the younger generation likes digital clocks with no chimes. Yes, there is still a market out there but it will be more difficult to locate and establish a good base. Good luck. I loved making clocks and would like to find a market again.
"I put up a website and passed out a lot of cards to people at the show.
I am thinking of selling through retail as a last resort, but it kills me to give
give 50% of the selling price, but on the other hand if it gets the work in people's
homes it might be worth the price."
Gary - You may wish to post this question in the SAPFM forum. What you're making primarily has interest to the antiques collector, not the general public, and some of the members may have some specific thoughts about how you may wish to market these clocks. For example, one particular outlet that I can think of is advertising in the magazine Early American Life.
One way to think about the gallery commission is that you're saving a great deal of money by doing this - you don't have to spend your time answering questions, manning a storefront, and keeping up with the sales taxes. It just depends on what you want to do - if it's primarily making items, then a retail outlet is a good choice. If you enjoy/don't mind the interaction with the general public, then marketing them yourself may be a better option - just keep in mind that you will have to mark you wares up considerably to account for spending 50% of your time doing marketing instead of making.
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