booth set up at a show where people have a torch

[themoch]

I did a christmas market this weekend that went horrible.

i mean i only did $100/day after costs.

This was the first time I had a torch. When the torch was lit i'd have like 6 people in the booth, but sales were abismal. I had a partner who was acting as clerk while i was torching.

I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. Other venders were reporting "slow" but their slow was $1,800 over booth fee.

My set up was a U shape going into the booth with two 6ft tables on the left and right, and a 4ft table in the back that was used for the torch and for checkout.

Here are my thoughts on what went wrong:

Partner wasn't talking up the glass when there were people there
people watching were blocking potential buyers
My stuff wasn't displayed right (unlikely)
Economy just sucks for glass these days


I guess i'm looking to find out what others have done with a torch set up at a show that they feel made their booth successful.

[themoch]

what my size of the booth looks like

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/15462_763393805622_9101065_43295641_3004533_n.jpg

[Mr. Wonka]

Andrew, I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t do too well. Instead of questioning what you did wrong, try to focus on what others did right.

-What types of products were they selling?
-What was the average price point?
-How were their products displayed?

Without knowing all of the details, you could have been overpriced, or providing a product that didn’t fit well with the show (I’m just guessing).

Tom

[themoch]

yeah,

I know it's hard, that's why i'm looking for what other thought they did well to see if i didn't do it, or could see if maybe i could improve upon my setup.

for one, i looked around to see price points for others similar style pieces. (the girl with the lego men on a string was knocking it out of the park at $25/piece) I feel that my price point of $10-$30 with most being set at $20 was a good place for my work.

My display is something I'm thinking about toying with. maybe moving the pendants out of the little jewelers trays and having them either on a bust or laid out on on a necklace already. i will also be putting out my tip jar next to the torch next weekend. It seems to work well in my studio, why not at a show. *shrugs*

In past years i've crushed the show and come home with 6x-8x my booth fee. but these last 2 years have been pretty rough.

[berning]

that sucks ,sorry to hear that andrew. i not doing any christmas shows this year, and i'm alot more relaxed . last year , at the end of every weekend , i kept feeling like i was just giving it away.

one "juried" show after anther , with lego men on a string on one side , the guy wth pvc marshmellow blow guns on the other side......and all people were interested in was if i had any "other" glass.

and i would have to go back and look at the receipts, but if memory serves me correctly , pendants and jewelry were my worst sellers. could be the quality and price of my pendants , or it could be that jewelery is a market that covers so may different mediums , that there's alot of competition. if i remember correctly , ornaments , and oil candles were my big sellers.

[themoch]

Ornaments, bottle stoppers, slumped wine bottle serving plates are my big 3... but then i get someone who goes and dropps a few hundred on one jewelry sale and it makes the trays worth it... just not this last weekend.

[quix]

I did two separate christmas shows this year and ended up $300 in the hole after both shows. I heard sales were slow for most people but ridiculous for me. Last year I did much better and was blowing glass for like 4 months at that point. My ornaments were much better this year but nobody was interested. I will most likely stop making christmas stuff and stick to things that sell, unfortunately. I really do enjoy making things other than pipes but nobody wants to spend money on glass when they can hit up walmart or one of the glass shops that carry chinese stuff and get something that to them looks similar. I sold mostly knitting needles and glass straws... Lame.. Lots of sculpted oil lamps and ornaments for the family this year.

[daveabr]

THE KEY, to holiday markets. 10-15 dollar ornaments. Simple, yet unique. Cheap pendants.

Unfortunately, a holiday mart, is not going to be a high end art scene. You might sell a $70 pendant or two, but cheaper price points are essential.

[menty666]

i will also be putting out my tip jar next to the torch next weekend. It seems to work well in my studio, why not at a show. *shrugs*


Note to self, bring tequila nips for the tip jar if I ever go visit Andrew in his studio...


, the guy wth pvc marshmellow blow guns on the other side......

I had one of those jackasses across from me at a craft fair once. All day long there were mini marshmallows flying all over my table. Made me wish I had my slingshot and a bucket of marble odds.

[J Howard]

hmmmmm


this is the best time of year for craft show sales
your work does NOT suck, i'd say it's your overall set up... it's not conducive to pulling people in

I would never demo at a show. screw that, it doesn't help sales at all, just distracts people and wastes your time. spend your effort at the show being available to sell. i've only seen one or two artists do so successfully and they're sales magnets anyway and can work a crowd at the same time.

sales and making art/stuff are two totally different techniques- as artists, we're required to do both. yes you need to do better shows, but really all you need is a crowd. i actually just did a show this weekend. i'd say hands down that was the worst show ive ever done (quality wise), it just happened to be in my area, and the only local show i do- it's only worth it because it's easy for me to do, and there's enough people to make it worthwhile. there was even stuff straight out of AC moore's dried flower section. it IS possible to use that as an advantage, so position yourself as a quality alternative, and don't worry about the show itself.

when you use a "U" set up, there's an invisible force field across the opening. most people will be too self conscious to come in. it takes something super sparkly to get them to cross the invisible barrier and commit to coming in. that set up alone usually discourages about 3/4 of everyone that walks by at least. plus, there you are ready to pounce on them when they do come in. it's an intimidating set up that is the opposite of inviting. what you want to do is spend the extra $100 on the corner and put your work right up in their faces on both sides. now they can't miss it, and you're standing behind the counter in an automatically disarming presence. when someone comes up your booth greet them with a quick hello, then back off and make yourself busy. tell them something like "if you have any questions, just let me know". you've made yourself available, but give them time to look on their own time. if they open their mouth and ask anything, now you can sell to them, tell them something thing about the work, and work that shit. pull the trigger too early, and you'll scare half of them off. i can't over emphasize how important it is to disarm and make customers feel welcome/ unpressured: you can have the the best work out there, but if you hover like a gargoyle at the opening of the booth, good luck! when you do sell to them, you're trying to share your love and enthusiasm for glass. when it's successful, it's contagious, and they'll buy it. ironically, most people aren't just buying stuff, they're buying the experience with you too. you'd think a demo would fulfill that, but really it's just a distraction unless you have a huge space and a professional level salesperson to tag team the situation. i think if it's remotely busy, you're better off having the second person in the back wrapping and packing work to free you up to answer questions. other wise you need three people to work a demo effectively

[A.I.]

^^^that info there is worth at least 1 rep point!

[Bo Diddles]

Jason nailed it.... that is exactly my strategy.
Last show I had six icicles with me that I must have polished a hundred times... say hello, then let the customer think you're not watching them like a hawk.

Most other vendors seem to be complaining about the poor sales this year... that being said, I just had my best show ever on Saturday. Sometimes there's no real answer.

[KT-Old School Glass]

when you use a "U" set up, there's an invisible force field across the opening. most people will be too self conscious to come in. it takes something super sparkly to get them to cross the invisible barrier and commit to coming in. that set up alone usually discourages about 3/4 of everyone that walks by at least. plus, there you are ready to pounce on them when they do come in. it's an intimidating set up that is the opposite of inviting. what you want to do is spend the extra $100 on the corner and put your work right up in their faces on both sides. now they can't miss it, and you're standing behind the counter in an automatically disarming presence. when someone comes up your booth greet them with a quick hello, then back off and make yourself busy. tell them something like "if you have any questions, just let me know". you've made yourself available, but give them time to look on their own time. if they open their mouth and ask anything, now you can sell to them, tell them something thing about the work, and work that shit. pull the trigger too early, and you'll scare half of them off. i can't over emphasize how important it is to disarm and make customers feel welcome/ unpressured: you can have the the best work out there, but if you hover like a gargoyle at the opening of the booth, good luck! when you do sell to them, you're trying to share your love and enthusiasm for glass. when it's successful, it's contagious, and they'll buy it. ironically, most people aren't just buying stuff, they're buying the experience with you too. you'd think a demo would fulfill that, but really it's just a distraction unless you have a huge space and a professional level salesperson to tag team the situation. i think if it's remotely busy, you're better off having the second person in the back wrapping and packing work to free you up to answer questions. other wise you need three people to work a demo effectively

Jason hit it ALL on the head with this.

I will say though that demos can help but you generally have to get to booth spaces for this to work. If you have your demo over to the side it will bring attention of potential buyers and not impede the buyers from getting to the sales. Watchers will come to watch and see people buying from the display and walk over to pick something up.

Also, it may sound cheesy, but keep a jar or bowl full of fuck-ups or cheap stuff at the demo table with a jar for money. Sell these for $1-$2 for parents to pick up for their kids that are watching. These small sales really add up.

[STROKER]

that is great advice jason and pretty much word for word my feelings on art shows after doing them for the past 15 years.
shows in general suck right now regardless of quality.
i have 2 friends that do outstanding work and both were very well repped at sofa ny this year and neither of them had a single sale.
sofa has proven to be a very successful venue for these two in the past, yet they bombed. trust me its not always about quality or display, but without that you will have almost no chance at a bang up show.
sometimes it is just so hard to get people to come of there money. especially in this economy.
i have preached this in the past.
if you stand any chance at decent sales , then do the best shows you can get jurried into and make a booth display that stands out on its own.
it took me close to 10 different designs before i came up with my current one which in my oppinion looks very clean, professional, and is easy to put up and tear down for travel.
it is not your work, so look at display and sales tactics as the next issue to tackle.

[jes]

Can folks please post pics of your booth set up?

That would be great to see or
pics of ones you liked allot of other peoples...:cam:


When people are talking about their on the road set ups and how much they like them and describing them it makes me wanna see better what you are talking about, other people besides me may be interested in seeing these as well.

Great advise J Howard(repped)

here is my set up VERY much needs upgrade, I pretty much just throw it all out on the table and see waht happens, well i try to keep the really fragil things away from the heavy things, and the tall things towards the back for visibility of the small things up front.

Here is an outside and inside, I put my hair up so i look more conservative, I try my best and fit the crowd anyway while being happy and comfortable...

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/305293_155366357887172_100002414274115_276255_2577 29788_n.jpg

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/300694_10150373450736287_620481286_10428822_170379 9030_n.jpg
http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/300694_10150373450736287_620481286_10428822_170379 9030_n.jpg
this one has electroformed jesus
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/317279_2274342221136_1326095043_32338353_127693660 0_n.jpg

[dmas0n]

Being new to glass and having never done a glass show a part of me hates to chime in at all but I will toss in a couple of things I picked up working for a company that handles demos and trade shows for big and small clients.

First I will repeat what was said up thread about making yourself available but not being in their face. This is so important. Consumers go to shows to find that product that they can't drive to wal-mart and grab off the shelf, that unique treasure. They're usually willing to pay for it but not get fleeced. You already turned that lump of glass into a priceless treasure, tell them about it. Industry reps go to shows to find a reliable vendor that fits their company and sometimes a new product line - they need to know it's you and your merchandise. Be available and look neat.

Second, tailoring your display to the venue can help attract the customers who are being put off by other vendors who didn't do the same. I can imagine this being tricky with space and budget constraints but we did this and it was extremely successful for one of our curtain rod clients. If you're setting up at a craft show or hippie festival and you have a slick modern display people might not feel as welcome as they expect, you risk standing out in a negative way. On the other hand, at an event where art or jewelry is the focus, you want to have an extremely clean offering and even minor clutter at your table will put some people off. It's an extremely fine line on this one because most venues are somewhere in the middle.

It also doesn't hurt to have someone of the other gender around. Consumers are quirky as hell, some people would just rather do business with someone of a specific gender for whatever reason. If you attend trade shows you will notice how many booths have mixed gender teams - this is by design. Husband/Wife teams are obviously a home run in this area. When setting up at a more casual venue I would consider some older kids as sales staff too. This would give you a connection point with every type of customer. Extra points for the family business name on shirts for the whole clan. It's very partridge family or whatever - especially potent at religious themed shows.

Speaking of the business name, make sure you have some signage. From a customers view: no sign = jank.

That's everything that comes to mind aside from lighting, which is not an area I worked in much. I do hope this is of some use to someone.

[J Howard]

^^^sounds about right!

yes, do tailor your booth to the show. ironically, i have a "U" shaped booth that works wonders, but it's for a 10x20 sized booth, so there's no wall effect. this is for a show that gets huge crowds. the set up allows people to come in from the aisles when it's wall to wall people. if the work was up front, it wouldn't work, they'd be bumping into each other, and that makes them nervous around glass. if it was a 10x10 booth, they'd walk right past the opening to the "U". the extra $700 i spend on the larger size booth triples my sales, so it's just the cost of doing business there.

at a high end show like the philly museum's craft show, i change the work i show, and feature more high end work. i have tons of production with me, but i don't put much out, i just keep restocking. this keeps the focus on the nice work, but your bottom line often comes from the low end. this show was the best show i've ever had in my life.

at a crappy show, i'll still put out the big stuff, even though there's a snowballs chance in hell of selling it, because it's eye catching brings people up to the booth, and then they leave with something they can afford. bring your A game. even at the crappy show, stand out and look like a pro. this isn't a flea market! ditch your tables and make some nesting pedestals. put some cuff links on! hang some curtains from your easy up. hang at least 1000 watts of halogen lights.



one thing you really need to do, is do lots of shows, and go research some high end shows. if you can't get in to them, at least go to them! it takes a huge amount of practice, and trial and error. take notes, and ask questions. i probably do 8-9 a year, and have been doing them for the last 5 years. i've made all the mistakes you have, so have faith and keep on keepin on!

[jahglass]

Everything Jay has said is spot on!

A few other tips- if you are going to do a U shape or have tables on both sides of your entry, you want to leave at least a 6 ft entry way. This allows two people to come in an out of the booth without having to rub elbows or compromise their personal space. Make your booth a welcoming space!

Its hard to tell from the pics but I have found a major difference in sales when I raised my tables to about 40" tall (pvc pipes!)- pendants are small, people do not want to have to work or put out effort to shop- put the work in their faces! I had fitted table covers made for my tall tables, they look much more professional that the bed sheets I had previously used!

Lighting- use as much as your allowed! I use about 1000-1200w halogen flood lights in my booth- it really makes your work pop and can have a major impact on sales!

Floor coverings are important too- they really complete your space. I use a bamboo rug that looks like a hardwood floor- it looks really classy and is more comfy than standing on concrete or linoleum floors...

I never do demos at shows, think about having an ipad or digital picture frame so that you can show customers what goes into your work. I think its less of a distraction than actually working. As the video is playing, you can point out different pieces where the techniques being show can be seen. One more thing with sales- NEVER SIT! I am always standing, I dont even bring a chair to my shows any more. The transition of sitting and then getting up for a customer put pressure on the buyer, they are thinking "dont get up for me". If you already standing up, you send the message, "I am here for business!!"

A lot my tips come from Bruce Baker. He is THE guru for art show sales, marketing, display. He sells a 3 cd set on sales, display, and jurying into shows- its worth its weight in gold- it sells for under $50! http://bbakerinc.com/ You can also get a one on one consult with Bruce about your display, product line, etc. I did one last year and got a lot of valuable info out of it. His rates are very reasonable like $35 an hour. I am not affaliated with Bruce, but I swear by his techniques! They really work!!! Keep ya head up and just remember craft shows are a crap shoot- there is no guarantee so just stay positive no matter what! No one wants to buy from a disgruntled seller!

[barefoot stash]

Great advice on this thread! While demos are a lousy sales tool, they are an invaluable marketing tool. I have actually divided my shows into different catagories. The first is my culled down list of reliable sales shows. No demos, we are there to sell. We have a few different setups for these. Our first is wooden display with lots of up front table space and cubbies for small items. This is our low end display. Once we put out the small stuff, the highend work dissappers. Really anything not on that table disappears since the customer is focused in. I have actually had people ask for items litterly hanging in front of their face. They just never looked up. We have recently been experimenting with hanging pendant displays. In theory they should be good however the data is showing we move a lot less pendants through them.
Our second booth consists of pro panel walls and pedestals. This is our high end set-up. All attention is on the work. We use this for most of the juried art shows, especially when there is prize money involved. Juriors see pendants out and usually move right along.
The third set up is for demos. With this booth we are focused on promoting the studio and our classes. Very little product is displayed. We do have a no fire version of this with a movie that we use however it doesn't work nearly as well as the live demo for getting folks to actually sign up. I am talking and interacting with the crowd the whole time I'm demoing. We use this set up for our local craft shows and farmers markets.
As of recently, we have upgraded to a 10x20 at some shows. Kind of a best of both worlds thing. Sales percentages haven't really been panning out though to warrant the additional cost lay out and set up times.

Here are a couple of pics:

Wood Booth:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mx-vLzD7MTk/Tt5b_iCTDsI/AAAAAAAAAoM/cgJzgBQslrQ/s512/wood.jpg
Demos:

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-opdl5XH0ZmU/Tt5b-00b-GI/AAAAAAAAAoE/IFfqv6B9WFM/s720/demos.jpg

That's Josh demoing btw..

10 x 20:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JnJ9hdqFsfQ/Tt5b-Dz7XgI/AAAAAAAAAn8/34yHEGNl79s/s720/10x20.jpg
P.S. Try going tentless if the weather is nice. All the halogens in the world will never match the sunlight.

[daveabr]

I used to set up a national at my booth. And people would come like moths. I don't know, seemed to always work for me. Though, I lived in an area where people never saw that, anywhere. My wife would sit there and sell pendants, and what nots, while I worked. It was great. I would do production shit, and make double value of the time there.


Now, when doing a gallery showing, higher end show, etc..... that's completely different. But, holiday market, in Indiana, well....... no one is there to buy a 100 dollar piece. That's just my area though. So, to each their own I suppose.

[gypsea]

hey andrew, the best demo set up i saw at a art/craft festival was a guy who had 2 booth spaces right next to each other. his sales booth was set up in one space with a lady working the sales end. her cash register/wrapping area was butted up right next to the demo booth space, so they could communicate easily. he had his torch and kiln set up in the booth space next to the sales booth , and it was effectively a corner booth cause it was by itself on the end so people could walk up from 2 sides to watch him. he left the front half of the demo booth open for people to stand in, he had it roped off in front and side of his work bench to give himself enough safety space.

[KT-Old School Glass]

hey andrew, the best demo set up i saw at a art/craft festival was a guy who had 2 booth spaces right next to each other. his sales booth was set up in one space with a lady working the sales end. her cash register/wrapping area was butted up right next to the demo booth space, so they could communicate easily. he had his torch and kiln set up in the booth space next to the sales booth , and it was effectively a corner booth cause it was by itself on the end so people could walk up from 2 sides to watch him. he left the front half of the demo booth open for people to stand in, he had it roped off in front and side of his work bench to give himself enough safety space.

This is what I'm talking about.

[themoch]

thanks so much everybody.

what i think i'll do is set up on the front of my booth, i've put in a request that if anybody bails on this weekend i'll have a corner space.

otherwise i have a pre-tented spot that is 10x10... most likely with people on either side of me.

i will be setting up a multi level display so that people can approach from the front and see as much as i can cram in there.


no demo
no pressure from seeing me
i'll be standing behind the display but on a platform (i've done this before)


i'll have to minimize my display area but i think i can cram a ton more in.

any thoughts on this?

[Mr. Wonka]

thanks so much everybody.

what i think i'll do is set up on the front of my booth, i've put in a request that if anybody bails on this weekend i'll have a corner space.

otherwise i have a pre-tented spot that is 10x10... most likely with people on either side of me.

i will be setting up a multi level display so that people can approach from the front and see as much as i can cram in there.


no demo
no pressure from seeing me
i'll be standing behind the display but on a platform (i've done this before)


i'll have to minimize my display area but i think i can cram a ton more in.

any thoughts on this?

I honestly believe that "no demo" is a mistake. The torch is like a magnet for people.

Tom

[jes]

wow thanks barefoot stash, those are some sweet setups with the DEMOS going on real professional looking...

would like to see more other ones:D


great advise everyone, it is really important.

[barefoot stash]

Andrew,

I would avoid "cramming" a ton of stuff in. I have found it's best to in with a game plan. If there is too much stuff on the table I have found that people become overwhelmed and their brain just blocks everything out. Spacing and organization are key in boutique retail. Group pendants by price and don't worry about putting everything out. People will pick from available choices. Plus you will have back stock to replace sold items so your booth always appears fresh . Every once in a while you will get a savvy shopper that will ask if you have anything else. These are usually collectors and they will feel super special if you allow them back to find the secret treasure = sale.. Seems kind of last minute so test marketing may not be an option. After a few shows though, you should be able to narrow down your product line to a few best sellers. If you have help this weekend or there is a booth sitter available, I would suggest walking the show and taking notes of the displays that you like. Most artists are proud of their displays and if you chat them up they are usually more than welcome to pass along their thoughts.

[barefoot stash]

The torch is a magnet. Unfortunately it draws people to it, not necessarily to your cash register.

[themoch]

To be honest, this show was something i grabbed last min. This year i have been focusing on doing wholesale orders rather than retail.

I snatched it up because i thought it would be nice to get a few extra bucks in my pocket. The last few years have been showing a steady decline in sales. If this weekend doesn't go well I most likely will not be doing this show next year. I wasn't going to do it this year, but i heard that things were picking up quite nicely and so i thought to give it a shot.

This week i'm making ornaments and some wine accessories (these have always been my best sellers at this show) and I'm just going to hope for the best.

Thanks for the info on not cluttering my space, I will be following that track. I'll just have to prune out what i don't think is a good item and have the best on display. Keeping a selection of work in the "back".

[Mr. Wonka]

As many of you know, we are in the middle of nowhere… in the woods, and a residential area no less. The only reason our gift shop has survived (and thrived) over the years is because we have something exciting and different. Over and above the items we have for sale, people come from all over to see something that is usually only seen at major amusement parks like Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, etc.

When I demonstrate for our customers, I make sure to explain things well, make it fun and educational, and get them excited about what I’m doing with this (perceived) “lost art”. Back when I used to travel and do outdoor venues, I’ve never had a ‘bad show” in which I made nothing. I have always been able to pay my booth fee and go home with some cash in hand.

In my experiences, if you are the only glass blower at an event, you are by far the star of the show by default. If you realize this and use your “star status” to your advantage, you can do very well. This was the key principle that led us to put a store in our back yard.

Tom

[barefoot stash]

Tom,

Your example is not really analogous to Moch's situation. By the time someone makes that beautifully scenic journey out to your place, you want them to stay a while and hang out. Really they have made a commitment once they decide to venture out. It's a brick and mortar store set up. You need something to draw in the customers. A show set up is a different situation all together. You are surrounded by tons of artists who all will have beautiful things to see. You really only have a few minutes to capture their attention and convince them to buy. The torch burns up the time. Plus when a crowd forms around you they end up blocking your booth views, so the ones shopping say to themselves "oh their crowded, we'll come back later." They rarely do.

If you are the only glassblower at a show, you are stoked no matter what you do. If you have a show like that, keep it to yourself, that almost never happens.

[J Howard]

here's another tip that works wonders

keep a collection of seconds handy, or some colors that are just stale and need to move. put them out at the same price as the regulars but with a sign denoting they're seconds at buy one get one free. i put these off to the side, where i write up sales. they're not exactly easy to see right away when you come up to my booth, so they don't really detract either. sometimes you'll see someone browsing and you'll get the feeling they probably wont buy anything. then they see the sale bin, and they can't resist. often there's a bunch of junk in there no one really wants, so they'll take another look at the good stuff, and then find something that does work for them. other times, they've already picked something out that's nice, see the sale rack, and can't resist the last minute addition. i usually use this method on the last day of the show, or during the last hour. when the show is getting slow, sometimes you'll see that no buying force field pop up again. pulling out the sales rack will often get one person to bite, and if you can get something happening, you can often resurrect a slow stretch. it never ceases to amaze me how much of a psychological event an art/craft show can be

[NOFO]

cant say than Mr. Howard .... but i do agree strongly Andrew about the " walking into the tent" .. tables on the outside , you behind the tables , you will do fine.

[themoch]

So i'll bring you guys all up to speed on what happened this last weekend.

I went out and focused my efforts on my 3 best selling products.

I set my tables up along the 10ft opening i was given, had a multi tiered display, wore warm clothes that made me look professional without being considered "too cold", smiled and greeted customers as they approached, told them a bit about my work, and then made myself busy.

I doubled my booth fee for the weekend.

which i guess is a 100% gain from last week, but i'm not convinced it was due to my efforts or if people were just out spending more money this weekend.

the guy with the booth next to me did something like $6,000 on sunday alone. Now his products were made from buffalo fur taken from the buffalos he raises on his farm. he had things like hats, gloves, scarves, fedoras... etc.

he told me he brought with him 200 fedoras and had only 11 left, and had 2 days more he still had to do before going home. the fedoras were $35/each.

This show is really hard to do the metrics on because it is so dependent on the weather, what events are going on at the stadium down the block, day of the week, air temperature, the band playing, and all sorts of other shit i can't wrap my brain around.

I feel that I did the best I could with the cards that i was dealt but it wasn't good enough. to put things into perspective on thursday of last week i brought a case of glass to a store that i regularly sell to. they bought 4x what i made last weekend in 20 min, and then i went to go get a beer next door at the pub. While having said beer they told me exactly what they wanted me to make them, and then said we'll buy another case from you next week with those items in it...

moral if that short story: i'm sticking with wholesale. it's just not worth it to me to freeze my ass off for 10 plus hours to have people reject my work (which i know is good) and let me know they would rather buy a lego man on a string than something hand made by a skilled artisan.

I'm leaving retail up to the stores.

[themoch]

btw,

thanks Jason, and all the others who contributed. there is a ton of information in this thread that will help others.

cheers!

[J Howard]

anytime!

ps. 75% of my business is wholesale too! it is where the money is. retail shows are great for getting rid of the off spec stuff and trying new items. i made the mistake of bringing some new things to the rosen show (wholesale) without really testing them out at the retail shows. i sold myself very short, and didn't realize how much of a pain in the ass they'd be. now i make sure they're publically tested and done enough times to know what goes into them. if you have experience selling to the public, that goes a long way to convincing the store owners to go for it too. this may not apply to the pipe market, which has its own rules and customs, but there's still something to be said for being careful what you sign up for!

[khan]

I think im gonna get me some legos. and some string.

damn,

Khan