clever craft fair idea

[Ernest Kerr]

I visited the Tampa, FL art festival this weekend and saw this booth. The operator has lasered a plastic material, about an eighth inch thick and inserted it in a strip of wood for upright support. He prices these at around $23. At first I thought they were plasma cut metal and, unless you handled one, you would think as well. I only spent an hour at the show and did not see any sales. As I watched, people would enter, browse around a bit, and leave. No one even picked up a piece. The show cost the vendor $360 for the two day event. That is a hard nut to crack.
Tampa show w plasma like laser cuts 2.jpg

[Dan Hintz]

It's different, but I don't think I would call it clever... silhouettes have been done time and again. I wouldn't have expected to make much money at a show with just one product, but others have managed to do so, I suppose...

[Rodne Gold]

The price seems rather high - $23 - how big are these things?

[Ernest Kerr]

The price seems rather high - $23 - how big are these things?

Around 6"x6" on average but a few 6"x15"

[Ernest Kerr]

It's different, but I don't think I would call it clever... silhouettes have been done time and again. I wouldn't have expected to make much money at a show with just one product, but others have managed to do so, I suppose...

Perhaps I should have said it was a clever use of silhouettes. True, it was only one product but with a couple hundred iterations. Nearly everyone had one product -- Jewelers had jewelry, potters had pottry, etc., etc.

[Chuck Stone]

That looks like one of those products that, while interesting, wouldn't do well.
Nice to look at, but not really to own? Just one more thing to dust.. and it
doesn't really *do* anything.
Then again, someone made a fortune with the Pet Rock .. and I wonder how
many people don't even dust those off.

[Dan Hintz]

Chuck,

I think the rock made so much money because during the time they were being sold everyone was stoned...

Wow, I didn't even realize I was going to make a pun until I started typing the word "stoned"

[Chuck Stone]

AUDIENCE: <groan>

[Dee Gallo]

So Ernest, this type of product strikes me as unfinished in a way. Most people are at a loss when it comes to creative thinking and while the display shows off the individual pieces nicely, they don't seem to scream "use me for (fill in the blank)!" If I were trying to sell these I'd market them as something specific: cake toppers, lampshade decorations, terrarium/aquarium decor, locker magnets, I don't know, there must be a bunch of things you could use them for... But by themselves? They just don't seem like an "impulse, gotta have" item. Especially at that price, for a piece of plastic.

~ dee

[Dee Gallo]

AUDIENCE: <groan>

Oh man, I laughed, was that wrong?

[Bill Cunningham]

Chuck,

I think the rock made so much money because during the time they were being sold everyone was stoned...

Wow, I didn't even realize I was going to make a pun until I started typing the word "stoned"

Dan! Are you old enough to have been around in the Pet Rock days? Or are you a 'product' of those that were, but don't really remember.

[Chuck Stone]

Dan! Are you old enough to have been around in the Pet Rock days? Or are you a 'product' of those that were, but don't really remember.

I think they'd remember having a child.
Who else would put their crayon drawings on the refrigerator?

[Jiten Patel]

I agree with Dee. Although they are displayed nicely, and look interesting, they serve no real purpose, apart from brick-a-brack that would cluter ones house. He might make a dew dollars from it, but nothing major!

Just out of curiousity, what do you experts think is the most ingenious product you have ever seen in the laser world (or top 3) - not trying to poach ideas, just curious as to what the experts were blown away by!!!

[Frank Corker]

I too agree that this is pet rock stuff, however long time cutting out, probably for most a waste of time but if he is the only person putting the stuff out. Maybe he's the one making the money (well at that price he is anyway) but if everyone thinks that he has an exclusive market..... then he is the clever one.

[Rodne Gold]

I also think he would do a lot better if he had made them into useful objects or combined them with something else. Unless it was something stunning , artwork wise/visually , I would never buy one of those as ornaments.