I appreciate all input.
Its frustrating to me because although Im only in for a bit over 2 years, Ive used a plan for a chair that is by far the most comfortable wooden chair Ive ever sat my "bum" in.
I can cut the chairs with a straight seat, a straight back, and save tons of time on cutting, but it wouldnt be the chair I want to make.
I dont have the overhead costs of of a large furniture store.
I dont have to ship the chairs in, store them, open a showroom everyday, and so on.
While I use mostly pretreated lumber for the chairs I sell, I do have people Ive cut chairs for out of woods costing 8 times the amount and they gladly pay me and think they are getting the best deal of their lifetime(as far as purchasing outdoor furniture)
My usual response to people who start with the price cutting, is I just tell them to sit in that chair. I explain to them they are already getting a bargain price, and they will never sit in a chair made out of wood that is so comfortable they will never need a cushion.
If I have to explain more than that to them, I simply will tell them, this isnt the chair for you. Im sorry, I dont compete with assembly line furniture places, and I cant meet their prices(even though Ive never seen a chair made out of pretreated lumber cheaper than what I sell them for)
I have my chairs all over the the 5 boroughs of New York and Long Island.
When someone Ive given a chair to calls me to tell me how wonderful and comfortable it is, to thank me for the work, thats worth more than the 50 dollars I profit from the chair.
Ive owned a small retail store for 25 years, been working there for almost 32 years, so dealing with retail customers is not such a personal thing for me.
Im somewhat successful, dont cry about money, put 2 kids through college, have a decent home and nice cars, but when I put my feelings into something, even if its only an adirondack chair, or table, its my baby, each and every one, and then I take it a bit more personal. Cant help it. I care about the work I do like all craftsman, and I use the term lightly when I refer to myself.
I figure Ive made around 50 chairs, the first dozen I have since scrapped.