Millie Carpenter on fri 27 sep 02
Hi Winnie,
the Annapolis Potters Guild here in AA county is getting geared up for
our fall show. we have one in late Oct early Nov. and another a week
or two before Mothers day. I will be glad to share our experiences with
you. but the most important part is to get the group of potters
together first. Because we are a group that had been in existence for
quite a while, we had the seed money for the costs involved. also the
percentage of sales that we assess ourselves is enough to pay for our
next sales start up cost and some extra for things that we as a group
want to do, cost for a juror at some of our shows and cost of a guest
artist for workshops, etc.
Our sales started as a seconds sale at one of our members homes.
Eventually the sale got too big for her studio. for a few years we had
sales at different hotels and churches where the costs and amenities
varied greatly. for the last 3 years we have had our sales in the same
church parish hall. we have a system in place to label each piece and
make sure that the potter gets credit for each sale. We have a system
to wrap pieces. we have a system for set up, take down, and helping the
customers. One of the important and most costly things in the
beginning is publicity and signs so that the prospective buyers can find
you
give me a call. and I'll to share our experiences with you, You can
even come and help us and learn even more.
Millie, in Md. (Severna Park)
Tom Sawyer on sat 11 dec 04
Well I got through my pottery show at a local gallery last evening and by my
standards it was a smashing success. I actually sold some pots for hundreds
of dollars! I don't believe that I have ever put a price of more than $40 on
a piece and last night there wasn't anything cheaper and they sold.
Astonishing.
With a litany of medical problems and natural disasters that plagued me in
past months, I was a bit hesitant to do the show but common sense fell
victim to insistence by wife and friends and I consented. I remember I came
on line a few weeks back asking for a purple glaze since the gallery had a
favorite customer who loved purple. Many of you admonished me to forgo
trying to please a single patron and some offered glaze recipes. Some
advised against taxing myself because of recent troubles. Against my
instincts, I decided to do the show and struggled through some cursory
testing and lo - success; I actually had three nice purple pots all
different glazes that I took to the show and that favorite customer was
delighted; she even insisted that I have my picture taken with her. Who
knows I may have a patron. As an aside, I am going to thank those kind
persons who helped off line in the next day or two.
What else can I say, life is good. Hope to see many in Mendocino next month.
Tom Sawyer
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