Tom Wirt/Betsy Price on wed 31 jan 01
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Hendley"
Subject: Re: Gallery pricing.
> The markup in department stores, home centers, and the like
> can be huge. I mean 500% or more. How do you think department
> stores are able to regularly offer 50%-off sales and spend a lot of
>
> Get into areas like cosmetics, and the markups can be mind boggling.
> Start talking about food items, and the markups become absurd.
> As in the art gallery business, expenses for 'regular stores' have
> increased through the years and their markup margins have grown
> to keep up.
> Face it, we handmakers are anachronisms who do not fit in the
> normal flow of the delivery of goods.
>
> What we are all looking for is a way to 'short circuit' the system,
> a way to sell things without incurring the costs associated with
> selling. Well, sorry, there's no free lunch, and you just have to
> decide what works for you.
Absolutely beautiful post David. And it brings me to one of my other
favorite rants...we as the makers, artists or craftspeople or
artisans, have done an absolutely lousy job of selling the public on
why handmade work, at whatever level of handmade, is worth more. And
I include me in that we. We labor over the things we make, put our
hearts into them, and then are afraid to sell them even at prices
equal to commercially made work. This varies, however geographically.
Some areas with more tradition of hand-crafted understand what they're
buying. The Midwest U.S. is probably the worst at giving value. Some
countries do value handmade...Japan and some European countries come
to mind.
The point is, until we start to do tell our customers why our work is
worth more, the grumble underlying this thread will continue. Some
galleries put value on handmade and teach their customers that
value....and that is one of the reasons they can get more for our work
than we can. I'd like to see more discussion here of how we, as a
unified group can start adding value to what we make. No clubs or
guilds, just a unified message hammered at the customers.
It begins with really defining, in concrete terms, how handmade work
can enrich the life of the person who uses it.
Thanks for the rant
Tom Wirt
Clay Coyote Pottery
Hutchinson MN
claypot@hutchtel.net
www.claycoyote.com
Jonathan Kaplan on thu 1 feb 01
on 1/31/01 7:24 AM, Tom Wirt/Betsy Price at claypot@hutchtel.net wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Hendley"
> Subject: Re: Gallery pricing.
>
>
>> The markup in department stores, home centers, and the like
>> can be huge. I mean 500% or more. How do you think department
>> stores are able to regularly offer 50%-off sales and spend a lot of
>>
>> Get into areas like cosmetics, and the markups can be mind boggling.
>> Start talking about food items, and the markups become absurd.
>
>> As in the art gallery business, expenses for 'regular stores' have
>> increased through the years and their markup margins have grown
>> to keep up.
>
>> Face it, we handmakers are anachronisms who do not fit in the
>> normal flow of the delivery of goods.
>
>
>>
>> What we are all looking for is a way to 'short circuit' the system,
>> a way to sell things without incurring the costs associated with
>> selling. Well, sorry, there's no free lunch, and you just have to
>> decide what works for you.
>
>
>
> Absolutely beautiful post David. And it brings me to one of my other
> favorite rants...we as the makers, artists or craftspeople or
> artisans, have done an absolutely lousy job of selling the public on
> why handmade work, at whatever level of handmade, is worth more. And
> I include me in that we. We labor over the things we make, put our
> hearts into them, and then are afraid to sell them even at prices
> equal to commercially made work. This varies, however geographically.
>
> Some areas with more tradition of hand-crafted understand what they're
> buying. The Midwest U.S. is probably the worst at giving value. Some
> countries do value handmade...Japan and some European countries come
> to mind.
>
> The point is, until we start to do tell our customers why our work is
> worth more, the grumble underlying this thread will continue. Some
> galleries put value on handmade and teach their customers that
> value....and that is one of the reasons they can get more for our work
> than we can. I'd like to see more discussion here of how we, as a
> unified group can start adding value to what we make. No clubs or
> guilds, just a unified message hammered at the customers.
>
> It begins with really defining, in concrete terms, how handmade work
> can enrich the life of the person who uses it.
>
> Thanks for the rant
>
> Tom Wirt
> Clay Coyote Pottery
> Hutchinson MN
> claypot@hutchtel.net
> www.claycoyote.com
Both Tom Wirt and David Hendley of you touch on a much larger issue here
that your accurate and to the point posts suggest to me.
And that is that as potters, we constantly undervalue both our time and the
products/work/pots that we make. Why is this? Why do potters have such a
self esteem problem? Not making art, huh?
I have some reasons. First, I am sure many on the list have read the
"comment" section of the February CM that I authored. It briefly touches on
some of these issues. (sure I'll strut some stuff when I can!)
We could blame the constant undervaluing of handmade useable ware on our
culture and further that because of the lack of ceramic history in American
culture there is really no foundation upon which to build a base of
experience. I know some will disagree. We now do have quite a good history
of handmade objects in our culture, albeit quite a short history, say within
the past 30-40 years or so, starting in the 1960's. None-the-less, blaming
our culture or anything external is not quite correct and puts us further
away from taking responsibility for our work which includes how we value
ourselves and our work.
If we value ourselves then we value our work, our labor, and further, if we
stop thinking as potters and think as business people, we can turn the tide,
each one finding their own way. Don't expect anyone to do it for you. If you
need ten bucks wholesale for that mug, then ask for it. Lets leave the
"whether its worth it" for another time. If your labor is worth it, and IT
IS, then put it out there.
If you work with stores and galleries, stand firm. Don't be intimidated.
Know your terms of sale, your pricing, and stick to it. Don't give your work
away because you have a pauper, (read cheap) mentality, or present yourself
as hungry. Times have changed. Also, any gallery or store owner that asks
you to unpack your work and lay it out on the floor when you arrive for a
sales call (that you have previously set up and sent your slides....)
deserves a smack. Walk out the door.
Potters have this amazing way not only to belittle their work, but to come
across as hungry, needy, deserving, the list goes on, add what ever
adjectives or adverbs fit here.
The point is if that's how you present yourself, not only will your work
reflect that image, but you will constantly set yourself up to be used and
abused.
There is absolutely nothing wrong in including the words professional,
mature, worthy, deserving, business-like, and others along with how you
regard yourself as a potter. The sooner the better. If you adopt the high
road, your work then begins to mirror how you see yourself.
Potters need a course in self esteem, IMHO.
Respectfully submitted,
Jonathan
--
Jonathan Kaplan
Ceramic Design Group
PO Box 775112
Steamboat Springs CO 80477
jdkaplan@cmn.net
Plant Location (use for all UPS, Common Carrier, and Courier deliveries)
1280 13th Street
Steamboat Springs CO 80487
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