Steven Branfman on wed 22 nov 00
Friends,
First a thank you to those of you that took the effor to post your feelings
about The Potters Shop and to recommend purchasing books and videos from us.
Of course, recommendations like that are great for business but more
important for me is to hear that the service I provide is valued and
appreciated!
However, the real crux of these posts is not about me or The Potters Shop or
books or any particular item. It is about the underlying advice to support
the commercial enterprises that are a part of our clay community. Using books
as an example, there is nothing that disappoints me more than seeing a post
recommending that you buy your books from Amazon or Barnes and Noble or some
other un-clay related mega retailer. Sure, you can get them there, at low
prices, delivered fast to your door, but as more than one CLAYARTER has
expressed, try getting some advice or recommendation on a pottery book or
video from Amazon. And that's not all. There are many details about the
availability of books; what is in print, out of print, being reprinted,
forthcoming, on hold, not sure, maybe, etc. that even a place like Amazon or
B&N can't accurately answer. Not that they couldn't get the correct
information if they wanted to. After all they have all the resources
available to them. It is that they aren't interested in putting in the extra
effort that it takes to get the real scoop on items in a niche area like
pottery. We can use any number of products to illustrate the same thing. Any
ceramic supplier worth buying from will go the extra mile to help a customer
whether it is books, materials, tools, equipment, or whatever and they
deserve your patronage.
So what is my message here? If we don't support those businesses that cater
to our clay community they will not survive and we will all be at a loss. You
don't want to buy from The Potters Shop? That's fine. There are many other
clay suppliers who can help you. But please don't forsake them for the
Amazon.com's of the world.
Steven Branfman
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