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Cody Colston

Member
Messages
336
Location
Tyler, Texas
Well, I just about managed to meet expenses. The $100 a night motel kept me from making a wee profit. :rolleyes:

Those cartridge pens were my best sellers. I think I only sold one of the antler slimlines. I also sold three duck calls at $25 each and that was a mild surprise. But, they were all bought by ladies for their duck hunting husbands. I hope they are satisfactory.

The patrons there seemed really particular about what they bought, especially on saturday. Today, there was a seemingly moe affluent crowd and it showed in the sales. My partner and I did about twice the business today that we did on saturday and in half the time, too.

As usual, I met some really nice people, both customers and other vendors. That is always the highlight of doing these shows. I also got a line on a couple of other shows that are supposedly top tier and a continuing education in marketing.

I think I'm going to start pulling my travel trailer to those overnight events, especially while gasoline is relatively cheap. I really should use it instead of letting it depreciate just sitting in the yard.

Anyway, it wasn't a total wash but it could have been better. I'll have to think hard about doing that particular show again.
 
Sorry to see sales weren't better, but at least it wasn't a complete blowout, and it sounds like you make some contacts and friends. :thumb: The travel trailer sounds like it could be handy for the overnighters. The cost of accommodations has prevented LOML and I from doing any out of town shows. (Well, that and three big dogs at home who would miss Mama and Daddy if we were gone.)
 
Out of towners are a lot harder to make money at. I have did about 4 or 5 shows out of town. Lost money on 3 and broke even on two. So no more for me. Even the shows in town people aren't buying. I have sold more at the Arts Gallery than at shows. I started on my fourth set of 10 bottle stoppers which seems to be the flavor this year. The wood ones are selling better than the acrylic stoppers including the one's with flowers embedded.

Glad to hear you at least broke even Cody. I wouldn't let it bother you. I think it is just a sign of the times.
 
Cody, breaking even like others have said isn't great, but better than being in the hole. Also sounds like you made contacts for better shows and that marketing class should help quite a bit too.

On to the next show. :thumb:
 
Cody You do great work the effort you put into each piece really shows. :thumb:If you keep putting the product out there they will buy it.
eventually this economy will get better.
Larry
 
Hopefully you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express......:rolleyes:

Congrats on "getting ot there" and trying to sell. What folks buy is always amazing and is really DIFFERENT from one location to the next.

How did other vendors do at that show??? I've found that no matter how "poor" I did, I seem to do better than many..........

Keep at it Cody, your turning are VERY nice.
 
Thanks for the encouragement, y'all. I wasn't too disappointed with the show results. I was more chagrined over the Cowboys' collapse against the Steelers. :doh:

Barry, nearly every vendor I talked to said sales were extremely slow there this year. The exception was three ladies directly across from us that were making signs...some sort of computer generated adhesive lettering. They would print out the person's family name, stick it on and then stick the indivicual member's names on top of that. It all got put on a wood-look tin frame. They were non-stop busy both days.

I do believe I will stick to juried shows in the future. Trying to compete against imported, re-sell items is a losing proposition and there were a lot of those type vendors there.
 
...I do believe I will stick to juried shows in the future. Trying to compete against imported, re-sell items is a losing proposition and there were a lot of those type vendors there.
Interestingly, one of my best shows was a street fair that had everything from import junk to handmade stuff like mine. There was a guy two booths down from mine who was selling hand-carved (not turned) cedar bowls and "baskets" imported from China. Everything in his booth was $20, and most of the pieces were pretty big...I would have had trouble finding turning blanks that size for $20 each. By the end of the weekend, we had both grossed about the same amount of money. He just had to sell about 10 times more pieces than I did. Based on my observations, it looked like the people who were buying from me had no interest in his merchandise, and the people who were buying from him seemed to just walk past my booth as if it was invisible. I don't think I lost any sales to him, and I doubt he lost any sales because of me, either.

Just goes to show, ya never know. :huh:
 
I do believe I will stick to juried shows in the future. Trying to compete against imported, re-sell items is a losing proposition and there were a lot of those type vendors there.

Cody, many art shows in my area are not juried, but they do require vendors to not sell any "imported, re-sell" items. All must be original artwork, except for prints of original paintings and drawings which must be marked so. Look for those as well...
 
cody, I started doing flea markets and craft fairs when I was 15. Well, 40 years later, still in retail, Id be happy if I could ever figure out what motivates shoppers besides below cost rock bottom ridiculous prices.

Ive always found, anything for sale, is a hit or miss thing.

Best of luck at the next show.
 
Craft Shows

Did 4 or 5 craft shows in the last few weeks. Sales were very slow.

Sold very few pens but lotza cherry ornaments.

Last few days many of the people who saw us and took a card at the craft shows decided it was time to buy a gift from WoodPenMan. Sales have been very good the last few days via calls, people stopping by and the web.


So........... as you sit there at a show selling very little or nothing you never know who or when the people looking will decide to give you a call and buy something.

The craft shows are worth it just for getting your name out there.
 
It's a funky economy to be sure. I think we are considered a luxury purchase by a lot of people. I have to second Bernie's stopper run. I've been making 8-10 a week and selling out at work...hospital people go thru a lot of wine. At $30 a pop...I've paid for Christmas and a few tools to boot. I just got an e-mail for 6 more. Giving pens away has garnered a lot of business too. I'd like to find a way to add LOML's beading with lidded boxes. That seems like a seller to me. Good luck all and Merry Christmas! :santa::biker:
 
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