Tuesday
Dec292009
Alternatives to Craft Shows
Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 4:49PM 
I just sent in applications for two craft shows for this coming summer. If I get in to both of them the cost is going to be about $360, plus travel and expenses. They are both within 100 miles. Hopefully I'll be accepted, I'd like to get my work out in some new areas.Still, craft shows aren't my favorite gig. I'd much rather sell from my studio (which I've already written on).
Another way of selling that I prefer is to do a self promoted show with other potters. There are great models for this sort of venue. The three most successful I can think of are the Minnesota Potters Tour, 16 Hands, and the Soda Chicks. There are other artist tours around the country but I'm talking about events that focus on pots.
A group of potters and I gave this a shot a for several years in a group known as Circle of Eight. We had good success with our sales and we also did exhibitions together. Expenses were shared and we combined mailing lists for our shows, which were held at a group member's home. We had two sales per year and it was always profitable. We also invited guest potters to join us each time, this was fun as it kept things fresh and exposed our customers to someone they may not have known.
This past September the Circle of Eight split up. Like any relationship between people we had problems and didn't work them out in a timely fashion. It's too bad as we were certainly moving in a positive direction.
The good thing about setting up your own show is that you can share expenses, mailing lists, email lists etc. I think it's important to be with people who's work you respect and who are like minded. That energy can feed and grow into a great thing. I've seen this first hand at the Minnesota Potter's Tour where folks show up in droves to buy pots and meet the potters.
Other groups out there that are worth mentioning are Cousins in Clay, and 3 Guys and Some Pottery. You may know of more and I'd like to know about them so leave a comment.
I want to talk also about online sales. I'll save that for next time.
Reader Comments (18)
I'm really enjoying reading your thoughts about selling. Thanks for putting your candid thoughts into writing!
Happy New Year to you and Sarah.
I've been curiously following the group show model for a the past few months. I was hooked by what I saw "the Group of 8" doing and I'm hopeful about getting something similar going on in our part of Northern California. Unfortunately ceramic artists around here are few and very far between.
I didn't realize circle of eight had disbanded; I recall the group and was definitely impressed and liked the invited guest artist idea too. I guess things change and evolve.
Recently I have been thinking of collaborative/shows with artists of a media other than clay; fresh ideas seem to be a draw to the public.
Man, I am TIRED of craft fairs and have done very few lately but used to do them almost every week June-Dec :)
Howdy Ron. Best of the new year to ya!
I have been trying for years to whip up interest in a more organized/collaborative marketing campaign for the studio sales in the Farmington/Watkinsville area here in GA, but each group is so stubborn about doing it all on its own. We end up having five or six sets of posters put out by five or six sets of people and all sorts of other farcical inefficiencies. As if these multiple independent sales weren't diluting things enough on their own, now there are several mega pottery/crafts events in Athens and Watkinsville those weekends as well. I think we may have missed our golden opportunity to promote our studio events as something truly special in the area. Instead of new customers being drawn to sales from all over, we find that the same people are supporting the same sales and not the others. This failure to find a broader exposure is somewhat disturbing. Sales have been down two years running (for just about all of the 20 or so artists involved) and I am seriously considering switching to one of the sales in Athens proper, where I live. I wonder if doing a unified marketing campaign would get more people excited about more of the artists or just spread the same dollars around differently? Thoughts?
I am also curious to see if you circle of eight folks are going to do your own sales as independent events on those same weekends or if you are just going to scrap the idea of the sale weekend altogether? Could you talk about what you perceive as some advantages and disadvantages of each of these approaches?
Good luck in 2010!
Carter
It's sad to see groups like the circle of eight dissolving. Sometimes the strength in numbers is not seen as an advantage when other issues are causing problems. I hope all is not lost.
The Georgia Clay Council just held our first annual holiday market which ran for several weeks. The artist who where selling work all worked in the gallery and/or did administrative work. The market was a success because we sold pots and we worked together.
Reading Carter's comments, it seems that people want (or we think they want) mega events and mega stores and mega everything. It's sad that people don't realize the harm these mega things do. Sadly, my avoiding Wal-mart doesn't seem to help.
Happy New Years.
Hi Carter, Thanks for the comments. It seems to me that the Athens potters have the opportunity to do something similar to the Minnesota Potters Tour. Several studios host other potters and folks go around to each. I'm not sure how the Minnesota folks work it all out but I do know they print a nice poster mailer each year. It's a once a year event. Bob Briscoe would be a good person to talk to. Bob has said that he feels like the more potters that participate the better the event is. His philosophy is that the 'pie' doesn't stay the same size with each person getting a smaller piece, but instead the pie grows with each person getting a bigger piece. Of course there event has been going on for almost 20 years now. Still you have to start somewhere. I think the more unified the better. At the same time you run into problems of who can participate, should it be invitational, or juried. ie quality of work, or who can work well with others etc. I think Seagrove NC has suffered from disputes like this and it has certainly hurt them and caused many bad feelings.
As far as Circle of Eight goes it is unlikely that each member will have an event those same two weekends. I feel like a few of us will regroup and work together again in the near future.
Happy new Year to you both: I'm interested in the sales stuff because I'm just about to start an Etsy sales site. I think I'll wait until you have posted your comments, I haven't got much stock yet anyway.
Nothing local to me is done by potters only in a group though for the last few years I have done group shows with two or three other craftspeople of different materials and as a group we can get quite a good mailshot and advertising campaign done quite efficiently and cheaply if we all pull our weight. I haven't ever done a group of potters event but I have been considaring if maybe for 2010 if I could get enough people to be interested and to be prepared to work for it. It's frustrating when you get a group where some put in a lot more than others andoften it seems it's those same people who reap the greatest financial rewards, I've seen this in a couple of potters shows in the north pf england.
As for fairs, today I recieved my first post Christmas rejection letter, no better way to bring on the winter blues - again, no matter how many times it's still a blow to the confidence.
I am sure you know about the Celebration of Seagrove Potters under the Seagrove Area Potters Association or SAPA.
SAPA formed a number of years ago with the idea that it was better to pool our money to promote the area potters.
We are not without problems but have stayed together as a membership group.
We print a map and a website; discoverseagrove.com.
The show the past two years. The Celebration, has done well with a large group of potters doing most of the work.
It is hard to come together with any group where you are all in the same business.
Sometimes you have to agree to disagree and move on.
Yet, if you can focus on the out come and walk with care on how you treat the group as a whole it can work.
I think all pottery shows, or all one craft shows, can work well.
You know the persons coming are coming because they like that craft.
The concept of working together is good.
It is working out the kinks.
I always think if you can separate yourself a bit from your business and ego and treat all persons as valuable, agree to disagree and look for what is the “big picture”, you can make this work.
In the long run it is all about the relationship between you, or you and the group and the customer.
In the long run, it is how the customers feel.
Without them where are we?
Thanks Meredith, good points. I do think communication between those participating is key to making these things work. At least that's my experience. Checking your ego at the door is a good thing and dealing with issues as they come up. I think small to medium size shows are going to be (or already are) more enjoyable and profitable for craftspeople. I think customers see them as more personal as well.
We have a great potter's tour here in the valley of Western Ma. We are in out 6th year. Each year it gets better, more customers, more sales. This is our first year we are inviting guest potters. Our website is... http://asparagusvalleypotterytrail.com/
Thanks Lucy, I checked out everyone's sites. Looks like a great group. I esp. liked Molly Cantor's work. Thanks for sharing.
i guess these things always evolve and i hope that 2010 continues to be...happy new year ron & sarah hopefully we'll cross paths sooner than later! I like the idea of functioning within a group for shows and you've given me an idea for this year with my local clay buds too...so here's to networking and always inspiring each other....cheers ang x
i think we should have a once a year or bi-yearly blogger clay/pottery fest. that would be a riot, the only show where it would be ok to just break even or maybe go in the hole a bit. but where would we have it?
Good idea Brandon! Having a physical show would be pretty hard and I don't know that if we having it in any one given area would be beneficial to another since we are all over the place and so are our readers. An online show would be great, not nearly as fun as getting all together though.
Hey Ron! Happy New Year! We have a potters tour up here in Indiana County PA. www.Potterstour.com Check out our website.
Thanks Josh!