How's Business - original email March 17,2009 Kelly Hong
Dear Friends in Clay, I was wondering how the down-turn in the economy is effecting your business, and what you are doing to try to increase sales, etc. We have really been hit HARD. For the first time in 23 years, we decided to NOT do the ACC Baltimore show. It was a VERY hard decision to make, but, I'm glad we did, because we heard that it was pretty horrid, for most people. We have been brainstorming like crazy...trying to figure out what we can do to increase our income and it is really wearing us down. I thought that it might be nice to brainstorm, as a larger group, to come up with more ideas, so we can help each other through this difficult time. We have not done any shows yet this year, but we have started to make some smaller pieces, hoping that a lower price point would increase sales. We have no idea if this strategy will work, but you have to try! Also, Gerald has started to teach a few classes at our local art center...it's not a lot of money, but, every little bit helps. What brilliant ideas have YOU come up with?
Thanks, Jan. I'd like to try to keep this conversation on-list, if possible, so we can all help each other. Have any of you contemplating lowering your retail prices at shows, or offering "show discounts"? We have offered "show discounts", because we certainly don't want to "officially" lower our prices, across the board, but, we still want to increase our chances of actually making some sales.
I like the ideas that are emerging in this discussion about doing thingsdifferently. Here's my contribution:
When I was starting out in pottery, I took a leisurely workshop at Big Creekwith Warren MacKenzie and the subject of his move to Minnesota from Englandback in the '50's came up. He told of how no one in the area knew anythingabout pottery and the joys of using things well made by your neighbors. So hetook his wheel and went to the local service and social clubs and schools andtalked about pottery and craft generally while doing a throwing demonstration.A couple of years later, I was doing the Baltimore show and a speaker fromACC told a seminar that the ACC's research showed that less than one percentof the homes in the United States had within those homes an item of craft madeby an American craftsperson. The speaker, as did MacKenzie, took that lack asan opportunity, a challenge that required the craftsperson to be activelyinvolved in educating his or her audience. I think our current "downturn"presents similar opportunities some of which might be right under our noses...
When I was doing 10 or 12 shows a year and getting tired of all the travel, Ilooked around for something local and stable. My great grandfather wasItalian...making me exactly one-eighth Italian. The Columbus Day festivitiesin San Francisco at that time included something called the Festa Italiana onPier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf. Two months before the event, I walked into thehuge, drafty pier building and was directed to a small office in a corner. Aguy behind a busy desk heard me say I was Italian and I make pottery and may Iapply to sell my pottery at the upcoming Festa. He sent me to someone elsewho said sure, there are lots of food and entertainment booths but let's try acrafts booth. They showed me a space in the busiest part of the pier, about25' by 50' and asked if it would be big enough. I said yes. So I set up shopand for two weeks, every October for the next four years, the Festa was astaple for me. I did demos, sold a ton of pots and made more pots during thequiet times to schlepp home every evening. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Good luck to us all! Dick Lumaghi
Thanks for setting this blog up, Terry! I think the most disconcerting thing for me is the way our galleries seem to be closing, left and right. Our wholesale business has really gone down, which mean that we have to do more shows, some of which have been less than wonderful.
Terry, Thank you for setting up this awesome blog! We must publicize it so no more group emails that clog my system! My email system that is.
How's business? My business is doing very well. I sell on etsy, which is the best web resource for selling online out there. My website traffic n general is way up, and that end of things keeps me floating.
Wholesale is way down. The BMAC show in Philly was down 70% from last year (for me) which is pretty bad. Fortunately I do not completely depend on wholesale to keep me going.
My studio shows are also so much slower. But again, I rely mostly on website sales now so I'm doing just fine in general.
We have started doing some lower-end pieces, hoping to generate some sales. We are also getting our etsy page up and running. Hopefully it will be a good outlet for us. Kelly
I thought Etsy was for mostly very small items - is there a niche for higher priced items? Or are you limiting your items that are less than 100.00? , 200.00?
I want to bring up the old idea of going back to a winter show at the hall of flowers. I know we would have to have smaller displays and fewer folk could sell, but I think it would still be a good venue. Could we not try this one more time. Let's think out of our old box. Lynn
Lynn...I agree with you. We REALLY need an ACGA winter show! If it is available, can we try the Hall of Flowers again? Is there any other suitable location? Terry...we have not sold anything on etsy yet, but, there ARE items there that sell for more than $200. Kelly Ger is at the ACC MN show now, but, when he gets back, we will be finishing up some smaller items that we will put up on etsy. One thing, we WILL NOT be wholesaling the small stuff to galleries, because we wouldn't end up making any money if we gave them 50% off.
How's Business - original email March 17,2009 Kelly Hong
ReplyDeleteDear Friends in Clay,
I was wondering how the down-turn in the economy is effecting your business, and what you are doing to try to increase sales, etc.
We have really been hit HARD. For the first time in 23 years, we decided to NOT do the ACC Baltimore show. It was a VERY hard decision to make, but, I'm glad we did, because we heard that it was pretty horrid, for most people.
We have been brainstorming like crazy...trying to figure out what we can do to increase our income and it is really wearing us down.
I thought that it might be nice to brainstorm, as a larger group, to come up with more ideas, so we can help each other through this difficult time.
We have not done any shows yet this year, but we have started to make some smaller pieces, hoping that a lower price point would increase sales. We have no idea if this strategy will work, but you have to try!
Also, Gerald has started to teach a few classes at our local art center...it's not a lot of money, but, every little bit helps.
What brilliant ideas have YOU come up with?
Kelly Hong
How's Business - from Jan Schachter
ReplyDeleteI think it is a great idea to use the network to share marketing ideas - yes, sales are way down, & I have no brilliant ideas for upping them.
jan
How's Business - from Kelly Hong March 18,2009
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan.
I'd like to try to keep this conversation on-list, if possible, so we can all help each other.
Have any of you contemplating lowering your retail prices at shows, or offering "show discounts"? We have offered "show discounts", because we certainly don't want to "officially" lower our prices, across the board, but, we still want to increase our chances of actually making some sales.
Kelly
How's Business- post from Jan Schachter Mar.18,2009
ReplyDeleteThat certainly sounds like a good thing to try. Every other retail business is doing some form of markdown, and it almost expected.
Jan
Posted
How's Business - Dick Lumaghi Mar. 21,2009
ReplyDeleteI like the ideas that are emerging in this discussion about doing thingsdifferently. Here's my contribution:
When I was starting out in pottery, I took a leisurely workshop at Big Creekwith Warren MacKenzie and the subject of his move to Minnesota from Englandback in the '50's came up. He told of how no one in the area knew anythingabout pottery and the joys of using things well made by your neighbors. So hetook his wheel and went to the local service and social clubs and schools andtalked about pottery and craft generally while doing a throwing demonstration.A couple of years later, I was doing the Baltimore show and a speaker fromACC told a seminar that the ACC's research showed that less than one percentof the homes in the United States had within those homes an item of craft madeby an American craftsperson. The speaker, as did MacKenzie, took that lack asan opportunity, a challenge that required the craftsperson to be activelyinvolved in educating his or her audience. I think our current "downturn"presents similar opportunities some of which might be right under our noses...
When I was doing 10 or 12 shows a year and getting tired of all the travel, Ilooked around for something local and stable. My great grandfather wasItalian...making me exactly one-eighth Italian. The Columbus Day festivitiesin San Francisco at that time included something called the Festa Italiana onPier 45 at Fisherman's Wharf. Two months before the event, I walked into thehuge, drafty pier building and was directed to a small office in a corner. Aguy behind a busy desk heard me say I was Italian and I make pottery and may Iapply to sell my pottery at the upcoming Festa. He sent me to someone elsewho said sure, there are lots of food and entertainment booths but let's try acrafts booth. They showed me a space in the busiest part of the pier, about25' by 50' and asked if it would be big enough. I said yes. So I set up shopand for two weeks, every October for the next four years, the Festa was astaple for me. I did demos, sold a ton of pots and made more pots during thequiet times to schlepp home every evening. It was a lot of work and a lot of fun.
Good luck to us all!
Dick Lumaghi
Terry, Thank you for setting this blog up. Lee
ReplyDeleteThanks for setting this blog up, Terry!
ReplyDeleteI think the most disconcerting thing for me is the way our galleries seem to be closing, left and right.
Our wholesale business has really gone down, which mean that we have to do more shows, some of which have been less than wonderful.
Kelly
Terry,
ReplyDeleteThank you for setting up this awesome blog! We must publicize it so no more group emails that clog my system! My email system that is.
How's business? My business is doing very well. I sell on etsy, which is the best web resource for selling online out there. My website traffic n general is way up, and that end of things keeps me floating.
Wholesale is way down. The BMAC show in Philly was down 70% from last year (for me) which is pretty bad. Fortunately I do not completely depend on wholesale to keep me going.
My studio shows are also so much slower. But again, I rely mostly on website sales now so I'm doing just fine in general.
etsy link:
http://www.etsy.com/
We have started doing some lower-end pieces, hoping to generate some sales.
ReplyDeleteWe are also getting our etsy page up and running.
Hopefully it will be a good outlet for us.
Kelly
I thought Etsy was for mostly very small items - is there a niche for higher priced items? Or are you limiting your items that are less than 100.00? , 200.00?
ReplyDeleteI want to bring up the old idea of going back to a winter show at the hall of flowers. I know we would have to have smaller displays and fewer folk could sell, but I think it would still be a good venue. Could we not try this one more time. Let's think out of our old box. Lynn
ReplyDeleteLynn...I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteWe REALLY need an ACGA winter show!
If it is available, can we try the Hall of Flowers again?
Is there any other suitable location?
Terry...we have not sold anything on etsy yet, but, there ARE items there that sell for more than $200.
Kelly
Ger is at the ACC MN show now, but, when he gets back, we will be finishing up some smaller items that we will put up on etsy.
One thing, we WILL NOT be wholesaling the small stuff to galleries, because we wouldn't end up making any money if we gave them 50% off.
Hey Gerry & Kelly - have you started Etsy yet? I tried looking for you there but could not find any items under cermic & Hong.
ReplyDelete-Terry O