BMAC Philly feedback.

[lucidvisions]

Hey all just wanted to start a thread by letting you know how the BMAC went and how it may be a representation of the artist's and the galleries upcoming year in this economy.

Before I get into the business end of things though we had the one of the best times of our life hanging out with our peers, eating drink and aaaa, well having way too much fun. We all may be competing against eachother in a way but it's so nice to hang with great people who we share the same boat with. It really solidified how f'n cool most of us all are and how mcuh fun it is to talk biz, glass and family with your peers. I guess I'm just going by the success of networking and hanging with the other artists of how good the trip was rather than the sales. Making lifelong friends will last forever but the dollar will continue to be spent. I love the people we met and I guess that's my true excitement over the trip.

Personally I couldn't be happier. Our sales were down by 20% but we did very good comparativaly to some others. Fri (the first day) was super empty with buyers, there where definately more artists than buyers roaming the isles. The next three days the buyer attendance picked up and sales improved each day. Last year we had a crazy friday and then saw sales go down each day. But pretty much every day was even except for Monday. Mondays hours are 3 hours shorter than the other three days. We ended up gaining representation in 21 new galleries. Last year we got 63. Out of those 63 though we saw most of them at the show and they placed orders and reserves for the year that were very good.

I'm a bit tired from the trip so I really can't type much more. We didn't sleep all of Monday night as we spent the whole night packing three floral arrangments to go to Napa Valley.

Listen, I plan on really trying to add to this thread as time allows to let you all know the ins and outs of how to do a wholesale trade show and all it entails. There NEEDS to be more good lampworkers there. There are so many opportunities available for us to succeed in this crazy market and economy. So many other artists have taken the time to help us achieve our dreams and we really just want to pass it along.

If you're a member of Facebook please friend me and I've got some great pictures of the show and some of the post show fun. Take care all.

Josh

[barefoot stash]

Congrats Bro!!

[skip]

damn 20% less. That's got to cut deep into the profit margin. I have a feeling breaking even this year is the main goal.

[barefoot stash]

Compared to what I've been hearing, they did pretty well. I think the main advantage lampworking has this year is that our products tend to be geared towards the lower price points that the retailers are looking to stay under.

[lucidvisions]

Most didn't even make their booth fee. There were artists there that have the skill and talent I and most of us here wish we had, that were down a huge amount. I don't want to talk about other artists sales very much, but trust me 20% down isn't bad. Plus these are gallerys that once your pieces prove to sell, they'll be calling back in a month. They want to sell stuff. They don't want to pretty up there shelves right now with a piece that just brings brousers in to ew and ah. Turnover, period.

Josh

[Steve Sizelove]

Well..... I've never been good at playing my cards close....

I took some of my best work yet as well as my three production series. My booth looked better than it did in my three previous BMAC shows. I sold less than $1000. I will not be going back....

The show does best for price point items that fit well in many gift shops/boutiques. Josh and Lance do great because they have really interesting work that is at great prices. And they are really professional and genuinely great guys!

If you plan on doing the show, don't expect much in the near future. Do your homework. It's a big investment.

[lucidvisions]

Steve is completely right. To lose Steve from this show is a complete shame. His work is paramount in all it's facets of design, presentation and craftsmanship. I know I'm preaching to the choir here but losing Steve from the show sucks!

On the other hand though I have NO doubt Steve will succeed and adapt to whatever keeps him making the best pieces around. The piece I own of his is the first I ever show to other artists and friends and I'm so proud to have it displayed.

Lance and I, before our first show did research at the show before attending. We talked to other artists, which most we're more than happy to help with questions and advice. Steve being a major player in that, I have to add. Thank You Steve!

We also went over 20K in debt to make our booth and work stand out as much as possible, which is quite the investment. We literally bet the studio on the BMAC in 2008. I agree that price points for the gift shops and small galleries is where the money is right now. But it better be new and quality. There is so much work there that has been done and done and done by too many glass artists and it all starts to look the same. I'd say if you're making something you've seen before, make it with your spin. Make it somehow new. Make it better. I mean our production work isn't some new revolutionary designs that have never been done. I think we just try to do it different the people before us. It's a fine line sometimes between being inspired and flat out copying work of another. Be inspired by others and take the subject matter by the balls and put your signature on it. Don't forget to evolve as much as possible with your lines. Our local gallery owner was very blunt in saying that some artists haven't made much new work in over 7 years and what was to keep her buying when some customers would see the same piece year after year. You must keep the designs flowing and fresh each year. We had over 40 new products for the show this year and that really helped out sales.

I hope that I don't sound like we're the shit and I know everything about the trade show business. I'm really just trying to add my .02 into this so that it can maybe help others not make the mistake of spending a shit load of cash and come out with nothing. I also hope it does the reverse for people. There is money to made at the BMAC and some other shows, but yes, for now with the economy the way it is, the price points must be low ($100 or less) and your work should stick out from others' to succeed.

I definately think that after saying the last paragraph that people like Steve shouldn't dumb down their work to make money. If that is possible. I know we have family, morgages and other expenses to worry about but it would be a shame to see talented artists like Steve shy away from the beautiful work they have worked so hard to achieve. Trust me in saying that we are dying a slow death to pay the bills with production work. But if my slowly dying leads to a rebirth because I made it through some tough times economically, I'll make some sacrifices.

Before I go and try and figure out why the kiln is reading UUUU again after replacing the thermocouple, the relay and the plug I want to say good luck to us all. I wish you all success in making your dreams happen! I know how great this community and it's players are, I can't thank enough of the people who have helped us out. So if anyone has any questions about doing the show, we are an open book.

Josh

[themoch]

hey man,

thanks for sharing. I saw the pics on Facebook and they're pretty sweet. I'm sad i didn't go (i had a guest buyers pass to check out the show). It would have been nice to meet up with you guys.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It may keep me from attending next year (or the year after) but it really helps put the advancement of new material into perspective.

[jane clifton]

I have a friend who owns a glass store who just got back from the show and said that there were a lot of people who didn't show up and that the traffic wasn'[t nearly as much as last year. He also said he didn't see much new stuff.

State of the economy I guess

[vetropod]

Very sorry to hear about this!!! Glad that Josh & Lance squeaked through it okay though!

[Robert Mickelsen]

There are two theories of marketing fine crafts: Design for the market or market your designs. In the case of the current iteration of the BMAC it appears that the only way to survive is to design for the market, ie: original well-made items that wholesale for under $100. If your line falls into this category and you can withstand the downturn in demand and the intense foreign competition, fine. But many artists cannot do this or are not well suited to compromising their work in order to fit this paradigm.

Steve is a perfect example. His work is original, expertly crafted and designed, and uncompromising in its quality. He cannot "bend" to fit the BMAC mold and so he has a bad show there. The answer is that the BMAC is the wrong market for him. He needs to change his marketing approach to showing his very best work in the best galleries he can find.

In good times or bad, the core marketing principle is to understand your market. Who buys your work? Where do they shop? Why to they pick you? Answer those questions accurately and you will be well on your way to continued success no matter how harsh the economic climate.

- RAM

[Flux]

In good times or bad, the core marketing principle is to understand your market. Who buys your work? Where do they shop? Why to they pick you? Answer those questions accurately and you will be well on your way to continued success no matter how harsh the economic climate.

- RAM


When I used to sell through galleries regularly I always felt a distance from my buyers, not knowing who bought the work or what specifically attracted them to it, except what impressions I could get second hand through the gallery staff or sometimes the owner and of course just sales numbers. Selling online has helped me to get to know my buyers, where they're coming from, what they like and why. Can you offer some clues as to how to answer the questions you've posed for the gallery artist?

[Robert Mickelsen]

When I used to sell through galleries regularly I always felt a distance from my buyers, not knowing who bought the work or what specifically attracted them to it, except what impressions I could get second hand through the gallery staff or sometimes the owner and of course just sales numbers. Selling online has helped me to get to know my buyers, where they're coming from, what they like and why. Can you offer some clues as to how to answer the questions you've posed for the gallery artist?

You make a valid point. There is an apparent contradiction between understanding people who buy your work and selling through galleries that deliberately insulate them from you. The galleries put your work into contact with collectors that you have no other access to. They buy from galleries because they trust them to screen out inferior work. Anything that is on display at a place like Habatat or Marx-Saunders is guaranteed to be the best of the best and that makes is "safe" for them to shop there even at the higher prices such galleries are able to charge for artwork. These collectors do not shop online or buy at street craft shows or even at "craft galleries".

So to understand your particular collectors means making an effort to reach out within the context of the gallery. When you participate at an exhibition in that gallery, SHOW UP for the opening instead of just shipping your work there. Shake the hands of the people that buy your work. Make an effort to remember their names. Ask them what they do, where they are from, what other pieces they have in their collection. Show an equal interest in them that they show in you. A little goes a long way here. Developing a close relationship with the sales staff helps too. They know their clients intimately and can give you extremely valuable information.

Inevitably you will be confronted with maintenance issues, especially with such fragile art pieces as we tend to make. Instead of seeing these as an uninvited hassle, view them as opportunities. I see repairs as PR opportunities and have developed many faithful collectors by performing such services gladly and FOR FREE. (I only charge for shipping). People appreciate being treated well.

So selling through a gallery simply changes the way you have to garner information about your clients. At a show you contact them directly during the course of the actual sale, but you are contacting people who DO NOT shop in galleries. They are not the high-end collectors you may want in your future. Selling online insulates you just like a gallery does, just in a different way. You still have to learn about your clients through some sort of outreach.

Remember that the work we produce differs from other manufactured goods in one particularly important way... no one else makes what we make. That means that the people who want to buy a "Mickelsen" must go where "Mickelsens" are sold. No one else makes "Mickelsens". Only a few places sell them. So the trick is to build an interest among collectors in the particular type of work you do. Understanding who those collectors are and how your work fits in to the larger community of glass and art in general is paramount to your potential for success.

Hope this helps.

- RAM

[lucidvisions]

Nice Robin, I was hoping that you'd chime in on this thread. Your advice on matters like these is paramount and you've always been so willing to share. You're so right on the presence and personality helping your relationship with the galleries and their clients. I know on our end our sales would not be half as good or get as many return orders if we didn't make that personal connection.

So what would be your advice with this economy for us to make that next step? I would imagine that most of us would like to branch out beyond the small galleries and gift shops and into larger galleries. Obviously it's still a hard road even if your quality is great and your subject matter is eyecatching. I would love to know your opinion or a brief history of how you made it from the wholesale craft circut to the larger galleries where you seem have more freedom to express yourself fully.

Josh

[Flux]

Thanks for your response, Robin. And for sharing your experiences too, Josh. Much appreciated.

Zach

[matte eskuche]

good advice bob, and great summary of the object/market challenge. i'm a bit hesitant during these economic times though.

in the last couple years i've moved my work away from ACC wholesale, with $28 to $250 price points, and into high end galleries where the bottom price of anyones work is $2,500 or so. i've seen slow, but steady success in the SOFA's and such and have my first solo show on exhibition right now.

beyond the ego, i mention this because even with good dialogue between me and my gallery it's tough to tell how the show will go. no sales yet, and it seems the trend to keep the money in the pocket is the same right now regardless of market or targeted buyer/collector.

i've always been one to promote furthering the quality, concept, and laboriousness of ones work in order to pursue higher end markets, but when it comes down to it, none of us have actually thrown our bowl pushes away..

they're dusty in a shoebox, but they've saved our asses more than once.



strictly for the ego boost, check out my exhibition at www.sandraainsleygallery.com in Toronto.

peace.

[lucidvisions]

Very nice Matte! I would say if you want an ego boost just keep looking at your own work, Your concepts and vision are always on track.

I really think it's going to be the middle ground market that will have the most difficulty IMO. The rich are still rich, maybe not as rich as they used to be but buying pieces at 2500 or more I consider those people to be rich. I mean can anyone here even afford to keep any of their own work? lol. The middle ground items 100-1000 is where i see the market suffering the most. Those people weren't excatly rich to start off with but they liked to spend their money on nice pieces and it may have had an impact on their money flow but they knew the paycheck would keep coming. It's a guessing game now for so many and taking the financial risk to buy art isn't their focus anymore.

Personally I see art as a great investment and less influenced by the economic ups and downs. I went around like a madman trading pieces with all the artists whose work I admire at the BMAC and think I came out pretty well. Not that I'm after pieces to look and sell, but I love collecting peers work and see it as an investment in them as well as my collection. It's always my favorite time of the show when the massive trading begins, I just wonder if I'll ever get myself out of the glass isle, I'm running out of shelf space. I'll end and post the picture below of my favorite piece that was specifically given to my daughter Kelsi by Jason Antol. But at least it'll be in my house for the next 14 years. The other piece I've eyed at the show has always been a Dunham sphere. All my daughter wanted to do when she saw it was bounce it on the tile. I told her it would break and she just replied "Well than why did he make it look like a ball?" I then stored it in a high place that she can't reach.

Josh

[lucidvisions]

Another thing that popped into my head was how artists present and sell themsleves to the galleries and or to the public and retail shows. I couldn't count how many people had chaulked up the show as a complete failure and waste of time on the first day. I always go into these show with no expectations. But that in mind I'm always positive when dealing with potential clients and galleries.

Who wants to buy or place orders from an artist that's slouched in a chair in their booth. Some I saw with IPODs on, reading or flat out announcing to buyers that the worst is hear, it's the apocolypse for artists and galleries alike. Wow! That makes me want to place an order! I just couldn't believe the negativity at the show, it did not help one artist out there to constantly be saying that the sky was falling. After the show is all different. Get all that bitching and negativity out, and appoach each day as a new opportuniy. Don't ever sit down at a show.

Be doing something at all times, clean, clean and clean some more, but always look busy. Greet the buyer with a simple hello and let them know your name and that you're there to assist in anyway. Then back the F up. Let them do their thing. 90% of the time they have almost no questions. They know what they like, they know what sells in their gallery, they know what works in their market, ect, ect. They are at the show to buy, not browse, as in so many retail shows that are great for people killing a weekend if they got nothing else to do. So make sure you present yourself as a successful artist, not a starving one, dress nice. Be friendly and informative but not pushy.

Again I just know what has been working for us and has led to many opportunities that were greater than the total number of sales at the show. I personally don't count the show as the total sales. If your pieces sell, they'll call back and place another order. So being 20% is a little perturbing but who knows what will happen in two months? I'm gonna bet on it just getting better. It beats the alternative to being jaded and negative everyday. PLus a little down time would be a welcome treat from last year which sales were up over 200%. December, that's when I start counting how good or bad the economy affected our business.

Josh

[Snurf]

Thanks for all the great information!!! It's threads like these that keep me hooked on this forum. Time to give out some rep points.

[Robert Mickelsen]

good advice bob, and great summary of the object/market challenge. i'm a bit hesitant during these economic times though.
I am hesitant too, but remain optimistic. And don't call me "Bob". :D


in the last couple years i've moved my work away from ACC wholesale, with $28 to $250 price points, and into high end galleries where the bottom price of anyones work is $2,500 or so. i've seen slow, but steady success in the SOFA's and such and have my first solo show on exhibition right now.
Sales are indeed few and far between. You sold one at SOFA while I got skunked. But I have made sales since then... and that is the point I was trying to make. Just because you exhibit at SOFA does not mean you will sell there. Sales are more nebulous than that. The sales I am experiencing right now I chalk up to 20 years of personal and client development in addition to having the work at SOFA this year.


beyond the ego, i mention this because even with good dialogue between me and my gallery it's tough to tell how the show will go. no sales yet, and it seems the trend to keep the money in the pocket is the same right now regardless of market or targeted buyer/collector.
I can tell you exactly how your show will go. You won't sell as much as you had hoped but you will be remembered for the originality and inventiveness of the work and that will translate into sales down the road. How far down the road is anyone's guess.


i've always been one to promote furthering the quality, concept, and laboriousness of ones work in order to pursue higher end markets, but when it comes down to it, none of us have actually thrown our bowl pushes away..
What's a bowl-push? :dieslaugh

- RAM

[Robert Mickelsen]

So what would be your advice with this economy for us to make that next step? I would imagine that most of us would like to branch out beyond the small galleries and gift shops and into larger galleries. Obviously it's still a hard road even if your quality is great and your subject matter is eyecatching. I would love to know your opinion or a brief history of how you made it from the wholesale craft circut to the larger galleries where you seem have more freedom to express yourself fully.
This is a far more difficult question to answer than you might think. Matte is probably more qualified than me to give you an answer that you would relate to. For me it was luck, timing, and fear. And it is still a mighty struggle. I sweat from month to month just like the rest of you.

Take a close look at Matte's current work and compare it to what he was taking to the wholesale shows five years ago. Do you think it is more or less "marketable"? Sometimes it seems that to make it into the big galleries you have to make work that is obviously not designed to sell readily. That does not mean it will not sell... just that selling is not the apparent reason the work was made. There are those who are only attracted to work that is challenging to own.

Note that Matte makes his work the way he wants and challenges the collector to come to him. He does not modify his work to accommodate them. It is take it or leave it, the latter possibility being the more likely, which creates a rather steep element of risk for Matte. I believe it is risk he relishes and in that way he is unique.

Sometime art takes courage.

- RAM

[matte eskuche]

oh alright...
i thought i could get away with the bob thing. damn..

wow, just saw the next post, thank you for the generous praise Robert.
i have taken pretty big risks to make the work i want to make, whether it fit nicely into the market or whether the market had to come to it. however, i have found limitations within the tier and format of gallery that has been so kind as to represent it for me... but that is a whole 'nother discussion. when you promote glass as your main medium within a piece or as the medium you use in your career in art/craft you put yourself into a pretty particular circuit of venue and collector.

one step at time, eh?

there is definitely a benefit to being at the shows, openings, conferences, and auctions and meeting folks. whether they be collectors, curators, program directors, or other makers. one does well to befriend people and not expect anything from it. anyone you meet has that vital insight or connection that may change your whole career..

i must add to the exchange the aspect of emerging or established artist. it can take years for the gallery or collector to feel comfortable with your work or persona. it also will likely take years for established galleries to help you develop establishment within the collecting community. you, Robert, benefit from being, and having been so present at exhibits, conferences, and in publications over the last couple decades. i'm sure this, added to your gregarious and enjoyable character, adds a dimension to your collectability.

keep up the great mentorship, i know from the many posts and conversations that we are all very appreciative.

[bc]

Both Bob comments are hilarious.

[bc]

very good thread also, hate to be a spicoli.

[boxfan willy]

I am glad to hear of a success story of Lucid from BMAC. Congrats you guys. See you in Vegas.

If either Robert or Matt picks up the push, I am putting dibs on both of the first pieces. PLEASE!!!! (Matt, the 14th is my b-day. I will be in Houston and you will buy me a beer. Deal?)

Same thing is going on in the bowl push world. Middle of the road work is slow. Prodo price point keeps working it's way down. Higher end seems to be doing as well as it has, even a bit better, but only with smaller, lower price points( sweet drys and pull stems).

I am hoping that as long as we are willing to alter our lines with the times, we will still be spinning and grinning in a few years. When it gets bad, remember the other side of the spectrum, selling fumers for $20 in the 90's.

Respect,

boxfan
www.theflowmagazine.com
www.internationalglassinvitational.com

[matte eskuche]

hey wil,

so glad to hear you'll be coming to the demo. of course, several beers, i look forward to it.

props to Lucid for such public service to the flameworking community, it's a hard struggle to do these wholesale shows and many emerging makers can find some great insights here in your posts. i'm glad your investments into the shows have begun to payoff.

a friend of mine was commenting the other day that if we as craftsman can make it through these times in the marketplace that we will be through the worst and be able to look for better successes in the future. y'alls optimism shows promise for this.

i'll be going to the ACC to visit friends this weekend and will be tuned to how things are going there. i'll keep an eye out for things relative to this thread there.

[lucidvisions]

Sweet Matte! Would love to know how ACC went, especially the retail side of it. That should be a great barometer for what actually sells. The only way we know if something sells is if we get reorders. I would say that it's a downfall to only doing wholesale. You never get to see an actual customer's reaction to your work. Sometimes a customer reaction can really tell you what you're doing right and wrong, plus it feels good to see people enjoy something you make.

Josh