Local Craft Show Saturday

[Raymond Overman]

I haven't posted anything in a long time because I haven't been turning much (as much as I wanted to) this past summer but I am getting ready for a local craft show and thought I'd post this picture of a few of the items that are going to be on the table. I'd also like to thank Ruth Niles for the bottle stoppers I picked up from her at the Carolina symposium. They're very nice and I had to sell one before I could even get it to the show.

The stoppers are peach, amboyna burl, cocobolo, ebony, brazilian cherry, and black palm. The hollow form is red mallee. The bowl is amarillo (yellowheart) from a Honduran mission trip.

Sorry for the fuzziness of the picture. I hope Santa brings me a light tent and plenty of time to learn how to take better pictures. Oh, and maybe a better camera.

[Chris Barton]

Hi Ray,

Those are some great pieces and I bet they go fast! Best of luck at the show!

[John Hart]

Very nice Ray!! So long pauses between turnings doesn't make you rusty I can see. I especially love that NE HF Mallee. Beautiful!!!:) :)

[Michael Stafford]

Pretty work, Raymond! I hope you do well!:D

[Ernie Nyvall]

Nice work Ray. Do well at the show.

Ernie

[Raymond Overman]

Thanks for the support. Here's the report...

The Amarillo and 8 of 10 bottle stoppers as well as quite a few other pieces sold. Not bad for a 5 hour Saturday show. (Thanks Ruth Niles. I'll be calling you soon for a reorder.)

The Red Mallee is still in the collection but it really wasn't that kind of show. Overall, my dad and I were very satisfied with the results.

[Gary DeWitt]

Nice stuff, and sounds like you did real well at the show.
Mind if I ask what you were getting for the stoppers? I turn some on a similar level that I would like to start selling here on the "left" coast, but don't know what to ask.

[Raymond Overman]

Gary,

As with many things, it depends. Ruth suggests $25 for her stainless stoppers. I didn't think the show that I did would support a $25 stopper and so I sold them at $20 and I feel they were priced right. I had a lot of people pick them up, look and ask the price, then put them back down which is not unusual.

The majority of items at the show were country craft things (embroidered and appliqued sweatshirts, wreaths that people made with ribbons and birds from Micheals, and the ever popular camoflauge handbags, vests, and other apparel). There was one nice potter and a lady who made stockings out of old blue jeans that I thought were neat and the clear acrylic blocks filled with lights and wrapped up like presents that I think sold pretty well.

I easily had the most expensive items there and was told by a number of people that I needed to participate in a couple of nicer shows.

[John Hart]

It's interesting how many times people will ask about pricing and how many different responses come through the pipe. Seems that it usually boils down to "where you are" or the mindset of the clientele. Such a moving target....sheesh! :)

[Blake McCully]

Raymond,
Sounds like you had good luck with your show. Was that your first? LOML and I have been working the circuit for about a year now. We don't do a huge number of shows, in fact, this year we are anticipating doing 6 maybe 7 shows.

I'm not expert, there are others out there who have been doing this a while, but when you said that you set the price of your stoppers to accomodate the crowd you expected, does that mean that with a different group of customers you would alter the prices of your items? We did a lot or research before we embarked on our fair journey, and the one thing that everyone who has been doing shows for a while is to set a price for your wares, and leave it there. It is suggested that you definitely don't price by the show. A simple case in point, if you have a show where you believe the big cash is and price accordingly, then next month you do another show where you "adjust" your prices, how do you explain to the customer who comes to your booth and says, "Hey, what's this? I paid $X for this item and now you are asking $Y for, what's up?" To me, it seems that your credibility would take a hit.

Anyway glad you did well. We're still struggling to build a client base. That will come with time.

[Andy Hoyt]

I agree with Blake's comments; and will add to it.

You have to pick your shows carefully. You must match the quality of your product to the quality of the event. Unfortunately, the best way to learn which event is appropriate is to sign up and do each event that you can. Or spend time rubbernecking each show you hear of to narrow the list.