What's up with the shows this year?

[George Balock]

I just came back form a local fine art and craft show today and the buyers were all hibernating. I saw and talked to a lot of people, but none were buying. I had nearly the same experience earlier this year at a larger show. Is this the same experience that you are having? I may back off the show circuit to see if things pick up.

 

[underdog]

Rumor has it that craft shows are having a tough time. A little discouraging for those of us just getting started...

 

[KenN]

George,

I sell at about 10 art fairs (fine arts and fine crafts) a season and we, too, are down in sales. While some artists are still having an occasional really good show, everyone, on average, is way down. Some are reporting 50% off since Katrina a year ago on top of a slow decline over the past few years.

The consensus seems to focus on current political, social and economic uncertainty.

Fingers crossed that it will turn around. I wonder how folks selling through galleries are fairing.

 

[Wilford Bickel]

$3.00 gas

I know in our household the $3.00 gas is putting a limit on spending on other items. I suspect it is the same for most everyone that the gas bills are starting to cut into the spending money that would be used at the shows.

 

[MichaelMouse]

I sure think product matters more than the price of fuel. Bought $37 worth of fuel on my way home from shopping with the daughter the other day ($2.87 /gallon), and a Pepsi because I was thirsty. A 20 oz Pepsi was $1.39, which comes out to $4.50 a gallon. It was even a diet Pepsi, so little more than colored carbonated water. If I had wanted to drink warm, I had a couple of 2 liter bottles for which I had paid $1.09 each behind the seat. Cold and diet it was, and hang the cost.

Got rained on heavily in the morning at a couple of shows, so did about half or a bit more of what I anticipated. Buyers tend to plan ahead and show early, lookers as an afterthought later in the day. Then the sun came out at the next show, where business was better than the previous two years at the same location. Lots of salad/popcorn bowls, only a few "artsy" items, which have never been a big seller save to resellers who take them to the city. Difficult to tell how others did, as most are reluctant to gloat when doing well, and reluctant to admit failure when getting skunked. Jewelry seemed to do well, according to the reliable word of a couple of sellers who have sold or traded with me for years, and that's not a purely practical item.

 

[n7bsn]

I know in our household the $3.00 gas is putting a limit on spending on other items. I suspect it is the same for most everyone that the gas bills are starting to cut into the spending money that would be used at the shows.

Anything that cuts into "fun" spending has an effect. I grew up in a household supported by a photo plant. I learned that lesson well, when anything cuts into people's spending cash, the first thing that gets cut is the "fun" money. Like taking photo's, buying arts and crafts, etc.
You might not notice taking one roll of film (rememnber that stuff) instead of two, but the photo plant certainly notices

TTFN
Ralph

 

[woodwish]

We've been selling our k'scopes mostly at art/craft shows for more than 20 years. We sell less every year it seems, and have discussed it with other vendors with no real answers. I think it is a combo of reasons-
* Internet has made so much available people just don't spend money at shows. They would rather go online to look for better stuff on E-bay.
* The number of people doing their own crafts has grown due to HGTV and the internet. Just look at the number of woodturners today versus 20 years ago.
* People sneaking cheap import crap into shows has made it hard to compete with real crafts.
* Huge number of shows out there compared to years ago, every town has several plus the promoters have gone nuts adding new shows. Still money out there but it's being split more ways.
* Shows have become too business like and less responsive to customer needs. So much of the stuff looks just alike, not the variety I used to see. I know in our case it has gone from a creative hobby to a business at times, and maybe my attitude to customers is different?
* Variety of economic factors, but I discount most the economic reasons I hear. I don't think gas prices or hurricanes have much to do with it.
* For those of you not making money, it's not just you. It seems that most of the crafters out there are not making any.
Personally we have backed off to just a few shows and have pursued the gallery/gift store market harder. Still sell enough k-scopes to support my hobbies but I doubt if I will buy a new yahct any time soon.

 

[mkart]

craft shows

I haven't yet attempted sales through a craft show but am considering it. Just curious at what one would say a good and bad day at the show is? Is $200 a bad day and $1,000 a great one? I am just now finish turning my first run of rough outs and will probably have 30-40 finished bowls between 9" and 18" in the next month or so. I hope to try and sell a few to fund my need for exotic woods that I just hate to buy but love to turn. I have sold a few items through a local gallery but would like to try selling some on my own. This is only a hobby for me so I don't see trying more than a few shows a year. I always told myself I would avoid selling my work but you can only give away so many before you reconsider.

 

[David]

The show circuits

We noticed a slow down a bout three years ago, it hit everyone but people that sold what my wife calls libstick items. Items that sell for five of six dollars lots of jewery falls in that range that people can buy with out worring about doing with out groceries, just something that makes the purchaser feel good like a new tube of lipstick.
We were doing 24 shows a year doing hand wood carving and bowl turning this year we have done two. Both were ok but not what they once was.
Now the housing bubble is bursting and we are going to just go home and not set up at shows for a while if we ever go back.
The show promoters have gotten too high in price with their shows there are way too many and Its real bad out there. We decided that betting $500 dollars we would sell $1000 and make $500 for two people for two days and a show plus the time makeing the carvings and bowls was really not worth it.
But the sun always comes out now its time for a chors of some where over the rainbow, ok time for my medication. David

 

[MichaelMouse]

I haven't yet attempted sales through a craft show but am considering it. Just curious at what one would say a good and bad day at the show is? Is $200 a bad day and $1,000 a great one?

Depends on what you're selling. For me a thousand a day is all right, but for the guy who sells stuff in which he has real money, not just time invested, it may not be.

Also depends on what you're selling for. If you're a hundred and up on everything, you limit your clientele. If you're ten and up, there's something for everyone. Can get disappointing to see umpteen people handle a piece you're proud of and not be willing to pay the price, but at least they'll buy a spoon ... or two.

Finally, depends on where you are. Out here in the boondocks a hundred bucks is a day's wages. In the city, perhaps three hours. Pricing, even on the same item, depends on location.

You'll get more than money from a show. Woodworking and woodturning are fairly common endeavors, so you'll get a lot of chat with other woodies who really don't want or care to see the "fiber art" or jewelry the wife is handling. You can pick up some good information that way. It's also an "outing" for SWMBO and I. We seldom go anyplace far, but a stay at a motel with a big hot tub and PPV can really add a lot to the weekend show experience. Camping is for the young.

 

[Andy Coates]

shows

I have news folks...the same situation can be found over here in the UK. Our fuel is running at close to $2 a Ltr! That's over $6 a gallon if my math is correct! Anyway...I don;t know if, or how this impacts on craft show sales, but either way the Craft Shows are on a down trend. There are exceptions, the odd good show, but on the whole not so good all round.

The odd thing is people are still attending...just not buying the same way. I've made more from commissions obtained whilst at a show than from actual sales at them this year.

And yesterday, it was holiday day here in the UK, I packed up and left early because it was so very dead, oh, and there was a thunder storm...

today I went through my stock because I was concerned that some rain may have leaked in and all was well but for discovering that I'd had a piece stolen! And not a cheap piece either. Can I say "bummer" on here? Perhaps I'd better not just in case...but it was!

I'm out both days, two events, this coming weekend, and boy do I hope it's better! I'll let you know.

And I have no answers, either. I think all the comments so far have a lead on at lesat part of the problem...imports, finance, low-priced options for thoise who can't afford your more expensive pieces, saturation of the market Etc.

If I had the answer I'd stop attending craft shows, turn simply for pleasure, and make an fortune selling my answers on eBay! I wish.

good luck all

Andy

 

[DeanGThomas]

Business Practicum, or "What's a good day?"

Just curious at what one would say a good and bad day at the show is? Is $200 a bad day and $1,000 a great one?

As with any other venture, good vs bad days are going to be judged in different ways. If you're talking about a business venture where you have a sufficient income but want to support your wood habit, most "good days" are those where you make enough to pay your expenses and maybe have something left for eating and paying bills! And there is definitely some room for discussion there!!!

Guys that are retired and want to offer their goods at a craft show want to cover their overhead costs (booth rental, gas to get there, food for the day, etc.), their costs of good sold (at least the cost of wood, finishes, glues, hardware, etc.), and make enough to invest in making more and keeping their machinery and tools current. If they come away from a two day show having spent more than they took in, that's not a good day! Selling $200 worth of stuff when it cost you $400 for the booth isn't a good day unless you're donating to charity!

Guys (or gals; don't think this sexist, please) that are self-employed, whose total income depends on sales at those shows are going to look at this in a whole different way. They have 52 weeks of income to look for. If they do 26 shows a year, they have to make all of their costs (as listed above), plus enough profit to pay all the rest of the bills! For them, making sales of $1,000 on a weekend where the booth costs $400 is probably still a bad day unless he can live on $300 per week! Not likely.

Hope that helps.

 

[KenN]

Like most of you (or so it seems) retirement covers my bottom line, but I would prefer not to run the studio in the red too much. I figure that if receipts are double the total cost of the show, I'm in the black. Now, some shows are close to home, are under $100 booth fee, and maybe I can stay with relatives or friends - receipts can be modest. But if I have to travel 400 miles, the booth fee is $450, and I can't find a decent Priceline - that's a different story. Some of my friends who depend on shows for a living figure three-four times the show cost is minimum to stay in business. This year, many of them are either not making that or are so close they are thinking about alternatives.

It does keep us out of the pool hall and gets us out of town with some good people and a shot at some nice food.

 

[Russ Fairfield]

Good and bad years are a subjective thing. Every year is different. The economy is different, peoples taste for art changes, and different things are selling on about a 3-year cycle. In other words, we can't sell the same thing this year that we were selling 3-years ago. We have to keep changing.

One thing has always remained constant - Those with a lot of money still have a lot of money, and they are still willing to spend it. We just have to go where those buyers are and make the things that they want to buy. Sometimes we have to be creative to do that.

From my perspective, this has not been a bad year at the shows, but it has been a different year because I had to change the focus of my marketing. The market for the under-$100 items disappeared in 2005, and the market for the under-$500 items disappeared this year; but the market for things that sell for over $1000 is better than ever. That means that I am turning fewer things that cost a lot more than I did 2 years ago.

Besides money being tight, I see the biggest deterent to sales of turned wood being that the supply has far exceeded the demand. While the number of buyers has remained relatively constant, the shows are becoming flooded with woodturners. Where there used to be no more than 2 woodturners at a large show, there are now at least 10 competing for the same number of customers. Add to that the proliferation of shows, and it is easy to see that there is a lot more competition for the same dollar. There are still sales to be made, but we have to worker harder for them. If we can offer a better quality product than the other guy for the same price, we can still make those sales; and the other guy will be the one complaining about it being a bad year.

 

[WODAD]

Since I've only returned to turning a few years ago I haven't done many shows. Two last year and will do three this year all were (are) juried shows (if that makes a difference) but I have found that you need to have a lot of different stuff. I've seen some who display multiple items of the same style and multiples of the same sizes. In total they only had a real choice in variety of maybe ten items. (but they had a lot!) The shows I've done have each brought in $1000 each on an average but todate thats only 3, two more to go this year. I've display as many as 80 items, if I don't have room I add more as I sell them. I'll put out traditional style bowls, natural edged, boxes, goblets, vases, vessels, urns and a mushroom or two. Sorry no pens or tops. Anyway from shows I've stopped at and looked around the turners I saw had limited number of pieces, high priced with very few items under $50. You have to ask yourself, do I want to collect this stuff or sell it? Gallery sales have remained constant for me, one gallery sells an average of 20 pieces a month while a few others will put out maybe 5 or 6 pieces each (for 3). I have a lot of gallery people stop and say they want to carry my stuff but it has to be on my terms as I'm doing all I can now to stay caught up.

Frank D

 

[Charlie Knighton]

terms

I have a lot of gallery people stop and say they want to carry my stuff but it has to be on my terms as I'm doing all I can now to stay caught up

what type of terms do you want on comminsion sales at a gallary, % of what they sell it for, set amount per piece, how many pieces displayed at a time??,

what should i expect for this xmas season?????

 

[WODAD]

Baitbegger,

Commission sales at 25%-30%, most have offered to go to a 20% rate with outright purchase but I (maybe dumb) have declined so far as this gives me some control to move things around. Vases will sell good one place and not another, same with goblets, etc. so I like having the flexability to stop in and pick up items and redistribute the wealth. It also allows me drop off everything insuring a nice variety. I've found out that when I ask the store keepers what they think they need they will reach for one or two of their favorite pieces and say "I really like this one, can you make more of like this"?

Galleries that I have refused have asked for 50% plus a shelf fee (rent) of $40 to $100 I've talked to some of the other artists, painters, potters, etc who display their work there and they seem to feel that you just ask more for it so you get your price. There lies another tough issue, price! My wife and I will sit down once a week, number and record each item, shoot a picture or two and then price. We look at each piece individually and price at retail.

For myself, the (market) area where I live people always seem to head out of town to do their X-mass shopping. So I expect that those who can afford to will still do so, those who can't will stay in town and shop locally. Budgets will be tight so I'm going to be pushing to get as much $20 - $50 stuff made as possible. I'm a firm believer that if you want to sell 20 bowls you need to have 40 on display and thats what I keep in my best galleries. It's also important to be able to get in the galleries as often as you can and check inventory, they may say they have enough but when you review what they have you will find holes in your offering.

Sorry, I'm a little windy when I get started but I have fun!

Frank D.

 

[WODAD]

P.S. almost forgot! I barter with other artists at shows for their works too! Will turn for food, you bet! Just traded a piece for about 7lbs of fresh walleye a couple of bass and a crappie!

FDenton