Carole Fox on mon 8 dec 03
This weekend I participated in the worst show ever. The weather was
terrible. Snow and ice...radio weather announcers warning people not to go
out unnecessarily...crafters having to drive through up to a foot of snow
and poor visibility. Many did not show and several came only on the third
day when finally the major roads were clear and the sun came out. Of course,
sales were dismal with only Sunday having any traffic at all.
I figure, after expenses, I probably made about two cents an hour for all
my work. Many times I wondered if I was insane to put my life at risk
driving to a show that no one in their right mind would go out to. I spent
most of the weekend commiserating with the other artists and for the first
time ever - brought a book to read.
Don't show promoters have ANY obligation to the participants to cancel or
reschedule shows when people are being told to stay off the roads and even
the interstate is crawling at 25 miles per hour? Lots of people packed up
and left early and the show was ended early each day. I got so desperate, I
took a deposit on a commission - something I promised myself I'd never do!
Well, I guess you win some, you lose some.
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
Kathi LeSueur on tue 9 dec 03
thesilverfox@DOL.NET wrote:
>This weekend I participated in the worst show ever. The weather was
>terrible............
>Don't show promoters have ANY obligation to the participants to cancel or
>reschedule shows when people are being told to stay off the roads and even
>the interstate is crawling at 25 miles per hour? >>>>
>
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>
keep in mind that show promoters must book buildings far in advance.
Canceling and adding a different date can be impossible. Secondly, the
promoter has an obligation not only to the artists but to the people
that the promoter employs to work the show. It isn't always possible to
tell those people to go home, not get paid, and then expect them to come
at a later date when they have a schedule conflict. Weather at both
indoor shows and outdoor shows can be a problem. It's in the nature of
the beast.
Kathi
Lois Ruben Aronow on wed 10 dec 03
While I understand your frustration, the show promoters have no
control over floods, blizzards or even poor turnout. I have alot of
friends STILL talking about doing Baltimore last year - or trying to.
There was 4 feet of snow. The ACC did try to make it up by adding an
extra day to the summer market, but that's little help to those who
traveled to get there, and were stuck in a blizzard with no show.
Last summer I did an outdoor show in June - in the driving rain.
=46reezing cold - steam coming out my mouth - IN JUNE. It wasn't the
promoter's fault. As I stood there with 2 inches of rain in my booth,
freezing cold and soaking wet, I vowed never to do another outdoor
show. It was my third time doing that show, and my third time it
rained. To add insult to injury, the promoter still expected to
collect their commission from the artist sales, however small they
were. But that's what I signed up for.
Believe me, the promoters WANT you to do well, because that's how they
make money. =20
IMHO, they aren't obligated to give you a refund or any sort of
credit, as they met their obligations to you. =20
Indeed -- win some, lose some. =20
************
Lois Ruben Aronow
www.loisaronow.com
Modern Porcelain and Tableware
The Tattoo is back!
Carole Fox on thu 11 dec 03
Ok, ok! I give. It's my own #*&%! fault for signing up for the #*&%! show.
And now I should go start packing for yet another show over the weekend
where snow is once again in the forecast. Mild weather compared to last
week, though. And at least this one is 10 minutes from home and off Main St.
in a college town where there is always foot traffic. A nice, small show and
it raises money for the local art alliance. So, I'm feeling positive... yeh-
I'm looking forward to it. (Your sarcasm detectors should be going off right
about now.)
Buckling up to see which way this roller coaster ride is gonna take me-
- Carole
Carole Fox
Silver Fox Pottery
Elkton, MD
thesilverfox@dol.net
Lois Ruben Aronow on thu 11 dec 03
On Thu, 11 Dec 2003 08:03:45 -0500, you wrote:
>Ok, ok! I give. It's my own #*&%! fault for signing up for the #*&%! =
show.
Give yourself a break. If the weather is bad, it's not your fault,
nor is it the fault of the promoter. If you need someone to blame,
blame Mother Nature.
************
Lois Ruben Aronow
www.loisaronow.com
Modern Porcelain and Tableware
The Tattoo is back!
Kathi LeSueur on thu 11 dec 03
thesilverfox@DOL.NET wrote:
>Ok, ok! I give. It's my own #*&%! fault for signing up for the #*&%! show.>>>>>
>
As many have said, shows are the most unpredictable way to sell your
work. Over ten years ago my partner and I started looking at our options
to get out of the show circuit. I agree with David, Mel, and others that
selling from your own studio is the ideal setting. But, I'm a city girl,
just not comfortable living in the country, so that option wasn't open
to me. Ann Arbor is very artist studio friendly but it draws the line at
continual sales from the studio. Occassional is ok. So, we looked at
wholesaling as a viable option. But you can't make the change over night.
The best way to start is to say "yes" when someone asks if you
wholesale. As you do this you will discover what items you can make
profitably at wholesale prices. You'll also be able to learn the best
ways of packing your work so that UPS doesn't destroy it, which they
will do at every opportunity.
What you don't want to do is decide to wholesale, sign up for Rosen,
raise your prices because you "can't afford to give away 50%" (and you
haven't market tested the new retail prices to see if YOU can sell your
work at that price let alone a store). This is a prescription for
disaster. I've seen too may potters do just that. Then they fail at the
show and blame Rosen for their lack of sales.
I wholesaled on some scale for ten years before doing Rosen. By then I
had my product line worked out. I knew where to get packing materials
and how to pack. I knew my production capacity so that I could ship on
time (very important).
It works for me. I still do shows. I think the direct interaction with
the customer is important. Expecially when introducing new products. And
if a product is dying you can tell your retailer that they might want to
go light on that item or color even though they like it. But I'm not
dependent on shows.
Think of all of the ways you can sell your work. If you can set up a
retail outlet at your studio legally, by all means do so. It will take
time. But eventually the word will spread. Don't expect to do it
overnight. Five years is probably a good goal for selling the majority
of your work from your studio or wholesale.
Good luck,
Kathi
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Earl Krueger on thu 11 dec 03
Heard about selling at shows.
Heard about selling from your studio.
Heard about selling wholesale.
How about the internet? Do you get a lot of sales from your web site
or is it mostly a marketing tool? How about e-bay?
Just curious...
Earl...
Bothell, WA, USA
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