Craft show trends - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board

Rhinoman · 10-26-2009, 05:52 PM

My wife and I go to the Gatlinburg craft fair every year for our anniversary in October. This year I noticed that there were very few scrollsaw projects for sale. Most of the places on the craft trail and at the show have gone to laser cutting. It's hard to compete with a guy that can sell ornaments for 50 cents each and still make a profit.

Jediscroller · 10-27-2009, 12:54 AM

I hope you complained to the promoters. Especially if this was billed as a handmade only event. Many of the apps I'm seeing explicitly prohibit the use of CNC and other similar type equipment. It's not only us that are being hurt by automated equipment, embroidery folks, quilters etc have to contend with programmable sewing equipment.

Lou · 10-27-2009, 04:50 PM

Yes, it hurts, but hang in there! There will always, I believe, be a market for quality hand-made items, albeit that market fluctuates from time to time. I do intarsia and it is the shaping that makes these pieces come to life, even the small ones, and I don't believe there's a computer program yet to do that! I've been selling largely intarsia bird ornaments this summer and have found the market (American and European tourists mainly) to be a good one. Yes, the booth 20 feet away carries what I suspect must be laser cut birds on keychains for a fraction of what mine cost, but mine are selling. Frankly, mine look a whole lot more like real birds! They're well shaped, not just cut and glued. They're made with TLC and it shows. If I were buying a quilt, I'd be looking for quality small hand stitching. And so on.

Obviously the best venue for selling is going to be one that insists on hand-made items only as the buyers at these venues are going to be looking for just that and are highly annoyed when they find items for sale that aren't. Sellers and buyers alike need to keep an eye on the booths at the shows they attend and report booths carrying questionable stock. Juried shows are usually the way to go as items must be pre-approved before selling.

It's taken a few years, but I seem to have found my niche selling a quality product that's a bit different. No one else sells an intarsia piliated woodpecker ornament! Not that I know of, anyway. Hopefully other talented folks can find their niche as well.

Lou

will8989 · 10-27-2009, 08:57 PM

The secret is finding your niche. I do limited ornaments now, mostly military ones which always sell great. Especially Coast Guard ones. My baskets are always fantastic sellers and that is what 80% of my stock is. (Can't wait to start doing Carole's after the 1st of the year to add to my stock). My theory is, if AC Moore or Michael's sell it, I'm not making it. Go for the unusual, high quality item and you will do just fine. Just stick with it. Children's toys are still a great seller, even with all the stuff going on about the paint. Once people see you over and over at different shows, your reputation will grow and you will be amazed at how well you do? Recession? What recession? At my last show, some one from California came to my table and commented how they had a basket just like mine and were surprised to see more like theirs. Come to find out, it was purchased from ME last year, mailed to California as a gift and they just happen to be visiting during the time of the show this year. And yes, they bought one themselves. You just never know!!!

Betty

JohnB · 10-27-2009, 11:51 PM

Betty and Lou, I agree with you 100% there is and always will be a market for hand produced goods. By nature there will never be any two alike and people like buy a piece of the talent and TLC that goes along with such a product.

It must be hard for those that do a yearly "show" Circuit, as it would take a while to build a clientele. I'm lucky having a monthly market, as after many years, I now have the luxury of people looking for my stall.

An example of quality / price is the jewellery that my daughter makes. She uses only Sterling Silver fittings eg, wire, hooks, clasps, spacers, pendants etc and Gemstones. Her sales started of really slow, because the price of her stuff was over double and often more, than the wire and glass hand made jewellery and the imported junk that was being sold on in a few stalls.
She now does quite well, as people have learnt that it's worth paying extra for her gear.

Rhinoman · 10-28-2009, 02:06 PM

I tried selling shelves at the local flea market a few years back. I made them out of furniture grade oak, hand sanded them, and stained and sprayed them with two coats of clear polyurathane. I had over an hour invested in each one and 10 dollars in materials. I didn't sell enough to cover the cost of the table.

There was a guy selling similar shelves on the same row and his looked like they were made out of scrap wood from an old pallet. They weren't sanded or finished, but he was selling them for four dollars each. People wanted me to reduce my price to four dollars to match his.

rusty baker · 10-29-2009, 01:50 AM

Did craft shows for 20 years. Quit 3 years ago. Can no longer compete with the mass produced "hand made" Chinese imports. Many shows allow them because they are technically hand made. Besides, craft shows started dying after Sept. 11.

Jediscroller · 10-29-2009, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty baker

Did craft shows for 20 years. Quit 3 years ago. Can no longer compete with the mass produced "hand made" Chinese imports. Many shows allow them because they are technically hand made. Besides, craft shows started dying after Sept. 11.

My sales have grown each of the past 6 years, of course, I only started 7 years ago.

I haven't seen any juried shows that allow imported goods either, whether "hand-made" or not.

Jim Finn · 10-29-2009, 11:44 AM

New shows popping up in many places here in west Texas and my sales have been good these past two years. Some made in India stuff at these shows even though they are not "Allowed"

Rhinoman · 10-29-2009, 02:45 PM

We went to the craft show in Gatilinburg on a Monday to avoid the crowd, but it was packed. There seemed to be a lot of people looking, but not a lot of people buying.

I'm getting laid off from my regular job next month and I'm looking for a way to make some money. I'm hoping I can make a few bucks selling some of my work. I've made some nice things, but it takes me a long time to do it. It's pretty difficult to sell them and make a living.

10-26-2009, 05:52 PM	#1
Rhinoman SMSgt, USAF (Retired) Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Panama City Florida Posts: 54	Craft show trends My wife and I go to the Gatlinburg craft fair every year for our anniversary in October. This year I noticed that there were very few scrollsaw projects for sale. Most of the places on the craft trail and at the show have gone to laser cutting. It's hard to compete with a guy that can sell ornaments for 50 cents each and still make a profit.

10-27-2009, 12:54 AM	#2
Jediscroller American Crafstman Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Galaxy far, far away Posts: 3,174 Blog Entries: 5	I hope you complained to the promoters. Especially if this was billed as a handmade only event. Many of the apps I'm seeing explicitly prohibit the use of CNC and other similar type equipment. It's not only us that are being hurt by automated equipment, embroidery folks, quilters etc have to contend with programmable sewing equipment. __________________ Kevin Scrollsaw Patterns Online Making holes in wood with an EX-30, Craftsman 16" VS, Dremel 1680 and 1671

10-27-2009, 04:50 PM	#3
Lou Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 259	Yes, it hurts, but hang in there! There will always, I believe, be a market for quality hand-made items, albeit that market fluctuates from time to time. I do intarsia and it is the shaping that makes these pieces come to life, even the small ones, and I don't believe there's a computer program yet to do that! I've been selling largely intarsia bird ornaments this summer and have found the market (American and European tourists mainly) to be a good one. Yes, the booth 20 feet away carries what I suspect must be laser cut birds on keychains for a fraction of what mine cost, but mine are selling. Frankly, mine look a whole lot more like real birds! They're well shaped, not just cut and glued. They're made with TLC and it shows. If I were buying a quilt, I'd be looking for quality small hand stitching. And so on. Obviously the best venue for selling is going to be one that insists on hand-made items only as the buyers at these venues are going to be looking for just that and are highly annoyed when they find items for sale that aren't. Sellers and buyers alike need to keep an eye on the booths at the shows they attend and report booths carrying questionable stock. Juried shows are usually the way to go as items must be pre-approved before selling. It's taken a few years, but I seem to have found my niche selling a quality product that's a bit different. No one else sells an intarsia piliated woodpecker ornament! Not that I know of, anyway. Hopefully other talented folks can find their niche as well. Lou __________________ www.woodbylouise.ca

10-27-2009, 08:57 PM	#4
will8989 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Glen Burnie, MD Posts: 1,204	The secret is finding your niche. I do limited ornaments now, mostly military ones which always sell great. Especially Coast Guard ones. My baskets are always fantastic sellers and that is what 80% of my stock is. (Can't wait to start doing Carole's after the 1st of the year to add to my stock). My theory is, if AC Moore or Michael's sell it, I'm not making it. Go for the unusual, high quality item and you will do just fine. Just stick with it. Children's toys are still a great seller, even with all the stuff going on about the paint. Once people see you over and over at different shows, your reputation will grow and you will be amazed at how well you do? Recession? What recession? At my last show, some one from California came to my table and commented how they had a basket just like mine and were surprised to see more like theirs. Come to find out, it was purchased from ME last year, mailed to California as a gift and they just happen to be visiting during the time of the show this year. And yes, they bought one themselves. You just never know!!! Betty __________________ A woodworker never has too many clamps!!

10-27-2009, 11:51 PM	#5
JohnB 1 Tin Soldier Rides Away Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Kalgoorlie, Western Australia Posts: 4,859	Betty and Lou, I agree with you 100% there is and always will be a market for hand produced goods. By nature there will never be any two alike and people like buy a piece of the talent and TLC that goes along with such a product. It must be hard for those that do a yearly "show" Circuit, as it would take a while to build a clientele. I'm lucky having a monthly market, as after many years, I now have the luxury of people looking for my stall. An example of quality / price is the jewellery that my daughter makes. She uses only Sterling Silver fittings eg, wire, hooks, clasps, spacers, pendants etc and Gemstones. Her sales started of really slow, because the price of her stuff was over double and often more, than the wire and glass hand made jewellery and the imported junk that was being sold on in a few stalls. She now does quite well, as people have learnt that it's worth paying extra for her gear. __________________ Regards John "The Golden Mile" I got holes in both of my shoes Well I'm a walking case of the blues Saw a dollar yesterday But the wind blew it away Some of my Stuff Retired Medically Unfit WA Police Officers Last edited by JohnB; 10-28-2009 at 02:32 PM.

10-28-2009, 02:06 PM	#6
Rhinoman SMSgt, USAF (Retired) Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Panama City Florida Posts: 54	I tried selling shelves at the local flea market a few years back. I made them out of furniture grade oak, hand sanded them, and stained and sprayed them with two coats of clear polyurathane. I had over an hour invested in each one and 10 dollars in materials. I didn't sell enough to cover the cost of the table. There was a guy selling similar shelves on the same row and his looked like they were made out of scrap wood from an old pallet. They weren't sanded or finished, but he was selling them for four dollars each. People wanted me to reduce my price to four dollars to match his.

10-29-2009, 01:50 AM	#7
rusty baker Grandfather of 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Missouri Posts: 4	Did craft shows for 20 years. Quit 3 years ago. Can no longer compete with the mass produced "hand made" Chinese imports. Many shows allow them because they are technically hand made. Besides, craft shows started dying after Sept. 11.

10-29-2009, 11:44 AM	#9
Jim Finn Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lubbock Texas Posts: 120	New shows popping up in many places here in west Texas and my sales have been good these past two years. Some made in India stuff at these shows even though they are not "Allowed" __________________ But that is just my opinion,I could be right

10-29-2009, 02:45 PM	#10
Rhinoman SMSgt, USAF (Retired) Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Panama City Florida Posts: 54	We went to the craft show in Gatilinburg on a Monday to avoid the crowd, but it was packed. There seemed to be a lot of people looking, but not a lot of people buying. I'm getting laid off from my regular job next month and I'm looking for a way to make some money. I'm hoping I can make a few bucks selling some of my work. I've made some nice things, but it takes me a long time to do it. It's pretty difficult to sell them and make a living.

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