gregg lindsley on tue 1 may 01
Hello everyone-
This has been rolling around in the recesses of
my being for awhile, and reflects my current situation
in trying to decide what to do next about selling my
work and how to do it. After reading Chris' craft
faire experiences and Mel's post about lifestyle, It
is time to put the question to all of you.
I am at a crossroads in my pottery life. I am
working toward opening a studio and doing this full
time again. It seems that over the last few years, the
market has changed. With the population growing and
with more potters competing for the same market,
combined with the cost of energy going up and the
commissions stores and galleries charging going up, it
seems that direct sales from the studio makes more and
more sense. I am looking for a place to work, and it
seems to me that my marketing strategy must be
considered in selecting where and what i am looking
for. Do I buy a farm way out in the middle of nowhere
and pot and sell only away from there, (inexpensive to
set up, and I love rural life), or do i move closer to
a cosmopolitan area and buy a house with an
outbuilding that can serve as a home, workspace and
retail space. (I know that i must pay someone to work
the retail space, but that is included in the
overhead). There are a lot of issues to consider here,
and there are no easy answers, but i have been doing
research and preparation. Would there be less hassle
with the farm, or more? I suspect the answer is they
would be equal.
What do you think? What will the next year, 5,10
or 20 years bring? What kind of marketing strategies
will potters need in the near future?
Thanks-
Gregg Allen Lindsley
Earth and Fire Pottery
10325 Brookside Drive
Whispering Pines, Ca.
95426
707 928 4765
Where the high winds, (50 mph), of spring turn the
whispering pines into shouting pines, awe inspiring as
they fiercely sway from their bases, throwing their
100' tops this way and that, straining to touch their
tips to the ground. Ah.....beauty comes in all forms.
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